Sid Hartman: Claeys wasn't being set up to succeed as Gophers coach

BleedGopher

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per Sid:

Let’s face facts, if Tracy Claeys had coached the Gophers this season, there is no doubt that he would have been fired at the end of the season because the team’s tough schedule would have prevented him from winning enough games to keep his job.

While Claeys most likely would have won the first three games against Buffalo, Oregon State and Middle Tennessee, the rest of the year would have been tough.

The Gophers open the Big Ten against an improved Maryland team, then face Purdue, Michigan State, and Illinois, all winnable games as well.

But the Gophers face a brutal finish — with games at Iowa and Michigan, Nebraska at home, at Northwestern and Wisconsin at home.

That scheduled, coupled with inexperienced and thin lines on both sides of the ball and no established quarterback would have doomed Claeys.

Some good sources claim that even though athletic director Mark Coyle had assured Claeys at one time that he would be back in 2017, Coyle had decided that he had to change the image of the football coach and was already interviewing coaches before the Gophers bowl game. And Coyle already knew he was going to fire Claeys before the bowl game was over, and P.J. Fleck was going to be the man.

Winning the bowl game, even shorthanded, was not going to help Claeys.

And while some believe Fleck already was lined up as the coach, he said that under no circumstances was he hired before Jan. 6, when it was announced.

And as for the decision to remove Claeys, Coyle made it very clear that after everything that happened around the program last year he was willing to pay the price to change the program’s image, giving Fleck a five-year deal worth $3.5 million per season.

http://www.startribune.com/had-he-s...o-succeed-as-gophers-coach-in-2017/442311823/

Go Gophers!!
 

So, if I'm reading this right, Sid is saying a 7-5 record would have gotten Claeys fired. That is debatable. I think it would have also depended on attendance at games, and the general level of enthusiasm for the program.

But, considering Coyle was willing to fire Claeys after a 9-4 season, it's plausible that he would have been willing to fire him after a 7-5 season. Sid and his ghost-writer might be onto something.
 

Claeys could not sell the program. It just wasn't in his personality, and these days, you need that. That simple. And I liked him as a coach.
 

So, if I'm reading this right, Sid is saying a 7-5 record would have gotten Claeys fired. That is debatable. I think it would have also depended on attendance at games, and the general level of enthusiasm for the program.

But, considering Coyle was willing to fire Claeys after a 9-4 season, it's plausible that he would have been willing to fire him after a 7-5 season. Sid and his ghost-writer might be onto something.

Sid is all over the board with his comments, but they he is not off base completely, and is certainly not a brain dead zombie as some imply. I am sure Coyle would have tried to fire Claeys had the team gone 7-5 this year, assuming of course he had to keep him as HC this year.

Sid is not senile and his problems with speech, post stroke are sad, since I think his mind is still good in his 90s. I think most of us would be very happy to be alive in our 90s with our mental capabilities reasonably intact.

Case in point, Sid went after President Kaler hard on the radio last Sunday, and essentially forced Kaler to acknowledge that Jerry Kill did great things for the program and deserved a great deal of credit for the current state of the program. I turned on WCCO 830 in the middle of the segment, but I think he put Kaler on the spot about the way Tracy Claeys was treated right before the Jerry Kill segment.

The whole record discussion is somewhat odd in that a 5 win season is just about impossible and much more unlikely than nine wins, yet some expect nothing of this team.

Certain wins 5 Buffalo, Ore. St, MTSU (unless it gets hot and humid that day), Illinois, Purdue,

Should be wins at home- Maryland (no identity, pounded them last year), MSU (lost lots of talent, we have a good D)

Sure loss (at Michigan)

The rest are toss ups at worst and we have competed with all these teams the last few years

- Iowa weak offense, no WR, QB; likely loss, but close game

Neb, at TCF, generally suspect, new QB, issues with Riley

Northwestern- not a tough road environment, will not physically overwhelm us, our D will keep us in it, might run over them, not always very physical

Wisc. - at TCF, Wisconsin, lost some talent, we have to beat them sometime again before I die- likely loss, if we could not beat them in 2015, we may never beat them again in my lifetime apparently


I see 8 or 9 wins here, maybe 10.
 



I can't find a thread on season predictions, so I'll put my thoughts here.

There's been a lot of talk about our first seven games. The schedule looks good on paper, but I just can't lock in a 7-0 guaranteed start. It's a possibility though. I'm going to say anywhere from 7-0 to 5-2.

The last five are what really matter. The Big Ten is a different animal, with increased pressure in rivalry games. I would personally be satisfied with a 2-3 record in that stretch for a coach's first year. Maybe they get more, but I think two wins is a pretty realistic record.

That puts my prediction between 7-5 and 9-3, a pretty satisfying first season.
 

I can't find a thread on season predictions, so I'll put my thoughts here.

There's been a lot of talk about our first seven games. The schedule looks good on paper, but I just can't lock in a 7-0 guaranteed start. It's a possibility though. I'm going to say anywhere from 7-0 to 5-2.

The last five are what really matter. The Big Ten is a different animal, with increased pressure in rivalry games. I would personally be satisfied with a 2-3 record in that stretch for a coach's first year. Maybe they get more, but I think two wins is a pretty realistic record.

That puts my prediction between 7-5 and 9-3, a pretty satisfying first season.

To me it isn't even worth making predictions until we see what kind of play we are going to get from the QB position. Going to be tough to beat anyone if the offense is terrible. On the flip side if Croft/Rhoda/Whoever can lead the team the defense should be good enough to keep us in most games.
 

To me it isn't even worth making predictions until we see what kind of play we are going to get from the QB position. Going to be tough to beat anyone if the offense is terrible. On the flip side if Croft/Rhoda/Whoever can lead the team the defense should be good enough to keep us in most games.

I think this is the post of the off-season. I swear, over the last week I have been convinced we will only win 5 games. Then a couple days later convinced we will win 9. I'm going back and forth...and I think it has to do with the unknown at QB. On one hand, I know we have been successful in the recent past with sub-par quarterbacking. On the other hand, there is little doubt in my mind that if 2016 Leidner was on this roster, he would definitely be the starter - which scares me.
 

Also - I think we are making progress as a message board. Not too long ago every thread devolved into a debate about Claeys. Now a thread about Claeys has turned into a discussion on the 2017 season! Progress!
 



I felt all along that Fleck was setup to be coach long before we knew Claeys would be gone. Said it last January and still believe it. I think Fleck would have taken the Oregon job if offered, but probably right after that was sold on Minnesota. It is closer to his roots. All that said, what a scoop Sid. Claeys wasn't setup to succeed. Duh.
 

I think attendance would have had a lot to deal with Claeys being let go after 2017.

I have no reason to know this, but my assumption is that if Claeys were still head coach, attendance for tonight's game would be lower, and my second assumption is that it would be by a substantial margin.

All hypothetical of course. You can agree or disagree with me and are equally right.
 

Sid I hate to break it to you but the Gophers will face Northwestern, Iowa, Nebraska, and Wisconsin every year.
 

Tough Schedule? Cross overs includes Maryland one of the two worst B1G East teams, Michigan State middle of the pack, and Michigan good team. Preseason opponents are soft. Where is this tough schedule Sid speaks of?
 



It was obvious from the contract Claeys received that he was a stopgap until the new AD was brought in and could make his own decision.
 

Let's keep it simple, stupid and drop all of the if, ands , buts, maybe, maybe not. Tracy God love him, is a Defensive Coordinator.
 

Let's face the facts. Sid doesn't have a clue. I like Sid but this article is not well timed and really isnt relevant anymore.
 

So, to analyze Sid's fine literary work, he begins by asking the reader to face facts and then proceeds with speculation and opinion about why a man may have been fired. Brilliant writing.
 

I felt all along that Fleck was setup to be coach long before we knew Claeys would be gone. Said it last January and still believe it. I think Fleck would have taken the Oregon job if offered, but probably right after that was sold on Minnesota. It is closer to his roots. All that said, what a scoop Sid. Claeys wasn't setup to succeed. Duh.

1) Wow. Really Sid? This would have been a good article in January, not the day before the first game of the season. Did you write it then and the editors hold it? I could believe that if told it was true.

2) PJ Fleck is the coach and is not responsible for the way it happened. Why is the media undercutting him the day before our first game? Oh, yeah, that's right, We are. Minnesota!

Go Gophers, and F..K the the media in the Twin Cities.
 

To say that this topic has been beaten to death would be a huge understatement.

Let's Play Football !
 

To say that this topic has been beaten to death would be a huge understatement.

Let's Play Football !

The "debate"? Damn right. Sid's column? It wasn't written to do Claeys any favors. He was setting up a bad season for Fleck.

It's Sid's patented "set up the loss" move. ;)

Let’s face facts, if Tracy Claeys had coached the Gophers this season, there is no doubt that he would have been fired at the end of the season because the team’s tough schedule would have prevented him from winning enough games to keep his job.

While Claeys most likely would have won the first three games against Buffalo, Oregon State and Middle Tennessee, the rest of the year would have been tough.

The Gophers open the Big Ten against an improved Maryland team, then face Purdue, Michigan State, and Illinois, all winnable games as well.

But the Gophers face a brutal finish — with games at Iowa and Michigan, Nebraska at home, at Northwestern and Wisconsin at home.

That scheduled, coupled with inexperienced and thin lines on both sides of the ball and no established quarterback would have doomed Claeys.
 

I think everyone knows last season was the best you were ever going to get from Claeys. A middle of the pack B1G team who won 9 games
 

I think everyone knows last season was the best you were ever going to get from Claeys. A middle of the pack B1G team who won 9 games

One season does not a career make.

While I think we're in good shape with our coach right now (but the administration is still our biggest problem) your statement is a gross over-generalization and is Mark Coyle like unnecessary at this point. And it's purely speculative.
 




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