Graham Couch: Beat the Gophers now, because P.J. Fleck will win at Minnesota

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per Graham Couch of the Lansing State Journal:

By the time Michigan State plays Minnesota again, on Halloween 2020, the Gophers will be a bear.

To think otherwise is to doubt P.J. Fleck’s ability to recruit. Which is foolish, based on all the evidence at hand.

What’s different now from last time he took over a college football program — now, he’s sure he’s right.

“I know it works, I know how it works, I know when it turns,” Fleck said this week, as his 3-2 Minnesota team prepared to host 4-1 Michigan State in a prime-time matchup Saturday. “I know what it looks like when it’s working. I know what it looks like when it’s not working. I know what it looks like when guys are bought in. I know what it looks like when guys aren’t bought in. Because you’ve been through that before. Going through it a second time, you know it works, so you’re more confident to stick to the plan.”

Fleck’s entire day is spent either recruiting or thinking about recruiting or doing something that benefits the development of the program.

“Because everything you do is recruiting,” Fleck said. “Everything you do, everything you say, everything you put out there. Every thought has an ability to build a relationship, the right relationships. And it’s also the branding and marketing of your program. What is your program like? How is it different than other programs? Why should I come there? What are you going to do different for me than these other people? Why should I come to you over them? Everything I do has relationship building and our brand and our culture at the forefront of what I decide.

“Even when you’re watching game film, you’re watching practice, you’re constantly evaluating players. You’re evaluating players to realize, can they continue to get better and grow? Or do we have to replace them in recruiting? It’s constant, it’s constant, it’s constant about developing your program.”

http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/...eck-minnesota-gophers-couch-column/761037001/

Go Gophers!!
 


per Graham Couch of the Lansing State Journal:

By the time Michigan State plays Minnesota again, on Halloween 2020, the Gophers will be a bear.

To think otherwise is to doubt P.J. Fleck’s ability to recruit. Which is foolish, based on all the evidence at hand.

What’s different now from last time he took over a college football program — now, he’s sure he’s right.

“I know it works, I know how it works, I know when it turns,” Fleck said this week, as his 3-2 Minnesota team prepared to host 4-1 Michigan State in a prime-time matchup Saturday. “I know what it looks like when it’s working. I know what it looks like when it’s not working. I know what it looks like when guys are bought in. I know what it looks like when guys aren’t bought in. Because you’ve been through that before. Going through it a second time, you know it works, so you’re more confident to stick to the plan.”

Fleck’s entire day is spent either recruiting or thinking about recruiting or doing something that benefits the development of the program.

“Because everything you do is recruiting,” Fleck said. “Everything you do, everything you say, everything you put out there. Every thought has an ability to build a relationship, the right relationships. And it’s also the branding and marketing of your program. What is your program like? How is it different than other programs? Why should I come there? What are you going to do different for me than these other people? Why should I come to you over them? Everything I do has relationship building and our brand and our culture at the forefront of what I decide.

“Even when you’re watching game film, you’re watching practice, you’re constantly evaluating players. You’re evaluating players to realize, can they continue to get better and grow? Or do we have to replace them in recruiting? It’s constant, it’s constant, it’s constant about developing your program.”

http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/...eck-minnesota-gophers-couch-column/761037001/

Go Gophers!!

I think PJ has made it abundantly clear to us and the team what his evaluation concluded.
 

Is it really as simple as just recruiting? I'm wary of those who assume it is.

I know PJ and his staff have all the ability and drive to succeed in recruiting. When they aggressively marketed a fungible option (WMU) in a league where everyone's on roughly equal footing, of course they lapped the field. I'm a little skeptical about their ability to eclipse Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State in recruiting. Even 20+ years of success hasn't gotten Wisconsin to that point. Meanwhile, the epic scandal at PSU didn't knock them off that perch for long at all. Those 3 are locked in as the most prestigious places to play and will be for a very long time. It sucks.

Minnesota's consistent ceiling in recruiting is probably 4-7 in the conference. That would be very nice work for Fleck and staff. Player development, retention (seems like Gophers are forever "young") and scheme are going to have to be part of the solution here. That's what's gotten Wisconsin top 3 results with 5th-7th rated classes.
 

We'll see, always a lot of hype when a new coach shows up
 


The ingredients are there for something good to come our way. :drink:
 


Is it really as simple as just recruiting? I'm wary of those who assume it is.

I know PJ and his staff have all the ability and drive to succeed in recruiting. When they aggressively marketed a fungible option (WMU) in a league where everyone's on roughly equal footing, of course they lapped the field. I'm a little skeptical about their ability to eclipse Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State in recruiting. Even 20+ years of success hasn't gotten Wisconsin to that point. Meanwhile, the epic scandal at PSU didn't knock them off that perch for long at all. Those 3 are locked in as the most prestigious places to play and will be for a very long time. It sucks.

Minnesota's consistent ceiling in recruiting is probably 4-7 in the conference. That would be very nice work for Fleck and staff. Player development, retention (seems like Gophers are forever "young") and scheme are going to have to be part of the solution here. That's what's gotten Wisconsin top 3 results with 5th-7th rated classes.

Look at where Alabama and Clemson are in recruiting the last couple years before they won national titles.
Were they top ten or were they around 40-50?

Also, name a few national title winners who had consistent classes in the 30-70 range the 4 years prior who got "coached up".
 

Below are 10 national title winners, not including Clemson from last year.

The Average, is what their National rank was from 247 for the preceding 4 years.

Recruiting For National Championship Winners

Team (Title Year) Average
Alabama (2015) 1
Ohio State (2014) 4.25
Florida State (2013) 5.75
Alabama (2012) 2.25
Alabama (2011) 2.75
Auburn (2010) 15
Alabama (2009) 8.25
Florida (2008) 5.25
LSU (2007) 7.5
Florida (2006) 5
 



Those programs don’t recruit, they select. Exactly what Kill said and why he needs to coach em up. To be successful we will need good recruiting and good coaching. Doesn’t need to be top 10in the nation just needs to have legit players
 

Below are 10 national title winners, not including Clemson from last year.

The Average, is what their National rank was from 247 for the preceding 4 years.

Recruiting For National Championship Winners

Team (Title Year) Average
Alabama (2015) 1
Ohio State (2014) 4.25
Florida State (2013) 5.75
Alabama (2012) 2.25
Alabama (2011) 2.75
Auburn (2010) 15
Alabama (2009) 8.25
Florida (2008) 5.25
LSU (2007) 7.5
Florida (2006) 5


I was wondering if Auburn might be an outlier, and theirs was mainly due to Cam Newton (and that whole fiasco).
 

Those programs don’t recruit, they select. Exactly what Kill said and why he needs to coach em up. To be successful we will need good recruiting and good coaching. Doesn’t need to be top 10in the nation just needs to have legit players

By the looks of the rankings, you do need top ten classes.
Call it recruiting, call it selecting, you need it.

You say it doesn't need to be top 10 in the nation, but the national champions list seems to indicate it does.

What is your evidence that you don't need top 10 classes and can you please provide an example?
 

By the looks of the rankings, you do need top ten classes.
Call it recruiting, call it selecting, you need it.

You say it doesn't need to be top 10 in the nation, but the national champions list seems to indicate it does.

What is your evidence that you don't need top 10 classes and can you please provide an example?

I agree, recruiting is crucial. What do you think of Wisconsin's success with apparently upper-average players?
 



I get so frustrated with (some) Gopher "fans". I swear, Fleck could get us to the National Championship game this year and the next day there'd be a bunch of "fans" going: "Well, if it had been Mason with this team, we'd have won. He beat Alabama the last time." At least Reusse gets paid for being a negative jerk--it's the enthusiasm of the amateurs that bugs me to no end. The rest of the conference sees it, the national press sees it, only the "Woe is me--let's tear down this guy too" Gopher fan that doesn't get it.

I'm not talking about questioning a decision here or there--I'm talking about the absolute belief that mediocrity isn't just acceptable, it's the top rung on the Gopher's ladder.

To succeed, everything--and I do mean everything--has to come together and even then you have to have the kites up and wait for lightning. But I tell it always starts with someone that has the vision--not of what is, but what can and should be. Someone that knows what success looks like and wants it bad. Bad enough to make it happen by will alone if necessary.

Watching Fleck, especially through some of this adversity, just makes me think how lucky I am to have a front row seat to all this. This is the right guy, in the right place, at the right time. I don't have any idea how long it will take but I suspect it's going to happen a lot faster than most people would think.

You can call me a Fleckster, or a Kool Aid drinker, or anything else, but I tell you true: I see it, and when I see it, I believe it.
 

I agree, recruiting is crucial. What do you think of Wisconsin's success with apparently upper-average players?

I think they've come up short of the playoffs consistently.
If you just want to be in Big Ten Title games in where you play a team from the east who has more talent, give it a go.

It suits the talent that is available. A few big lineman and recruit one very good RB from out of state.
 

I get so frustrated with (some) Gopher "fans". I swear, Fleck could get us to the National Championship game this year and the next day there'd be a bunch of "fans" going: "Well, if it had been Mason with this team, we'd have won. He beat Alabama the last time." At least Reusse gets paid for being a negative jerk--it's the enthusiasm of the amateurs that bugs me to no end. The rest of the conference sees it, the national press sees it, only the "Woe is me--let's tear down this guy too" Gopher fan that doesn't get it.

I'm not talking about questioning a decision here or there--I'm talking about the absolute belief that mediocrity isn't just acceptable, it's the top rung on the Gopher's ladder.

To succeed, everything--and I do mean everything--has to come together and even then you have to have the kites up and wait for lightning. But I tell it always starts with someone that has the vision--not of what is, but what can and should be. Someone that knows what success looks like and wants it bad. Bad enough to make it happen by will alone if necessary.

Watching Fleck, especially through some of this adversity, just makes me think how lucky I am to have a front row seat to all this. This is the right guy, in the right place, at the right time. I don't have any idea how long it will take but I suspect it's going to happen a lot faster than most people would think.

You can call me a Fleckster, or a Kool Aid drinker, or anything else, but I tell you true: I see it, and when I see it, I believe it.

Normally, we're the "woe is me" we don't get any national attention, we're being ignored, they don't give us a chance, type fans.
Now we actually have other media noticing us and saying we are going to be good, and our own fans are....

"Yeh, I liked Claeys better because he wasn't flashy and he didn't try to recruit anyone great."

I agree with you. He's absolutely the right guy and his post game press conference last night helps me believe it more.

He's trying to fly kites to catch lighting, and many Gopher fans are saying "Let's stay inside, it's raining out. Let's catch lightning instead when it's sunny so we don't get wet."
 

I get so frustrated with (some) Gopher "fans". I swear, Fleck could get us to the National Championship game this year and the next day there'd be a bunch of "fans" going: "Well, if it had been Mason with this team, we'd have won.

Watching Fleck, especially through some of this adversity, just makes me think how lucky I am to have a front row seat to all this. This is the right guy, in the right place, at the right time. I don't have any idea how long it will take but I suspect it's going to happen a lot faster than most people would think.

You can call me a Fleckster, or a Kool Aid drinker, or anything else, but I tell you true: I see it, and when I see it, I believe it.

Well, I guess that is where we differ. I will come out and say it - WE WILL NEVER PLAY IN A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME AGAIN. With the way college athletics have gone 'semi-pro', the fake classes some schools offer (it isn't just UNC), the payments schools and 3rd parties make, the playing field is not level and no 100% by the book guy is EVER going to be able to go up against that and field a NC team at Minnesota. Spurrier could not even come close at SC and I am sure rules were bent at a minimum and he could not get it done vs. the established powers in college football.

With that reality check, we need to set our sights on maybe winning a Big 10 title - which is also very much a long shot even over the next 5-6 year horizon. So, we need a system in place that can get us there and banking on 'recruiting' is not going to prevail as we will never be able to out-recruit 4-5 of the teams in the Big 10 because we don't have a consistent NFL pipeline (yes, that matters to top recruits), we don't have a history of coaching up players to the NFL level (and we won't establish that in the next 4 years), we don't have a tradition of winning w/ national TV exposure, and we don't have a system that we can sell to top players to get them early national exposure (like a Mike Leach QB or WI RB).

We need a coach that is better than his peers at the X's and O's and we need a coach that can develop players already on the team and put them in a position to win. My issue with Fleck - like Brewster, is that he 100% brings the 'flimflam man' routine (we all know this), but he has not shown any above average ability with the X's and O's or putting players in a position to succeed. In that way, he is exactly like Brewster.

As for Brewster - even though he was on literally NO ONE'S radar for the coaching job - this board was over the moon when he was hired. Why? Because by and large, they will support whatever the Administration tells them to support. They will tire of the PJ Fleck flimflam man routine exactly when the Administration tells them that we need a new direction and a return to a football mind vs. a football personality and not a second sooner. That is exactly what has made Minnesota the bastion of mediocrity it is today. An Administration without a clue running a major sports program with a small group of diehard fans that follow them 100% regardless of the performance on the field attack anyone that disagrees.

I don't think Gopher fans are bandwagon fans - we support the team. However, part of that support is calling a spade a spade and setting expectations on reasonable targets and saying we should accomplish it through tried and true methods vs. an over reliance on flimflam man sales pitches. We have seen it all before and I don't need another "Year Zero" after having lived through 3+ already during my time as a fan.
 

Well, I guess that is where we differ. I will come out and say it - WE WILL NEVER PLAY IN A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME AGAIN. With the way college athletics have gone 'semi-pro', the fake classes some schools offer (it isn't just UNC), the payments schools and 3rd parties make, the playing field is not level and no 100% by the book guy is EVER going to be able to go up against that and field a NC team at Minnesota. Spurrier could not even come close at SC and I am sure rules were bent at a minimum and he could not get it done vs. the established powers in college football.

With that reality check, we need to set our sights on maybe winning a Big 10 title - which is also very much a long shot even over the next 5-6 year horizon. So, we need a system in place that can get us there and banking on 'recruiting' is not going to prevail as we will never be able to out-recruit 4-5 of the teams in the Big 10 because we don't have a consistent NFL pipeline (yes, that matters to top recruits), we don't have a history of coaching up players to the NFL level (and we won't establish that in the next 4 years), we don't have a tradition of winning w/ national TV exposure, and we don't have a system that we can sell to top players to get them early national exposure (like a Mike Leach QB or WI RB).

We need a coach that is better than his peers at the X's and O's and we need a coach that can develop players already on the team and put them in a position to win. My issue with Fleck - like Brewster, is that he 100% brings the 'flimflam man' routine (we all know this), but he has not shown any above average ability with the X's and O's or putting players in a position to succeed. In that way, he is exactly like Brewster.

As for Brewster - even though he was on literally NO ONE'S radar for the coaching job - this board was over the moon when he was hired. Why? Because by and large, they will support whatever the Administration tells them to support. They will tire of the PJ Fleck flimflam man routine exactly when the Administration tells them that we need a new direction and a return to a football mind vs. a football personality and not a second sooner. That is exactly what has made Minnesota the bastion of mediocrity it is today. An Administration without a clue running a major sports program with a small group of diehard fans that follow them 100% regardless of the performance on the field attack anyone that disagrees.

I don't think Gopher fans are bandwagon fans - we support the team. However, part of that support is calling a spade a spade and setting expectations on reasonable targets and saying we should accomplish it through tried and true methods vs. an over reliance on flimflam man sales pitches. We have seen it all before and I don't need another "Year Zero" after having lived through 3+ already during my time as a fan.

I understand your reservations about Fleck's "flimflam man" style. It's not for everyone. But to say he hasn't proven that he can put players in a position to succeed or get them to the NFL is just inaccurate. Over the last 2 years Western Michigan had 5 players drafted. Last year Corey Davis was a top 5 pick. I'd say that he developed a pretty good program at Western Michigan. He hasn't proven he that he coach the X's and O's? His first season they were 1-11, last year they were 13-1. Say what you want about the MAC, but you don't go undefeated through the regular season without having a good X's and O's mind. Especially with a team that was 1-11 3 years before the Cotton Bowl season.

You talk about having setting manageable goals, our first goal should be to win the Big Ten West. If we can do that we have a shot at winning the Big Ten title because anything can happen in a winner take all championship game situation. Then you start building off that success. Do you think Clemson was talking about winning National Championships 5-10 years ago? Before 2011 they hadn't won a conference title since 1991. You don't have to like Fleck or his style, but to just hand wave his coaching ability or pretend that he can't coach because of his style is selling the guy short. If he's given time here I believe he will be successful. Yeah this year and next year will probably be rough, but give him time.
 

csom_1991,

I appreciate your long and thoughtful reply. You make a valid and rational argument, but I would like to offer a different perspective, one that is tempered and informed by playing football (not at the U, but a small college) and observations gleaned over my years.

We've all seen teams that have the absolute best recruits available and yet they struggle to win. As Lou Holtz once observed, "If Notre Dame doesn't win, it's always on the coach--you step out the door and whistle, and 12 All-Americans come running." I'm not arguing that recruiting doesn't matter, indeed, you're correct that coaching and development are also absolutely crucial.

The difference is this: Great players don't necessarily win championships, great teams do. Teams have a synergy that makes them greater than the sum of their parts. There are a ton of X's and O's coaches in the world that couldn't build a great team if their life depended on it.

Football isn't just a physical game; it's also a metaphysical game. If a player or a team can be great for one play, they can be great--they just have to learn to tap that inherent greatness consistently and on demand. I played for one of the winningest small college coaches in the country--he didn't recruit at all. He believed, he coached, he built teams, and he won. Frankly, I was the egotist that didn't get the team thing and my whole life was worse for it.

I don't know how good PJ is with X's and O's. I honestly don't think it matters that much--that's a skill that can be hired and delegated. Rinse and repeat, if necessary.

Fleck is a student of the game on both the physical and metaphysical level. All that "athletically, academically, socially, and spiritually" isn't just a line--it's a clarion call to surrender to something great--greater than yourself, something magical that will transform your life. Comparing Fleck to Brewster is to compare George Washington to Warren Harding. Washington had a vision; Harding had an agenda.

A team on and off the field, a team that will sacrifice for the good of all, and a team that dares to dream big and--dare I say--row on to destiny: That's all Fleck wants. He wants everyone on that team: the administration, the media, the groundskeepers, the fans. I want to be on that team and I so choose.

That's the spiritual dimension, the vision, the metaphysics, if you will. Someone with the vision and the desire that can articulate and orchestrate and make magic happen. I believe that PJ is the Herb Brooks of Gopher's football--the guy that can bring the vision and follow it up with the hard work to make that magic happen.

I've seen flashes all year in this team. They're growing--what's flashes now can and will become a way of life. Isn't it funny that many spiritual traditions speak of the way? I don't want any of my negativity slowing this process down.

And I love that PJ is a student of the game--he appreciates the history and tradition of Minnesota. Sadly, more than many of the fans that no nothing of Gophers legacy.

Yes, it is a big goal and a big vision. And it is doable. Not easy, doable. Literally every obstacle and excuse that can be offered up for not doing it comes with a corollary story of a school that overcame that exact same obstacle. Now we've got someone who says: "Let's do it--let's take out all the obstacles and make this happen." And I say: YES!

Look, I'm nearly 60. I've suffered through enough of the "eat the cupcakes, muddle through the Big Ten, and go to Detroit and eat your bowl of MAC" to last a lifetime. Finally, we've got an administration and the facilities and the money to go get a guy that wants to build something special, something for the ages, and we've got a bunch of "I dunno--don't really see how we can do that" people holding things back and frankly, stinking up the joint.

Please, drop the excuses (physical), catch the vision (metaphysical), and ROW! This is gonna be great.
 

csom_1991,

I appreciate your long and thoughtful reply. You make a valid and rational argument, but I would like to offer a different perspective, one that is tempered and informed by playing football (not at the U, but a small college) and observations gleaned over my years.

We've all seen teams that have the absolute best recruits available and yet they struggle to win. As Lou Holtz once observed, "If Notre Dame doesn't win, it's always on the coach--you step out the door and whistle, and 12 All-Americans come running." I'm not arguing that recruiting doesn't matter, indeed, you're correct that coaching and development are also absolutely crucial.

The difference is this: Great players don't necessarily win championships, great teams do. Teams have a synergy that makes them greater than the sum of their parts. There are a ton of X's and O's coaches in the world that couldn't build a great team if their life depended on it.

Football isn't just a physical game; it's also a metaphysical game. If a player or a team can be great for one play, they can be great--they just have to learn to tap that inherent greatness consistently and on demand. I played for one of the winningest small college coaches in the country--he didn't recruit at all. He believed, he coached, he built teams, and he won. Frankly, I was the egotist that didn't get the team thing and my whole life was worse for it.

I don't know how good PJ is with X's and O's. I honestly don't think it matters that much--that's a skill that can be hired and delegated. Rinse and repeat, if necessary.

Fleck is a student of the game on both the physical and metaphysical level. All that "athletically, academically, socially, and spiritually" isn't just a line--it's a clarion call to surrender to something great--greater than yourself, something magical that will transform your life. Comparing Fleck to Brewster is to compare George Washington to Warren Harding. Washington had a vision; Harding had an agenda.

A team on and off the field, a team that will sacrifice for the good of all, and a team that dares to dream big and--dare I say--row on to destiny: That's all Fleck wants. He wants everyone on that team: the administration, the media, the groundskeepers, the fans. I want to be on that team and I so choose.

That's the spiritual dimension, the vision, the metaphysics, if you will. Someone with the vision and the desire that can articulate and orchestrate and make magic happen. I believe that PJ is the Herb Brooks of Gopher's football--the guy that can bring the vision and follow it up with the hard work to make that magic happen.

I've seen flashes all year in this team. They're growing--what's flashes now can and will become a way of life. Isn't it funny that many spiritual traditions speak of the way? I don't want any of my negativity slowing this process down.

And I love that PJ is a student of the game--he appreciates the history and tradition of Minnesota. Sadly, more than many of the fans that no nothing of Gophers legacy.

Yes, it is a big goal and a big vision. And it is doable. Not easy, doable. Literally every obstacle and excuse that can be offered up for not doing it comes with a corollary story of a school that overcame that exact same obstacle. Now we've got someone who says: "Let's do it--let's take out all the obstacles and make this happen." And I say: YES!

Look, I'm nearly 60. I've suffered through enough of the "eat the cupcakes, muddle through the Big Ten, and go to Detroit and eat your bowl of MAC" to last a lifetime. Finally, we've got an administration and the facilities and the money to go get a guy that wants to build something special, something for the ages, and we've got a bunch of "I dunno--don't really see how we can do that" people holding things back and frankly, stinking up the joint.

Please, drop the excuses (physical), catch the vision (metaphysical), and ROW! This is gonna be great.

I think you're spot on. Herb Brooks may not have always had the best talent, but he always created the best teams from what he had and that's why he won. Look no further than the 1980 US Olympic Hockey Team. They were no doubt outclassed talent and experience wise compared to the soviets. The thing the US had was great team. They weren't a group of individuals playing together, they were a team playing as one unit. That's what Herb Brooks did to win, and I believe Fleck is doing the same.
 

I think they've come up short of the playoffs consistently.
If you just want to be in Big Ten Title games in where you play a team from the east who has more talent, give it a go.

It suits the talent that is available. A few big lineman and recruit one very good RB from out of state.

Yeah I do want to be in B1G title games. That would be the first step to getting those top 10 classes. My point was that you need to still be able to coach the guys you have. Correct me if I’m wrong but I believe our highest rated classes were under Brewster
 


Fleck being compared to George Washington and Herb Brooks. My Dear Lord.
 

Is it really as simple as just recruiting? I'm wary of those who assume it is.

I know PJ and his staff have all the ability and drive to succeed in recruiting. When they aggressively marketed a fungible option (WMU) in a league where everyone's on roughly equal footing, of course they lapped the field. I'm a little skeptical about their ability to eclipse Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State in recruiting. Even 20+ years of success hasn't gotten Wisconsin to that point. Meanwhile, the epic scandal at PSU didn't knock them off that perch for long at all. Those 3 are locked in as the most prestigious places to play and will be for a very long time. It sucks.

Minnesota's consistent ceiling in recruiting is probably 4-7 in the conference. That would be very nice work for Fleck and staff. Player development, retention (seems like Gophers are forever "young") and scheme are going to have to be part of the solution here. That's what's gotten Wisconsin top 3 results with 5th-7th rated classes.

Lucky for us, OSU, Michigan and Penn State play in the Big Ten East. Minnesota doesn't play in the Big Ten East. We play in the west. Consistently getting top 4-7 classes will give this program a very good shot to win at a higher level, just like Wisconsin has shown over the years. I'd like to get to that level.
 

I get so frustrated with (some) Gopher "fans". I swear, Fleck could get us to the National Championship game this year and the next day there'd be a bunch of "fans" going: "Well, if it had been Mason with this team, we'd have won. He beat Alabama the last time." At least Reusse gets paid for being a negative jerk--it's the enthusiasm of the amateurs that bugs me to no end. The rest of the conference sees it, the national press sees it, only the "Woe is me--let's tear down this guy too" Gopher fan that doesn't get it.

I'm not talking about questioning a decision here or there--I'm talking about the absolute belief that mediocrity isn't just acceptable, it's the top rung on the Gopher's ladder.

To succeed, everything--and I do mean everything--has to come together and even then you have to have the kites up and wait for lightning. But I tell it always starts with someone that has the vision--not of what is, but what can and should be. Someone that knows what success looks like and wants it bad. Bad enough to make it happen by will alone if necessary.

Watching Fleck, especially through some of this adversity, just makes me think how lucky I am to have a front row seat to all this. This is the right guy, in the right place, at the right time. I don't have any idea how long it will take but I suspect it's going to happen a lot faster than most people would think.

You can call me a Fleckster, or a Kool Aid drinker, or anything else, but I tell you true: I see it, and when I see it, I believe it.

Keep the faith and keep rowing.
 

Fleck being compared to George Washington and Herb Brooks. My Dear Lord.

Yeah, let's put together an effort to beat the dregs of the the Big Ten first. I'm having visions of Blutarsky up on the coffee table.
 





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