A few thoughts, first those who think this is the "most unnecessary extension ever" have short memories or haven't been fans of Gopher football very long.
Jerry Kill got two more years added to his deal in year 1 while he was 1-6 and losing B1G games by an average margin of 38 points (refresher:
http://www.espn.com/college-footbal...rs-coach-jerry-kill-signs-seven-year-contract). Nobody was going after Kill before the Gophers hired him and nobody was going after him then.
The thing I like most about the extension that it sends a clear message to those that aren't on "the boat" that PJ is the guy here and the administration believes in him despite the record this year. If you are a fan that doesn't like Fleck, it seems like you have a choice to make because he's going to get time to do things his way.
The thing I dislike most about the extension is the press release. Much like the ridiculous "9 wins for only the second time since X", the University is making itself look horrible. Winning your first game against Buffalo means next to nothing, as does winning your first road game, and 5 wins in a first year in an era where teams play 12 is certainly nothing deserving recognition either. Just say you believe in PJ and his vision and be done with it. He will either succeed or fail and the administration (mostly Coyle) will be judged on whether or not Coach Fleck succeeds. If PJ is bought out in 3 or 4 years, I don't think "he won 5 games in his first year!" will satisfy anyone as a reason to extend the coach and increase the buyout.
I do think it was smart to make this public prior to the Wisconsin game as I feel like Saturday is going to be quite demoralizing as a Gopher fan (AGAIN).
I was happy to see that 3 in 4 Gopher fans agreed with the extension on the poll so far. It shows that more people are either buying in to PJ or simply want to give him a real chance than it sometimes appears on this board.