BleedGopher
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per Rand:
Combine the poor finish with the rah-rah nature of Fleck — and, oh, 50 years filled with a lot of hard times for Gophers football — and you have a restless fan base wondering what the heck is going on in Dinkytown. In the most unscientific of polls — seriously, the flat earth guy launching himself in a rocket is deploying more science than we are here, so be wary — Star Tribune voters graded Fleck's Year 1 performance. Out of about 1,000 votes, only 7 percent gave him an A or a B. That left 26 percent with a "C" grade and a full 66 percent at either D or F.
What I imagine those folks must be thinking is something like this: Didn't this team win nine games, including a bowl game, last year under former coach Tracy Claeys? What in the world is going on?
Here's the thing, though: This season was destined to be mediocre at best regardless of who was coaching the team. Because for all the chatter about changing the culture — real talk, don't get me wrong — the biggest challenge Fleck faced in his first year (Year Zero, if we let him define it) was a stunning lack of talent, particularly on offense.
For all of Mitch Leidner's inconsistency as a quarterback, there were two things you knew about him: 1) He was a better runner than passer, but he would pass well enough often enough to win you some games. 2) Though it seemed like he might play forever — 47 career games and 41 career starts don't lie — there was no doubt 2016 was going to be his final year of eligibility.
Though it wasn't necessarily for a lack of trying, the previous coaching staff created a shaky (at best) succession plan after Leidner was done. This offense was going to struggle regardless of who was coaching this year, and as Chip Scoggins notes it's not just a QB problem. This team needs receivers and offensive linemen, too.
Had he remained the coach, Claeys with his defensive acumen and the continuity from year-to-year might have been enough for the Gophers to squeeze out another win this season against a soft schedule, allowing them to go to a bowl game.
We don't know yet if Fleck was the right hire. But what we saw this year, in Fleck's struggle, was that a coaching change was the right move.
http://www.startribune.com/flecks-s...coaching-change-was-the-right-move/460300813/
Go Gophers!!
Combine the poor finish with the rah-rah nature of Fleck — and, oh, 50 years filled with a lot of hard times for Gophers football — and you have a restless fan base wondering what the heck is going on in Dinkytown. In the most unscientific of polls — seriously, the flat earth guy launching himself in a rocket is deploying more science than we are here, so be wary — Star Tribune voters graded Fleck's Year 1 performance. Out of about 1,000 votes, only 7 percent gave him an A or a B. That left 26 percent with a "C" grade and a full 66 percent at either D or F.
What I imagine those folks must be thinking is something like this: Didn't this team win nine games, including a bowl game, last year under former coach Tracy Claeys? What in the world is going on?
Here's the thing, though: This season was destined to be mediocre at best regardless of who was coaching the team. Because for all the chatter about changing the culture — real talk, don't get me wrong — the biggest challenge Fleck faced in his first year (Year Zero, if we let him define it) was a stunning lack of talent, particularly on offense.
For all of Mitch Leidner's inconsistency as a quarterback, there were two things you knew about him: 1) He was a better runner than passer, but he would pass well enough often enough to win you some games. 2) Though it seemed like he might play forever — 47 career games and 41 career starts don't lie — there was no doubt 2016 was going to be his final year of eligibility.
Though it wasn't necessarily for a lack of trying, the previous coaching staff created a shaky (at best) succession plan after Leidner was done. This offense was going to struggle regardless of who was coaching this year, and as Chip Scoggins notes it's not just a QB problem. This team needs receivers and offensive linemen, too.
Had he remained the coach, Claeys with his defensive acumen and the continuity from year-to-year might have been enough for the Gophers to squeeze out another win this season against a soft schedule, allowing them to go to a bowl game.
We don't know yet if Fleck was the right hire. But what we saw this year, in Fleck's struggle, was that a coaching change was the right move.
http://www.startribune.com/flecks-s...coaching-change-was-the-right-move/460300813/
Go Gophers!!
