Reusse: P.J. Fleck deserves a chance - and ridicule

BleedGopher

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per Pat:

Phillip John Fleck was introduced as Gophers football coach on Jan. 6, 2017. As an aside in his rapid-fire remarks, Fleck admitted that he was “not for everybody” with his over-the-top style of salesmanship.

Some of us cringed at the barrage of buzzwords and phrases, and silly acronyms, and fell into the “not for everybody” group. When this was followed later by Fleck’s tributes to his wonderfulness and then relentless excuse-making, that group seemed to become larger.

Those that found themselves in this group — one that Fleck acknowledged would exist during his first cascade of words as Gophers coach — soon were accused of being “haters,” followed by this addendum:

“You have to give him more than one year.”

There’s the true overreaction in the aftermath of Fleck’s first season: Anyone pointing out the failure of 5-7 or making light of the inconsistencies in those word cascades therefore wants Fleck to be the Gophers’ second straight one-and-done as a full-time football coach.

No one of right mind is even hinting at this. We all understand Fleck gets four years, minimum. We also understand no Gophers football coach has walked into the advantages that bless him:

Opulent football facilities opening in January, an academic system at the U that now emphasizes generous grading, and being located in the Big Ten West. Unless Fleck’s all bluster and no substance, he should win more consistently than the nine coaches that have preceded him dating to 1972.

The 2017 season still deserves to be judged. Large publicity was offered in advance. Tickets were sold (although not in numbers imagined).

It was a season of football, all being precious to some, and it ended with a coach sending his team to face the ancient rival with this motivation:

Not to throw caution to the November winds in the search for a monumental upset; instead, with tactics that implied, “Let’s get out there and do everything we can to hold down the score, boys.”

Ridiculing Fleck for that did not make anyone a “hater,” or serve as a call for him to be fired after one year. It was simply ridicule that was deserved.

http://www.startribune.com/p-j-fleck-deserves-a-chance-and-ridicule/461549343/

Go Gophers!!
 



Pat is just embarrassed. After this week it's so obvious to everyone he belonged in Knoxville all these years.
 

What does he say in the posted info that is controversial? "No one of right mind is even hinting at this. (PJ being fired) We all understand Fleck gets four years, minimum. We also understand no Gophers football coach has walked into the advantages that bless him:

Opulent football facilities opening in January, an academic system at the U that now emphasizes generous grading, and being located in the Big Ten West. Unless Fleck’s all bluster and no substance, he should win more consistently than the nine coaches that have preceded him dating to 1972.

Doesn't that all make sense?
 


We averaged 500 more per game than last season! At the pace, we’ll have TCF sold out all season by 2300!

FIFY. You forgot about the expansion [emoji12]


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Reusse should have been a professional wrestler. He could have been a great tag team partner for Baron Von Raschke.
 

What does he say in the posted info that is controversial? "No one of right mind is even hinting at this. (PJ being fired) We also understand no Gophers football coach has walked into the advantages that bless him

... an academic system at the U that now emphasizes generous grading

Doesn't that all make sense?

1. He (and others) have absolutely been hinting at it. It took the sh¡t-storm in Tennessee for a lot of the media to realize that their constant insult of all things UofM has actually cost this community many millions. This month they have to put an asterisk next to their snark to avoid looking like a member of that TN lynch mob.

2. Let's quit acting like this was such a great situation at Minnesota that Bob Stoops couldn't wait to take over this program from the previous staff. In the 20-months before PJ's first Spring Ball:
-- An AD fired in disgrace amid sex scandal
-- The popular HC resigns citing health reasons
-- Two HC changes with major changes to staff
-- An attempted shut-down of the program by political forces
-- loss of scores of players that go with the above
-- long-time starting QB graduates with no back-up to assume the role.

It was a good 2016 season. That team did something awesome by beating WSU in the Holiday Bowl. But there was much to rebuild in 2017.
 



I am often amazed on this site, but this might take the cake. Pat's article is 100% spot on. If you don't see that, you are part of the problem he is speaking of. No debating this one folks, he is absolutely right. 100%.


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I am often amazed on this site, but this might take the cake. Pat's article is 100% spot on. If you don't see that, you are part of the problem he is speaking of. No debating this one folks, he is absolutely right. 100%.


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Not 100% to me. Pat might have the essence right, but it's always embellished with a heavy dose of tiring cynicism...which is why I don't read his column unless the subject is HS or small college sports where he's not such a cynic. For whatever reason, it's a lot easier to be a cynic on all subjects in this state (and on this message board) than an optimist. Sure, Fleck came into this situation with more advantages than all previous coaches probably going back to Holtz if not further. Sure, if he doesn't eclipse 5 Big Ten wins in the next five years or so (the max going all the way back to Cal Stoll) his tenure will be a failure. But let's face it, the first year record of new coach regimes here has been 1-3 wins going back to Gutekunst who got 6 wins (and no, Claeys doesn't count as a new coaching regime and maybe Gutekunst doesn't either). If you want a dose of cynicism, maybe the extra 2-3 wins that Fleck got this year compared to prior new coaches were all those new "advantages" could muster. Or, if you want to be an optimist, maybe those 2-3 extra wins this year indicate Fleck can get those extra Big Ten wins over the prior 5-win max to put the Gophies in the championship game in the future. You'll never find a local columnist like Pat taking a positive spin like that though. Never.
 

I disagree with the part about the Wisconsin game but overall a pretty fair take from Reusse for a change.
 

It's a CYA piece. He wanted look less like a stark-raving-mad-f'n-old-man-lunatic.
And most of what he is saying is factually, demonstrably inacurate.
 



Pat is like a big large blackhead cyst inside your ear that you can't pop.

It's in there deep. It is annoying, but you learn to live with it.
 

I disagree with the part about the Wisconsin game but overall a pretty fair take from Reusse for a change.

Yep. Denying it would take a pretty convoluted argument.

Maybe not as tortured and convoluted as the one attempted in Post #11, but pretty convoluted.
 

1. He (and others) have absolutely been hinting at it. It took the sh¡t-storm in Tennessee for a lot of the media to realize that their constant insult of all things UofM has actually cost this community many millions. This month they have to put an asterisk next to their snark to avoid looking like a member of that TN lynch mob.

2. Let's quit acting like this was such a great situation at Minnesota that Bob Stoops couldn't wait to take over this program from the previous staff. In the 20-months before PJ's first Spring Ball:
-- An AD fired in disgrace amid sex scandal
-- The popular HC resigns citing health reasons
-- Two HC changes with major changes to staff
-- An attempted shut-down of the program by political forces
-- loss of scores of players that go with the above
-- long-time starting QB graduates with no back-up to assume the role.

It was a good 2016 season. That team did something awesome by beating WSU in the Holiday Bowl. But there was much to rebuild in 2017.

Your #2 is quite odd.
The coach resigned because of health reasons.
Must have missed the shut down the program part, when did that happen?
Scores of players lost? How many is scores? This statement could be made every year, by every team just because of graduation.
QB was a starter for a few years, graduated,(which happens at every college).

You failed to mention
the Athletes Village, which even our great AD has stated will be a game changer in recruiting.
A well established excellence when comes to academics.
A bigger financial commitment to the coaches and support for football.
A very nice new stadium
No coach in the past 50 years has had all of those things in place to help the football program.

PJ has walked into a great situation, now all he has to do is match his success at WMU.
 

People need to stop treating Reusse like their funny grandpa that says wild things at the dinner table at Thanksgiving and more like the attention seeking troll that he is.


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Agree +1000. Ruesse has to have something to write about. Unfortunately the Gophers and PJ are his targets. I certainly wouldn't buy the Tribune to read his column.
 

Is he not retiring until he croaks?
 

More examples how if you don't like his opinion just belittle him. Sorry folks, Pat's correct on this one.


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More examples how if you don't like his opinion just belittle him. Sorry folks, Pat's correct on this one.


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I wasn't sure how I should react to his column, but now I know.
 

I wasn't sure how I should react to his column, but now I know.

I'm guessing you knew the second you saw something negative written about PJ and your vision turned pure red.


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Your #2 is quite odd.

The first point is that he walked into ALOT of messes that hurt in the short term. I agree, Fleck definitely has all of the support in-place that Mason did not.

I didn't think I had to explain the part about the EOAA. It's a Title IX dream-come-true to take-down a university football team. But no one was able to do as much damage as the EOAA.

The loss of players at MN the last two years is not comparable to what other programs experience. It's was part of coaching changes, staff changes, AD changes, scandal and very ugly political gamesmanship at the U. All of those things have hurt in short term.
 

Reusse is a well respected writer for a reason. However, you can’t measure success in yards and touchdowns. As a player success be measured in pats on the back and the confidence of knowing you tried your best that day at life, family, and culture. We cannot be winners until we establish cultural-sustainability and a system of self reliance on each other.
 

I'm guessing you knew the second you saw something negative written about PJ and your vision turned pure red.


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I still can't quite see right...
 

Reusse is a well respected writer for a reason. However, you can’t measure success in yards and touchdowns. As a player success be measured in pats on the back and the confidence of knowing you tried your best that day at life, family, and culture. We cannot be winners until we establish cultural-sustainability and a system of self reliance on each other.

F you Bucky. Now that your playoff dreams are shattered you're existance is once again reduced to trolling the Gopher message boards.
 

Reusse is a well respected writer for a reason. However, you can’t measure success in yards and touchdowns. As a player success be measured in pats on the back and the confidence of knowing you tried your best that day at life, family, and culture. We cannot be winners until we establish cultural-sustainability and a system of self reliance on each other.

Well respected? you lost me there. Reusse is what he is. He won't change. His articles are primarily trash. Have been since the late 80s. I'm not going to change him. Not reading his drivel won't change him. Even knowing that, I don't (intentionally) read his articles. He gets picked up enough here that I know he hasn't changed. While every blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while, arguing Reusse is right is futile. If everyone thought he was right, he'd change his stance tomorrow. He isn't always wrong, but they way he goes about his job nearly always is wrong. just wrong. He's a living legacy to the mediocrity of journalism in the state of Minnesota.
 

I'd argue that you are not giving a coach "a chance" if you are ridiculing him in year one. The guy took the Gopher job after a one loss season at a point where he was considered by most (if not all) to be one of the coaching worlds rising stars. We literally have not had a hire that had PJ's type of positive name brand since Lou Holtz. He takes over a program that had lost something like 8 trophy games in a row, hadn't beat it's biggest rival in more than a dozen years, and was coming off a scandal that made headlines nationally (something that the on field play at the U of M never does). So Reusse thinks this guy deserves ridicule in year 1 because he got blown out by Wisconsin or won just 5 games? I don't have a problem with criticizing Coach Fleck for the performance of the team, but ridicule is something different. There is no reason to mock or laugh at the guy. That isn't very welcoming, that's not giving a guy "a chance" and I'd argue it makes it more difficult for him to succeed. If you turn him in to a joke, he's got to fight against that perception which makes things tougher for him.

I personally, didn't like the decision to not really go for the win against Wisconsin and to a lesser extent Northwestern (the wind and elements played a large factor there as the Gophers had to drive in to the bad stuff in the 4th making any sort of comeback that much more unlikely). I think a fair criticism of PJ is that the Gophers should have considered going for it on 4th and short early against Wisconsin. I think a fair criticism is that the Gophers should not have been running option plays on 3rd and long and at the very least chucked the ball down field and hope something good happens. I do think any criticism leveled against Fleck for that Wisconsin game should also mention that the team literally had 5 offensive lineman available to play and was way down the depth chart at WR as well.

One other point. Lets say you "expected" 7 wins this year going in to the season. Then lets say I told you that the starting WR's would both get injured,Brandon Lingen would not return to form, Antoine Winfield Jr would play in one conference game, Shannon Brooks would miss 3 games, the Gophers would lose their RT to concussions and their C would miss a number of games as well. Then I'd tell you that Ayinde would move to CB and start there for a significant portion of the season because both starting CB's would miss time. Would 5 wins really be a disappointment now? Notice, I haven't even told you about what the QB play would look like.
 


People need to stop treating Reusse like their funny grandpa that says wild things at the dinner table at Thanksgiving and more like the attention seeking troll that he is.


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As he said on the radio last week when someone compared his and Judd Zulgad's pessimism. "I'm pessimistic because it's fun, Judd is because he actually cares."
 




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