Bill Connelly’s 2018 Minnesota Preview

GopherWeatherGuy said:

What's your point? Most college staffs lose assistants every year.

Click to expand...

I had two points. The first is about a third of the staff may not have been on the same page as the OP suggested. All were guys that were new to the U and PJ Fleck. I don't know what the case was in any of them, but if it was all Kumbaya chances are there is no or lower turnover. Friction and turnover is not necessarily a bad thing, however, I agree and said nothing to the contrary.

My second is, when you change out 100% of the non-coordinator coaches on any one side of the ball, that might reasonably be met with the raise of an eyebrow.

Why raise an eyebrow?
-Did they not buy into the "culture" and therefore were encouraged to look elsewhere?
-Where they good coaches that had better opportunities?
-Were they bad coaches/a bad fit for the schemes we want to run and thus bad hires?
-Or Did PJ Fleck like the guys coming in this year, but they were already committed last year and came available this year?
-We upgraded significantly?
-It was just the normal order of things, nothing to be seen here?

Could be any one of or a combination of those things. I know exactly what PJ Fleck thinks of things he didn't do - as evidenced by his repeated comments about the roster. I don't know how he really feels about this other than glossing over it by saying when people want your coaches that's a good thing.

I'm guessing there isn't a single coach that heads into the first year at a new school and says: Gee, I hope I lose 100% of the assistants on defense after this season. But somewhere, somehow I'm sure this was a pot shot at PJ Fleck, and reason #1 is something that never occurred to you as a reasonable response to someone commenting that all of the assistants were on board.

If you guys would quit quoting Hickeytongue and Calibuttpants, the rest of us who have them on the ignore list wouldn’t have to read their drivel.

Hockeytown said:

Similar to the Kill early years we are awash in MAC stats of anyone that busted loose on a MAC schedule with a few P5 softies. Fleck gets ore time but Fleck ain't getting the 2nd year raise Kill got cuz people here have no more time for MAC effort. You can quote me on this- If Fleck fails to get more than 5 wins in 2018 he'll be fired.

Click to expand...

It really doesn't matter as long as Fleck wins at least one game this year, Coyle and prexy K will not fire him. They have fired a football coach and are only in the second year zero for P J Fleck. It would cost them too much. Minnesota has fired and bought out too many football coaching contracts in the past half century and the administration has looked really bad for several years after the fact in their crusade to "fire their way to prosperity and Big Ten respect..." with pretty much EVERY firing and buy out. Only Lou Hoax fired the U before the U could fire him.

Prexy k will be out sooner rather than later (good riddance) as he is old, has overseen too many snafus in the athletic department and within the University System to last much longer. Too many more buy outs and snafus and Coyle will have outlived his ability to belong in his position. (He has one firing and buy out he could utilize in Men's Hoops, if things continue to head south in that program. It really could be much cheaper to fire an ad than a football coach with five years left on a contract though. Based on the record of Gopher Football Fans: we Gopher Football Fans deserve exactly what we get. We can love or hate and demand change with the best of all college fans right here in Minnesota. For the next five years Minnesota Football Fans deserve P J Fleck. After year zero, he was extended. He will be the Gopher Coach for the next five years IF he wishes to remain here. It costs too much money to buy out his contract, pay off the assistants and then pay an inflated price for a new coach and new staff. With 21,000season ticket holders? It doesn't add up or make any kind of sense to continue buying out contracts. You can't always get what you asked for....can't always get what you need...and if you fire enough coaches and buy their contracts out...you just might find: YOU GET WHAT YOU GOT.

Heck, maybe he'll get above .500 some year in the Big Ten Standings. We have what we have. Time will tell. Just beat the stinking badger, GOPHER! Beat that stinking badger or things will not be pretty regardless of what PJ Fleck, Coyle or prexy k say, think or do with the Football Program.

To clarify - earlier, when I talked about higher expectations, I should have said higher profile. When your head coach has his own documentary/reality series, that is going to raise the profile of the program. When you have a coach like Fleck, more people are going to pay attention to the program, because Fleck is very public and does draw attention.

It's like the old line - if a tree falls in the wilderness, and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?

Well, one could argue that Gopher football - at times - has been like that tree. If the Gophers have a poor year, and no one is paying attention, does it make a sound?

Now, you have a coach with a higher profile - a coach who does draw attention to himself. That is an opportunity to raise interest and generate more attention for the program - but it also means that more people are watching. If the Gophers win, more people will notice. If the Gophers lose, more people will notice. Bigger potential gain, but also bigger potential pitfall.

highwayman said:

If you guys would quit quoting Hickeytongue and Calibuttpants, the rest of us who have them on the ignore list wouldn’t have to read their drivel.

Click to expand...

I went and checked your old posts. You believed in the Brewster rooster, ok Jerry and Leidner. You should see the stuff you used to believe

Hockeytown said:

I fully admit many of you know more about the state of Gopher football but so far Fleck looks like it might be all powder and no shot. Not sure why some of you feel attacked by my opinion. Please do not take my opinion of the football team as a personal attack on you..the reader.

Click to expand...

Thinking that Fleck could get fired after year two is clearly delusional or big time trolling. But if it is the later, you nailed it. You got Some Day..Maybe, Face the Facts, Gopher Weather Guy and hello world all calling you out in one thread. That is P.J.'s entire mean girl clique.

highwayman said:

If you guys would quit quoting Hickeytongue and Calibuttpants, the rest of us who have them on the ignore list wouldn’t have to read their drivel.

Click to expand...

So in your world gopher = buttpants.

Interesting.

Running and hiding from a differing opinion seems a bit childish, but hey, whatever makes you happy. At least you haven't resorted to childish name calling....oh wait. Nevermind.