If Fleck doesn't fire Robb Smith...

To me the most damning thing with Robb is he had pretty good recruits to work with at Arkansas but their defenses became worse and worse, somewhere in the 70s or 80s IIRC despite talent. Same thing happening here. It doesn’t even matter on the nuts and bolts - he’s got to go. New blood, new leadership.

This works for me.

Now let's see what actually happens ....
 

This works for me.

Now let's see what actually happens ....
I knew you two could agree on something. Let's thank Robb Smith for that!

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I knew you two could agree on something. Let's thank Robb Smith for that!

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Come to mention it.... Has anyone disagreed that Robb Smith has to go?

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Come to mention it.... Has anyone disagreed that Robb Smith has to go?

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Nope. This sentiment has reached rhetorical status.

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To me the most damning thing with Robb is he had pretty good recruits to work with at Arkansas but their defenses became worse and worse, somewhere in the 70s or 80s IIRC despite talent. Same thing happening here. It doesn’t even matter on the nuts and bolts - he’s got to go. New blood, new leadership.

Year 3 at Arkansas gave up 37.1 points per game over 10 game stretch. That’s all you need to know to know how bad he is. Not a good hire PJ.


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Year 3 at Arkansas gave up 37.1 points per game over 10 game stretch. That’s all you need to know to know how bad he is. Not a good hire PJ.


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Most alarming with that is that Arkansas ran a control the clock offense. (At least that's what I recall. I'm not looking it up, but feel free to correct me if it wasn't ground and pound.)
 

Coyle and Kaler created this mess. It will take 10 years to fix.

Coyle ran Claeys , Sawvill and Johnson out of town

ESPN made positive comments about Claeys last night.
Washington State is 8 -1. His defense held Cal to 13 yesterday. Washington State is ranked #8 in the nation.
 

Coyle and Kaler created this mess. It will take 10 years to fix.

Coyle ran Claeys , Sawvill and Johnson out of town

ESPN made positive comments about Claeys last night.
Washington State is 8 -1. His defense held Cal to 13 yesterday. Washington State is ranked #8 in the nation.

Oh Gawd this fascination with Claeys as a former glorious long-term answer at head coach is tiring. Only the most obtuse socially unaware people believe he could have recruited and marketed this team for the long term. Yeah, he's a great D Coordinator....a D Coordinator. His former players are getting butt whooped on defense right now.
 



Nail + hammer.

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Oh Gawd this fascination with Claeys as a former glorious long-term answer at head coach is tiring. Only the most obtuse socially unaware people believe he could have recruited and marketed this team for the long term. Yeah, he's a great D Coordinator....a D Coordinator. His former players are getting butt whooped on defense right now.

Well, we don’t know he would have succeeded long term as a head coach any more or less than you know he would have failed. All we know is he was successful in his one year and then was run out of town.
Pointing this out is no more tiring than having listen to people talk as if he would have for sure failed.
 


Oh Gawd this fascination with Claeys as a former glorious long-term answer at head coach is tiring. Only the most obtuse socially unaware people believe he could have recruited and marketed this team for the long term. Yeah, he's a great D Coordinator....a D Coordinator. His former players are getting butt whooped on defense right now.
The only thing more furiously tedious than waxing nostalgic for coaches who passed through the University of Minnesota is how much Golden Gopher boosters and fans tolerate mediocrity.

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Thanks for the link. The Arkansas situation is somewhat different from the Gophers in that the article was written in Bielema's 4th year. I know nothing about the Arkansas situation, but if the Bielema/Smith defense was getting outmanned, than that's totally on Bielema for failing to recruit good defenders. If the Gophies defense continues to be terrible in Fleck's 4th year (I think we'll see improvement) then it will be totally on him as well.
 

Some of the positions on this topic border on the insane. For example, any indictment on Smith is twisted into a fire Fleck now debate. Whining ensues that PJ needs time. Brighter days are on the horizon. Any praise for past defensive success is embracing mediocrity. If TC is even mentioned in this regard, argument is then twisted into a TC is not competent as a Power 5 head coach. Any suggestion of his prowess in building a competent defense for Minnesota are null and void.

Here are the facts:

- The current Gopher defense is as bad as any in recent memory.
- They are getting worse, not better.
- Robb Smith has a track record of awful defenses that regress over time.

I will only make an indictment on PJ if he does not make strong efforts to right the situation. And simply saying better days are ahead does not count as this. I’m optimistic that PJ could take this program to new heights. But am also convinced that staying the course and letting RS continue down the current path will be his undoing.
 


The Gopherhole experts win!

That said, despite the obvious angst around Robb Smith, I wish him well moving forward.

While the timing could be argued, I respect Fleck for pulling the trigger.

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The Gopherhole experts win!

That said, despite the obvious angst around Robb Smith, I wish him well moving forward.

While the timing could be argued, I respect Fleck for pulling the trigger.

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Yeah, it should have happened before the bye week. :p
 

Oh Gawd this fascination with Claeys as a former glorious long-term answer at head coach is tiring. Only the most obtuse socially unaware people believe he could have recruited and marketed this team for the long term. Yeah, he's a great D Coordinator....a D Coordinator. His former players are getting butt whooped on defense right now.

Exactly! Claeys is gone, get over it.


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Well, we don’t know he would have succeeded long term as a head coach any more or less than you know he would have failed. All we know is he was successful in his one year and then was run out of town.
Pointing this out is no more tiring than having listen to people talk as if he would have for sure failed.

It was pretty obvious that recruiting had fallen off and the boosters were drying up, so he most likely would not have been a successful HC.


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I figured Rossi would be the replacement. Has DC experience at Rutgers.

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The only thing more furiously tedious than waxing nostalgic for coaches who passed through the University of Minnesota is how much Golden Gopher boosters and fans tolerate mediocrity.

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No one is tolerating mediocrity, but most people realize that it takes time to improve.


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I figured Rossi would be the replacement. Has DC experience at Rutgers.

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ooooook.....I was going to lie and say I had a post buried in this thread saying he would be the guy.
 

No one is tolerating mediocrity, but most people realize that it takes time to improve.


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This "it takes time" mantra has been used for nigh onto fifty years and so since no breakthrough improvement has occurred in that time, then yes, yes we are tolerating mediocrity.

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Agree he has to go, but who is realistically going to come and replace him.

No legit coordinator will come to a program to work for a struggling 3rd year coach who probably has only a year or two left.

What’s your definition of legit coordinator? There are plenty of current position coaches in power 5 and defensive cocoordinators at smaller schools that would love the opportunity.
 

Coyle and Kaler created this mess. It will take 10 years to fix.

Coyle ran Claeys , Sawvill and Johnson out of town

ESPN made positive comments about Claeys last night.
Washington State is 8 -1. His defense held Cal to 13 yesterday. Washington State is ranked #8 in the nation.

haha I was plenty ok with him running Jay Johnson out of town, who was a dreadful OC.
But further to that, Claeys became a fraud when he begged for the job to create continuity,
then fired Limegrover, who finally became good once he wasn't under Kill's thumb. Which
lead to multiple good offensive recruits to de-commit. THAT sealed Claeys demise as HC, imo
 


When Glen friggin Mason, from his cushy BTN broadcasting skybox, is telling the TV audience that "Boy I don't, but there's just something wrong with your defense. It ain't working" ..... that means you absolutely SUCK at defense.

I mean, they SUCK.


That doesn't mean Robb Smith will get fired. Nor do I think him getting fired would help anything. It's way too late in the season ... whatever it is that they've been taught to do, is too far ingrained. You can't just hit the reset button, that easily.

Now at the end of the season, then maybe he will be fired. Maybe.


Why can't Smith just tell Fleck the same thing he tells all of us?? "We're too young, I don't have the players" etc?

Thought I heard that too. Could not rule out the lv7 pain or the meds to fight said pain.
 




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