Brewster: Learning on the Job?

Donate To GopherHole
D

Duluthguy

Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2009
Messages
330
Reaction score
0
Points
16
Maturi has stated a couple of times that Brewster is learning on the job. Like Brewster or not, when you hire someone who has never even been a coordinator, let alone a head coach, he's bound to be starting off at least a few steps back from a more traditional Big Ten hire. My question then is this: What, if anything, have you seen to believe that Brewster is indeed growing into the job? How has he changed in any and all facets of his job that might make him more successful going forward? (Note: This is not a thread about whether or not Brewster should have been hired in the first place or if he should be fired. Been there, done that.)
 

Duluthguy said:
Maturi has stated a couple of times that Brewster is learning on the job. Like Brewster or not, when you hire someone who has never even been a coordinator, let alone a head coach, he's bound to be starting off at least a few steps back from a more traditional Big Ten hire. My question then is this: What, if anything, have you seen to believe that Brewster is indeed growing into the job? How has he changed in any and all facets of his job that might make him more successful going forward? (Note: This is not a thread about whether or not Brewster should have been hired in the first place or if he should be fired. Been there, done that.)
Click to expand...

LOL.......All I hear are crickets so far. Here is one to get the Brewster backers going. I think he says a lot less stupid things now than he did when he first started. For example, I don't hear him badmouthing our rivals coach and saying that he doesn't like him out in public anymore.
 

Here's a big one. He went from winning 1 game his first year to going to a bowl game his second.
 

goldygo4 said:
Here's a big one. He went from winning 1 game his first year to going to a bowl game his second.
Click to expand...

Yeah - would have to agree with that, too. I guess the best thing you can do as a coach is to take a team that went 6-6, win only one game your first year and then when you win six games in year two you can say how great you are!!
 

To be fair, I know that Mason didn't leave Brewster much at all, especially on defense. I don't know of too many people that would have come in and been successful that first year, especially when you are trying to implement new schemes.
 


Year four is coming up. Although there have been a few bumps in the road, some of which you can blame Brewster for and some which you can't, I think the program is moving in the right direction. This year's team will end up being better than last year's team although their record will most likely be the same or close to it. After the 2011 season I will evaluate Brewster over all and not before. I believe the pieces are in place now, both in players and coaches, for this to be a very good team in 2011. We shal see.
 

GO4FAN65 said:
Year four is coming up. Although there have been a few bumps in the road, some of which you can blame Brewster for and some which you can't, I think the program is moving in the right direction. This year's team will end up being better than last year's team although their record will most likely be the same or close to it. After the 2011 season I will evaluate Brewster over all and not before. I believe the pieces are in place now, both in players and coaches, for this to be a very good team in 2011. We shal see.
Click to expand...

Fair enough and I agree. I don't think anyone could argue that our defense is slowly getting better and there are good athletes waiting to step in this year. I am not so convinced that we are getting better on offense, but I do not think it could get any worse than what we saw at the end of last season. I am interested to see that offense this year and I am really hoping that it can start getting better.
 

All coaches

are constantly learning on the job.
 

Duluthguy said:
Maturi has stated a couple of times that Brewster is learning on the job. Like Brewster or not, when you hire someone who has never even been a coordinator, let alone a head coach, he's bound to be starting off at least a few steps back from a more traditional Big Ten hire. My question then is this: What, if anything, have you seen to believe that Brewster is indeed growing into the job? How has he changed in any and all facets of his job that might make him more successful going forward? (Note: This is not a thread about whether or not Brewster should have been hired in the first place or if he should be fired. Been there, done that.)
Click to expand...

I don't think any of us can really answer that as we are not around him at practice, in meetings, during recruiting, and everything else that a coach does on a regular basis.
 



Brewster

This upcoming year 4 is very crucial to the program and Gopher fans. I look for a more upbeat and physical team all-around this fall.

There has to be dramatic improvment all-around as well. That starts with Weber at QB, RB's,O-line and entire defense. This a must-do-well season coming up in the fall of 2010. A few nice upsets would sure be nice as well. :eek:

Go Gophers!!!:D
 


Let's not forget that if Brewster were playing the Schedules Mason played, he'd have won at least a couple more games over the last couple of years.
 




nc2mn said:
Let's not forget that if Brewster were playing the Schedules Mason played, he'd have won at least a couple more games over the last couple of years.
Click to expand...

Just goes to show that if something is repeated enough on a message board people are bound to start believing it.
 

MNBadgerGuy said:
Just goes to show that if something is repeated enough on a message board people are bound to start believing it.
Click to expand...

This has nothing to do with "how often something is repeated". In this case, it's the truth. You mean to honestly tell me that if we played, for example, Florida International instead of Cal last year, we wouldn't have won at least one more game? Really?

I can see how you'd think that way, though, considering Wisconsin's run to double digit victories on the basis of a creampuff schedule.
 

Yes, replace Cal with LA-Lafayette and we probably go 7-5 instead of 6-6. Another key is the ridiculous BT schedule we had. I know it's not the end all, but they played the top 8 teams in the conference. They didn't get what would have probably been a gimmie in Indiana, though admittedly they blew another against Illinois. They basically lost to the top four teams, then beat the next three. Replace one of those top four with Indiana and they suddenly add another win and go 8-4. You look at Wisconsin, just for kicks, and they played 3 of the top 4 and lost all three. Chances are, you swap their Indiana victory with Penn State and they only have a 4-4 conference record. Then it's just that head to head victory that they got out of here with. Of course you also have the bad bowl loss, but I'm just talking regular season here.

That's just the nature of the beast, you play the shcedule you create or are given, and you have to produce. They didn't do that well enough for my tastes last year, and now, they got another tough schedule. It's time to step up if they want to become higher in the BT tier on a regular basis. No excuses about the tough schedule, just go out there and win 8 games and prove you belong in discussions as an up and coming program. I think they have a shot to do that this year with the talent on the roster.
 

I don't think any of us are in a position to say much about how he has improved, for the reasons that GopherInIowa mentioned. The record and what we see on the field in games has to be enough for us. That record is mixed. Although some try, I think it's impossible to say that the defense has not improved during Brewster's tenure. The offense, obviously, fell off the cliff last year. Overall, it's time to start seeing more on the field.

The off-field things that we know enough about to speculate on include his coaching philosophy and management. I was surprised that he came in without knowing what kind of a team he wanted to have. He was spouting the gospel of the spread, but more because recruits want it than because he believed in it. Now, I'm guessing, we're closer to an offense system he wants to lead. His revolving door of coordinators also has been cause for concern. But he has never had to hire anybody before, has he? That's a tough thing for any new manager. It seems his more recent hires (Cosgrove, Davis, Horton and Watson) seem better suited for their roles that previous coaches and the first two have actually stayed for two years. Hopefully, he has learned more about what he's looking for in a partner and how to find it.
 

GO4FAN65 said:
This year's team will end up being better than last year's team although their record will most likely be the same or close to it.
Click to expand...

People said the exact same thing last year. Now people are saying the exact same thing this year.
 

Maximus said:
People said the exact same thing last year. Now people are saying the exact same thing this year.
Click to expand...

The Gophers play 5 teams that finished in the top 25 last year. 9 of their 12 opponents went to bowl games. The Gophers schedule IS daunting. It's understandable that people point that out. The only Big Ten teams the Gophers don't play finished 10th and 11th in the conference last year (Indiana and Michigan). So yes, that's as brutal a schedule as you'll see in the entire country.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom