Glass sure is half empty for those outside of Gopher Nation

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Schnauzer

Pretty Sure You are Wrong
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Well, we have all seen it... lots of predictions for our Rodents to finish somewhwere between 9th and 11th in the Big 10 this year. Given the schedule, even the biggest Gopher fan knows this season will be a big challenge.

There is another thread linking the Rivals Big 10 preview. As is the case elsewhere, it paints a pretty ugly picture for our maroon and gold lads....

It ranks the Gophers:

Backfield (Yippee... returns the most experienced QB in the nation): 8th
Recievers 11th
O line (everybody's back!) 11th
D line 10th
linebackers 10th
Secondary (despite Royston uncertainty) 5th
Special teams (return a decent kicker and TS and BA as return men) 9th
Coaching 9th

All in all, with rankings like that one would think there has been a lot of bad recruiting for the past several years.

I know it can be tough to be a Gopher fan. The little things just seem to not work out when we enter the season with question marks on items that can go either way. Wouldn't it be fun if just once we caught lightning in a bottle and really surprised people?

Here's one guy that is holding out hope that...

...the O line is really in the middle of the Big 10, with everyone returning
...the confusion and disfunction of last year's offense is washed away with Horton - playmakers evolve in the wake of Decker's departure. Weber is better than ever before, and plays like a 5th year senior with all his school's passing records
...a go-to running back emerges
...the defense isn't just young, but also obviously as athletic as most of us dream about
...a few of those "almost" kickoff returns finally start going for 6 this year

I had a few of these glass-is-half-full hopes last year and then got a dose of reality when the Gophers struggled to beat Syracuse right out of the gate. The year before, the victory over Bowling Green showed right away it wasn't going to be another 1-11 season like '07. I think MTSU will answer a lot of questions right out of the gate. I really don't know what to think at this point. On paper, it looks like a very tough year. But, there is at least enough potential to surprise us, and especially the pundits. I think that first game will finally level off my glass. The question is, how full will it be when I wake up on September 3rd?

How full is your glass?
 

For the pundits, the glass isn't half empty. The glass is totally empty. The glass is bone dry. The glass is broken, and it's shards scattered multiple undisclosed locations. I don't think the glass is full, but I think there is a lot more in it than the pundits do.
 

Last year I heard a local sports radio personality say that the Gophers were "expected to win at least 8 games" in the 2009 season. He said this in December, after the season was over and they had won 6.

By November, peoples expectations will have escalated to 6 wins if Minnesota has 4. 7 if they have 5. That's just the way it has always been here.
 

I think you've got a point--- the bar is set at the beginning of the season and while expectations can change, it's really not fair to move the bar at the end of October.

Most people see last year's offense as inept and people outside of the program see the same quarterback, offensive line, and backfield returning so they figure 'what could change?'

On the other hand, I look at it like this: If Horton can bring the same kind of change to our defense that Ted Roof brought--- and Cosgrove was able to maintain, we will be a surprise in the Big Ten this year.

I don't think Minnesota will win the conference and I'm not even sure we can compete for the Big Ten championship--- but a 5, 6, 7 finish is very possible and shouldn't be seen as a such a huge surprise.
 

I suspect that the dire predictions will go down the memory hole, whether we beat those expectations or not. If we beat them, our local media won't give a speck of credit, and will simply prevaricate and claim that the preseason predictions were for a whole bunch of wins. If we don't beat the predictions, they will also claim that the Gophers had been predicted to win a lot of games.
 


I can't believe people have us behind indiana and illinois... Indiana hasn't had anything in years and Illinois is in shambles. I think the only reason we're so far down is the schedule, and the fact we're completely ignored because we haven't had a signature win in a while.
 

I don't know how people cant be optimistic after taking a look at the depth chart.

How is Brew doing compared to other high profile coaches who were hired the same year as Brew?
Dennis Erickson? Brew is better
Steve Kragthorpe? Brew is better
Butch Davis? Butch is better
 

For the talking heads it's just not worth doing any research on the Gophs, they simply look at the schedule, returners, loss of Decker, and predict doom.

I for one have been EXTREMELY impressed with the physical appearance and size our team hs this year, just watching the camp blog videos, we have some serious beef and some serious athletes on the squad. The condition test video also gave me some perspective, I didn't see anyone grimacing or sucking wind on the shuttle, the get off of all the players into the drill was solid and confident, these guys are in shape and ready to rock.

That said this isn't a track meet or a Mr. Universe competition. It's football, you need to be able to harness said physical prowess and focus it into a disciplined skill set.

QB- We are just fine, average at worst, better than many frontrunner Big10 teams including wisky, PSU and iowee(trolls please refrain from highjacking to defend your game manager QB's)
Improvement and elevation of Weber or Gray will make this a top 3 position in the conference for us, like I said if not average at worst. Glass half full
RB-ok, not great. Bennett IMO will break out under Horton in the passing game, he can catch the ball out of the backfield, something NFL backs do alot of, and Horton's time in Detroit under Linehan will allow this to become a strength. We may not have a feature runner yet this year, but maybe we can use short dump passes and flips/end arounds to stoudemire to spice up the power run gameplans we have heard we will be running. If we have success this year we need playaction to be effective. Glass 1/4 full
FB-Underrated IMO, Hoese's a senior with a full year of the position under his belt, he's going to be a solid member of the offense running and catching balls
WR- Middle of the pack, good talent, some flashes late in the season for the youngsters. I look for more Michigan State Halloween moments from the receivers as the season goes on.
Glass half full
TE-Not much to go on, I will say this: Eure is a huge individual, I had to do a double take when I saw him at the recruiting party last spring, I thought he was SH(my bad) If Lair is a smooth receiver and Eure can seal off the edge and catch jump balls this position will be just fine.
Glass half full

DE-The pups get their chance, speed, size, freakish athleticism, we'll see it all, along with missed assignments and overreaction to play action, etc. BUT they will certainly be able to run down a QB this year, love the size added by this group over the offseason to go with some very nice speed and agility. Glass 3/4 full
DT-Smashbrothers inc. along with Jacobs and Ferguson gives us size and talent inside, Kirksey has impressed me with his maturity and leadership. Edwards will give us maybe the biggest DT in school history? Glass 3/4 full
LB-Rallis wil be great, see wisky game in 08' when he had to start as a true freshman and consistently stuck his nose into the P.J. Hill pile and really had a nice game. I've seen him on campus lately, he's legit sized now. Cooper and Tinsley give the group sideline to sideline speed and will be able to penetrate and react to things with more abandon. Singleton and Reeves were well thought of, I'm looking forward to seeing how Hill get's his sweet fro into a helmet and who he sticks the helmet into when he gets onto the field. Beal the beast waits in the shadows for his chance.
Glass half full
CB-Love carter, love the increased size and offseason training with NFL guys, love collado blitzing out of the slot and in zone coverage, not so much man to man. Less here to count on than anywhere else on the team, but if Carter steps up, the rest of the secondary can help each other out and minimize issues with the other corner position. Glass 1/4 full
S-Theret is a gamer and a classic overachiever, now he needs to keep his nose clean and do his time in suspension. Royston needs to drink milk like his job and get himself therapized and ready to rock. The young guns get a chance to show what they have and maybe they'll just keep they're jobs regardless after. Glass 3/4 full
K- solid, senior, nuff said Glass full
P- got a free RS after 3 games of work, awesome talent, glass full
Special teams- Underrated IMO is the blocked punts and kicks we had last year, I read that C. lewis has a skill at this too, I think we see 5+ TD's from our special teams in various capacities this season. Stoudemire gets a few, maybe Allen on punts, a handful of blocks from cooper and company. Remember when we feared extra points?
Glass full

We're gonna be volatile this season with young guys across the board figuring out how to be solid and disciplined, but it's gonna be a fun season regardless of the wins and losses.
Glass full baby.
 

I remember Brewster's first year everyone was upset when the National media picking us to finish last in the Big Ten. We finished last in the Big Ten that year. The last two years have been mediocre and I don't blame the national media for not having high expectations.

Until Brewster proves himself as a legit head coach, we are not going to be taken seriously. We know he loves to recruit and he has good assistant coaches. I can't ever remember a better group of assistant coaches then we have now. The fact of reality is that needs to translate into wins on the football field. I hope we do well but I can't blame the National media for not having high expectations of our football team.
 



According to outsiders (and many here), we have the worst of both worlds with returning starters. We had a respectable defense last season, but lost nine starters -- which must mean the defense will be bad. We had an awful offense last season but bring almost everybody back -- so that must mean the offense will be awful again. No credit for a year of experience there. I get it, but they're playing it both ways.

I'm optimistic about the defense. In my opinion, this season will come down to improvement on offense. So many pieces and players have to be better.
 

GoGophers2005 said:
I don't know how people cant be optimistic after taking a look at the depth chart.

How is Brew doing compared to other high profile coaches who were hired the same year as Brew?
Dennis Erickson? Brew is better
Steve Kragthorpe? Brew is better
Butch Davis? Butch is better
Click to expand...

Wasn't Dantonio hired the same year as Brew? He's been up and down at MSU, and he walked into a far better situation there than Brew did here. I sat next to the MSU fans last fall, and when things weren't going well, their mood was ugly.

People need to realize these sorts of things are universal. All fans feel their team isn't getting enough credit or they're to some degree apathetic. It's tough for us right now because our two main rivals are coming off big bowl wins and have high expectations going into this fall. But here's a little secret, one or both isn't going to live up to their lofty expectations.

As for the pundits, they heap praise on certain teams automatically, Ohio St for example, and figure out the rest based on who did what last year and the reputation those teams have. Can you seriously expect them to do an unbiased analysis of each team? That would take time and money. Adam Rittenburg never came to Minneapolis to see our spring practice he went to whoever was close to Chicago and assumed the rest. You don't see our spring game among the available videos on the bigten network website. We've essentially been written off this season. MTSU and USD both smell blood and at least in MTSU's case, they expect to win. I think the biggest advantage we'll have in Murfreesboro is the overall information gap. They won't know Horton's tendencies and they will be unfamiliar with some of our personnel. Much like last year and the year before, I think we'll eck out wins. We'll see I guess.
 

gophmeister said:
As for the pundits, they heap praise on certain teams automatically, Ohio St for example, and figure out the rest based on who did what last year and the reputation those teams have. Can you seriously expect them to do an unbiased analysis of each team? That would take time and money.
Click to expand...

I expect them to admit it when they are operating on sketchy information. Some of the pundits put a confidence level on their predictions, most of the time they claim their confidence level is high. If you're predicting a 2-10 season, and sayig your confidence level is high, that's a pretty bold prediction. It had better be based on solid information. If the information isn't so solid, they should admit it, instead of insisting that they are operating under solid information.
 

Victory will be so much sweeter this year. Man I hope we blow up MTSU. I bet even if we do, we'll get no credit.
 



RodentRampage said:
For the pundits, the glass isn't half empty. The glass is totally empty. The glass is bone dry. The glass is broken, and it's shards scattered multiple undisclosed locations. I don't think the glass is full, but I think there is a lot more in it than the pundits do.
Click to expand...

My glass is a shot glass--it's at least half full and maybe a little over. It's made of thicker, tougher glass for the times it gets slammed open-end down on the bar after a post TD-gulp.

I expect to get hammered.:drink:

GO GOPHERS!!! See you guys in Murfreesboro!!!
 

I agree with gold04. The real data the national media has does not flatter Coach Brewster. We have won six Big Ten games since he took over. They see six wins in twenty four tries and they have no reason not to expect the same rate (25%) this year. The program needs to win respect on the Big Ten playing field. We open the Big Ten season at home against NU. A win will improve our national media reputation.
 

Iowa, Wisconsin, Ohio state...will all be undefeated and without looking at the schedule, if they play each other, they will tie. Osu will win the national championship beating Iowa. Wisconsin whips Alabama to finish up third.
 

Gopherhurrin said:
I agree with gold04. The real data the national media has does not flatter Coach Brewster. We have won six Big Ten games since he took over. They see six wins in twenty four tries and they have no reason not to expect the same rate (25%) this year. The program needs to win respect on the Big Ten playing field. We open the Big Ten season at home against NU. A win will improve our national media reputation.
Click to expand...

That is not real data. That is just assuming that things will be pretty much the same as they have been. In any case, the pundits aren't even predicting that the Gophers will win 25% of the Big Ten games, that would leave them at 2-6 in the Big Ten which is above many predictions. Furthermore, the results from 2007 are a lot less relevant than the results from 2009. Leaving out the first season, the Gophers have been 3-6 the last two years. If they are predicting more of the same, they should expect around three wins.

Predictions should not be based on reputation. That's not a prediction, that's just mailing it in. What the pundits are basing their assessment on is replacing 9 starters on defense, and making the assumption that the 9 new starters will be bad. It's possible the defense could be bad, but you need more than an assumption to make a meaningful prediction.
 

Thus, the folly of predictions. Two months from now we will play NU and reality will rule for the day.
 

Predictions aren't worthless, but the more information you have, the better the prediction you can make. Losing 9 of 11 starters on defense is some information, but it's not enough to make a very strong prediction. You need more information than that. And I understand that we aren't a priority, when people pick up a football magazine, they probably aren't as interested in the Minnesota prediction as we are. If Ohio State had lost 9 of 11 starters, there would be a whole lot more research into how their defense will be, and the prediction would probably be a lot more reliable. I'm hoping we get a chance to sneak up on teams.

My point about the prediction is less about the prediction itself, that doesn't concern me much. It's avoiding the whole "we'd doomed, DOOMED!" attitude.
 


Predictions shouldn't be about prestige or respect. A predition should be an informed opinion, not simply "well, they've done this before, so I guess they will do it again."
 

half empty? I would say they don't even have a damn glass outside of Gopher Nation
 


Gopherhurrin said:
I agree with gold04. The real data the national media has does not flatter Coach Brewster. We have won six Big Ten games since he took over. They see six wins in twenty four tries and they have no reason not to expect the same rate (25%) this year. The program needs to win respect on the Big Ten playing field. We open the Big Ten season at home against NU. A win will improve our national media reputation.
Click to expand...

Gopherhurrin said:
Thus, the folly of predictions. Two months from now we will play NU and reality will rule for the day.
Click to expand...

Gopherhurrin said:
If we do not win Big Ten games we will not get respect until we do.
Click to expand...

Ish. Please give up up your GH login or give it to someone that lives in Minnesota.
 

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