John Galt
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 28, 2011
- Messages
- 11,557
- Reaction score
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On the one hand: We have Jerry Kill as our coach and he's been doing this for 17 years with the same staff. They are proven winners, with Kill having a career record of 128-77. His turnaround of two programs, Saginaw Valley St. and Southern Illinois, was the stuff of legend and cannot be questioned. His record is even more impressive when considering where his teams started out. When he was at Northern Illinois, a MAC school, he consistently beat/competed against the Big Ten schools he played. In 2008, he lost to the Gophers 31-27 and lost to Tennessee 13-9. In 2009, he lost to Wisconsin 28-20 and beat Purdue 28-21. In 2010, he lost to Illinois 28-22 and beat the Gophers 34-23. These results are even more impressive since they were all road games for Northern Illinois.
On the other hand: Since the USC game, we have witnessed some of the worst Gopher football of all-time. In the USC game, the team looked disciplined, intense and well-prepared. Since then, we've looked undisciplined, uninspired, and ill-prepared. It makes no logical sense that a team could regress so much. Yes, we're playing a lot of freshman and need more talent, but what we've seen on the field is disappointing no matter what the reasons or excuses.
So now what? We need to give Jerry Kill and his staff some time to turn this around. I'll trust 17 years of proven results over 6 games every time. It's not going to be blind faith, as I'm going to need to see much better play in 2012 than what we've seen this year, and in year 3 vs. year 2, etc. But I believe this is the best chance the Gophers have to be successful. Keep in mind, Jerry Kill is the 1st coach we've had since Lou Holtz who came in with a winning record (I'm only counting Wacker's time at TCU). Let's recognize it takes some time, even though we've all been waiting long enough. Southern Illinois could have fired him after he finished 1-10 his first year there, but that obviously would have been a huge mistake.
For those who disagree, let's hear what you've got for solutions...
On the other hand: Since the USC game, we have witnessed some of the worst Gopher football of all-time. In the USC game, the team looked disciplined, intense and well-prepared. Since then, we've looked undisciplined, uninspired, and ill-prepared. It makes no logical sense that a team could regress so much. Yes, we're playing a lot of freshman and need more talent, but what we've seen on the field is disappointing no matter what the reasons or excuses.
So now what? We need to give Jerry Kill and his staff some time to turn this around. I'll trust 17 years of proven results over 6 games every time. It's not going to be blind faith, as I'm going to need to see much better play in 2012 than what we've seen this year, and in year 3 vs. year 2, etc. But I believe this is the best chance the Gophers have to be successful. Keep in mind, Jerry Kill is the 1st coach we've had since Lou Holtz who came in with a winning record (I'm only counting Wacker's time at TCU). Let's recognize it takes some time, even though we've all been waiting long enough. Southern Illinois could have fired him after he finished 1-10 his first year there, but that obviously would have been a huge mistake.
For those who disagree, let's hear what you've got for solutions...