BleedGopher
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per Judd:
Like it or not, P.J. Fleck is going to get a pass on this season from the decision-makers on the University of Minnesota campus.
The Gophers can play a competitive game at Ohio State, get blown out at Nebraska or go winless in the conference and the second-year coach is going to be in no jeopardy of losing his job. It doesn’t matter. Fleck knows it, athletic director Mark Coyle knows it and so does everyone else.
That doesn’t mean Fleck can dismiss everything going on around him in the name of having a young team. Fleck needs to be mindful of the fact that the luxury of having time to get the Gophers on the right track isn’t going to be there much longer and expectations are sure to increase in 2019 and even more in 2020.
From all accounts, Fleck has been accumulating a pretty good list of recruits so the talent level is going to improve. But there has to be major concern that has nothing to do with talent and everything to do with coaching.
Fleck’s defensive coordinator, Robb Smith, is overseeing a unit that has gotten into the habit of embarrassing itself on a weekly basis. The Gophers’ apologists will point to the fact the defense is missing standout safety Antoine Winfield Jr., but the realists will point out that doesn’t provide absolution to be atrocious.
Atrocious is what this defense has been in Big Ten play for the past six games. Dating to a loss last Nov. 18 at Northwestern, the Gophers have given up 39 points to the Wildcats; 31 points to Wisconsin; 42 points at Maryland (in this season’s conference opener); 48 points to Iowa; 30 points at Ohio State; and 53 points at Nebraska. That is 243 points — or an average of 40.5 points per game — and only seven of them have come on a turnover by the offense.
Fleck’s expertise is on the offensive side of the ball and there have been definite positives in that area, but as the head coach of this team Fleck also is charged with making sure this entire team is on the right track.
Right now, the defense isn’t even coming close to doing its part and Smith is a part of the problem. Fleck is a positive guy who never likes to focus on the negative. Unfortunately for Fleck, acknowledging the latter is part of being a head coach and so is firing a coordinator.
Fleck might soon have make a decision. Is his friendship with Smith the most important thing or does putting his football program in the best position possible his top priority? If the Gophers defense continues to play this way, it should be an easy call.
http://www.1500espn.com/news/2018/1...-might-little-choice-make-coordinator-change/
Go Gophers!!
Like it or not, P.J. Fleck is going to get a pass on this season from the decision-makers on the University of Minnesota campus.
The Gophers can play a competitive game at Ohio State, get blown out at Nebraska or go winless in the conference and the second-year coach is going to be in no jeopardy of losing his job. It doesn’t matter. Fleck knows it, athletic director Mark Coyle knows it and so does everyone else.
That doesn’t mean Fleck can dismiss everything going on around him in the name of having a young team. Fleck needs to be mindful of the fact that the luxury of having time to get the Gophers on the right track isn’t going to be there much longer and expectations are sure to increase in 2019 and even more in 2020.
From all accounts, Fleck has been accumulating a pretty good list of recruits so the talent level is going to improve. But there has to be major concern that has nothing to do with talent and everything to do with coaching.
Fleck’s defensive coordinator, Robb Smith, is overseeing a unit that has gotten into the habit of embarrassing itself on a weekly basis. The Gophers’ apologists will point to the fact the defense is missing standout safety Antoine Winfield Jr., but the realists will point out that doesn’t provide absolution to be atrocious.
Atrocious is what this defense has been in Big Ten play for the past six games. Dating to a loss last Nov. 18 at Northwestern, the Gophers have given up 39 points to the Wildcats; 31 points to Wisconsin; 42 points at Maryland (in this season’s conference opener); 48 points to Iowa; 30 points at Ohio State; and 53 points at Nebraska. That is 243 points — or an average of 40.5 points per game — and only seven of them have come on a turnover by the offense.
Fleck’s expertise is on the offensive side of the ball and there have been definite positives in that area, but as the head coach of this team Fleck also is charged with making sure this entire team is on the right track.
Right now, the defense isn’t even coming close to doing its part and Smith is a part of the problem. Fleck is a positive guy who never likes to focus on the negative. Unfortunately for Fleck, acknowledging the latter is part of being a head coach and so is firing a coordinator.
Fleck might soon have make a decision. Is his friendship with Smith the most important thing or does putting his football program in the best position possible his top priority? If the Gophers defense continues to play this way, it should be an easy call.
http://www.1500espn.com/news/2018/1...-might-little-choice-make-coordinator-change/
Go Gophers!!