Ding Dong Brewster's Gone
So I was going to throw my two cents in and give a list of people who should be on the Gophers radar. While looking up the name of Temple's head coach, Al Golden, I found the Strib article:
http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/105148719.html?page=1&c=y
Mike Leach, who Tapani suggested is on there. Also on there is the idea of going gimmicky with the Air Force head coach, Troy Calhoun or Houston's Kevin Sumlin and his air attack.
I would add two names to their list Frank Solich and Mark Stoops. Solich is the head coach at Ohio and former coach of Nebraska. It is always tough to follow a legend as Solich did with Tom Osbourne. The Huskers slipped from what they were, but they were still good just not national title good. If they go with a retread I would rather see Solich than Dan McCarney or Phil Fulmer.
Mark Stoops is the defensive coordinator @ Florida State. This is his first year there but he was in the same roll at Arizona previously. He has ties to the Big Ten as he played at Iowa and was a graduate assistant there. One can't argue with the success of the family name.
I hope this is an exciting hire, much like Tubby Smith was for the basketball program. Whoever it is, they have to better than Tim Brewster. The bar is set pretty low right now. I wonder if Jim Wacker is mailing in his resume.
8 Comments:
RTS - Jim Wacker is dead.
October 18, 2010 at 1:37 PM
Tough to follow that zinger...but here are my thoughts.
If they go the "bring a big name out of retirement route" I am going to fly to Minneapolis and egg Maturi's house. A guy like Phil Fulmer will not excite the masses. The problem/challenge with the gopher job is that you need part PR man, part coach. Ironically, this program needs someone with Brewster's energy, just with some coaching chops as well. Second, if they go the Leslie Frazier / Marc Trestman route, I will fly back to Minneapolis and leave dog poop on Maturi's porch. Didn't we just learn that NFL assistants DON'T make good college coaches?
If we go with a big name, it's got to be a guy like Leach. Also, I seriously find it hard to believe that Gary Patterson (TCU) wouldn't at least listen to the sales pitch. I realize he's got a great program there, but wouldn't he rather play Iowa, Nebraska, Michigan and Wisconsin than SMU, Utah State and Air Force? Also, he's go nowhere to go but down. His stock is at an all-time high, and he'd be smart to take advantage. That being said, I know it's somewhat of a reach. So I'd love to see a guy like Golden from Temple (though, as a PSU alum, he's been linked to the Penn State job). Alternatively, how about a hot coordinator, like Treadwell from Michigan State? Or a Stoops brother, as RTS mentioned? Not to sound like Ron Jaworski, but we need someone from an established coaching tree. Someone who has been successful either at a smaller program (a la Chip Kelly) or someone who has been groomed in a successful program, and is at least a coordinator (not a TE coach like Brewster).
Sorry for the stream of consiousness, but this is a CRUCIAL hire. It should be very interesting to watch.
Oh - and with all due respect to Tony Dungy, let's just use him to sell the university and/or city, NOT choose the coach. I can see ulterior motives all over his recommendation of Frazier.
October 18, 2010 at 5:13 PM
Still in hibernation here a little bit, but I agree with BG. The pro coaches should immediately be excluded from consideration. The only one that's turned out well for anyone was Carroll at USC (and that's obviously come with some tarnish), and he had been a head coach in the NFL. Besides, Leslie Frazier taking the Gopher job would be like a guy waiting ten years to get a reservation at El Bulli and then changing his mind to stop at McDonald's on his way there.
I think we need to go after one of the guys from the Dakotas, to make sure we at least shore up against losing to them anymore. Sort of joking, but sort of think that might our route to a Jim Tressel of our own, too.
Would Leach or Patterson, whose systems I imagine to be heavily dependent on getting the Texas recruits passed on by Austin, translate to Minnesota in terms of getting talent? Not to bring up Jim Wacker (rest in peace, he was a good man) again, but that was his biggest trouble after making the move North, wasn't it?
Where is Minnesota's Pat Fitzgerald?
How hard is Glen Mason laughing, by the way?
October 18, 2010 at 5:36 PM
Why I love FTLOSBW is that I know almost nothing about college football and I can come here and get some insights from you all that I can then use while out at dinner parties and other intellectual gatherings where ideas and thoughts are exchanged (note: I attend neither dinner parties nor intellectual gatherings where ideas and thoughts are exchanged.)
Question: in my quest to see the Vikes/Pack at Lambeau this Sunday I have changed my flight arrangements and will be in the UK when the game is on. Yes, I recognize it will be 3 in the morning but how does one watch games online? BG I'm looking at you as I imagine you have some sort of 'sports package' that I can tap into.
October 19, 2010 at 9:37 AM
MCA - the Gophers' Fitzgerald might...I repeat "might"...be Kevin Sumlin from Houston. If memory serves, he played at MN, he's young, and he's turned Houston around pretty quickly. My reservation would be that he's only been there 2-3 years, so we don't really know what he's got in the way of recruiting chops.
Yes, Mason has to be loving every second of this. Especially since he's working for the Big Ten Network, making the carnage all the more accessible.
Jan - you can watch the Vikes online at DirecTV.com. My password is "vikingbrian" I believe. I paid like $100 extra for this feature, so please take advantage. Goes for the rest of you, too.
October 19, 2010 at 2:47 PM
Jan - P.S. DirecTV.com might not have the Sunday game because it's the Sunday night game...not sure.
Another option is justin.tv. It's a bit sketchy, but I successfully watched an entire NU football game on this site from my hotel room in Hong Kong.
October 19, 2010 at 2:49 PM
Dude, BG, watching college football in Hong Kong? That's the sort of shit Notre Dame grads are famous for.
This coming from a guy blogging about the coaching search of the college football team at a school he didn't attend.
October 20, 2010 at 9:21 AM
reason #2 why I love this blog is BG, I knew you'd have an answer for me. I don't besmerch (word) you for watching nerd u football games in hong kong thanks my brotha.
October 20, 2010 at 12:05 PM
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