NFL training camps opened over the past 10-14 days, but for most of you out there, the football season didn't start until today. This morning, on his Twitter page, Coach Brewster posted this:
"Players did a great job on the Run Test! Everybody is hungry to practice for real this afternoon! It's a Great Day to be a Golden Gopher."
While it's a safe bet that Coach Brewster would proclaim any day to be a great day to be a Golden Gopher, you'd have to guess today is a big day for him. After a first season of severe (I checked the Thesaurus for words with a bit more punch than severe... I particularly liked caustic, oppressive, dour and punishing to describe Tim Brewster's first season at the helm) disappointment, and a second season of over-achieving (if you can call beating all of the teams you were supposed to beat, at least in hindsight), this third season will be very important for Brew.
The expectations and curiosities are enough even without mention that TCF Bank Stadium will be christened on September 12th against Air Force.
Jeff and I have been fond of saying that the Gophers could be a better football team this season that ends up with a worse record. And I still can see something like that happening. It's safe to say that the team should be improved, if for no other reason than that they are a year older and a year stronger.
But this incarnation of the Gophs sees a non-conference schedule like we have never seen before. We've had the odd California or Nebraska or Colorado sighting in the non-conference schedule over the past 3 decades, but can you remember a time when we faced 2 foes from BCS conferences? And all of this is on top of a Big10 schedule that pits us against the top 5 teams from last years standings and the conferences two best teams from a season ago in back-to-back weeks... on the road!
As far as individuals positions, Adam Weber is our starting quarterback, and outside of that all bets are off. I think this is a good move, both for Weber and the rest of the team. Weber needs some confidence after a bit of a down year last year, and the rest of the team just plain needs to be better, and competition will help.
As for us here at the blog, we'll do our best to be objective (please stop laughing), and we'll get crackin' on the podcasts within the coming weeks (which I'm sure at least 2 of you are excited about). Jeff has really carried the blog over the past several months while I've been slacking, and despite that fact that he's been planning a wedding (Congrats to Mr & Mrs Jeff who were married this past sultry Saturday), but I plan on getting back into the swing of things.
It's here folks, the most wonderful time of the year!
SKI-U-MAH!!!
Monday, August 10, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
Three Gopher Questions
Is it time for college football yet? WELL IS IT?!?!?!? I'm starting to get a wee bit excited for the upcoming season- and it's still 45 days away!! But at least we're getting closer to teams reporting for camps and getting something of substance to talk about. Big Ten media days are next week in Chicago, and while they probably won't be quite as wild as the SEC media days going on down in Bama this week, it'll still be good to have Big Ten players and coaches talking Big Ten football.
Until then, we'll fill this space with some questions- some rhetorical, some actual- about your Golden Gophers, the Big Ten, and college football as we head towards the 2009 season. Today, I've got a few queries about the Maroon and Gold...
CAN THE GOPHS RUN THE BALL?
I don't know about you, but with Hayo! Carpenter's arrival this week, I now have zero worries about the passing game. None. Zilch. Nada. We've now got Decker, Carpenter, senior Ben Kuznia and a bunch of young, talented kids to not only catch the ball, but do something with it once they grab it. And throwing to them is a pretty damn good quarterback in Adam Weber, even if all anybody wants to talk about in the conference is Terrelle Pryor, Daryll Clark, Juice Williams, and Ricky F*&^ing Stanzi (I think that's my new nickname for him). Let them gush about the other guys coming back, I trust Weber to run the offense and make good throws. He's certainly going to have a lot more weapons to throw to than last year, which is all good news.
But no matter how good the QB's and receivers, and no matter how many teams in the Big Ten adopt the spread, if you want to win here you've got to run the ball in October and November when the temperatures drop and the winds howl. So can the Maroon and Gold move the chains on the ground? I'm not looking for Glen Mason-level of rushing excellence, just something where we can move the ball effectively and keep defenses honest. Losing explosive frosh Hasan Lipscomb definitely hurts, but as I've said and will keep saying, there is still talent at tailback, and the underrated and unheralded group will make some big strides this year.
The key is going to be on the offensive line, and whether they can open some holes and hold blocks for the tailbacks and quarterbacks (hello MarQueis Gray!!!). Last year the line was a train-wreck, as you had an inexperienced group trying to learn an entirely new system that none of them were really equipped to handle.
Well this year they should be helped by three things:
1) A year of learning and getting their a$$es handed to them can only help
2) Two talented new starters in Notre Dame transfer Matt Carufel at guard, and massively ginourmous 6'7 375 pound JC transfer RT Jeff "WHACHOOTALKINBOUT" Willis (seriously, there are dump trucks smaller than this guy)
3) New o-coordinator Tim Davis going back to a pro-style, straight-ahead offense and running game.
It's very possible this unit goes from one of the conference's worst in 2008 to one of the best in 2009.
HOW GOOD WILL THE DEFENSIVE LINE BE?
This group is the key to the defense, and if the defense wants to be good, and even great, these guys need to step up. Even with the loss of Tremaine Brock, I'm excited for what the secondary can bring with Big Play Trey Simmons, Marcus Sherels and Scony transfer Kim Royston. Same with linebacker, as returning starters Simoni Lawrence and Lee Campbell lead a very talented group. But I can't show the same excitement for the D-line because I have no idea what to expect. Willie Van Der Steeg was a HUGE factor last year, as he can almost out of nowhere to have an All-Big Ten senior year. Who's filling that void as a monster pass-rusher? The coaches loved what senior Cedric McKinley showed in the spring, but he's never showed it on the field in the fall to this point.
Even IF McKinley's that guy, who's going to stop the run? Who's getting into the backfield and wrecking havoc? I'm not expecting a bunch of All-American performances from a group of guys who have never even shown All-conference potential yet, and because of the returning talent in the back seven, they don't need to be. But what we DO need the D-line to be is disruptive and active and some kind of a positive factor. Whether it's McKinley or one of the other guys, somebody has to be a pass-rushing force off the edge that demands a double-team. If we can get that, this defense could be top-of-the league good.
HOW WILL THE TEAM HANDLE MARQUEIS GRAY'S AWESOME AWESOMENESS?
There is nothing in college football more delicate than a quarterback controversy- everybody's supposed to say and do the right things, but deep down, the incumbent starter is going to be upset he gets yanked, and so might some of the vets who've played with him. It's one thing when it happens because of injury- think Tom Brady taking over for Drew Bledsoe way back in the day in New England- because then the young guy has a chance to prove on the field how good he is and that the team can continue to roll with him. But the rare and more difficult transition is when the younger QB takes over for the veteran because he's just better or the incumbent is just not good enough. This rarely goes well, but it did last year at Ohio State when after the USC blowout, Pryor took the reigns from fifth year senior Todd Boeckman not because Boeckman was hurt, but because he and the offense sucked (also Beanie Wells getting hurt was a huge blow).
Now I'm not saying Weber is going to be terrible this year- quite the opposite, I think and hope he'll be at least competent and hopefully pretty damn good. Maybe Weber and the offense is so good that no matter what Gray does he's not going to unseat Weber this year. But I think that's a BIG maybe. Maybe I don't believe in Weber enough, or maybe/probably I believe in Gray's ability and potential too much, but I see a QB controversy brewing before the season is over. I believe Weber's ceiling as a player is a little above what he showed last year: competent and can make plays if he's given time and has playmakers around him, but he's not going to take over a game or be somebody who the opposing D gameplans for. Gray, on the other hand, is one of, or perhaps even THE most talented QB to ever step on campus (which I know isn't saying much considering the Gophs haven't had a quarterback taken in the NFL draft in over a decade). Coach Brewster is on record as saying Gray is going to get on the field this fall, and he WILL be out there in the opener against Air Force. He and the coaching staff understand just how unreal this kid is, and that even as a freshman, he's so talented they need to get him on the field. I just see Weber struggling at times, and Gray doing nothing but good and exciting things, and by the end of October, the QB controversy will be on. Will Brewster stick to his three-year starter, or will he make a move for the present and future and put in Gray?
Until then, we'll fill this space with some questions- some rhetorical, some actual- about your Golden Gophers, the Big Ten, and college football as we head towards the 2009 season. Today, I've got a few queries about the Maroon and Gold...
CAN THE GOPHS RUN THE BALL?
I don't know about you, but with Hayo! Carpenter's arrival this week, I now have zero worries about the passing game. None. Zilch. Nada. We've now got Decker, Carpenter, senior Ben Kuznia and a bunch of young, talented kids to not only catch the ball, but do something with it once they grab it. And throwing to them is a pretty damn good quarterback in Adam Weber, even if all anybody wants to talk about in the conference is Terrelle Pryor, Daryll Clark, Juice Williams, and Ricky F*&^ing Stanzi (I think that's my new nickname for him). Let them gush about the other guys coming back, I trust Weber to run the offense and make good throws. He's certainly going to have a lot more weapons to throw to than last year, which is all good news.
But no matter how good the QB's and receivers, and no matter how many teams in the Big Ten adopt the spread, if you want to win here you've got to run the ball in October and November when the temperatures drop and the winds howl. So can the Maroon and Gold move the chains on the ground? I'm not looking for Glen Mason-level of rushing excellence, just something where we can move the ball effectively and keep defenses honest. Losing explosive frosh Hasan Lipscomb definitely hurts, but as I've said and will keep saying, there is still talent at tailback, and the underrated and unheralded group will make some big strides this year.
The key is going to be on the offensive line, and whether they can open some holes and hold blocks for the tailbacks and quarterbacks (hello MarQueis Gray!!!). Last year the line was a train-wreck, as you had an inexperienced group trying to learn an entirely new system that none of them were really equipped to handle.
Well this year they should be helped by three things:
1) A year of learning and getting their a$$es handed to them can only help
2) Two talented new starters in Notre Dame transfer Matt Carufel at guard, and massively ginourmous 6'7 375 pound JC transfer RT Jeff "WHACHOOTALKINBOUT" Willis (seriously, there are dump trucks smaller than this guy)
3) New o-coordinator Tim Davis going back to a pro-style, straight-ahead offense and running game.
It's very possible this unit goes from one of the conference's worst in 2008 to one of the best in 2009.
HOW GOOD WILL THE DEFENSIVE LINE BE?
This group is the key to the defense, and if the defense wants to be good, and even great, these guys need to step up. Even with the loss of Tremaine Brock, I'm excited for what the secondary can bring with Big Play Trey Simmons, Marcus Sherels and Scony transfer Kim Royston. Same with linebacker, as returning starters Simoni Lawrence and Lee Campbell lead a very talented group. But I can't show the same excitement for the D-line because I have no idea what to expect. Willie Van Der Steeg was a HUGE factor last year, as he can almost out of nowhere to have an All-Big Ten senior year. Who's filling that void as a monster pass-rusher? The coaches loved what senior Cedric McKinley showed in the spring, but he's never showed it on the field in the fall to this point.
Even IF McKinley's that guy, who's going to stop the run? Who's getting into the backfield and wrecking havoc? I'm not expecting a bunch of All-American performances from a group of guys who have never even shown All-conference potential yet, and because of the returning talent in the back seven, they don't need to be. But what we DO need the D-line to be is disruptive and active and some kind of a positive factor. Whether it's McKinley or one of the other guys, somebody has to be a pass-rushing force off the edge that demands a double-team. If we can get that, this defense could be top-of-the league good.
HOW WILL THE TEAM HANDLE MARQUEIS GRAY'S AWESOME AWESOMENESS?
There is nothing in college football more delicate than a quarterback controversy- everybody's supposed to say and do the right things, but deep down, the incumbent starter is going to be upset he gets yanked, and so might some of the vets who've played with him. It's one thing when it happens because of injury- think Tom Brady taking over for Drew Bledsoe way back in the day in New England- because then the young guy has a chance to prove on the field how good he is and that the team can continue to roll with him. But the rare and more difficult transition is when the younger QB takes over for the veteran because he's just better or the incumbent is just not good enough. This rarely goes well, but it did last year at Ohio State when after the USC blowout, Pryor took the reigns from fifth year senior Todd Boeckman not because Boeckman was hurt, but because he and the offense sucked (also Beanie Wells getting hurt was a huge blow).
Now I'm not saying Weber is going to be terrible this year- quite the opposite, I think and hope he'll be at least competent and hopefully pretty damn good. Maybe Weber and the offense is so good that no matter what Gray does he's not going to unseat Weber this year. But I think that's a BIG maybe. Maybe I don't believe in Weber enough, or maybe/probably I believe in Gray's ability and potential too much, but I see a QB controversy brewing before the season is over. I believe Weber's ceiling as a player is a little above what he showed last year: competent and can make plays if he's given time and has playmakers around him, but he's not going to take over a game or be somebody who the opposing D gameplans for. Gray, on the other hand, is one of, or perhaps even THE most talented QB to ever step on campus (which I know isn't saying much considering the Gophs haven't had a quarterback taken in the NFL draft in over a decade). Coach Brewster is on record as saying Gray is going to get on the field this fall, and he WILL be out there in the opener against Air Force. He and the coaching staff understand just how unreal this kid is, and that even as a freshman, he's so talented they need to get him on the field. I just see Weber struggling at times, and Gray doing nothing but good and exciting things, and by the end of October, the QB controversy will be on. Will Brewster stick to his three-year starter, or will he make a move for the present and future and put in Gray?
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
HAYO to Hayo!!!!!!!!!!
I'm a couple of days late on this, but as Coach Tim Brewster announced on his Twitter page on Monday, it looks like Hayo Carpenter has finally made it to Minnesota. Carpenter arrives on campus as one of the top junior college wideouts from the 2009 class (Rivals has him 3rd among WR, and 13th overall), and after the annoucements a few weeks ago that four-star HB recruit Hasan Lipscomb and last year's starting FS Tremaine Brock won't be on the team this fall, this is huge, huge, HUGE news for the Gophs.
Carpenter should start opening day against Air Force opposite Eric Decker (check out a Youtube clip of Hayo! in JC), and should be the big-play guy we've been hoping/dying/praying for this offense to add. College football guru Phil Steele (I just bought his Big Ten preview, and the thing is HUGE!!! If I'm able to digest all of it, I might even know what I'm talking about this year- or at least sound like it) thinks so much of Hayo! that he named him 2nd team All-Big Ten for the coming year. Granted, after Decker and Illinois' Arrelious Benn the talent and experience at wideout in the conference definitely drops off, but to be named second team all-conference in the Big Ten before ever playing a down is a testament to how good this kid can be- and how excited we as Gopher fans should be to have him.
Carpenter should start opening day against Air Force opposite Eric Decker (check out a Youtube clip of Hayo! in JC), and should be the big-play guy we've been hoping/dying/praying for this offense to add. College football guru Phil Steele (I just bought his Big Ten preview, and the thing is HUGE!!! If I'm able to digest all of it, I might even know what I'm talking about this year- or at least sound like it) thinks so much of Hayo! that he named him 2nd team All-Big Ten for the coming year. Granted, after Decker and Illinois' Arrelious Benn the talent and experience at wideout in the conference definitely drops off, but to be named second team all-conference in the Big Ten before ever playing a down is a testament to how good this kid can be- and how excited we as Gopher fans should be to have him.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Big Ten News O' the Week
Just when you thought the "Slowest sports week of the year" couldn't get any worse, we get today's weather forecast: cloudly with a record low-high of 58 degrees- IN FREAKING JULY!!!!!!!!! Good lord if we're going to get October weather, why can't it just be October? It might be my favorite month here in Minnesota as the weather is cool, crisp and refreshing (not unlike one of my other favorite things- beer. By the way, am I a snob because I can't get enough Newcastle right now? The best liquor store in the Twin Cities is the one beside Rainbow Foods on Snelling and University in St. Paul because they have a ginormous selection and ridiculously low prices, like a 12 pack of Newcastle for 12 bucks. I mean really- how does it get any better than that- well ok unless someone is paying for my Newcastle. Anyone? Anyone? No? Ok then. Lately I've found myself asking myself the question of "why aren't you drinking a Newcastle right now?" And you know what? There's really not a good comeback to that one. There's really no excuse to NOT be drinking a Newcastle if you're not already drinking one. Maybe someone has a scenario where you shouldn't be, but I can't think of one), college football season is in full swing, plus baseball playoffs, the NFL, and for those that care, also some pro hockey league going on. Oh and Oktoberfest! We might- and by might I mean we MUST- have a gopherfootballblog Oktoberfest get-together this fall. Even if it's just me and Jer I think it would be worth it. Seriously, how great is October? It's not even scalable if you think about. I DO know it's a helluva lot better than this week in July when it's 58 degrees outside!!!!!
Anyway, where was I? Something about the Big Ten News of the Week on the slowest week of the year...
- I think we've covered about all the Gopher-related news earlier in the week- and thus far none of it has really been good, so in review...
...Star HB recruit Hasan Lipscomb and last year's starting FS Tremaine Brock were both officially rule inelgible for the upcoming season because of grades. While both players certainly would have helped, I maintain neither were vital for 2009. Lipscomb very well could have been the starter, but then again, he was having to beat out four other guys who return with talent and experience. I was actually surprised to hear Brock even had a shot at returning this fall, as I thought when dropped out of school in January he was officially done. He was certainly talented and a big part of their D last year, but Scony transfer Kim Royston should be more than adequate as the new starter back there. Obviously it's never good to lose a possible starter on defense and possibly your best recruit from your incoming class, but the Gophers can survive this year without them. However, this is two years in a row now that coach Tim Brewster has had his top recruit miss the season because of grades, so in order to build a successful program, hopefully the academic issues of the guys he targets will be an exception and not a trend.
...It's been a week now since Pioneer Press writer/blogger Marcus Fuller reported Hayo Carpenter's JC coach said Carpenter was "On his way, transcripts in hand"- and yet there's still no sign of the star wide receiver. Hayo needs to enroll- and soon- in order to be eligible for the 2009 season. Losing Carpenter- well ok technically you can't lose something you never had- so not getting Carpenter on the field this year would be a huge blow to the Gophers offense, as he was expected to be the starter opposite Eric Deceker this fall. Carpenter is a legit big-play deep threat would complement Decker extremely well and add another dymanic weapon to the offense. Here's hoping we'll be saying HAYO!!! to Hayo very, very soon.
...the Sporting News have the Gophers ranked as the 50th best team in college football to start 2009. I won't argue that one too much, as the Gophs certainly have some questions to be answered after the five game losing streak and blow-out losses to Iowa and Kansas to end last season. In the Sporting News rankings of the top 100, the Gophs are ahead of other Big Ten schools Northwestern (Number 57), Illinois (60), Purdue (76), and Indiana (not even ranked in the top 100- yeah that hurts. What hurts for Gopher fans is that Indiana is not on the schedule this year or next).
Of the six other Big Ten teams ranked in the top 50 along with Minnesota only two, Ohio State (9) and Penn State (12), were ranked in the top 25, with Iowa (26), Michigan State (31), Michigan (38), and Wisconsin (47) falling in that next group of 25. The only real beef I have with those rankings is Michigan at 38. Really? A 3-9 team from last year who will start a true freshman at quarterback and will have one of the younger and more inexperienced teams in the country is 38th best? Puh-lease. Rich Rodriguez WILL get the Wolverines back competiting for Big Ten titles and choking in bowl games before long, but they'll be lucky to go bowling this year, let alone finish as the 38th best team in the country. If that same team were Michigan State instead of the Maize and Blue they'd be ranked 68th instead of 38th. And yet I'm sure Michigan fans will still whine about a low ranking. Whatever.
...you know it's a slow week for college football news, and sports news in general, when E!SPN takes a break from their sports man-gossip rumor mongering to give Utah Senator Orrin Hatch his own op-ed article on why the BCS is a crapshoot. Thanks Orrin, but we already know the BCS is a crapshoot. We didn't need your 969 whiny words to further prove the point, and we certainly didn't need a congressional hearing on it either. Actually, that wasn't even the point Hatch was trying to make. Sure, the title of his article was "Current BCS System Limits Competition" it's just the content of his article and argument has nothing to do with on-field competition, and everything to do with not getting more of the BCS Benjamins.
If you want to put yourself to sleep, read the article. Or I can save you the time and tell you he briefly mentions a few times how it's unfair that Utah and Boise State get excluded, but what he's really peeved about is the big bucks the Big Six conferences get from the BCS. As usual, here's another rich dude claiming to be championing the cause for fans of an unfair system and yet all he wants is more money is his constituents pockets. Last week on the Dan Patrick Show (scroll down to Friday, July 10) Hatch talked for 10 minutes about the unfairness of the BCS system, but only once, and only when prompted by Patrick, did he talk about how unfair it was that deserving teams from non-BCS conferences didn't get to play for a national title. The rest of the interview, and I'm not exaggerating, he whined about how unfair it is that Utah and the rest of the the Mountain West can't get more revenue from BCS bowl games. Revenue, revenue, revenue. It's all he really cares about, and he's trying to use Congress (because of course what else would Congress do with their time? Help fix the economy? Figure out a health care system that makes sense? Hell no! Not when we've got more important issues to solve like the BCS and steroids in baseball!!!) to get at that money.
Well you can guess how that actually went. For all his huffing and puffing the Mountain West took a sweetened deal from the BCS and E!SPN to get a little more of the BCS Benjamins and shut the f up. Hatch claims that had they not signed it, the "little guys" would have been shut out completely, so they had no choice and did so reluctantly.
You know what else would have shut the little guys out completely? If Hatch and his cronies had actually succeded in getting rid of the BCS. Stewart Mandell of SI.com (bring back the Mailbag Crush, Stew! Bring it back!) wrote a great piece before the hearings even started on what a total and utter waste of time the whole "Hatch Hearings" would be. Not only was he 100% correct, but he also had this quote from Nebraska chancellor Harvey Pearlman:
"The alternative is not a playoff," said Perlman. "The alternative is to go back to the system we had. That's fine. Many of us would think that's not a bad outcome."
Yep, no matter how tough Hatch talks, he cannot and will not be able to impose a playoff system (i.e. a way to get smaller conferences more money) on college football. The NCAA does what is deemed best for its members, and its members- the BCS conference schools, which are still the majority- do not want a playoff, and won't be forced into one. How funny it would have been if Hatch strong-armed the BCS into oblivion (or "Bolivia" as Mike Tyson once said. Good to see him making a comeback in "The Hangover". If you haven't seen that movie yet, leave work right now and run to your nearest theater. It's Friday, your boss won't notice. Tigers love pepper. They HATE cinnamon), only to have the NCAA go right back to the old bowl system where the little guys Hatch claims he was fighting for get completely shut out of the Big Bowls.
Personally, I'd be all for that. Sure, an eight team playoff (and no more than eight), or even a "Plus-One" system, would be the best solution, but since we're not likely to see either of those, I'd much prefer the old bowl system to the BCS. At least with the old system we were guaranteed great matchups in the Big Four Bowls and actually had them all played on New Year's Day, instead of what we've been getting now (Cincinnati and Virginia Tech, anyone? Hawaii and Georgia?) with mostly crappy games spread out over a week.
...Finally, the greatest video game in the history of the universe came out this week. I cannot wait to use the Gophs in their new outdoor stadium- and start MarQueis Gray over Adam Weber.
Anyway, where was I? Something about the Big Ten News of the Week on the slowest week of the year...
- I think we've covered about all the Gopher-related news earlier in the week- and thus far none of it has really been good, so in review...
...Star HB recruit Hasan Lipscomb and last year's starting FS Tremaine Brock were both officially rule inelgible for the upcoming season because of grades. While both players certainly would have helped, I maintain neither were vital for 2009. Lipscomb very well could have been the starter, but then again, he was having to beat out four other guys who return with talent and experience. I was actually surprised to hear Brock even had a shot at returning this fall, as I thought when dropped out of school in January he was officially done. He was certainly talented and a big part of their D last year, but Scony transfer Kim Royston should be more than adequate as the new starter back there. Obviously it's never good to lose a possible starter on defense and possibly your best recruit from your incoming class, but the Gophers can survive this year without them. However, this is two years in a row now that coach Tim Brewster has had his top recruit miss the season because of grades, so in order to build a successful program, hopefully the academic issues of the guys he targets will be an exception and not a trend.
...It's been a week now since Pioneer Press writer/blogger Marcus Fuller reported Hayo Carpenter's JC coach said Carpenter was "On his way, transcripts in hand"- and yet there's still no sign of the star wide receiver. Hayo needs to enroll- and soon- in order to be eligible for the 2009 season. Losing Carpenter- well ok technically you can't lose something you never had- so not getting Carpenter on the field this year would be a huge blow to the Gophers offense, as he was expected to be the starter opposite Eric Deceker this fall. Carpenter is a legit big-play deep threat would complement Decker extremely well and add another dymanic weapon to the offense. Here's hoping we'll be saying HAYO!!! to Hayo very, very soon.
...the Sporting News have the Gophers ranked as the 50th best team in college football to start 2009. I won't argue that one too much, as the Gophs certainly have some questions to be answered after the five game losing streak and blow-out losses to Iowa and Kansas to end last season. In the Sporting News rankings of the top 100, the Gophs are ahead of other Big Ten schools Northwestern (Number 57), Illinois (60), Purdue (76), and Indiana (not even ranked in the top 100- yeah that hurts. What hurts for Gopher fans is that Indiana is not on the schedule this year or next).
Of the six other Big Ten teams ranked in the top 50 along with Minnesota only two, Ohio State (9) and Penn State (12), were ranked in the top 25, with Iowa (26), Michigan State (31), Michigan (38), and Wisconsin (47) falling in that next group of 25. The only real beef I have with those rankings is Michigan at 38. Really? A 3-9 team from last year who will start a true freshman at quarterback and will have one of the younger and more inexperienced teams in the country is 38th best? Puh-lease. Rich Rodriguez WILL get the Wolverines back competiting for Big Ten titles and choking in bowl games before long, but they'll be lucky to go bowling this year, let alone finish as the 38th best team in the country. If that same team were Michigan State instead of the Maize and Blue they'd be ranked 68th instead of 38th. And yet I'm sure Michigan fans will still whine about a low ranking. Whatever.
...you know it's a slow week for college football news, and sports news in general, when E!SPN takes a break from their sports man-gossip rumor mongering to give Utah Senator Orrin Hatch his own op-ed article on why the BCS is a crapshoot. Thanks Orrin, but we already know the BCS is a crapshoot. We didn't need your 969 whiny words to further prove the point, and we certainly didn't need a congressional hearing on it either. Actually, that wasn't even the point Hatch was trying to make. Sure, the title of his article was "Current BCS System Limits Competition" it's just the content of his article and argument has nothing to do with on-field competition, and everything to do with not getting more of the BCS Benjamins.
If you want to put yourself to sleep, read the article. Or I can save you the time and tell you he briefly mentions a few times how it's unfair that Utah and Boise State get excluded, but what he's really peeved about is the big bucks the Big Six conferences get from the BCS. As usual, here's another rich dude claiming to be championing the cause for fans of an unfair system and yet all he wants is more money is his constituents pockets. Last week on the Dan Patrick Show (scroll down to Friday, July 10) Hatch talked for 10 minutes about the unfairness of the BCS system, but only once, and only when prompted by Patrick, did he talk about how unfair it was that deserving teams from non-BCS conferences didn't get to play for a national title. The rest of the interview, and I'm not exaggerating, he whined about how unfair it is that Utah and the rest of the the Mountain West can't get more revenue from BCS bowl games. Revenue, revenue, revenue. It's all he really cares about, and he's trying to use Congress (because of course what else would Congress do with their time? Help fix the economy? Figure out a health care system that makes sense? Hell no! Not when we've got more important issues to solve like the BCS and steroids in baseball!!!) to get at that money.
Well you can guess how that actually went. For all his huffing and puffing the Mountain West took a sweetened deal from the BCS and E!SPN to get a little more of the BCS Benjamins and shut the f up. Hatch claims that had they not signed it, the "little guys" would have been shut out completely, so they had no choice and did so reluctantly.
You know what else would have shut the little guys out completely? If Hatch and his cronies had actually succeded in getting rid of the BCS. Stewart Mandell of SI.com (bring back the Mailbag Crush, Stew! Bring it back!) wrote a great piece before the hearings even started on what a total and utter waste of time the whole "Hatch Hearings" would be. Not only was he 100% correct, but he also had this quote from Nebraska chancellor Harvey Pearlman:
"The alternative is not a playoff," said Perlman. "The alternative is to go back to the system we had. That's fine. Many of us would think that's not a bad outcome."
Yep, no matter how tough Hatch talks, he cannot and will not be able to impose a playoff system (i.e. a way to get smaller conferences more money) on college football. The NCAA does what is deemed best for its members, and its members- the BCS conference schools, which are still the majority- do not want a playoff, and won't be forced into one. How funny it would have been if Hatch strong-armed the BCS into oblivion (or "Bolivia" as Mike Tyson once said. Good to see him making a comeback in "The Hangover". If you haven't seen that movie yet, leave work right now and run to your nearest theater. It's Friday, your boss won't notice. Tigers love pepper. They HATE cinnamon), only to have the NCAA go right back to the old bowl system where the little guys Hatch claims he was fighting for get completely shut out of the Big Bowls.
Personally, I'd be all for that. Sure, an eight team playoff (and no more than eight), or even a "Plus-One" system, would be the best solution, but since we're not likely to see either of those, I'd much prefer the old bowl system to the BCS. At least with the old system we were guaranteed great matchups in the Big Four Bowls and actually had them all played on New Year's Day, instead of what we've been getting now (Cincinnati and Virginia Tech, anyone? Hawaii and Georgia?) with mostly crappy games spread out over a week.
...Finally, the greatest video game in the history of the universe came out this week. I cannot wait to use the Gophs in their new outdoor stadium- and start MarQueis Gray over Adam Weber.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Still No Word on Hayo, but GREAT News for Gopher Hoops!!
E!SPN's Big Ten blogger Adam Rittenburg had what looked to be updated word in today's Lunchtime Links that Gopher star JC transfer Hayo Carpenter is on his way to Minnesota and is basically a done deal- except the story he quotes, from Pioneer Press writer Marcus Fuller, is actually from last week. That story on Carpenter's pending arrival actually predates the story Rittenburg linked to yesterday about Hasan Lipscomb being ruled ineligble, which also stated Carpenter was still somewhere in transit.
Rittenburg is just getting back from a well-deserved vacation, so we'll gladly cut him some slack on this one. Hopefully an official story of Carpenter's arrival will be coming soon!
While reading Fuller's blog, I did see this morning he posted some GREAT news for Gopher hoops fans (and yes I'm aware this is a Gopher football blog, but I'm assuming that most of you who read this fans also support Tubby and Gopher basketball): super-duper-uber local recruit Rodney Williams Jr. was declared eligbile by the NCAA clearinghouse, so he will be on campus and in uniform for the upcoming season.
Hopefully Brewster's team will get more good news like this in the future too.
Rittenburg is just getting back from a well-deserved vacation, so we'll gladly cut him some slack on this one. Hopefully an official story of Carpenter's arrival will be coming soon!
While reading Fuller's blog, I did see this morning he posted some GREAT news for Gopher hoops fans (and yes I'm aware this is a Gopher football blog, but I'm assuming that most of you who read this fans also support Tubby and Gopher basketball): super-duper-uber local recruit Rodney Williams Jr. was declared eligbile by the NCAA clearinghouse, so he will be on campus and in uniform for the upcoming season.
Hopefully Brewster's team will get more good news like this in the future too.
Monday, July 13, 2009
4 Star HB Recruit Lipscomb Ruled Ineligible
Per Adam Rittenburg's Lunchtime Links today, the Pioneer Press is reporting that Hasan Lipscomb, a four star running back recruit out of Houston, Texas, and perhaps coach Tim Brewster's top player for his incoming 2009 class, did not qualify academically and will be enrolling in a junior college. According to his high school coach, Lipscomb still hopes to play at The U, but it won't be this season.
This is the second straight year that Brewster has lost arguably the top player in his recruiting class to academic issues, as QB MarQueis Gray had to sit last season because of grades. The good news of course is that Gray got eligible for the fall and well, as you may have noticed, we here at the blog have a wee bit of a man-crush on him. Still, there's no guarantee Lipscomb ever dons the maroon and gold, but let's hope he can get it together and be on campus for 2010.
To be honest, while it hurts to lose a player of Lipscomb's quality, it's not going to be a huge blow to the 2009 team, as the Gophers have plenty of returnees with some ability at running back: Duane Bennett was looking like an all-conference performer before he got hurt midway through last season, sophomore DeLeon Eskridge showed signs of promise last year, and redshirt freshman Kevin Whaley looked great in spring practice and in the Maroon and Gold scrimmage. Would it be nice to have a player as good as Lipscomb pushing the three guys in front of him? Yes, but it's not vital for the offense.
What's much more troubling to me is a mention further down in the story that top JUCO WR recruit Hayo Carpenter STILL hasn't gotten his a$$ in class yet for the summer. If Carpenter, who is the Gophs' likely number two receiver, doesn't qualify or doesn't get into school, his absence will be a much bigger problem for the Gopher offense than Lipscomb's. Here's hoping Carpenter enrolls soon and Lipscomb follows next year.
This is the second straight year that Brewster has lost arguably the top player in his recruiting class to academic issues, as QB MarQueis Gray had to sit last season because of grades. The good news of course is that Gray got eligible for the fall and well, as you may have noticed, we here at the blog have a wee bit of a man-crush on him. Still, there's no guarantee Lipscomb ever dons the maroon and gold, but let's hope he can get it together and be on campus for 2010.
To be honest, while it hurts to lose a player of Lipscomb's quality, it's not going to be a huge blow to the 2009 team, as the Gophers have plenty of returnees with some ability at running back: Duane Bennett was looking like an all-conference performer before he got hurt midway through last season, sophomore DeLeon Eskridge showed signs of promise last year, and redshirt freshman Kevin Whaley looked great in spring practice and in the Maroon and Gold scrimmage. Would it be nice to have a player as good as Lipscomb pushing the three guys in front of him? Yes, but it's not vital for the offense.
What's much more troubling to me is a mention further down in the story that top JUCO WR recruit Hayo Carpenter STILL hasn't gotten his a$$ in class yet for the summer. If Carpenter, who is the Gophs' likely number two receiver, doesn't qualify or doesn't get into school, his absence will be a much bigger problem for the Gopher offense than Lipscomb's. Here's hoping Carpenter enrolls soon and Lipscomb follows next year.
Friday, June 26, 2009
To booze or not to booze, THAT is the question
Booze, definitely booze. I think we can all agree on that, yes? Okay, now that we have that settled, we can move on to the question as it pertains to the various incarnations of our Golden Gophers sports teams.
So there won't be any boozin' at Gopher football games this fall (or any fall for that matter), not even for the super rich folks. In a way, this is comforting to me. I mean, they already get to sit in their plush heated rooms with excellent food... something which I won't get to do. But if they also got to imbibe while the rest of the poor folks didn't... well that just wouldn't be very American now would it?
But I digress.
Buck Bravo also makes a great point. Really, it's been too easy for too long for U of M students to be drunk at football games. There's nothing difficult about being drunk for an 11am football game if you can just walk into the stadium, plop down a $20, and slam two Dome beers from cups adorned with images of Joe Mauer (!?!?!?!). Cripes, you might not even have to show up to the stadium until 10:55, and you could be hammered by the time you get to your seat in time for kickoff.
This generation already has it too easy. Seriously... Easy Mac? Twist off wine caps? The internet? Sliced bread? Give me a break!
There's just no commitment to pre-game rituals anymore, especially for the early games. As far as I'm concerned tailgating is a 3 hour undertaking... MINIMUM! If you aren't going to bother being at the lot by 8am then you might as well stay home and listen to Dave Lee butcher the play-by-play while you drink OJ out of your sippy cup YOU BUNCH OF PATSIES!!!
GET OUT OF BED!!!
I wish Brunnicks would have just said, "Look, we know that being drunk at football games is a rite of passage for college students. We get it! But these spoiled brats have it too easy. Well NO MORE! We're going to bring a little midwest work ethic to this social scene! So no booze at the games, unless you are resourceful. You punks better start practicing your 7am wake up calls and pre-Cheerios beer bongs or next fall you'll be nothing but a stain on the road with a crew cut!!!" (I don't know what that last part means, or why Brunnicks would say it.)
... or something like that.
I think this shows good judgement by the University. No more special privilages for the rich, and no more smooth road to puking in the bathroom at the games for the students!
So there won't be any boozin' at Gopher football games this fall (or any fall for that matter), not even for the super rich folks. In a way, this is comforting to me. I mean, they already get to sit in their plush heated rooms with excellent food... something which I won't get to do. But if they also got to imbibe while the rest of the poor folks didn't... well that just wouldn't be very American now would it?
But I digress.
Buck Bravo also makes a great point. Really, it's been too easy for too long for U of M students to be drunk at football games. There's nothing difficult about being drunk for an 11am football game if you can just walk into the stadium, plop down a $20, and slam two Dome beers from cups adorned with images of Joe Mauer (!?!?!?!). Cripes, you might not even have to show up to the stadium until 10:55, and you could be hammered by the time you get to your seat in time for kickoff.
This generation already has it too easy. Seriously... Easy Mac? Twist off wine caps? The internet? Sliced bread? Give me a break!
There's just no commitment to pre-game rituals anymore, especially for the early games. As far as I'm concerned tailgating is a 3 hour undertaking... MINIMUM! If you aren't going to bother being at the lot by 8am then you might as well stay home and listen to Dave Lee butcher the play-by-play while you drink OJ out of your sippy cup YOU BUNCH OF PATSIES!!!
GET OUT OF BED!!!
I wish Brunnicks would have just said, "Look, we know that being drunk at football games is a rite of passage for college students. We get it! But these spoiled brats have it too easy. Well NO MORE! We're going to bring a little midwest work ethic to this social scene! So no booze at the games, unless you are resourceful. You punks better start practicing your 7am wake up calls and pre-Cheerios beer bongs or next fall you'll be nothing but a stain on the road with a crew cut!!!" (I don't know what that last part means, or why Brunnicks would say it.)
... or something like that.
I think this shows good judgement by the University. No more special privilages for the rich, and no more smooth road to puking in the bathroom at the games for the students!
Friday, June 12, 2009
New Gopher Football Stadium Will be Booze-Free
Not that this will effect me anytime soon (or possibly ever), but looks like the rich folks in the club seats and suites at the U's new football stadium won't be able to booze it up. Or at any other Gopher sporting event. Yep thanks to our Governor and the legislature, the bill they passed that says The U must sell beer to everyone or no one at sporting events means University President Robert Bruininks has decided to sell it to no one. Pawlenty said the policy, which many schools across the country share, is elitist and not fair to Joe Average Fan. While perhaps true, there's very few NCAA schools that sell beer to anyone of age (the Pioneer Press article mentions Syracuse and the U of Cincinnati), so you had to figure that by passing this it would mean the Gophers would ban booze for everybody.
That's just not good business. As I said, I'm never going to be able to afford the expensive seats where I could drink beer at a U sporting event, but that's not the point. The point is this is very likely to take money out of the pockets of the athletic department because you have to think rich folks are going to be less likely to pony up big dollars for suites or club seats if they can't booze it up. And in this economic climate, athletic departments need all the money they can get.
Well actually I guess that's not THE point but simply a smaller point that we might as well focus on because the bigger point, which is banning booze at stadiums does not deter minors from still getting drunk, won't be addressed. Sure, we COULD drop the pretentious idea that NOT selling beer in the general concourse means we're going to keep underaged college students from getting drunk. Because as Fox 9 showed us with their groundbreaking story on how underaged hockey players at the U drink quite regularily (I'm anxiously awaiting Fox 9's next shocking expose- despite being under age, high school kids smoke! Who knew? The shocking details tonight at 9!!) , if college kids between the ages of 18-20 want alcohol, there's a good chance they're going to get it.
I could broaden this further and ask why oh why don't we put the drinking age back down to 19, but since that seems to fall on deaf ears (and honestly and without sarcasm- what's the argument against lowering the drinking age? Please, I'm listening. What is it? At 19 you're old enough to vote, or join the Army and put your life on the line, but you can't have a beer? Really? That makes sense? Please explain). So instead I'll ask why the policies at the Metrodome, Target Center, and the Xcel Center (and any pro stadium across the country) can't work for University sports. If you want to buy a beer, you need to show a valid ID. While not 100% fool proof, it seems to be pretty effective in keeping brewskies out of the hands of minors- or just as effective as not selling it all.
Why this policy wouldn't work for Gopher sporting events is beyond me, but hey, the NCAA are the same folks who continue to tell us that football and men's basketball is NOT the biggest monopoly this side of OPEC and are simply students playing athletic events for the love of the game. So getting them to concede that barring beer sales from a stadium will bar minors from getting hammered before kick-off is probably not going to happen either.
That's just not good business. As I said, I'm never going to be able to afford the expensive seats where I could drink beer at a U sporting event, but that's not the point. The point is this is very likely to take money out of the pockets of the athletic department because you have to think rich folks are going to be less likely to pony up big dollars for suites or club seats if they can't booze it up. And in this economic climate, athletic departments need all the money they can get.
Well actually I guess that's not THE point but simply a smaller point that we might as well focus on because the bigger point, which is banning booze at stadiums does not deter minors from still getting drunk, won't be addressed. Sure, we COULD drop the pretentious idea that NOT selling beer in the general concourse means we're going to keep underaged college students from getting drunk. Because as Fox 9 showed us with their groundbreaking story on how underaged hockey players at the U drink quite regularily (I'm anxiously awaiting Fox 9's next shocking expose- despite being under age, high school kids smoke! Who knew? The shocking details tonight at 9!!) , if college kids between the ages of 18-20 want alcohol, there's a good chance they're going to get it.
I could broaden this further and ask why oh why don't we put the drinking age back down to 19, but since that seems to fall on deaf ears (and honestly and without sarcasm- what's the argument against lowering the drinking age? Please, I'm listening. What is it? At 19 you're old enough to vote, or join the Army and put your life on the line, but you can't have a beer? Really? That makes sense? Please explain). So instead I'll ask why the policies at the Metrodome, Target Center, and the Xcel Center (and any pro stadium across the country) can't work for University sports. If you want to buy a beer, you need to show a valid ID. While not 100% fool proof, it seems to be pretty effective in keeping brewskies out of the hands of minors- or just as effective as not selling it all.
Why this policy wouldn't work for Gopher sporting events is beyond me, but hey, the NCAA are the same folks who continue to tell us that football and men's basketball is NOT the biggest monopoly this side of OPEC and are simply students playing athletic events for the love of the game. So getting them to concede that barring beer sales from a stadium will bar minors from getting hammered before kick-off is probably not going to happen either.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Matt Hayes HATES the Gophers
Actually that's not true at all. Hayes is an excellent college football writer for the Sporting News, and I doubt he loves or hates or has any emotional attachment either way with Golden Gopher football. In his latest article on the sporting news website about five college football teams in line for a decline in 09 (Hayes is a pro because he can come up with fancy rhyming headlines!) he lists your Minnesota Golden Gophers football team as one of those teams headed for a decline, believing they're going to win three less games than last year- from 7 in 2008 down to just 4 for 2009!
Do I agree with Hayes' prediction for the Gophs? Of course not. Do I think he hates them and is a "Gopher Hater"? Of course not. Perhaps we'd get more traffic for this blog if Jer and I ranted and raved and called Hayes and any other national media person who has the audacity to not pick the Gophers to win the national title AND Big Ten title AND call them nothing short of the greatest program in the history of the universe a "Hater" and an idiot and having Non-Big-Ten-Bias and everything else under the sun.
But personally, that's one of my least favorite, or most hated if you will (and I will), things about the internet/24 news and sports channel cycle we currently live in- there is no such thing as perspective anymore. Everything is about extremes. Everything that happens either has to be the best or worst thing that has ever happened in the history of humanity. Every media member either loves or hates a team or player. If an anaylst or writer says one bad thing about your team or school- even if it's TRUE- then that person is automatically a "Hater" and an "Idiot" and a bunch of other things that aren't fit for print. It seems like according to the over-reacters, every team is either overexposed and gets too much attention (in the case of the Red Sox, Yankees, Cowboys, Notre Dame and anything Brett Favre does or doesn't do I'd say it's true) or gets no love/respect/attention. HATERS! HATERS! HATERS!
Well I hate the people who hate the haters! Got it? That's who I hate! God forbid we have a little perspective on things these days, and actually look at things rationally. Maybe that should be our new blog slogan: "Staying rational in an irrational world"
Except if you've read us at all or are one of the seven people who have listened to the podcast, you know we're not exactly rational about our Golden Gophers. But more so about our team than most are about theirs. At least I hope so.
ANYWAY, I bring up Hayes' prediction not only because it gave me the chance to get on my soapbox (I'm stepping off now), but just to show how little the national media, and even those around the Big Ten, think of Coach Tim Brewster and your 2009 Golden Gopher football team. And I'm not saying they're necessarily wrong. The Gophers fell apart down the stretch last year, and their schedule this season is brutal- I'm just saying that despite the good work Brewster has done in his two seasons on campus so far, this program is still flying way, way, WAY under the radar nationally. And personally I think that's a good thing.
Jer's been one of those people who has said and will continue saying that the 2009 Gophers should be better than the 2008 team, yet might not have a better record to show for it because of how much tougher the schedule is this year. And I can't help but agree. I'm still downright giddy about this year after the spring game experience, my man crush on MarQueis, the incoming freshmen like Heyo Carpenter and Michael Carter, all the returning talent he have coming back and everything else, but there's no doubt getting back to seven wins is going to be tough sledding. I'm sure Hayes probably thinks Brewster is doing a good job here, but just look at the schedule:
- Penn State and Michigan State- two teams ranked in every preseason Top 25 prediction I've seen- are back on the schedule, and conference road games include trips to Happy Valley, Ohio State and Iowa, which only happen to be the three toughest places to play in the Big Ten right now.
- While I love- repeat LOVE- Brewster's commitment to tougher non-conference scheduling, that also means the Maroon & Gold are no longer guaranteed four victories OOC. I like the Gophers chances to beat Syracuse on the road and Air Force and SDSU at home, but those first two certainly aren't gimmes (although if they can't beat Syracuse, who just cut 14 scholarship players from last year!!!, then we'll be lucky to hit Hayes prediction of 4 wins), and the home game against California will be a (Golden) "Bear" (ohhh see what I did there? See it? Fine don't laugh! HATERS! My total, obvious and undeniable genius is lost on you people!! HATERS I SAY!).
So if we give Minnesota three of four OOC wins, that still means we have to find four Big Ten victories to equal last season's win total of seven, and that is not easy to see. Indiana and Michigan are off the schedule, which means Purdue at home October 10th is the only gimme game I can see. The Gophs SHOULD win at Northwestern (speaking of hatred have I mentioned lately how much I hate Mike Kafka and Northwestern after their upset last year? Have I? A 59-0 Gopher win in Evansville STILL won't erase the bad taste in my mouth from last year's game, but it would sure help) which gets them to five wins, but we still need to find two more wins coming from home games against Wisconsin (Oct 3), Michigan State (Halloween!!!) and Illinois (November 7), and the previously mentioned roadies against the JoePa's (Oct 17), Sweatervests (Oct 24), and Jail Birds (Nov 21).
That, folks, is not easy sledding, and you can see why Hayes and every other preseason publication and prognosticator I've seen or read predicts the Gophs no better than 8th in the Big Ten this year.
Of course we Gopher fans know better (or at least hope better!), but as you can see, if the Gophers can get back to seven wins this year, it'll be so much more impressive than last season's seven wins were. And it'll give us the chance to point at those would be pundits and so-called experts and say "Haters! Haters! Haters! You never believed in our team! How do you like us NOW?" Or not. I think it's good for the program that its flying under the national radar because Brew can build this thing right without the national spotlight and unrealistic expectations. If the Gophs get back to seven wins or better they'll be a great story in 2009- if they're below that, then hey they're exactly where the experts thought they'd be, and while it would look like a step back, barring an 1-11 or 2-12 nightmare, Brewster will still be taking this program in the right direction with better things ahead.
Personally I think anything less than six wins and a bowl trip would be disappointing in Brew's third year, but as long as they're playing hard and competitive, I suppose I won't complain too much. That doesn't make ME a Hater does it? DOES IT?
Do I agree with Hayes' prediction for the Gophs? Of course not. Do I think he hates them and is a "Gopher Hater"? Of course not. Perhaps we'd get more traffic for this blog if Jer and I ranted and raved and called Hayes and any other national media person who has the audacity to not pick the Gophers to win the national title AND Big Ten title AND call them nothing short of the greatest program in the history of the universe a "Hater" and an idiot and having Non-Big-Ten-Bias and everything else under the sun.
But personally, that's one of my least favorite, or most hated if you will (and I will), things about the internet/24 news and sports channel cycle we currently live in- there is no such thing as perspective anymore. Everything is about extremes. Everything that happens either has to be the best or worst thing that has ever happened in the history of humanity. Every media member either loves or hates a team or player. If an anaylst or writer says one bad thing about your team or school- even if it's TRUE- then that person is automatically a "Hater" and an "Idiot" and a bunch of other things that aren't fit for print. It seems like according to the over-reacters, every team is either overexposed and gets too much attention (in the case of the Red Sox, Yankees, Cowboys, Notre Dame and anything Brett Favre does or doesn't do I'd say it's true) or gets no love/respect/attention. HATERS! HATERS! HATERS!
Well I hate the people who hate the haters! Got it? That's who I hate! God forbid we have a little perspective on things these days, and actually look at things rationally. Maybe that should be our new blog slogan: "Staying rational in an irrational world"
Except if you've read us at all or are one of the seven people who have listened to the podcast, you know we're not exactly rational about our Golden Gophers. But more so about our team than most are about theirs. At least I hope so.
ANYWAY, I bring up Hayes' prediction not only because it gave me the chance to get on my soapbox (I'm stepping off now), but just to show how little the national media, and even those around the Big Ten, think of Coach Tim Brewster and your 2009 Golden Gopher football team. And I'm not saying they're necessarily wrong. The Gophers fell apart down the stretch last year, and their schedule this season is brutal- I'm just saying that despite the good work Brewster has done in his two seasons on campus so far, this program is still flying way, way, WAY under the radar nationally. And personally I think that's a good thing.
Jer's been one of those people who has said and will continue saying that the 2009 Gophers should be better than the 2008 team, yet might not have a better record to show for it because of how much tougher the schedule is this year. And I can't help but agree. I'm still downright giddy about this year after the spring game experience, my man crush on MarQueis, the incoming freshmen like Heyo Carpenter and Michael Carter, all the returning talent he have coming back and everything else, but there's no doubt getting back to seven wins is going to be tough sledding. I'm sure Hayes probably thinks Brewster is doing a good job here, but just look at the schedule:
- Penn State and Michigan State- two teams ranked in every preseason Top 25 prediction I've seen- are back on the schedule, and conference road games include trips to Happy Valley, Ohio State and Iowa, which only happen to be the three toughest places to play in the Big Ten right now.
- While I love- repeat LOVE- Brewster's commitment to tougher non-conference scheduling, that also means the Maroon & Gold are no longer guaranteed four victories OOC. I like the Gophers chances to beat Syracuse on the road and Air Force and SDSU at home, but those first two certainly aren't gimmes (although if they can't beat Syracuse, who just cut 14 scholarship players from last year!!!, then we'll be lucky to hit Hayes prediction of 4 wins), and the home game against California will be a (Golden) "Bear" (ohhh see what I did there? See it? Fine don't laugh! HATERS! My total, obvious and undeniable genius is lost on you people!! HATERS I SAY!).
So if we give Minnesota three of four OOC wins, that still means we have to find four Big Ten victories to equal last season's win total of seven, and that is not easy to see. Indiana and Michigan are off the schedule, which means Purdue at home October 10th is the only gimme game I can see. The Gophs SHOULD win at Northwestern (speaking of hatred have I mentioned lately how much I hate Mike Kafka and Northwestern after their upset last year? Have I? A 59-0 Gopher win in Evansville STILL won't erase the bad taste in my mouth from last year's game, but it would sure help) which gets them to five wins, but we still need to find two more wins coming from home games against Wisconsin (Oct 3), Michigan State (Halloween!!!) and Illinois (November 7), and the previously mentioned roadies against the JoePa's (Oct 17), Sweatervests (Oct 24), and Jail Birds (Nov 21).
That, folks, is not easy sledding, and you can see why Hayes and every other preseason publication and prognosticator I've seen or read predicts the Gophs no better than 8th in the Big Ten this year.
Of course we Gopher fans know better (or at least hope better!), but as you can see, if the Gophers can get back to seven wins this year, it'll be so much more impressive than last season's seven wins were. And it'll give us the chance to point at those would be pundits and so-called experts and say "Haters! Haters! Haters! You never believed in our team! How do you like us NOW?" Or not. I think it's good for the program that its flying under the national radar because Brew can build this thing right without the national spotlight and unrealistic expectations. If the Gophs get back to seven wins or better they'll be a great story in 2009- if they're below that, then hey they're exactly where the experts thought they'd be, and while it would look like a step back, barring an 1-11 or 2-12 nightmare, Brewster will still be taking this program in the right direction with better things ahead.
Personally I think anything less than six wins and a bowl trip would be disappointing in Brew's third year, but as long as they're playing hard and competitive, I suppose I won't complain too much. That doesn't make ME a Hater does it? DOES IT?
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Breathe Easy Gopher Fans- Eric Decker WILL Play Football
Dennis Brackin has a short Q&A with Eric Decker in the Strib today, where he confirms two or three different times that no matter where he gets drafted in the MLB draft (which starts 44 minutes from now), or how much money they offer in signing bonuses, he WILL be finishing his football career as a Gopher this fall. Decker was a 39th rd selection of the BrewCrew last year, and Decker has been much improved this spring, to the point it seems some folks were worried Decker would take the baseball money and skip his senior year at The U- and more importantly for us, the Gopher football season. Take heart and breathe easy, come hell or high water Decker swears he'll don the pads and his #7 this fall to finish out his playing career in the brand new TCF Bank Stadium. Good news for a team that needs to keep all the talent it can get right now, especially at WR where sophomore Broderick Smith has already exited stage left.
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