My Two Cents on Brewster

I was one of the leading advocates for firing Coach Mason.  I started FireGlenMason.blogspot.com (now defunct).  I was ready to see him go, not because I thought he was a horrible coach, but because I didn't believe that he could take our program to any level higher than he had. 

When Coach Brewster was hired, I was skeptical.  I was pulling for a Bo Pellini type at the time.  But the more I heard him talk, and talk about his aspirations for the Gopher Football program, I was on board.  Clearly the proof needs to be shown on the field, but Coach Brewster was saying things that Glen Mason not only never said, but he would have laughed at the very notion of them. 

Mason never believed that Minnesota could compete on a national level, both on the field and in recruiting.  His attitude made it clear that he didn't think Minnesota had a chance to be anything better than a .500 team, give or take a game or two, each year.  But Brewster came in saying that we could, and then in short order he actually put an effort behind his words... as Gopher fans it finally felt like we had somebody who thought we deserved, and could be, more than a cellar-dweller. 

Tim Brewster has done some great things to move this program in the right direction.  Recruiting is obviously much improved, and we are landing players that we might not have even pursued in the past.  The attitude around the program seems much more "big time," for lack of a better term, and some around the nation have taken notice. 

But there's a saying around my office that applies to Gopher football, and specifically to Tim Brewster...

Don't mistake activity for results.

Tim Brewster has said all of the right things.  He's done all of the right things.  And he's done his damnedest to get everyone else to realize it.  His activity level has been very high, and the results of those individual activities have been positive.

However, at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is the total sum of the end results of those activities... wins and losses. 

Tim Brewster's activities have not produced acceptable results. 

Yet.

I certainly do not believe that Tim Brewster deserves to be fired.  And I will even go as far as to say that even if the Gophers get blown out in their bowl game, he doesn't deserve to be fired.  But I certainly do not believe that Tim Brewster deserves any kind of contract extension right now either.

Jeff hasn't advocated for the firing of Brewster, but he has said that if Maturi were to let Brewster go, that he would understand the decision, especially if it did come in the light of a blowout in the bowl game.  But I still tend to believe that firing Brewster would be a rash decision, and I think that in light of where the program is at right now, year 4 is do or die time for Coach Brewster. 

If you can't win (and by win I mean NO collapses, winning a rivalry game, a winning record in the conference, and a New Year's Day bowl game) in your 4th year, with your coaching staff, your recruits, in a new stadium and after having been given every chance to do so, then you should be shown the door.

Tim Brewster was brought to the University of Minnesota to bring the team to a better place, and if he can't accomplish anything more than the same mediocrity that his predecessor did, then he shouldn't be around anymore.

But that's next year. As for now, following the bowl game, I would love to see Joel Maturi release a statement like this...

"Tim Brewster has my full confidence heading into the 2010 Gopher Football season.  Having said that, his job is absolutely on the line if there are not some major improvements ON THE FIELD in 2010.  The University of Minnesota is no longer interested in fielding a football program that doesn't win at a very high level.  I believed when I hired Tim Brewster that he was the right man to bring us to the next level of competition in the Big Ten, however, I am open to the fact that I may have been wrong.  We intend to build a winner at the University of Minnesota, and if Tim Brewster is not the coach to build a winner, then we will pursue someone else who will following the 2010 season."