I have really enjoyed Foggieguy's posts, recently.. He has given many logical reasons as to why our expectations should be high this season.. Backs up his comments which I appreciate.. This is the time of the year to generate interest and excitement in Gopher football.. Fill up TCF with Maroon and Gold fans. Foggie's comments help to do exactly that.
For me, I am not any more educated than the next guy but my experience is that with the o-line, no matter how experienced and talented, has to learn to gel as a unit.. I cant get past my attitude I have learned which is "I have to wait and see how this plays out on Saturday afternoons". I watched Ohio State with all those 4 and 5 star players under Warinner and still have struggles after offensive coordinator Tom Herman left at basically one position on the o-line, which messed up some of what the Buckeyes wanted to do. Yes, they had a great team but ended up getting exposed pretty bad at the end of the year. Michigan had 4-5 star o-linemen for about a 4 year stretch where they were terrible, during the Rich Rod/Hoke days.
At QB, obviously Demry has talent and I feel we have good coaches based on past results at their programs. But once again for me, it is "lets wait and see what happens" as far as QB play.. I hope maturity and time to let the game slow down is true for Demry or Connor. The proof is when they lace them up and play the game..I am excited but there is still part of me that is reminded that they PLAYED BEHIND MITCH and need to demonstrate their growth as players.
THE GREAT THING IS COACHES DONT THINK THE WAY I DO, AS A FAN!!! Fleck, Ciarocca, Warinner, and Callahan are guys that are motivators and teachers.... These guys truly believe what they say and are instilling the BEST CONFIDENCE they can to the players without them playing a game yet.. These guys have been around enough to know that if the players execute successfully, then the connection of the coach's message to success of the team is established.. The players will then believe because they experience it..Fleck and company can draw from great experiences of their past and pass it on to the guys... What solidifies those share experiences will be when the players prove it to themselves by winning on Saturdays..Our athleticism has OBVIOUSLY improved but now we need to have confidence, especially at the O-line, QB, and WR positions, IMO....
I fully anticipate going into the last 5 games of the season, the Gophers will be at either 6-1 or maybe 7-0 as a record. At that point, we will play teams that will probably be ranked or are considered program archrivals.. We will be building up to that point and have a chance to gather lots of successes under our belts. Fleck is the right guy to "fuel that fire" even more, and make those guys believe.
I will be looking to see how our guys handle the extremes.. How do we handle ourselves after scoring TDs and how do we handle ourselves after we make mistakes, whether a turnover or give up a big play.. That is where confidence really kicks in.. That is where it separates the good from the bad... DO we build on that and keep going for the kill, or do we sulk, get confused and not know what to do?? Our guys have to experience it and see how they respond.. That, to me, is what transcends even talent and good coaching... That is the belief that we have a good plan and can trust what they have been taught by a staff that has gone down that road before. That is where we can have success and I feel this staff will be the one that leads us to that point.. The "WHEN" is the question but I think we will see a great start to it this year.
For me, I am not any more educated than the next guy but my experience is that with the o-line, no matter how experienced and talented, has to learn to gel as a unit.. I cant get past my attitude I have learned which is "I have to wait and see how this plays out on Saturday afternoons". I watched Ohio State with all those 4 and 5 star players under Warinner and still have struggles after offensive coordinator Tom Herman left at basically one position on the o-line, which messed up some of what the Buckeyes wanted to do. Yes, they had a great team but ended up getting exposed pretty bad at the end of the year. Michigan had 4-5 star o-linemen for about a 4 year stretch where they were terrible, during the Rich Rod/Hoke days.
At QB, obviously Demry has talent and I feel we have good coaches based on past results at their programs. But once again for me, it is "lets wait and see what happens" as far as QB play.. I hope maturity and time to let the game slow down is true for Demry or Connor. The proof is when they lace them up and play the game..I am excited but there is still part of me that is reminded that they PLAYED BEHIND MITCH and need to demonstrate their growth as players.
THE GREAT THING IS COACHES DONT THINK THE WAY I DO, AS A FAN!!! Fleck, Ciarocca, Warinner, and Callahan are guys that are motivators and teachers.... These guys truly believe what they say and are instilling the BEST CONFIDENCE they can to the players without them playing a game yet.. These guys have been around enough to know that if the players execute successfully, then the connection of the coach's message to success of the team is established.. The players will then believe because they experience it..Fleck and company can draw from great experiences of their past and pass it on to the guys... What solidifies those share experiences will be when the players prove it to themselves by winning on Saturdays..Our athleticism has OBVIOUSLY improved but now we need to have confidence, especially at the O-line, QB, and WR positions, IMO....
I fully anticipate going into the last 5 games of the season, the Gophers will be at either 6-1 or maybe 7-0 as a record. At that point, we will play teams that will probably be ranked or are considered program archrivals.. We will be building up to that point and have a chance to gather lots of successes under our belts. Fleck is the right guy to "fuel that fire" even more, and make those guys believe.
I will be looking to see how our guys handle the extremes.. How do we handle ourselves after scoring TDs and how do we handle ourselves after we make mistakes, whether a turnover or give up a big play.. That is where confidence really kicks in.. That is where it separates the good from the bad... DO we build on that and keep going for the kill, or do we sulk, get confused and not know what to do?? Our guys have to experience it and see how they respond.. That, to me, is what transcends even talent and good coaching... That is the belief that we have a good plan and can trust what they have been taught by a staff that has gone down that road before. That is where we can have success and I feel this staff will be the one that leads us to that point.. The "WHEN" is the question but I think we will see a great start to it this year.
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