SB Nation User Blog: PJS

The Gray Era: If Not Now, When?

PJS — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:01:57 -0000

The Marqueis Gray era should begin Saturday against South Dakota State. There is no reason to prolong the Adam Weber experiment.

In the post below GN cries out to give Weber more time. Weber's been inconsistent, GN argues, which means that sometimes he's been less than awful and therefore he should remain the starter. Bah. Sorry, GN, I love ya, but I completely disagree with you here.

We've had almost three full seasons to watch Weber now. At one point, perhaps like many of you, I had high hopes for the Shoreview native. But instead of taking a step forward in his junior year, Weber has regressed. I don't know if it's the change in offensive coordinators or the tweaks to his throwing motion. It doesn't matter. Weber is completing 54 percent of his passes this season, down significantly from 62 percent last year.

In looking through Weber's stats for his three seasons one thing stuck out to me. Would any of you had imagined during Weber's freshman or sophomore seasons that as a junior, against Purdue, Weber would attempt only 9 passes? Or that he would throw for more than 300 yards only once as a junior--during his 416 yard aberration against Michigan State.

It's not just because fans live or die with the team--or play Madden football--that many fans are calling for a change at quarterback. It's because we've seen a quarterback who once looked to have promise take a few steps backwards. Has he made some good plays? Led the charge on some nice drives? Absolutely. And has he perhaps had a raw deal with the turnover at coordinator and the offensive line situation? Yep.

But now is the time to make the change for reasons beyond Weber's on the field performance.

That reason wears #5 for the maroon and gold. Here's what GN said about why starting Gray won't happen..

And brace yourself for this...barring injury, he'll likely start every game next year. I know that many of you are going to throw your arms up and declare that if Brewster even thinks about starting Weber over Gray next year he should be fired before the 1st quarter is over. But it just won't happen.

First and foremost, coaches will go with what they know and who they trust. I coached basketball at the college level for several years and while I completely understand that it is a different sport and a VERY different level of talent, I learned several things that are true at any level. One is that coaches will go with who they trust. Adam Weber has a three year resume under his belt and Brewster, after watching him in 38 games and hundreds of practices knows exactly what he is and is not capable of. The casual or even passionate fan who is so livid after the first two quarters of the Illini game that they saw nothing positive in the second half; are not nearly well enough informed to make this decision.

Brewster is going to play the QB that best gives him a chance to win.

Gray happens to be the most heralded recruit to come to Minnesota under Brewster. He's the future. I'll grant GN that Weber is the quarterback who gives the Gophers the best chance to beat the Jackrabbits and the Hawkeyes, but continuing to start Weber into next year only prolongs the maturation process for Gray and stunts the longterm potential of the team.

Let me put it this way .... which quarterback might eventually lead the Gophers to the Rose Bowl? I think we know now that Adam Weber will most certainly never do that. So, why not let Gray learn the ropes now? Why not let him build a rapport with Brandon Green? Why not let him adjust to the speed or defensive packages of the Hawkeyes in an unfriendly environment during the season finale? There's no good reason, not even Brewster's job security.

If Brewster transitions to Gray now, all of a sudden Minnesota fans will be looking for signs of hope instead of pointing out reasons for despair. Gray will be the first quarterback recruited by Brewster to throw to receivers recruited by Brewster. This is one of the rare occasions where the best thing for the football Gophers is also the best thing for Brewster's job security and the public relations needs of the program.

I have no idea how Gray will perform if he's given the starting nod. I expect he'll have some flashes of good with a steady stream of bad. And the offensive line will be just as bad for Gray as it has been for Weber.

None of this is an indictment on Weber, his character or work ethic. But, again, for the long-term health of the program, it's time to turn the keys over to a young quarterback who just might lead the Gophers out of its decades-long funk.

If not now, when? Gray's junior year? I might be alone in this, but I'd much rather see what we have in Gray sooner rather than later.

Poll

Who should start Minnesota's final two games?

Sometimes the Day Job Trumps Blogging

PJS — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 22:27:38 -0000

For many of the regulars here, you've probably noticed that my byline has been nowhere to be seen for the past month or two. During that time my life has been incredibly busy and taken a life-changing turn.

Many of you probably knew that after college I went into the newspaper business. My first job was as a sports editor for some podunk paper in upstate New York. I went from there to Washington where I took a glorified internship with PBS' NewsHour progam. In the years since, I jumped around a couple newspapers in Virginia covering politics. It was a career I enjoyed but I soon realized that making a living in the newspaper business wasn't something I'd be able to count on for the years to come. So, two years ago I was approached to join a public relations firm based out of Washington. After much thought, I made the jump.

One of the reasons I maintained this blog with GN--and before that on my own blog--was to allow my creative energy an outlet. That was even more important for me once I stopped writing on a daily basis for newspapers.

But now my life has taken another turn that demands more of my attention--like 16 hours per day attention. I decided to go out on my own and start my own public relations and government affairs business. I've spent the past month or two making sure my clients would come with me, signing new contracts, registering my new business, moving, and just about anything else you'd imagie comes along with starting and managing your own small business.

And so while it pained me that I wasn't living up to my obligations here, the day job had to take precedence. Right now, I'm about two weeks into being on my own with my new business. Things are going well, and I figure that if I'm surviving now, in this economic climate, then that could foreshadow big things to come.

I've been talking with GN about this for awhile and we've transferred the site from my name to his. GN has asked that I consider writing a weekly column or contributing on occasion. At this point I can't commit to a weekly column, but do hope to chime in from time to time. Hopefully as my life settles and I find a balance with the day job, I'll be able to justify the time spent blogging.

So, I'm not leaving entirely. But I wanted to make everyone here aware that my involvement will be sporadic at best for the time being. Something tells me I won't be able to resist the urge to analyze Tubby Smith's Gophers!

Golden Nugz for 6.3.09

PJS — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 01:58:28 -0000

I hope many of you will join me in telling U President Robert Bruininks that it is NOT OK to sell alcohol only to patrons at TCF Bank Stadium who pay enough to be in "premium seating" areas.

The Minnesota Daily has the latest on the alochol debate here.

But no matter what one might think about alcohol at sporting events, I think it's unfathomable that we'd have two sets of rules for different types of fans. This is basically Bruininks giving those of a higher socio-economic status the opportunity to watch a game with a beer.

And don't think this impacts me. It doesn't. I live out of state. But having one set of rules for people who can afford a more expensice seat and another set of rules for everyone else, well, that strikes me as bullshit.

The Bleacker Report ranks Tim Brewster as the ninth best coach in the Big Ten. I'm not going to quibble with their rankings and think they had fair and honest things to say about Brewster.
Hockey News is looking forward to the NHL draft and has an item on Minnesota's Jordan Schroeder.
I mentioned the other day that Penn State coach Joe Paterno would like to see the Big Ten have a playoff and potentially expand. Well, SI's Andy Staples picks up on that and provides three potential scenarios for expansion. He suggests the scenarios are Missouri, Notre Dame or a Big East team join the conference. I'd still like Nebraska I think, but that's probably not happening.
In passing, Andy Katz suggests Dan Monson is "reviving" Long Beach State.
Perhaps Tim Brewster's first big recruit while in Minnesota, his son Clint, is now headed to Tennessee Tech.

Golden Nugz for 5.29.09

PJS — Thu, 28 May 2009 21:36:35 -0000

I really hope it's an accident. As noted in a fanpost to the right and at Mike Hlas' site here, it appears the Gophers' 2009-10 football media guide omits Iowa's 55-0 shellacking of our beloved rodents last year.

The Wizard of Odds has more here.

It'll be a matter of hours before the lads at Black Heart Gold Pants, in Triumph the Insult Comic Dog fashion, weigh in.

It's an accident, right?

RSIII getting some recognition. He'll be trying out with 16 others for the Team USA 19-and under team that will compete in New Zealand this summer. There's a great group of young collegiate players in the mix for spots on this team that will be coached by Pittsburgh's Jamie Dixon. More here.
And here we have the Washington Post basically smacking veteran Star Tribune scribe Sid Hartman. Grandpa Sid reported recently (based on an incorrect Rivals.com report) that Hyattsville, MD, running back Marcus Coker had committed to the Gophers. One problem. Coked didn't! Here's the Post: "So you're DeMatha running back Marcus Coker and you wake up one morning and learn that you've committed to play for Minnesota. Small problem omitted from various reports - included the one I linked, which includes no attribution - Coker didn't really accept a scholarship offer to play for the Golden Gophers."
Nice move here by Brewster and the U football folks to have Murray Warmath serve as honorary coach in the opener of the new stadium.
Why is it that perhaps the oldest man in Big Ten football is the only one with a vision? Joe Paterno is arguing for a 12th team in the conference and a conference championship game so the Big Ten isn't relegated to the sidelines in December. Paterno wants a 12th team to come from the East, and I think that's good if possible. It would give PSU a logical inter conference rival. And he's right about the six weeks off in between the last regular season game and the Rose Bowl. It's completely silly. Here's the Morning Call with a report from yesterday on Paterno's wish list.

Saul Smith Weighing In On UK Issues

PJS — Thu, 28 May 2009 21:15:05 -0000

So Saul Smith is apprarently weighing in on Kentucky basketball. Well, weighing in before he had apparently deleted his comments on his Facebook page.

Here's UK blogger Jerry Tipton quoted at length.

On his Facebook page, former Kentucky point guard Saul Smith cautioned the basketball program about running afoul of NCAA rules.

“Bad bad day for my alma mater,” Smith wrote on Thursday. “The UK athletic program will never regain its true champion nature with Businessmen running it. Never, no matter how many so called blue chip players you bring in. You can’t sacrifice your integrity for success. You just can’t do it. I’m an alum and I deserve a clean-ran program, plain and simple. Period, and if anyone disagrees, you, my friend, shouldn’t support the program I played 4.”

Smith now works as an assistant coach for his father, former UK coach Tubby Smith, at Minnesota.

Later in a follow-up interview, Smith said he did not mean to suggest new UK Coach John Calipari used questionable methods.

“Coach Cal is my guy,” Smith said. “I’m close to him.”

Smith said he interviewed for a spot on Calipari’s Memphis staff in 2007.

Of the Memphis allegations, Smith said of Calipari, “I don’t think he knew about it, so he says.”

Smith also said his father refused to “pay” for players as Kentucky coach.

“He had the opportunity to get great players,” Saul Smith said. “But the integrity wouldn’t be there. . . .

“I’m not saying Cal has done that. I’m just saying (Kentucky) can’t afford it. We’ve been down that road.”

Smith has apparently now taken down his comment on Facebook

On the face of it, I'm always for people saying what's on their mind. But this strikes me as Saul perhaps sticking himself into a situation that doesn't benefit his current situation. While Saul is an alum of UK and has as much right to weigh in as someone like Rajon Rando, I'd hope Saul would take a page from his father's book and stay above the fray.

There's more to Tipton's piece and please read it for full context.

And here's more Kentucky reaction to Saul inserting himself into this issue.

Golden Nugz for 5.26.09

PJS — Mon, 25 May 2009 20:45:51 -0000

As GN noted below, the Gophers drew Baylor in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Here's what UofM communication folks put out about the postseason berth.

This NCAA Tournament bid is the 29th for Minnesota, which is the most among any program in the Big Ten. It is also the 16th appearance for Golden Gopher head coach John Anderson, which is the most NCAA Tournament appearances by a Big Ten coach.

"I am extremely proud of this year's team," said Minnesota Head Coach John Anderson. "They played at a consistently high level week in and week out this year. Down the stretch this season, we were on the road for the final three weeks and our team continued to play well throughout that timeframe. This past week, we did a great job, after losing to a tough pitcher in our first game of the Big Ten Tournament, of battling back to get to the championship game. This team has worked hard all year, and deserves the opportunity to compete in the NCAA Tournament. I am excited for them that they will get a great opportunity to play in front of what is in my opinion one of the best college baseball atmospheres in the entire nation."

LSU enters the 2009 NCAA Tournament as the No. 3 overall seed in the tournament, and has a 46-16 record this season. The Tigers finished tied for first place in the SEC West with a 20-10 record, and won the SEC Tournament this past weekend. LSU defeated Minnesota 10-9 in an exciting NCAA Regional matchup in 2001.

Baylor brings a 29-24 overall record into the 2009 NCAA Tournament and is seeded No. 3 in the region. The Bears finished eighth in the Big Ten at 10-16, and went 2-1 in the Big 12 Tournament this past week.

And here's a link to the regionals and times for each game. It looks like the Gophers will face Baylor at 7 p.m. Friday night.

Football coach Tim Brewster is fired up about recruiting ..... for Gophers wrestling.
Sticking with Brewster, he spoke with Marcus Fuller of the PiPress and said the following, ""Recruiting is really going well," he said. "Going into your third year now, everything is in place. There's a lot of excitement. There's a lot of buzz out there about us. And you know what? We're going to have a good team."
On the recruiting front, Brewster continues to get high marks. In this RIvals Q&A with their analysts, Brewster is given plaudits for his recruiting and it's suggested that the Gophers could surprise this year.
Joel Maturi also talks to Marcus Fuller of the PiPress here about fundraising for a basketball practice facility and a new baseball stadium.
Random link..... Ienjoyed this set of feaerless weekend predictions. John Calipari, Jake Peavy and Lane Kiffin coverage.

What Should We Call TCF Bank Stadium?

PJS — Tue, 19 May 2009 02:42:13 -0000

Awhile back we had a contest to name our almost daily set of links to Gophers and other content of interest. You all did a good job coming up with Golden Nuggets, even if I preferred Rodent Droppings. We also had a session discussing possible nicknames for Gophers basketball players. Colt 45 was obvious. DJ Swat was fun. Absolute Zero accurately described the number of three pointers Al Nolen would hit during the Big Ten season!

Anyway, with thos past nickname successes behind us, we again want to ask you to weigh in. This time, we desperately need something creative to call the soon to be operational new football stadium on campus. There's no getting around corporate sponsorships these days, but this is the blogosphere where we can call things whatever we like.

So, what should we call TCF Bank Stadium? GN and I will keep this post up top for a day or two and collect responses and then have a vote as we've done in the past. Winner gets a prize of some sort (GN and I haven't decided what that is yet, but there'll be something).

Let your creative juices flow ........

Golden Nugz for 5.13.09

PJS — Wed, 13 May 2009 01:32:53 -0000

I went by Maize and Brew last night and found some inspiration. This post called Players We Love to Watch, Even if They Aren't That Good focuses on Wolverine Zack Gibson. While I have no particular fondness or dislike for Gibson, it made me start thinking about who fits that category in the Minnesota sports world.

Logically, I went first to our Golden Gophers basketball players. A few names come to mind from recent years. Miles Tarver endeared himself to me for his grittiness. Jeff Hagen was more effective in the post than his he should have been. Imagine Hagen with more athleticism. As many of you know my old site was called Paging Jim Shikenjanski, after perhaps the guy I enjoyed watching the most growing up, even if he wasn't the best player on his Minnesota teams.

So, I throw it out there to all of you. What Gophers basketball or football palyers did you love watching despite perhaps a lack of talent?

Scout's Chris Monter has a conversation with a potential 2011 basketball recruit in Missouri product Ricky Kreklow.
I agree with Sid Hartman. He writes: Talk about some of the crazy rules of the NCAA. Some of the best high school basketball players in the country were here to participate in the Sabes Invitational tournament at Bloomington Jefferson High School, but Gophers coach Tubby Smith and his staff were not allowed to watch the action because all coaches are barred from watching such tournaments.
After being away for awhile I had some catching up to do and this was one of the better reads. It's our friend at the Daily Norseman taking the mainstream media to task for creating the Brett Favre monster media monster.

Golden Nuggets for 5.11.09

PJS — Sun, 10 May 2009 22:49:28 -0000

Many thanks to GN for keeping this site fresh the last couple weeks during my hiatus.

And during my time away, the men's baseball team really picked up their play. This weekend against Michigan the Gophers took two out of three and moved into first place in the conference by .5 games. And that's a nice place to be, on top of the conference that is, with one week left in the regular season. Though as you can see here it's tight atop the conference.

The Gophers finish with three games at State College, Pa next Thursday-Saturday against the ninth place Nittany Lions.

An All Big Ten NFL team looks pretty good to me, though it'd be nice to see more than one Gophers on the squad.
Marcus Fuller of the PiPress has a nice story from Sunday's paper about Jacob Thomas and Chad Calceterra, arguably Minnesota's two top prospects in the basketball class of 2010. Thomas hasn't been offered yet by Tubby Smith because of apparent concerns about academic standing and Calcaterra has an offer but is keeping his options open.
Marcus Fuller also has an interview with Harrison Barnes, Scout.com's #1 recruit in the country for the 2010 class. Barnes recently narrowed his list of schools to 12 and the Gophers made the cut. It looks like Barnes is impressed with Royce White and Rodney Williams. Good stuff from Fuller.
Congratulations to former Gopher Jack Simmons for earning a contract with the New York Jets after being signed as a free agent after the NFL Draft. (HT-Shooter).

Golden Nugz for 4-29-09

PJS — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 01:37:04 -0000

Sweet, a law named after Tubby Smith.

MInnesota state legislators are debating a so-called Tubby Smith Act. From the rag that still thinks it's print version is the key to surviving in a dying industry.

Inspired by a college newspaper's efforts to publicize the Gophers basketball coach's side deals on things such as shoe contracts and summer camps, government agencies and public unions are pushing for changes in public information laws that would keep everything from police officers' off-duty moonlighting to U researchers' contracts with drug companies out of public view.

Public employee unions and other groups, particularly the Minneapolis Police Officers Federation, are lobbying for the change. Opponents, who have offered a competing proposal that would keep the information open, say the public has a right to know about potential conflicts of interest among workers in often sensitive positions of public trust.

I think I absolutely agree with the view of the opponents. Not because I think Tubby Simth or any other coach has a potential conflict of interest with shoe contracts, but I worry about a slippery slope with other public officials in more tenuous positions.

Travis Busch may have played his last game as a Gopher, but the What Else? Shoe continues. I'm relieved, too. For more Travis Busch coverage, turn to From the Barn where the blogger takes a thorough look at Busch's stint as a Gopher.
The MInnesota Daily focuses on the quarterback situation for the Gophers and quotes Brewster talking about having plays in for MarQueis Gray. I'm really looking forwarding to seeing Gray play. Also, the Daily notes that Willie VanDeSteeg has signed a contract with the Baltimore Ravens and Jack Simmons has signed a free agent deal with the New York Jets.
SpartyMSU has a post up comparing attendence at Big Ten college spring football games. The Gophers finished about where you'd expect.
Doogie Wolfson of KFAN fame takes an opportunity at the Star Tribune to disagree with Sid Hartman. Wolfson predicts a 7-5 record for Brewster's Gophers this season.