Brewster loses three coordinators in two seasons, is tremendously optimistic
by GopherNation on Jan 7, 2009 10:00 AM CST
in Gopher Football
10 comments
So within a few hours we lose Mike Dunbar and Ted Roof. The guy who was one of Brewster's first hires and the guy who was given credit for saving the defense in 2008 are now unemployed and moving to Auburn respectively.
On their own neither of these losses will keep me up at night. But when viewed collectively along with the job change of Withers last year this is alarming. Brewster has churned through three coordinators in two seasons. Maybe all of these should be viewed on their own merit and it is just bad luck that Brewster is losing his most important assistants every year. Or maybe there is something going on behind the scenes that is prompting them to leave or at least take jobs that come their way.
Either way this is really tough for a program to endure. Many other Big Ten programs have coordinators who have been in place for several seasons which creates continuity for the staffs and removes any surprises for the athletes. Kids get into the program and know year in and year out what to expect. When you have an experienced team you can really expand your playbooks because you have already put the time into teaching the core. But when you hire new coordinators every couple years you are taking a step back every time.
I realized that Brewster has been with the program all of two years so he has not had time to build up a cohesive staff that is loyal and has shown longevity. But this is just too much. Look at this progression on the offensive during Brewster's tenure. After wasting 2007 to adjusting to the spread and then spending 2008 teaching it to young wide receivers and linemen we get to start over again in 2009. Whoever is brought in will likely be a "spread guy" but the spread is a vague term and beyond formation everything could be different. His system could be drastically different and much of what has been learned under Dunbar will be wasted. I'm sure guys like Weber and Decker will pick things up quickly as they seem to be prettty savvy and it isn't like they are switching to the wish bone, but as a whole this unit will be staring over in spring practic.
Defensively we will have our third coordinator in three seasons of Brewster (really fourth in four years for the upper classmen). There is more talent now than in years past but once again it will be new philosophies and schemes. The players will spend the spring learning a new system and hopefully will be able to execute it by late August. Idealy these guys could be in position to make more plays next year as theoretically they'd be thinking less and playing more.
With a team returning most of it's starters on both sides of the ball, what would have been ideal is the opportunity to build on what was learned in 2008.
Brewster is promising a splash, especially with the offensive new hire. There are plenty of names floating around out there on message boards. Guys like Dana Holgorsen of Houston or Tony Franklin of Auburn who are spread gurus all the way to names like Mike Shanahan or Tony Dungy or even David Lockwood :). But rather than a couple of sexy hires of guys who will not be here for long I'd love to see someone who knows what they are doing but is lkely to be in the TCF coach's box for a few seasons and is committed to building this program.
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Keep in mind
That both DCs who left left to go to ‘better’ jobs. Withers always wanted to coach at UNC and Roof has gone back to his roots. Dunbar left because Brew was unhappy with him, which can happen. While this may appear as though the program is going rough, I don’t see that at all. It may affect recruiting, but I think Brewster will come up with some good names. He got a great DC last year after Withers left and brought in a great OL coach after Meyer left. So let’s just wait before we start going crazy over something that happens quite often in football.
I understand the situations
but it is just not good for the team when this happens. With six DCs in the last seven seasons it is no wonder the defense has sucked for so long.
I tried to avoid speculating any under the surface reasons for all of these moves and focus more on how this hurts the growth of a team.
Maybe the problem is in the hiring process more than the working relationship with Brewster. Maybe a “big splash” of a new hire really just means he’ll be here a year or two before his “dream job” comes along. Get guys who want to be here and won’t leave until they get a head job offer.
what you say here can, and will, be used against you
Write it into the contract
Coordinators who are under contract shouldn’t be allowed to interview/leave for lateral positions unless given permission or go through a head coaching change. They do that in the pro ranks, why not here? Coaches shouldn’t be looking at the U as a short-term place for resurrecting a stalled career. They should know if they do well as a coordinator here, head coaching offers will follow eventually. Roof would have been offered a FBS head coaching job with one or two more fairly successful seasons. They seem to forget we are a rising football program in the Big 10! It’s not like leaving Kent State for Ohio State. If he wanted to wait for the Auburn DC job to open up, perhaps he should have been on TV like Glen Mason was.
Jobs
I don’t blame Roof for leaving. If you look at it objectively, he is going to a more prestigious program and getting paid more. He’ll get more exposure to even bigger and better things from there. You can’t just wait things out, when you get the chance to further your career you go for it.
I don’t think the University can make a contract that basically says you can’t leave. I’m not sure about the legality of it, but I wouldn’t think that a public university could stipulate such conditions. Furthermore, what kind of precedent does that set? Look at the whole Boston College fiasco with their head coach. The AD told him he would be fired if he interviews for the Jets job. He took the chance and interviewed anyways. Again, if you have the chance, you have to strike while the iron is hot. Aside from that, it makes Boston College look like a terrible place to work. They may have trouble getting good coaches down the line if they know their employer will treat them like that.
Lastly, I don’t think a new offensive coordinator will adversely affect the team all that much. There was an adjustment period in 2007, but that was a complete paradigm change. Sticking with a guy who runs a spread offense won’t be as much of culture shock. I wouldn’t term it as “starting over”. I think Roof is a bigger disappointment to lose, but I think Brewster has shown good judgment in surrounding himself with good people so far. When things haven’t worked out, he has made adjustments. I like that in a coach. It is all about adjusting.
But the question is.....
…..will this be like West Virginia, where Bill Stewart decided he’d change WV this year from the spread and Pat White would stop running? What did that lead to – a 3 loss increase for WV.
I don’t think Brewster can afford transition pains when he’s going into a new stadium. It’s more than a little concerning that a new stadium, year two with his own players, and improvements coming in weren’t enough to keep Roof here into a second year.
And most importantly, while Brewster has gotten arguably two of three hires right so far (Roof yes, Dunbar I guess yes, Withers heck no), if he screws up with this defensive hire he will lose his job.
Next year Minnesota has Cal, Air Force, Illinois (who just lost their O-line coach this week to South Carolina, BTW), Wisconsin and Michigan State at home, and Penn State, Iowa, Ohio State on the road. I see at least 4 guaranteed losses out of that group and Minnesota could feasibly lose them all. If Minnesota does lose them all, where does the cutting, chopping, and recruiting leave us as the fanbase? With a nice stadium and a bad team.
Brewster deserves time
First, I believe you have to give Brewster time to develop his recruits and players. Half of the guys are still Mason’s. Obviously, Maturi was okay with blowing up the team as soon as he fired Mason and hired a guy who not only had never been so much as a coordinator at the college level, but was going to run the spread. There are going to be growing pains. There is no reason to expect miracles. The recruits that Brewster have been getting are a significant improvement—even without landing McNeal. Rome wasn’t built in a day. It takes time and patience.
Secondly, I don’t see what West Virginia has to do with this. Steve Slaton had a lot to do with the increase in losses as well as the overall downgrade in coaching from Rodriguez to Stewart (in fairness, Stewart can, and probably will, improve with more tenure). I don’t think this is comparable at all.
Finally, it was part of Brewster’s strategy to play tough opponents. I think we all applauded that. If we play more cupcakes, then we can be blamed for not being ready for Big 10 play. Weber will have another year under his belt (huge improvement over 2007, if you recall), we will still have Decker, our defensive personnel is still around for the most part (WVDS is a big loss), and we will have even more athleticism and speed on our team. I don’t think there is any reason to circle any game and chalk it up as a loss. We should be even better next year provided Brewster hires competent coaches. if he could get someone like Roof in the first place, why can’t he get someone just as capable? Remember, it is still the players that play the game.
Rencito -
Regarding time, and whose players are whose, I give you:
- Urban Meyer won a national championship in his second year at Florida. Half the guys were Ron Zook’s.
- Nick Saban won a national title at LSU in either his second or third year there. Not all the guys were his.
- Nick Saban won 11 games this year at Alabama. Half the guys were Shula’s.
- Paul Johnson won (I believe) 9 games at Georgia Tech this year. That was with about 18 unused scholarships and one class of freshmen so far.
- Jim Tressel won a national title in his second year at Ohio State. The way Ohio State recruits, most freshmen are redshirted. So, a majority of the players were still Cooper’s.
Whose players are whose doesn’t matter if you’ve got good coaching. Johnson installed the wishbone at a school who recruited players for the spread. GT did very well this year – due to coaching. I don’t think it’s fair to students or season ticket holders of a school in a major conference, with huge enrollment, to have to watch a guy learn how to coach on the job. Maybe this was Maturi’s first mistake.
Your first paragraph also states the bigger problem – Maturi was okay with blowing up Mason’s team and letting Brewster run the spread. Do you think he’s okay with Brewster implicitly acknowledging that he made a mistake the past two years with his offense? So Minnesota is a training school for football coaches? In the past, Holtz, Wacker and Mason proved themselves elsewhere before getting this job. They knew what they wanted to do and didn’t stray from it for good or bad.
West Virginia was the quickest example I could think up where an entrenched starting QB was being asked to ditch an offensive system and start anew, and where the team stepped backwards. I’m sure Noel DeVine would disagree with your comment about Steve Slaton, and Rodriguez would be flattered. But, Stewart is 60 or so, and is not a good coach. WV will slide to mediocrity.
Yes, play better teams. Brewster deserves a nod for that, although I recall him talking up Texas as the first game in TCF. You’re making a big assumption about Decker coming back – given his injury problems and his success in baseball, I wouldn’t be shocked if he went pro in baseball.
I’ve got many reasons to circle a number of games next year as losses. We’re all highly naive if we think Ohio State or Penn State or Iowa have much to worry about against our team next year. I hope I’m wrong, I invest enough in season tickets that I’m hoping to see another upset in the near future. But we’ll get nowhere without (1) better line play; (2) investment in our coaching staff; (3) stability in our coaching staff; and (4) improvement in coaching by Brewster. That’s why Roof and Dunbar disturb me so much – it implicates 3 of the 4 keys I see are necessary to improvement in this team.
When I'm wrong, I'm wrong!
I remember around Thanksgiving time, when a few of you (in particular JG21whatever), were very worried about the Tim Davis hire, and what it says about Brewster’s report with his staff.
I specifically remember titling my entry as TRANQUIL LO (calm in Spanish). I proceeded to argue that we do not know the inter workings of what goes on between Brewster and his staff. I said that there might be major disagreements between Brewster and the former O-line coach, and to speculate that the Tim Davis hire meant that Brewster would blow up his entire offensive staff was short sighted and inpatient.
Well to those of you who were not happy with the way I felt at that time, I am here to say I was wrong, and you were right. At the time, I was so angry with anyone saying that Mason was just as good, especially if we are going to have a power running offense. Well I am man enough to say that I too am now concerned, and I was wrong to get upset with people who questioned Brewster. At the same time, I am not giving up on Brewster yet. Tim Roof would have been gone regardless of what happened, as he has gained a significant promotion going to Auburn. But the case of Dunbar does worry me a little. I do have faith in Brewster, and like I have said in the past, I am willing to give him four years of slack. Unfortunately we are now finished with season two. One thing I do want fans to remember is that staffs change in college football CONSTANTLY! There are just too many schools. Minnesota is NOT an elite college football program, therefore, guys (suchs as Roof) who DO succeed, may opt out for greener pastures. That is just reality. So I can still say I was wrong, but I can ALSO say that we should not go too overboard. Lets see who Brewster is lining up to replace him, and go from there.
I hope that Brewster finds an adequate replacement! I am NOT giving up on him yet, and to pine for Mason is just not going to happen with me! But I can admit when I am wrong!
TSAX -
This is what I wonder. I wonder if the administration was given the chance to match Roof’s salary offer with Auburn, or even beat the offer. Roof was in a low-stress situation here. He improved the defense from worst in Division I-A to mediocre. He has very good recruits coming in next year and a number of returning starters on the line, linebackers and in the D-backfield. And, there’s a new stadium here and the resulting attention from the stadium and an improving team. Instead he chose to go to a school where the boosters decide which coaches get fired year to year, with a head coach with a worse record than Brewster the past 2 years. If Roof wanted to parlay good experience into another good head coaching job, he should have stayed here. The administration at the U should have made that happen. If he just wants a paycheck, we should have offered it to him. If we didn’t, we are undercutting our football program at the time we need to support it the most, because with the new stadium and interest, the football program will be able to support the athletic department and it’s non-revenue sports. Given the economic climate, that is incredibly important, and a 4-8 team won’t get it done.
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