The Spread is Dead, and other musings from Fisch

by JG2112 on Feb 10, 2009 6:56 PM CST

Last Wednesday a fellow Gopher alum (and Park HS grad, same HS as John Clay from Wisconsin) from another website was able to interview our new offensive leader, Jedd Fisch. The interview is located here....

http://www.gopherhole.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=937

A few observations from the interview:

(1) I know I've discussed this with a number of people on this blog. However, I felt that the spread was in danger once Davis was hired as the O-Line coach. I felt even stronger that the spread was in danger here once Dunbar resigned. Fisch's comments make clear that the spread is dead at Minnesota. To which I say:

We're going back to a pro-style offense? Okay. I'm glad we had to go through 2007 and 2008's offensive troubles to get to this point.

(2) I think it's pretty obvious that Brewster was desperate to hire an OC based on his "recruitment" of Fisch to be OC. We were all promised a knock-out hire when Dunbar left. The reality is that Brewster couldn't get anyone to take this job, and the guy who did take it didn't even know it was available until he was offered the job. Not the most promising job search, and it makes me wonder how much pull Brewster really has if he can't get anyone here other than guys he played or coached with.

(3) We've now got a head coach who is marginal to poor as a game coach, an offensive coordinator high on energy but with no coordinating experience (and who just lost his WR coach today to the Cleveland Browns), and a defensive coordinator who oversaw an historic meltdown at Nebraska and was coaching high school last year. I am officially worried.

(4) Fisch is a lucky, strong-willed guy. Beating an aneurysm is no mean feat. Godspeed to the man.

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Comments

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I’m not sure I disagree with anything you wrote. People like to email me and say I’m too hard on Brewster (one reason why GN usually does more football), but I just don’t know how to argue with what you just wrote.

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by PJS on Feb 10, 2009 7:28 PM CST reply actions

I must say

I’m approving of your avatar. Good choice.

With everything I wrote, I still hope for an 8 win season and improvement. I think it may happen. Unfortunately, I can also see 3-9 happening too and that’s why I’m concerned.

by JG2112 on Feb 10, 2009 8:27 PM CST up reply actions

WHAT? - like michigan should talk

just kidding, you make some solid points as usual. I still think we’ll see a lot of spread, but we’ll see us attacking defensive weaknesses not running the same things over and over.

I don’t have the same indignation over not getting the “kill shot” hire, as I’d rather have Brewster hire someone he felt was best for the job than someone I’ve heard of. Fisch may be a bust he may be an offensive genius, but I don’t care that I’ve never heard of him.

what you say here can, and will, be used against you

by GopherNation on Feb 10, 2009 8:08 PM CST reply actions

I agree about the offensive....

…creativity factor. I like the possibility that, say, against Wisconsin we should run it down their inexperienced D-line and LB’s throats. Against a team like Air Force, who only practices against (I believe) the triple option (or am I confused with 1993 again?), they should be susceptible to a little Decker / Green / Carpenter platter of passing fun. I hope we see that diversity in the playcalling. I can’t recall the last time I saw a 50 yard pass to a WR – our “spread” did not stretch the field vertically and we suffered for that.

by JG2112 on Feb 10, 2009 8:31 PM CST up reply actions

we ran deep routes

but the OL was so bad Weber never had time to see the receivers. In the games I attended I saw that over and over, it’s just hard to see on TV. In the Indiana game for example I saw Spry deep down the middle with nobody within 7 yards, but Weber was dodging linemen and never saw him. That was not an unusual occurance.

what you say here can, and will, be used against you

by GopherNation on Feb 11, 2009 11:47 AM CST up reply actions

Air Force

Won’t be an easy game. I doubt they practice against the spread…I’m sure the defense plays against a scout team that mimics what they see in the Mountain West—which is not short on offense (Utah, BYU, TCU). But I understand your points.

I totally agree with you on the “spread” not stretching the field. In fact, it was just a weird spread to begin with. The only thing that really seemed to be spread about it was the fact that Weber would line up in the shotgun on 3rd and 1 every time. Otherwise, we seemed to utilize very few receivers; but that could be they symptom of the OL.

I also don’t understand what kinds of players we are recruiting if we are not running the spread. Aren’t we supposed to be recruiting players that fit our system? The lack of an identity is frustrating. I’m just hoping we can get the most out of our influx of talent.

by rencito on Feb 11, 2009 5:26 PM CST up reply actions

I hope

Carufel will help with the pass protection. Also, moving outside, the defensive line may not have as quick a track to get around our offensive lineman as they did in Metrodome (Corey Wooten from Northwestern, sheesh), which could give Weber that extra half second he needs to chuck it deep.

And we’ll never have to worry about the Spry one going deep, as he’s no longer a Gopher. I guess he saw the writing on the wall.

by JG2112 on Feb 11, 2009 12:05 PM CST reply actions

No Spry, Oh NO!!!!

Whatever will we do without his fumble every other time he touched the ball.

Carufel along with Wills should give us 2 new starting tackles this year. I don’t think either of them were brought in to be a back-up. I am ok with Alford, if Wills is going to be a guard. We couldn’t run the ball either and that is totally on the line. With this schedule, 9 wins would be incredible.

by Narby on Feb 11, 2009 2:24 PM CST reply actions