Seahawks go Fisch-ing, Al Nolen ineligible

The rumors are finally confirmed, Jedd Fisch is now officially no longer a member of the Minnesota Golden Gopher Football coaching staff. The 'whiz kid' offensive coordinator is headed back to the NFL to be Pete Carroll's QB coach, where he can mess with the throwing motion of high priced multi-million dollar athletes, instead of kids with scholarships. Jedd we hardly knew ye.

But that's just fine. I said after the Iowa game that Fisch should be gone, and I got my wish (although he wasn't fired). I don't want to sit here and bag on the guy now that he's gone. We all saw what his system produced this year, and the de-evolution of Adam Weber that went with it. A 3rd OC in as many years is, of course, a huge concern. Coach Brew wants his next hire to run the same style offense, based on the infrastructure Fisch had laid down. I don't like this at all, from the perspective of limiting our potential hires. But if it means continuity in recruiting by keeping kids who want to play in a pro-style system. Though winning and stability seem like they'd be far more attractive to the average recruit. Who ever Brewster brings in for this postion, he's GOT to get it right. This hire could conceivably be his cliched 3rd strike if the Gopher offense languishes again in 2010. Early rumor has it that Tim Davis (current O-Line coach and Running Game Coordinator) is one likely candidate. This would certainly help with the continuity issues, and presuming the terminology and hand signaling are kept relatively similar, the transition could be easier on the players.

I give Brewster credit for hiring Ted Roof and his successor Kevin Cosgrove to handle the defensive side of the ball. Roof substantially improved the defense, but then bolted for Auburn (no fault of Brewster), and Cosgrove/Lee continued the progression of the defense. Clearly, Brewster is capable of making good hires. Let's hope he can find the right guy this time around too. If he can't, the development of MarQueis et al is at stake.

And some quick hoops news - starting PG, Al Nolen has been ruled academically ineligible as of last Tuesday (he has appealed his status). Things just keep getting better for the Gopher cagers. Perhaps this will force the team to develop freshman Justin Cobbs a little quicker, and Devoe Joseph will pick up more minutes. What really hurts though, is the loss of Nolen's defense. With a critical game vs. Michigan State coming to The Barn this Saturday, the Gophs need all hands on deck.

Fun times for Gopher Nation.