Who’s the best guy to coach the primary college football program in the Land of 10,000 Lakes?
A ‘Row the Boat’ guy, for sure.
And wow, has P.J. Fleck ever made an impact. Though there’s something about him that rubs many people the wrong way — winning being one of them, a “used car salesman” vibe being another — we assumed he was probably getting a bad rap.
So … we conducted a search to see what some of his colleagues had to say about him, which quickly led us to comments from former Minnesota head coach Jerry Kill, one of our favorites at Big Ten Media Days in the recent past. Kill and Fleck have a history, the former having helped Fleck land the job at Western Michigan, among other things.
Kill reached out to Fleck after Fleck got the job, twincities.com reported.
“Oh, yeah, it wasn’t good,” Kill said. “… And it will be the last time.”
Which was … interesting.
“When (Fleck) went to Minnesota and treated the people the way he treated my guys and telling them he had to go in and completely change the culture … He made it sound like we didn’t know what we were doing, and I took it personal,” Kill added.
Fleck “walked into a gold mine” after Kill and his assistants left the program, Kill said.
“He coached with me, but after that he changed a lot,” Kill said last year. “I’ll just be honest with you guys. … I just think sometimes ego gets carried away.
“Do I still root for the Gophers? I do. Do I enjoy him running up and down the sidelines? No. Do I think he’s about the players? No. He’s about himself.”
Yikes.
Fortunately, we have no such egos among our regulars at TheWolverine.com. We enter the season with some new faces to join the old, a great group of teammates and workhorses who had busy, long offseasons to cultivate their second loves.
Among their accomplishments:
• Austin “Alvin” Fox’s prized, 200-pound pig, Sandy, took second place at the Westphalia Town Fair this summer. Fox, asked for comment after he celebrated with a few Busch Lights, responded, “those Fowler folks can eat my shorts!” to resounding applause from the three in attendance.
The family celebrated with a lovely Sunday ham dinner the following week (Sandy was present).
• The humble John Borton, finally taking advantage of his status after years on the beat, started a new line of sweaters for the sportswriter on the go. Yet he declined when offered massive amounts of money to collaborate on a line of sweater vests with disgraced former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel.
“This is one recruit who won’t be taking that filthy Buckeye money!” he … well, would never say in a statement, so we’ll say it for him.
• Recruiting guru EJ Holland spent most of the summer walking the streets of Chicago looking for his lost cat, a story with a happy ending. Not only did he find his feline … he also started a shelter in his basement for all the other strays he encountered on his journey, insisting on nurturing them back to health and finding homes for the rest.
He’s currently placed two with new owners and is still looking for forever homes for the other 212. Please call 1-800-KittyCat if you’re looking (he has 12 in black that would make great Halloween gifts for the kids). Shipping is messy, but free.
• Finally, our newest addition, Clayton ('don't forget the Y!') Sayfie, became full time with TheWolverine.com after a year in which he worked so hard and took to learning and listening so well that nobody would have known he wasn’t already full time.
Clay previously did work for the Detroit Lions and needed one “out’ in his contract with us … when the Lions finally have a team worthy of a deep playoff run, he’s got freedom to pursue a job with the franchise.
Apparently, Clay, we still have some teaching to do. But we’re looking forward to you being a lifer here in Ann Arbor.
Last year’s overall staff picks winner … well, we have no idea. This week’s winner receives a frozen spiral ham, three unique sweaters and 12 cats.
The picks:
CHRIS BALAS: P.J. Fleck enters this game shorthanded, based on reports, and you know what they say about guys with short hands …
Still, this one won’t be easy for U-M, no matter how many hundreds of pounds of linemen the Golden Gophers are down. It’s gonna be a cold one in Minneapolis, 27 degrees at kickoff; fortunately, there will be 800 or so rabid Gophers (fans) in the stands to warm it up.
It won’t be enough. Michigan 24, Minnesota 20
JOHN BORTON: Michigan’s defense shows up, its offense grows up (just enough), and the Wolverines hang on as Minny hell freezes over. Michigan 27, Minnsota 24
AUSTIN FOX: Harbaugh's track record at Michigan in road games against quality competition has not been good, and it’s impossible to ignore that aspect heading into this one.
With that being said, this game should still be viewed as a complete tossup. Minnesota may not be quite as good as last year’s 11-2 team, but it's still a quality club and one of the best in the Big Ten. A new quarterback and four new starters on the offensive line makes Michigan a very difficult team to predict, especially in the season-opener.
It’s Joe Milton’s time to shine, but is he ready for the moment? This one could go either way. Minnesota 31, Michigan 27
CLAYTON SAYFIE: This game will come down to Joe Milton's big arm ... or will it?
Michigan should have a considerable advantage over Minnesota on both sides of the line of scrimmage, considering that two studs on the Gopher O-line may not play and the fact that only one starter on their D-line is returning.
Jim Harbaugh will have his team ready to play in the opener, and if Milton can stay away from making big mistakes and the defense can avoid allowing chunk plays to Minnesota's lethal passing attack, the Maize and Blue should come out victorious. Michigan 34, Minnesota 25
DREW HALLETT: I have been swaying back and forth on this game the past few days. Under Jim Harbaugh, Michigan is 1-7 against ranked teams in true road games. However, Michigan is 8-2 against teams ranked from 11th through 25th, and nothing about Saturday (or this season) will be a typical road atmosphere. Michigan will be breaking in new starting quarterback Joe Milton against a talented Minnesota secondary without Nico Collins.
However, Michigan has a trio of tailbacks that can trample Minnesota's underwhelming front seven. Minnesota's Tanner Morgan and Rashod Bateman could hook up early and often against Michigan's unsteady corners. However, Minnesota's shaky offensive line, which may be missing one of its only proficient pass blockers in Daniel Faalele, may not be able to keep Morgan upright against Aidan Hutchinson, Kwity Paye and Cameron McGrone.
I look at this matchup one way, and I see the advantage for the Wolverines. I look at it another way, and I see the advantage for the Gophers. The margins seem slim in what likely will be a sloppy game due to the pandemic and sloppy weather.
So I am going to stick with my original pick. Just like 2018, the Wolverines drop their road opener against a ranked team before they start rattling off their wins. Minnesota 27, Michigan 24
DOUG SKENE: Michigan will row the boat better than the Gophers in a tight one. Michigan 34, Boat Rowers 28
DOUG KARSCH: First start, on the road, vs a ranked opponent — not a formula for success. Tom Brady was the last U-M QB to try and he lost at ND in 1998. A more recent example, Justin Herbert lost his first collegiate start vs. a ranked Washington team in 2016 by 49 points — his first pass ... picked off.
Now, what helps Joe Milton — not a typical road environment and not a loaded defense chasing him around. But in this COVID-impacted season, a returning QB with experience matters ... unless a loaded offense is missing some key players ... are they? Minnesota 27, Michigan 17
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