We all know our forum has a little cadre of extremely pessimistic posters.
Schiano could have named Sean Payton the OC, and they'd still find a way to attack it. Bear Bryant could have risen from the dead, and they'd moan "what's with his stupid hat, something must be wrong with him."
As a fanbase, it's embarrassing. Every single time -- the Sky is Falling! The Sky is Falling! And yet, these are the same people who nonsensically thought Jason Garrett (and other moonshots) was a realistic option for OC. And also raved about random positional coaches who have never been an OC. SMH.
But when you step back and reevaluate this hire, it's about as good as we could get -- especially knowing Schiano.
WE JUST TOOK A FELLOW BIG TEN OPPONENT'S OC
Let that sink in -- and ya'll complaining?
Minnesota fans and sports media are extremely bummed, and flummoxed about why we're not ecstatic.
Here's an example from one of the biggest Minnesota pundits, utterly confused by our forum:
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Check out social media, you'll feel better. They loved Kirk. They did NOT want him to go. We just have a bias because it's not a splashy hire. Because it's a Schiano guy. That, and some of our fans are never happy about anything. Frankly, I didn't think Kirk could even be available. He was in his 1st year OC with Minnesota and in zero danger of losing his job.
Here's the things that are great about this hire
-- Kirk is known as a QB guy, exactly what we need right now
-- He has been an offensive coordinator at freaking 5 programs (Rutgers, Penn State, Delaware, Western Michigan and Minnesota)
-- Most of which he did fairly well at. Sure, he lost his job at PSU after 1 year, but it was COVID 2020 and his total offense was still #2 in conference (430 yards per game).
-- His Offensive lines have performed well, and has sent many WRs to the NFL
-- He's a good recruiter
-- He developed Joe Flacco, Tiquan Underwood, Kenny Britt, Corey Davis, and Tanner Morgan (who set most of MN's records), among many other NFL players
-- He turned Western Michigan's Zach Terrell into a QB who threw for 33 TDs to 4 ints. Turned Joe Flacco into a successful NFL QB
-- in 2019, he was a semifinalist for the Broyles Award (best assistant in all of college football)
-- His Minnesota offenses and QBs have set multiple school records
Kirk is stable, experienced and has had a lot of success. That's why Minnesota wanted to keep him.
Kick only makes the jump because of his relationship with Schiano. And let's face it, Schiano is a guy who's at his best with 'his people'. Loyalty and relationships are very important to him. So if he was in any way limited by wanting someone from his orbit (after failing with an unknown in Gleeson) -- is there really anyone better than Kirk who would have even entertained this job?
So cheer up, Rutgers fans. Don't let the small vocal minority of Debbie Downers shape this hire. We just took Minnesota's OC!
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