Another name, another dollar

The Pioneer Press decided they should stoke the fire of illogical Gopher fans by posting this on Wednesday.

Really, P.P.? Peterson, Harbaugh and Patterson (in order!) to come here? I'll give the credit, the Press mentions:

"It seems unlikely any of the trio would leave what he has built for a gigantic rebuilding challenge at Minnesota."

"Unlikely?" I'd say. But that's not what caught my interest. There was a name at the end of a Thursday post that had this:

Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo could be a candidate for the Gophers' coaching job. FootballScoop.com, an online source for coaching job information, reported Wednesday that "multiple sources" said "Minnesota athletic director Joel Maturi intends to speak with (Niumatololo)."

Not exactly what I was hoping for when I saw mention of a new name. But one thing did catch my attention, the following quote from former Hawaii coach Bob Wagner, who coached Niumatalolo:

"I think at Minnesota, you need to do something a little bit unique," he said. "Maybe down the road they will, but at least right now, you're not going to get the same players Ohio State gets. That's a reality. So you have to do something a little bit different."

I agree that we'll have to resort to some gimmicks to get things rolling early. The option could be an answer, as it controls the clock and keeps the D off the field. But I doubt the option works, mostly due to Wagner's own words: talent. Do we have the road-grating run-blocking hogs up front? I'm not so sure.