Kill-ing them softly

So, Jerry Kill it is.

Sure, Joel Maturi made some asinine statements about bringing in college football's Tubby Smith, but that had to be taken with a grain of salt. There was no way the U was going to get a big name, current head coach to come to the Twin Cities. Furthermore, what up-and-coming coordinator would want to have his first job be at a 50-years-and-counting below-average Big 10 school in a state that is difficult to recruit to and even more difficult to recruit in?

So, we get Jerry Kill. Taking Maturi at his word, this can only be a disappointment. Taking Maturi out of the equation -- which, hopefully, will happen before Kill's contract is up -- this is still a disappointment. I never expected a Peterson or Patterson to take the gig. No, I was hoping the brass would decide that Maturi would be gone when his contract ends, and if things didn't work out, he could take his high-flying, loud mouthed, should-have-been-coach Mike Leach with him.

The U had nothing to lose in going after Leach. All they had to do was give him a chance. He wins and graduates players. To my knowledge there was no off-field issue that caused any problems. So he supposedly locked a kid in a shed. Well, there's always multiple sides to a story. Leach had issues with the Texas Tech administration, and that may have played a part in his firing -- agin, sides and stories. He had a loud, grating mouth that did not endear him to Minnesotans With Power after a bowl game that the Red Raiders miraculously won. But, there in lies his mastery. Bowl games. He went to them and he WON them.

Yeah, on second thought, a guy that wins in September, pimps his school, plays in December, WINS in the winter and gets kids to walk in June need not apply here. With any luck he's looking for work in four years when we fire Kill. Of course, that final Kill loss may be to a Leach coached Illinois.