(12-05-2013 10:33 AM)emanoh Wrote: Blows me a way how fickle fans can be. Can't imagine there are any "fire Pinkle" conversations going on. They were a mediocre Big 12 team and he turned them into a competitive team year in and out. Now he's playing for a SEC campionship. His program has been one of the most consistently competitive teams since he's been there, how quickly fans forget. I'd be glad to still have him.
Don't be too hard on the Mizzou fans. You have to remember they were coming off an injury plagued unusual losing season and then they were actually lit up at home a bit by David Fluellen and a Toledo team from the lowly MAC. They were unranked and many, if not most, thought they would be facing another losing season this year----even their most optimistic fans in their wildest dreams could have imagined playing for the SEC Championship this year.
Also you have to remember that Pinkel has always been a serious, low-key, non-glamorous patient type who puts a lot more emphasis on attention to detail and execution rather than to hype----and he usually produces a winning, but not necessarily glamorous, program.
Pinkel's teams at Toledo were usually characterized by a good, solid defense and an offense with a good running game and a savy QB who was a leader who could run the offense but was no threat to ever become an NFL QB. Although his teams lacked the glamour of a Rob Spence type offense, they were usually successful to the extent of producing a winning season as a "good" team. Every few years thus formula produced a "great" team and the occasional MACC. So far at Mizzou, Pinkel has produced a number of good teams but, while coming close a couple of times, has not yet produced that "great" team that fans expect (for comparison, how many UT fans are happy with 7-5 this year or being dominated by NIU for 4 straight years?).
In summary, Pinkel's low key, strictly business approach to the game produced positive results but (aside from the winning itself) not necessarily the excitement that a wide open offensive team produces.