Adam Rittenberg on Thieren Cockran

[dpodoll68]

Where exactly did he rank in win/losses in Big Ten history?

I don't know. If I did, I would've said so. Given that he lost more games (33) than most players ever even play, it's a pretty safe assumption that he is somewhere near the top.

 

[John Galt]

I am sure Coach Kill would have really have appreciated it if Brewster had done that. We will never know for sure how many more games we would have won in 2011 if Gray had more QB experience but we do know how much he improved during the season. I expect Brewster could see the hand writing on the wall and wasn't thinking about 2011.

The worst part is that there were so many opportunities to give Gray some experience in second half in some of those games that were lost. I thought Brewster should have been fired for that alone.

I agree it would have been nice to have given Gray some more experience in mop up duty, but based on what we saw early this season he clearly wasn't ready to play. The biggest loss of experience that he didn't get was in practice. Brewster's philosophy was to give starters pretty much all the reps, so Gray didn't get the practice time needed to improve. Throwing him out to the wolves on game day wouldn't have been pretty, all it would have done was satisfy fans curiousity and get us excited for the 3rd string QB.

Besides, I'll gladly take the Iowa win with Weber in 2010 over watching Gray get experience in a 20 pt. loss. Because in college football rivalries, they're all big games.

 

[RoyalGopher]

I always just assumed that anyone who was legimitately calling for Shortell to start at QB over Gray were either brand-new to following football and/or were just clueless about how the game works. I think the same of anyone who thinks that Nelson should start as a true freshman. I think the same of anyone who thinks that Gray should be moved to WR while in a Gopher uniform.

My thoughts exactly. Winston and Kiel wouldn't start over Gray next year.

 

[Nate]

When the 4-year starter is one of the losingest QBs in the history of the Big Ten, and in the midst of what would ultimately be a 3-win season with two very unlikely upsets, and the "unknown quantity behind center" is the highest-rated recruit for Minnesota in the Rivals era, I think anyone backing the 4-year starter was short-sighted and foolish. At the head of this cadre was Tim Brewster. He is now unemployed as a coach.

Thanks, I was hoping you had a nice stat site you could share. I found a couple, but nothing that is all encompassing without going to each teams pages and even those are a crap shoot.

 

[GophersInIowa]

I don't know. If I did, I would've said so. Given that he lost more games (33) than most players ever even play, it's a pretty safe assumption that he is somewhere near the top.

I always thought the team lost those games.

 

[drinks at Northpoint]

Sorry but unless the kid redshirting is a Mike Vick type of situation I won't get excited about any red shirt frosh before they see the field

"God, I admire you.". - Irwin Fletcher

 

[WillieBurton]

I have to admit, this Cockran kids looks pretty good. Currently, the team is undergoing their physical testing (strength, speed, etc.) and Cockran looks fast. Yesterday, he posted the best time for the 10-yard dash of all the d-linemen (a pretty good measure of "burst"), barely beating out Hageman.

 

[920/414 Gopher]

I always thought the team lost those games.

Thank you.

 

[Gopher Gold]

I have to admit, this Cockran kids looks pretty good. Currently, the team is undergoing their physical testing (strength, speed, etc.) and Cockran looks fast. Yesterday, he posted the best time for the 10-yard dash of all the d-linemen (a pretty good measure of "burst"), barely beating out Hageman.

I like that both Hageman and Cockran are at the top of that list. Adding speed!

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

Hageman is a freakshow in the best possible way. His potential is about as high as anyone in the program over the past 5-7 years. If he puts it all together he will be an All Big 10 / NFL type.

 

[MNVCGUY]

Hageman is a freakshow in the best possible way. His potential is about as high as anyone in the program over the past 5-7 years. If he puts it all together he will be an All Big 10 / NFL type.

In Hageman, Manuel and Gray we have three guys that look the part of big time college athletes. So far Gray is the only one that has come somewhat close to playing like one. If those other two figure out how to play like they look they will be beasts for us. Hageman feels like someone that could be on the verge of a breakout season. I really hope Cockran lives up to this hype he is getting because best thing ever would be a power guy up the middle and a speed guy off the edge. They can race to the QB and see who gets home first.

Last time we had that was Jon Schlecht and Karon Riley. Those two were fun to watch and created a lot of havoc for us.

 

[nsmike]

Hageman lived up to his ability in the Illinois game, and had been steadily improving for a couple of games, the key will be continued development, and consistency.

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

In Hageman, Manuel and Gray we have three guys that look the part of big time college athletes. So far Gray is the only one that has come somewhat close to playing like one. If those other two figure out how to play like they look they will be beasts for us. Hageman feels like someone that could be on the verge of a breakout season. I really hope Cockran lives up to this hype he is getting because best thing ever would be a power guy up the middle and a speed guy off the edge. They can race to the QB and see who gets home first.

Last time we had that was Jon Schlecht and Karon Riley. Those two were fun to watch and created a lot of havoc for us.

Hageman is a guy who played pretty decent for us last year. It's hard for us to be patient, but he was only a SO last year. He was a kid who had never played DT, was a TE only 2 years prior, so he's been learning the position. He definitely had flashes of absolute dominance (i'm thinking the WI play when he mauled two very good WI OL), he was so dominant he looked offside (he wasn't). But you're right, he does need to put it all together consistantly.

Manuel, so far, has just looked the part. I haven't seen many flashes of dominant play. I think Sportsfan24 made a good point, the kid should probably be playing LB.

Lamonte Edwards is another guy who is kind of a unique athlete, I expect him to look like a borderline freak athlete OLB in a couple years.