All Things Spring Practice 2018 Thread

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All the workouts that I've been to have been outside. Can anyone remember if the old indoor facility also had an echo? I would think that this would be an issue trying to listen to the coaches. Or perhaps its more of an echo on the sidelines than it is out in the field.
 

#2Gopher said:
Can anyone remember if the old indoor facility also had an echo? I would think that this would be an issue trying to listen to the coaches. Or perhaps its more of an echo on the sidelines than it is out in the field.
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Dude, it only put us in the neighborhood. It's not the nicest house. What did you expect?
 

Thank you to all who attended and reported. It's almost as if open practices lead to more talk about Gopher football -- and more informed talk -- not just here, but in the media.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk
 

#2Gopher said:
All the workouts that I've been to have been outside. Can anyone remember if the old indoor facility also had an echo? I would think that this would be an issue trying to listen to the coaches. Or perhaps its more of an echo on the sidelines than it is out in the field.
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Acoustics in gyms and field houses are not good. If other noise of any kind is going on...it's tough to hear. You can only hear in close proximity. But, PJ is always miked up...at the beginning of practice I couldn't decipher anything he said. By the end of practice I was getting most all of his comments. My guess is the players understand him. Plus the individual coaches talking are within a few feet of the intended player. As a player you get tuned in.
 


Bob_Loblaw said:
I am not in town, but below is a summary of info that a buddy of mine told me who went to the practice (fwiw, he is a lower level college football coach who knows a bit about football):

None of it is really new.

Ibrahim looks really good. Thinks he would have played regardless of Brooks injury.
Bell is really impressive.
The entire offensive line looked big - more like a Big 10 OL.
Seth Green looks good. Too good of an athlete not to play somewhere.

He follows college football and recruiting, but probably not as closely as people here. Generally, he said that they must have RS'd a lot of players who are going to play a lot (mentioned a LB, probably Rush from other people's comments, mentioned DBs (plural), mentioned OL. He said they actually looked like a Big 10 football team in terms of size.

I know it isn't much, but I thought I'd share.
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I agree with your friend, if I understand what he is saying. If it was me...based on what I saw in one day and seniority and "great kid" "great attitude" "all in, understands our culture" etc Seth would have been my #1 QB and the other guys gotta beat him out. He looks the part. He looked like the best overall QB candidate to me. The most versatile, most confident, best leader, best runner, passer, vision, sturdiness. Tanner is a better passer by not that huge a margin over anybody. How is Tanner going to hold up in the pocket, sturdiness, vision, escapability etc? But, it's obvious Seth is not in the mix as a QB in the eyes of the coaches. PJ's comments, Seth's lack of reps and his live participation on special teams etc.

I agree with the rest of his observations, as well.

Regarding this year to last year for QB's...as a group they look better. The #5 guy is not that far from the #1 guy. So hopefully, they all improved because last year Rhoda definitely looked the best to me.
 

zman said:
Dude, it only put us in the neighborhood. It's not the nicest house. What did you expect?
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The reason I brought this up is that it appeared according to the posts that there was more echo in the new facility as opposed to the old. Was simply trying to learn more about the situation. I know the issues of gyms etc.. My comment was simply based on what people were saying. I wasn't expecting miracles, but there apparently was a change. Follow now?
 

#2Gopher said:
The reason I brought this up is that it appeared according to the posts that there was more echo in the new facility as opposed to the old. Was simply trying to learn more about the situation. I know the issues of gyms etc.. My comment was simply based on what people were saying. I wasn't expecting miracles, but there apparently was a change. Follow now?
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Dude, relax. I followed before. It was a reference for the Coyle haters.
 

zman said:
Dude, relax. I followed before. It was a reference for the Coyle haters.
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A much appreciated one, thank you.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 



bottlebass said:
You probably need to work on inferring sarcasm if your post was meant as sarcasm. Even going back and reading it now, not sarcasm.
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I prefer when folks imply sarcasm. Inferring causes too many misunderstandings.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

I was standing right next to a couple that PJ was talking to right after the workout. They mentioned that standing on the sidelines it was impossible to hear or understand what was being said on PA system...lots of echo. PJ agreed and said that the speakers on both sides of the field were directed to the practice surface and that the mic was very easy to understand on the field.....no echo.
 

#2Gopher said:
The reason I brought this up is that it appeared according to the posts that there was more echo in the new facility as opposed to the old. Was simply trying to learn more about the situation. I know the issues of gyms etc.. My comment was simply based on what people were saying. I wasn't expecting miracles, but there apparently was a change. Follow now?
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It was really harsh on the ears in the facility as far as the plethora of noises are concerned. Other than that and not having wider sidelines for fans, it is still a great facility.

The cacophony of the echo vibrations can drive people nuts. Imagine the people who have to work there everyday. One way to fix this is to deploy sound absorbing materials from acoustic absorbing panels to egg-shell acoustic foam paneling at strategic locations. Even screened in transom windows may help alleviate indoor noise.

Echo vibrations are often overlooked in the planning of new open indoor facilities.

On the matter of the offensive linemen, it seems like there are more bigger guys than in previous years. I didn't realize how big some of the dudes like Faalele, Dunlop, Greene, or Oseland are until they walked by.

The effort being put on building the offensive line will pay huge dividend. We still have four new OLs coming this fall in addition to the Faalele, Dunlop, and Boe who enrolled early. I would not be surprised if we get two or three every class. How many OLs do the Gophers lose to health reasons or attrition each tear? Last year, they had barely enough linemen for full practices.
 

Yes it had an echo even with just someone talking into the mic. Hard to compare as I never heard Fleck in there; he yells which makes it worse. But part of it is also that we don't know what to listen for. If you know the structure of how practice goes and some of the things he frequently says, I'm sure it's a lot easier.

A couple of times he also turned the mic off and talked directly to a player. I remember he did it with Carpenter after a kick. Even though that's probably not the purpose but it also takes away the echo if he needs to give specific details.
 





greatdane1973 said:
I was standing right next to a couple that PJ was talking to right after the workout. They mentioned that standing on the sidelines it was impossible to hear or understand what was being said on PA system...lots of echo. PJ agreed and said that the speakers on both sides of the field were directed to the practice surface and that the mic was very easy to understand on the field.....no echo.
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Makes sense. Ran into a similar issue years back trying to set up a PA System in an Armory. Decided there was no way to make the whole room sound good, so we had a stack of speakers in each corner of the area where sound was needed, and let the rest of the room echo away. Some actually liked that because they could hold conversations outside of that area.
 

yes, acoustical sound dampening has become a lost science. Fabric office wall partitions, decorative fabric wall panels, fiberglass ceiling tile, corny looking objects on the walls or ceiling, even popcorn ceilings all were designed and strategically placed to remove echos and to help make spaces quite. In the name of removing that old fashion look and to make things appear clean and open, designers seem to ignore the sound characteristics of the space. Of course, some places are designed to magnify noise to enhance excitement like trendy bars and sports arenas.
 

Pompous Elitist said:
I wouldn’t be surprised either. Darnold measured in at 6’ 3” 3/8 at the combine (and he’ll still be listed at 6’4” on the roster next year) and Morgan looked about 2, maybe 2 1/2 inches shorter or so. I don’t care if he’s papa smurf if he can play. I’ve linked a spreadsheet of NFL combine measurables - heights are listed as the last number being in eights of an inch, ie 3 is 3/8ths and so on.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...rK_ZznbRU19sQ1RwKimJ8UhhOY/htmlview?sle=true#

It’s an interesting contrast in styles vs VV. Morgan is pass first/run second and VV looks to be the opposite. Morgan looks to be deadly in the short to intermediate ranges and looks to be more of the pure passer with some scrambling competence.

VV’s athleticism is ridiculous and jumps off the screen. He can pull away from most defensive players. I can imagine an offense based around play action and the zone read, QB draw being pretty incredible. Mitch Leidner on steroids. Can he survive a season?

It will be really interesting to see these guys in the spring game and ultimately what direction Fleck wants to go because they seem like pretty different talents. Maybe he’ll compromise and use VV in packages.

All we have to go on, the Hudls. Compare/contrast - opinions? FYI bonus footage of VV playing some linebacker and special teams if you search his high school edit; he is a legit athlete.

<iframe src='//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/4042376/59cab8f066560b1c3095bca4' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe src='//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/5092475/5840554cdfd8b91c580dcc10' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreen></iframe>
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Thanks for posting the combine measurements. Do they measure arm length differently than a normal measurement? They don't seem long for guys of that height.
 



corcoran1 said:
Thanks for posting the combine measurements. Do they measure arm length differently than a normal measurement? They don't seem long for guys of that height.
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Bony landmark at top of shoulder to end of middle finger. Like most measurables probably somewhat overrated.
 


Tanner Morgan really reminds me of Phil Nelson. That's not an insult to Morgan. If Nelson could have gotten out of his own way, I think he would have been a very good QB for us.

I think if Morgan doesn't separate himself from VV right now, VV will be our starter. A lot of things that VV will do well won't show up in 7on7 or drills where the QB can't get hit. His ability to scramble will be neutralized right now, his ability to drag defenders, etc.

I know it's probably a bit of a "whatever is behind door #2 has to be better than door #1" mindset, but I am more comfortable with our QB position right now than I was last year.
 

I like the conversations we are having today about our QBs. Last year, we were hoping that somebody by default step up to the plate behind a MASH Unit O-Line.

This year is different. We really are going to have good competition at QB with a revamped (hopefully healthy) O-Line. The receiving corps is also looking more promising than in years past.
 

hungan1 said:
I like the conversations we are having today about our QBs. Last year, we were hoping that somebody by default step up to the plate behind a MASH Unit O-Line.

This year is different. We really are going to have good competition at QB with a revamped (hopefully healthy) O-Line. The receiving corps is also looking more promising than in years past.
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I am in the same camp as you, about being more excited about these positions. However, I wouldn't say this optimism about the future of the QB position/OL/WR is new to this year. This seems to be our yearly ritual here.
 

Hope truly springs eternal in Gopherland.
 

hungan1 said:
Hope truly springs eternal in Gopherland.
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Optimism... John Santaga could change his number to 2 for a day and I'm not sure how many people would notice. If your 5th guy looks comparable to your anointed #1 what does that really mean? So much of playing QB, like Bob said, isn't going to be discovered until they actually have to/get to play. The intangibles are the biggest part of the job. You don't discover those in drills. All 5 guys look pretty similar...one passes a little better, one runs a little better, but who makes the best decisions under duress, who has pocket presence, who has escapability, who gives your offense an entirely different dimension with his running, who can read defenses under pressure better, who won't get you beat with fumbles and dumb throws, who won't take a sack and get you out of field goal range...a million things you can guess but until you put them in those positions do you really know? Who does the team wanna play for? Who leads under pressure?

Trace McSorley is the best example I can think of...doesn't look like he should be that good but he makes plays and wins games. Who is that guy on the Gophers? Maybe it's the guy covering punts? Maybe it's #16? Will we discover him?

What it all comes down to is who PJ trusts and unfortunately that changed from week to week last year and some guys didn't earn enough of it to even see the field. Then the big messy breakup of the chosen guy. So I'm confident one of these guys can play QB better than another but will the current process find him?
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
I am in the same camp as you, about being more excited about these positions. However, I wouldn't say this optimism about the future of the QB position/OL/WR is new to this year. This seems to be our yearly ritual here.
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You are right on all points here. On the up side, I don't think we've had this much depth and talent at these three positions since the 2002-05 era.
 

per Sid:

• It will be a new format this year for the Gophers’ spring football game, since the team has a fully healthy roster. The U announced that Team Maroon, coached by offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca and captained by linebacker Thomas Barber, will face Team Gold, coached by defensive coordinator Robb Smith and captained by running back Rodney Smith, at noon on April 14 at TCF Bank Stadium.

http://www.startribune.com/return-of-marcus-sherels-is-another-good-move-for-the-vikings/478464963/

Go Gophers!!
 

I plan on going to the next open practice.

Where did people park for the last one?
 

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