ESPN Video: B1G shoes to fill -- Minnesota

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BleedGopher said:
I think Rittenberg needs a larger microphone :rolleyes:

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/72103/video-b1g-shoes-to-fill-minnesota

Go Gophers!!
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It's interesting that Wilhite and Carter were two guys seemingly lost in the shuffle and not expected to be starters or make much if any contribution going into the season.
Obviously they emerged as we all know, but neither had any hype this past summer.

I expect Cockran, Keith, Perry, and Amaefula to all play well enough to negate the loss of Wilhite. Hageman is the bell cow of the Dline, he will provide enough pressure up the middle to give the others a good chance at sacks/hurries/etc. I'm more worried about Roland Johnson rehabbing back, and Ekpe taking the next step at DT.

At CB, the coaches must not be as worried as we all are(AR included). I think Shabazz showed he can cover, and it sounds like Wells may switch back to the boundry corner Stoudemire held last year. Vereen and Thompson can play S and the rest of the crew will help with depth.
 


There was also this:

Craig from Braintree, Mass., writes: You don't make the decisions for the NFL but any ideas why they didn't invite Michael Carter of the Gophers to the NFL combine? How do you think Coach Kill feels about that?

Brian Bennett: If I were making decisions for the NFL, we'd see a lot of changes, starting with allowing some occasional fun to seep into the game. But I digress. I'm not sure why Carter was snubbed, though it feels like an egregious omission given the way he played in 2012. I'm sure he will get his chance in the pros, especially as the league looks for guys who can cover in this golden age of passing offenses. Without a combine showing, Carter will have more pressure on him to perform well during Minnesota's pro day on March 4.
 

Ole said:
It's interesting that Wilhite and Carter were two guys seemingly lost in the shuffle and not expected to be starters or make much if any contribution going into the season.
Obviously they emerged as we all know, but neither had any hype this past summer.

I expect Cockran, Keith, Perry, and Amaefula to all play well enough to negate the loss of Wilhite. Hageman is the bell cow of the Dline, he will provide enough pressure up the middle to give the others a good chance at sacks/hurries/etc. I'm more worried about Roland Johnson rehabbing back, and Ekpe taking the next step at DT.

At CB, the coaches must not be as worried as we all are(AR included). I think Shabazz showed he can cover, and it sounds like Wells may switch back to the boundry corner Stoudemire held last year. Vereen and Thompson can play S and the rest of the crew will help with depth.
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+1. Nicely Said.
 


Ole said:
It's interesting that Wilhite and Carter were two guys seemingly lost in the shuffle and not expected to be starters or make much if any contribution going into the season.
Obviously they emerged as we all know, but neither had any hype this past summer.

I expect Cockran, Keith, Perry, and Amaefula to all play well enough to negate the loss of Wilhite. Hageman is the bell cow of the Dline, he will provide enough pressure up the middle to give the others a good chance at sacks/hurries/etc. I'm more worried about Roland Johnson rehabbing back, and Ekpe taking the next step at DT.

At CB, the coaches must not be as worried as we all are(AR included). I think Shabazz showed he can cover, and it sounds like Wells may switch back to the boundry corner Stoudemire held last year. Vereen and Thompson can play S and the rest of the crew will help with depth.
Click to expand...

What makes you think the coaches are not worried? Anytime you have to replace both starters at a position it is cause for concern. They do have options in terms of personel but whether or not those options can cut it remains to be seen. CB will be very interesting to watch this spring as we get to see who is going to try and fill in for Carter and Stoudermire. Carter had a huge year for this defense last year and leaves some big shoes behind.

All that said the D-Line and Secondary are far less of a concern than the LB core. I have a feeling we won't see a drastic step back in those first two units but who steps up in between them is still a major question mark.
 

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