Football season approaches!!

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Schnoodler

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I'm really excited about this year. Not because I think we're going to win the Rose Bowl or take a shot at a national championship or anything outlandish like that. In fact I'll probably predict the worst record outside of Brews fiirst year for the last twenty.

What I'm excited about is that finally the team we were hoping to see is going to start materializing on the field. Brew's recruits we've been anticipating will be in all spots and we'll see greater athleticism than we've seen in most of our lives as Gopher fans.

I also like our coaching staff quite a bit. I believe these are talented guys who understand the college game well, they seem to complement each other well.

I believe by the end of the year we will have a team that can compete with any team in the country. If they gel earlier than later, maybe even a bowl game which given the competition this year would make it one of the best Gopher teams we've seen since Barber and Maroney were setting records. And what makes it really exciting is that we'll be young and set up well. But even better than the dual 1K threats of Mason's best teams, we'll be balanced. Which means year to year consistency, and a more plug and play system that can be easily reloaded not dependent on a great RB or QB to win.

I've been waiting a long time for this.
 

You and me both! This is going to be a looooong summer...
 

+1

My wife and I were able to get season tickets this year and I'm looking forward to watching the team make progress this year.
 

I agree 100%! I think this is the deepest Gopher squad in many, many years. Competition at almost every position.
To me this season is going to be as successful as our running backs make it. I truly believe that we need 2-3 guys to really step it up a notch and become a difference maker (not a Barber or Maroney, but a Redmond or Hamner). The past 2 seasons we have had zero Big Ten caliber running backs carrying the ball. Hopefully one of our recruits and the guys already there have been working hard and can step in.

I'm excited to see how these kids compete.
 

sorry

I don't share your enthusiasm...My wife keeps asking me what's wrong! Every college book I pick up has the Gophers predicted to finish last in the Big 10, or very close to it. I know, I know, these guys don't know what they're talking about, right! Hmmm, anyway, this is the first year that I can remember, since the Joe Salem days when I actually am not looking forward to the start of a new season. Show me the money!
 


It's the Gophers luck that we will likely have our deepest, most competitive team in years...the same year that we have probably the most difficult schedule in school history.
 

GoGophers2005 said:
I agree 100%! I think this is the deepest Gopher squad in many, many years. Competition at almost every position.
To me this season is going to be as successful as our running backs make it. I truly believe that we need 2-3 guys to really step it up a notch and become a difference maker (not a Barber or Maroney, but a Redmond or Hamner). The past 2 seasons we have had zero Big Ten caliber running backs carrying the ball. Hopefully one of our recruits and the guys already there have been working hard and can step in.

I'm excited to see how these kids compete.
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The problem has been the OL, Granted Bennett, Eskride and Shady are average RB's at best, but they would be serviceable running behind a decent OL.
 

Whether they are destined for the Rose Bowl or the toilet bowl, I'm excited about watching some gopher football on campus.
 

go4rob said:
Hmmm, anyway, this is the first year that I can remember, since the Joe Salem days when I actually am not looking forward to the start of a new season. Show me the money!
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Not even in the darkest days of the Wacker era?
 



go4rob said:
I don't share your enthusiasm...My wife keeps asking me what's wrong! Every college book I pick up has the Gophers predicted to finish last in the Big 10, or very close to it. I know, I know, these guys don't know what they're talking about, right! Hmmm, anyway, this is the first year that I can remember, since the Joe Salem days when I actually am not looking forward to the start of a new season. Show me the money!
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If the Gophers beat Middle Tennessee, it will show that the magazines are wrong. After all, they pick Middle Tennessee to be considerably better than us, if we beat them on the road, than either we are better than they thought or Middle Tennessee isn't as good as they thought.
 

Bayfieldgopher said:
The problem has been the OL, Granted Bennett, Eskride and Shady are average RB's at best, but they would be serviceable running behind a decent OL.
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Sorry Bayfield I have to disagree with you. Of course our OL had some breakdowns last year, happens to every team. But I cannot remember a single time over the course of the season last year where a running back had a play where I was left impressed. They went down on the first contact. Couldn't outrun a linebacker. Couldn't make anyone miss. Never consistantly ran downhill. When Decker went down last year it shouldn't have been another reciever that stepped up, it needed to be our running backs.

Hopefully that changes. Lamante Edwards brings a type of running back we haven't seen during Brew.
 

I am extremely excited for this season. And I agree with most of Schnoodler's sentiments, except I think the win total will be much higher than most on this board think it will. As another noted, the MTSU game will tell us where we stand. If the Gophers win that game I look forward to a great season (which, considering the schedule would entail 7 or 8 wins). Lose that one and it's going to be a season of growing pains.

Our D will be solid to spectacular, depending on whether the D Line is capable of consistently getting to the QB. The Offensive Line has improved, definitively. Anyone who disagrees with that was watching some other team play this spring.

The Key on Offense will be for one or two of the RBs to step up. Luckily, RB is the position where a freshmen is most able to make an instant impact. A lot of people here are high on Edwards, and while I think he could be a solid back, the guy I'm really excited for is Devon Wright. Assuming he qualifies (knock on wood) he could be the instant impact we need. After that it will be up for McKnight to eliminate the drops that plagued him last year, and for guys like BG and TS to start consistently playing to the level that we know they can.

Gophers win 7+ and this year is just the start of great things to come!
 

Definitely a season to look forward to. Has to be one of the Gophers' best home schedules, ever. No one with tickets to TCF should feel cheated getting to see USC, Iowa, Ohio State and Penn State all in the same season. Enjoy it, win (hopefully) or lose.
 



I am as anxious for the football season to start too but I need someone to explain where they see that this program is heading for better days. the person that started this thread admits they expect the season to be one of the worse record wise in the last twenty years but thinks the program is on the verge of being able to not rebuild but reload.

I just don't see the progress in the 4th year of this head coach. The program IMO is no better off now than it was under Mason and might be getting worse based on the rankings of the recruiting class getting worse each year. This is espeically alarming when the head coach's big thing was suppose to be recruiting.

someone if they can tell my where the progress is in year 4 and things are improving since I don't see it. Nothing about the recruiting shows all this alledged depth being built.

I have to belieive that 4 years ago that no one on this board would have said that if this team does in fact finish last in the B10 in year 4 of this head coach that it would be progress from where the program was under Mason.
 


scools12 said:
I have to belieive that 4 years ago that no one on this board would have said that if this team does in fact finish last in the B10 in year 4 of this head coach that it would be progress from where the program was under Mason.
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You've already assigned us to the basement? Not one game in the books?

Hey, guys, let Brewster know - we don't need to play the season! The finish is pre-determined!
 

dpodoll68 said:
You've already assigned us to the basement? Not one game in the books?

Hey, guys, let Brewster know - we don't need to play the season! The finish is pre-determined!
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if you knew how to comprehend what you read you would understand that I didn't make any prediciton on where the Gophers may finish.
 

dpodoll68 said:
You've already assigned us to the basement? Not one game in the books?

Hey, guys, let Brewster know - we don't need to play the season! The finish is pre-determined!
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Agreed. Perhaps we will finish in the basement, but we haven't even played one down. Why not just cancel the season, we could just have the pundits pick the winners each year. Some people just need not to let others get them down, what's on the field is what matters.

I know that the pundits do not put anywhere near the same level of research into all of the teams, the "usual suspects" get the lion's share of the research. There are unknowns, and the magazines tend to assume all the unknowns will be negatives.

I think the offense will be better, and not just because it couldn't be much worse (although this is true), but also because the offense should be tailored to what the players actually can do rather than what the OC expects out of NFL players. And the defense should be comparable to last year, and it should be noted that any improvement on offense will make the defense look better.

And even if we do finish in the basement, if you can't have unrealistic optimism at this time of year, when can you? Pessimism is no way to go through life.
 

scools12 said:
if you knew how to comprehend what you read you would understand that I didn't make any prediciton on where the Gophers may finish.
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You're right - but you also said "if the Gophers finish last, no one will call it progress". You are considering the possibility, when it will in reality not occur. Mark it down, in pen - the Gophers WILL NOT finish last in the Big Ten. You can remember this post and if it comes to fruition, I will never post here again. You are too concerned with recruiting rankings and perception - people who've seen practices and the spring game know the talent and depth on this team. They're not going to the Rose Bowl, in fact won't even be sniffing it, but last place? No chance.
 

As usual

Bayfield is right. Get that offensive line in shape and we will be a totally different team. Not only was the running game suspect but I hope you all noticed that Weber didnt even have time to scramble around. He can scramble. He had to get rid of the ball immediately or he was down. It looks as if the same guys will be starting which scares me. But I do see way way more depth now. With a crisp offensive line this year we could surprise.
 

I'm torn and I get this way every year at this time. I desperately want the season to start so I can watch my favorite football team. But the flip side is that means summer is over. What to do? What to do?
 

Doc1001 said:
He had to get rid of the ball immediately or he was down.
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False. Sure, there were times when this happened, just like there are with most every football team. But there were plenty of times when he had all day in the pocket, and either did his patented spin move into a sack, or threw a 5-yard out at his receivers' feet in order to avoid the "oncoming" rusher 3 yards away. Among his many weaknesses, "lack of pocket awareness" and "absence of internal countdown clock" are toward the top.

Run blocking was a far bigger problem for last year's line than pass blocking.
 

Its about this time of year I start to feel like a Cubs fan and dream of Rose Bowls, and I'm not ashamed of it.
 

I don't see how we possibly finish behind Indiana and Northwestern.
 

I always get fired up for the start of football season. Hope springs eternal, folks. And with all the talk about college football recently thanks to the shifting conferences, I'm ready to go even earlier than usual.

And what's been said here by Bayfield and a few others is the simple truth: it all comes down to the fat kids. Control the line of scrimmage on offense, and you can dictate what the other team does. If you doubt that, just think about the 2nd half of the Wisconsin game last year. OL play and Defense is what will determine our fate.

Ok, that took me about 2 minutes to write. Is it football season yet?
 

I think one thing being overlooked is year 2 in the offense. Year 2 under Dunbar was better, and with much of the same roster. Weber and company know the playbook better, which should equate to more confidence and better execution. We'll miss Decker and NTA, but after that everyone returns. That's a good thing. IA and WI have had the same system forever. Knowing the system is the key on offense when you can't rely on pure athleticism.
 

AhliBobwa said:
I am extremely excited for this season. And I agree with most of Schnoodler's sentiments, except I think the win total will be much higher than most on this board think it will. As another noted, the MTSU game will tell us where we stand. If the Gophers win that game I look forward to a great season (which, considering the schedule would entail 7 or 8 wins). Lose that one and it's going to be a season of growing pains.

Our D will be solid to spectacular, depending on whether the D Line is capable of consistently getting to the QB. The Offensive Line has improved, definitively. Anyone who disagrees with that was watching some other team play this spring.

The Key on Offense will be for one or two of the RBs to step up. Luckily, RB is the position where a freshmen is most able to make an instant impact. A lot of people here are high on Edwards, and while I think he could be a solid back, the guy I'm really excited for is Devon Wright. Assuming he qualifies (knock on wood) he could be the instant impact we need. After that it will be up for McKnight to eliminate the drops that plagued him last year, and for guys like BG and TS to start consistently playing to the level that we know they can.

Gophers win 7+ and this year is just the start of great things to come!
Click to expand...

I just don't know where in our schedule you can come up with 7 wins. I really hope I'm wrong, but I just don't see it.
 

jerdogg1 said:
I just don't know where in our schedule you can come up with 7 wins. I really hope I'm wrong, but I just don't see it.
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@MTSU
USD
NIU
NU
Pur
@MSU
@Ill

Will we win all of those games? Probably not, but I would give us 45% or better odds in each. And that's not even taking into consideration the possibility of stealing one from PSU, OSU, Iowa, UW, or USC, in which case we wouldn't even have to win all 7 listed above.
 

dpodoll68 said:
@MTSU
USD
NIU
NU
Pur
@MSU
@Ill

Will we win all of those games? Probably not, but I would give us 45% or better odds in each. And that's not even taking into consideration the possibility of stealing one from PSU, OSU, Iowa, UW, or USC, in which case we wouldn't even have to win all 7 listed above.
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I guess the "45% or better odds in each" is what concerns me. That means we've got a better chance of losing those games. Like I said, I really (REALLY, REALLY, REALLY) hope I am wrong.
 

Doc1001 said:
Bayfield is right. Get that offensive line in shape and we will be a totally different team. Not only was the running game suspect but I hope you all noticed that Weber didnt even have time to scramble around. He can scramble. He had to get rid of the ball immediately or he was down. It looks as if the same guys will be starting which scares me. But I do see way way more depth now. With a crisp offensive line this year we could surprise.
Click to expand...

A spin move into the defenders arms does not constitute a scramble.
 

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