Official 2014 Spring Football Thread: Articles, Tweets, Analysis & More...

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victor04 said:
You guys keep just wanting to highlight the "on the field" activity for Jones and the rest of the gophers. If that were the case i would totally agree, the fact of the matter is though that Jones has struggled academically in high school, and for him to see playing time he needs to be at a solid level scholastically speaking. As of right now he is not there, and it takes time. I believe Jones could contribute right away "on the field", but off the field as a student he still needs to buckle down, meaning I see his first year being one focused on becoming an all around solid college student/athlete. Im betting he redshirts his freshman year, plus we have some solid depth in front of him.
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Not sure the time commitment is any different for red-shirt players. They still go to every practice, meeting, game, etc.
 

Running back is not a position where inexperience keeps you off the field to say the least
 

Spoofin said:
Not sure the time commitment is any different for red-shirt players. They still go to every practice, meeting, game, etc.
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That's kind of what I was thinking as well.
 

JJ isn't the near academic casualty you guys are making him out to be. He is a solid student however he made the serious mistake of totally screwing off his 10th grade year. He has been working hard and making up for it since then. He will be fine academically. He has learned his lesson.

Relax, he'll have 1,000 combined yards this year.
 

per Sid:

• Jerry Kill was asked his impression in spring practice of junior college linebacker Cody Poock. “Wow, this kid is going to be pretty good,” Kill said. “He’s very good in special teams and is going to be a very, very good linebacker. He has great instincts, still has much to learn, but he’ll hit you now, and he’s physical and can run. So that was a big deal for us.”

http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikings/250482511.html?page=all&prepage=1&c=y#continue

Go Gophers!!
 


BleedGopher said:
per Sid:

• Jerry Kill was asked his impression in spring practice of junior college linebacker Cody Poock. “Wow, this kid is going to be pretty good,” Kill said. “He’s very good in special teams and is going to be a very, very good linebacker. He has great instincts, still has much to learn, but he’ll hit you now, and he’s physical and can run. So that was a big deal for us.”

http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikings/250482511.html?page=all&prepage=1&c=y#continue

Go Gophers!!
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Sid cracks me up. Quote from Monday.
 






die hard gopher said:
Also Jeff is lightyears ahead of Cobb.
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And you know this because why? I am as excited for Jones as anyone, but like others have said, if he earns a chance to play come fall he will. Cobb is 4 years older than him and as we saw last year Cobb is not an easy guy for Big Ten defenses to tackle.
 

Sid Hartman: Kill sees good things in U's spring practices

“I think Damarius Travis has really stood out. I can tell he’s a much improved football player,” said Kill about the junior defensive back from Pensacola, Fla. “He was already a good one, but he’s had a great five, six days of practice and you can’t recruit one like that. He’s really come on in the secondary. He’s definitely stood out. Our other guys have done a good job, but he’s made a lot of progress, and I’m pleased with that.”

On offense, Kill said: “I think a guy that has really done good is [redshirt freshman Nate] Wozniak, the big tight end that’s about 6-9, 6-10 and 255, 260. He’s showed me a lot catching the ball, running with it, he’s a physical blocker. Those two guys, we have a lot of guys that have done really well, but those two guys have really stood out. Our backs, our quarterbacks have done a really good job, but those two guys come to mind as we speak.”

How about the overall health of the team after the practice?

“We have a few guys banged up,” Kill said. “[Redshirt sophomore tight end] Maxx Williams we have to be very careful with, and we will because we know what he can do; [sophomore wide receiver] Donovahn Jones got banged up about the fourth practice in, I look for him to be back after the break. Hopefully we’ll pick up a couple other guys [who haven’t played yet]. Even the ones, like [redshirt junior center] Jon Christenson, who went through a very serious [left leg] injury, it’s amazing what he’s doing right now.

“The most important thing is when we come to [fall] camp on August 1st, [spring practice] is a byproduct of getting better, but the most important thing is staying healthy and be ready when August 1st comes around.”

http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/251126271.html

Go Gophers!!
 

Duane Bennett:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Man, I excited to see the young Gophers compete in Spring ball.. Been away handling personal matters, but them boys like my little brothers.</p>— Papi Chulo (@Mr_UnduhDawg) <a href="https://twitter.com/Mr_UnduhDawg/statuses/447883597240750080">March 23, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Go Gophers!!
 

SI: Minnesota looks to build off last year’s surprise success in 2014 spring practice

The bigger issue, at least in Kill’s mind, is taking Minnesota to the next level. The Gophers may have enjoyed their best season in a decade, but a program with seven claimed national championships and 18 Big Ten titles has not won a conference crown since 1967. Kill wants that to change.

The coach said the Gophers must do things “a little bit differently than everybody else,” meaning they can’t land a class of top recruits in the way that Urban Meyer does at Ohio State. Instead, Kill follows the example set by Michigan State’s Mark Dantonio. Building a program is a gradual process, and Kill knows it takes time. But so far, the model is working.

“You look at what Michigan State’s done,” Kill said. “I give coach [Mark] Dantonio credit. They’ve kept their coaches, for the most part. They have confidence and a great president who believes in what Mark is doing. And look what they’ve done. They had to do it differently than Michigan and Ohio State to get where they’re at.

“I think we’re the same way. We can’t select, we’ve got to recruit. We’ve got to find those guys that fit in for what we do.”

http://college-football.si.com/2014/03/24/minnesota-gophers-jerry-kill-mitch-leidner/

Go Gophers!!
 



Kickers

Has there been any word on who is in the lead to be our FG kicker?

Seeing Santoso line up back there would be awesome just based on his size alone.
778770.jpg
 

Fuzzy Rumpton said:
Has there been any word on who is in the lead to be our FG kicker?

Seeing Santoso line up back there would be awesome just based on his size alone.
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For what it is worth, Kill commented that Santoso has lost weight and that when he kicks the ball it makes a loud sound. I believe that is Kill inkling that he likes what Santoso is doing.
 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>On my way to watch gopher football spring practice.</p>— Rashede Hageman (@Rashedehageman) <a href="https://twitter.com/Rashedehageman/statuses/448560241396183040">March 25, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Go Gophers!!
 

From Marcus Fuller today:

#Gophers coach Jerry Kill said they would be cautious with tight end Maxx Williams for rest of spring after a setback with his knee.

I was a bit concerned when Coach said he was taking it easy this spring after 2.5 months of rehabbing the knee. His sprain must have been grade 2+ if they judged it to not need surgery in Jan. However, I'm a big believer in second opinions...need to get him healthy.

Sometimes the old school pushing of players to play through pain is good and sometimes it is a really bad idea. Get that second opinion Maxx.
 


STrib: Kill playing it cautious with tight end Williams

Etc.

• Junior college transfer Cody Poock worked with the first-team defense at linebacker along with Damien Wilson and De’Vondre Campbell.

• The Gophers are giving Nick Rallis reps at middle linebacker because they believe he has the football acumen to play all three linebacker spots.

• Wide receiver Donovahn Jones, who didn’t practice March 13 after being shaken up in the previous practice, was back at full speed Tuesday.

• Cornerback Briean Boddy-Calhoun remains in a green noncontact jersey but took part in his first 11-on-11 drills of the spring. Boddy-Calhoun suffered a torn ACL in last season’s second game.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/252375091.html

Go Gophers!!
 

die hard gopher said:
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This video made me laugh...but only because I decided to watch it with the "closed-caption" on. All these years and the CC still can't translate. Too funny.

I am liking the positive vibe around the program though. Looking forward to August!
 

MN Daily: Jones, Wolitarsky head group of raw wideouts
Minnesota will need its wide receivers to step up next year in order to compete.

Minnesota offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover said he thinks the receiver position needs to produce at a higher level if the program wants to take the next step.

“I think spring practice is a great time to gain experience,” Limegrover said. “And having guys like Drew Wolitarsky and Donovahn Jones being able to go through spring … is a huge thing for kids like that.”

http://www.mndaily.com/sports/football/2014/03/26/jones-wolitarsky-head-group-raw-wideouts

Go Gophers!!
 

JoeC Blog: Rodrick Williams Looks Like a Man on a Mission This Spring

"On March 8, the 5-11, 235-pound Williams ran right over linebacker Cody Poock on a run, then shouted at the defense, “Give me somebody who wants to hit!”

On the next play, Williams had an excellent block in pass protection and drew immediate praise from Coach Jerry Kill. Blocking was a real weakness for Williams in 2012 as a freshman, so he’s come a long way.

“Competition makes everybody get after it, that’s for sure,” Kill said, noting that the battle for playing time and carries is especially fierce at running back."

http://www.startribune.com/sports/blogs/252479841.html
 

jaymil said:
JoeC Blog: Rodrick Williams Looks Like a Man on a Mission This Spring

"On March 8, the 5-11, 235-pound Williams ran right over linebacker Cody Poock on a run, then shouted at the defense, “Give me somebody who wants to hit!”

On the next play, Williams had an excellent block in pass protection and drew immediate praise from Coach Jerry Kill. Blocking was a real weakness for Williams in 2012 as a freshman, so he’s come a long way.

“Competition makes everybody get after it, that’s for sure,” Kill said, noting that the battle for playing time and carries is especially fierce at running back."

http://www.startribune.com/sports/blogs/252479841.html
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Starting to think we could maybe get by with redshirting Jones.
 

tinyarch said:
This video made me laugh...but only because I decided to watch it with the "closed-caption" on. All these years and the CC still can't translate. Too funny.

I tried that and it's just nuts. Not even close to what they were saying.

Thnx for the laugh
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jaymil said:
JoeC Blog: Rodrick Williams Looks Like a Man on a Mission This Spring

"On March 8, the 5-11, 235-pound Williams ran right over linebacker Cody Poock on a run, then shouted at the defense, “Give me somebody who wants to hit!”

On the next play, Williams had an excellent block in pass protection and drew immediate praise from Coach Jerry Kill. Blocking was a real weakness for Williams in 2012 as a freshman, so he’s come a long way.

“Competition makes everybody get after it, that’s for sure,” Kill said, noting that the battle for playing time and carries is especially fierce at running back."

http://www.startribune.com/sports/blogs/252479841.html
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I'd love to see more of R. Williams this fall. Watching him run over that poor New Mexico State defender in AggieVision was top notch.
 


WorkingMyTailOff said:
I'd love to see more of R. Williams this fall. Watching him run over that poor New Mexico State defender in AggieVision was top notch.
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Yeah, but everything is top notch when viewed in AggieVision.
 

tinyarch said:
This video made me laugh...but only because I decided to watch it with the "closed-caption" on. All these years and the CC still can't translate. Too funny.

I am liking the positive vibe around the program though. Looking forward to August!
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Haha! Good call, that was awesome!
 

jaymil said:
JoeC Blog: Rodrick Williams Looks Like a Man on a Mission This Spring

"On March 8, the 5-11, 235-pound Williams ran right over linebacker Cody Poock on a run, then shouted at the defense, “Give me somebody who wants to hit!”

On the next play, Williams had an excellent block in pass protection and drew immediate praise from Coach Jerry Kill. Blocking was a real weakness for Williams in 2012 as a freshman, so he’s come a long way.

“Competition makes everybody get after it, that’s for sure,” Kill said, noting that the battle for playing time and carries is especially fierce at running back."

http://www.startribune.com/sports/blogs/252479841.html
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That actually makes more more concerned about Poock then happy about Roderick since he will supposedly start or at least play a bigger role. I would prefer to see our starting OLB run right through our third string or maybe even fifth string RB with Jeff and Berkley then the other way around. i really don't see how you can have 2 of the exact same players like Kirkwood and Williams both getting meaningful snaps when you have those other 3 guys who are so much different then them. Its going to be one or the other.
 

die hard gopher said:
That actually makes more more concerned about Poock then happy about Roderick since he will supposedly start or at least play a bigger role. I would prefer to see our starting OLB run right through our third string or maybe even fifth string RB with Jeff and Berkley then the other way around. i really don't see how you can have 2 of the exact same players like Kirkwood and Williams both getting meaningful snaps when you have those other 3 guys who are so much different then them. Its going to be one or the other.
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Don't worry too much about Poock, it was his 4th practice here.
 

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