Open practice takeaways

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swelna

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For anyone who was there, what were your takeaways? Seems we have a thread about a CAB injury (yikes...) but no other news here so far.
 

Injuries are scared of the Gophers. Other than that, they are practicing beating Olowo State. C'mon that was sort of funny Ohio-Olowo. Or maybe I'm just drunk.
 

Heard the passing game was kind of stale...doesn't bode well for the offense if that is the usual...
 




We have to be concerned about the offense and CAB's injury. This is not the kind of news we want to hear coming out of Open Practice. Tanner Morgan has to accelerate his comfort zone with other WRs who will step up.

Like I have said previously, Kirk Ciarrocca leaving hurt the development of Matt Simon under his system. He would have been promoted to Offensive Coordinator, not Co-Offensive Coordinator if PJ Fleck thought he was ready.

I am not so sure how effective the new offense under Sanford will be. Ciarrocca's RPO system was awesome. The jury is still out on Sanford.

To be fair, last season was fraught with Covid and the collapse of the kicking game. Several key players opting out did not help.
 


Interesting that when they went to 11 on 11, game situation 1’s vs 1’s, 2’s vs 2’s, back and forth.

The first time it was 1v1, RG and RT was 56 - 77, next time it was 77 - 78, next time 56 - 78. Lots of movement on the O line, which I take as a positive and position flexibility.

1 play (7on7) was Dylan Wright vs Walley. You can tell those are 2 future gems. Wright came down with the ball vs very good d. Wiley looked fast and determined (spent some time in the slot too). Mar’Keise Irving will get some run this year.

They threw to the TE! Looks like Nick Kallerup is targeted as the #2 pass catching TE.

Pinkney and Gibbens showed out and MJ Anderson looked stout.

If the O was playing at the level I expect for the year, I feel much, much better about the progress on the D side of the ball.
 

My takeaways:

Defense
- Defense looked much improved from a D line and LB perspective. They played well and with much more intensity during the 2nd & 3rd down situations.
- Gibbons, Sori-Marin, Oliver were the main backers on the 1s. Lindenberg looks like he hit the weight room hard this summer, let's hope that translate to the field.
- Pinckney is going to be a big help. Cheney and Carter looked much more physical.
- Nubin and Howden both made a couple nice plays. Durr will be solid. Outside of that we may be thin and more vulnerable in the secondary. We will need the front 7 to play better.

Offense
- O line is huge and experienced. They looked pretty good today but still working out some kinks. Once they get in rhythm they will be a force.
- Mo is Mo. Wiley and Potts took most of the 1/2s. Wiley to me looked more confident and stronger. Potts I think could be a great passing back. Bucky and Thomas (#4 & #8) looked the part for sure. I think they both have a bright future.
- CRAB went down. Did not look good from my angle. Jackson also got banged up a bit. Geary, Wright, Brown-Stephens & Emilien will rotate in. Boyd & Brockington even have a shot.

D looked better then O, but they also probably have a better understanding of the plays then an opponent. Those are my opinions, take it for what it's worth.
 




Given it's just one open practice to observe, I thought both lines played well, and as mentioned it was nice to see player rotations on both. Running game looked good, couple of good options behind Mo. Liked what I saw from the kicking game, got some good legs to choose from.
 

hungan1 said:
We have to be concerned about the offense and CAB's injury. This is not the kind of news we want to hear coming out of Open Practice. Tanner Morgan has to accelerate his comfort zone with other WRs who will step up.

Like I have said previously, Kirk Ciarrocca leaving hurt the development of Matt Simon under his system. He would have been promoted to Offensive Coordinator, not Co-Offensive Coordinator if PJ Fleck thought he was ready.

I am not so sure how effective the new offense under Sanford will be. Ciarrocca's RPO system was awesome. The jury is still out on Sanford.

To be fair, last season was fraught with Covid and the collapse of the kicking game. Several key players opting out did not help.
Click to expand...
I think PJ still holds to the desire that his OC coach his quarterbacks -- so until that changes we will lose Simon to another job. Per Burns if Harasymiak would have gotten the Buffalo job he would have taken Simon and Wilt with him as his coordinators -- so we can look forward to that.
 

noamfromm said:
I think PJ still holds to the desire that his OC coach his quarterbacks -- so until that changes we will lose Simon to another job. Per Burns if Harasymiak would have gotten the Buffalo job he would have taken Simon and Wilt with him as his coordinators -- so we can look forward to that.
Click to expand...
I understand the argument, but it doesn't hold water for me.

P5 is not the NFL, I get that. But in the NFL ... coordinators don't coach positions. And ..... magically, the QB still understands the offense.

QB coaches coach the QB's. Tweaking their throwing motions, their steps/footwork, read progressions, etc. Working through the playbook with them. Watching film, saying things like "next time we run this route, think about looking over here to the Z if you get that soft cover 2" etc etc

Coordinators make the game plan and move the chess pieces around during the game.


I think that's how it should be for P5 too. I know the number of coaches is restricted.
 



MplsGopher said:
I understand the argument, but it doesn't hold water for me.

P5 is not the NFL, I get that. But in the NFL ... coordinators don't coach positions. And ..... magically, the QB still understands the offense.

QB coaches coach the QB's. Tweaking their throwing motions, their steps/footwork, read progressions, etc. Working through the playbook with them. Watching film, saying things like "next time we run this route, think about looking over here to the Z if you get that soft cover 2" etc etc

Coordinators make the game plan and move the chess pieces around during the game.


I think that's how it should be for P5 too. I know the number of coaches is restricted.
Click to expand...
Regardless if that is how it should be, currently the argument is exclusively that the number of coaches is restricted. Quarterbacks are the smallest position group (save specialists) and run the offense so it makes it nice to give them to the OC. If we separate the OC we then need to get rid of either the safeties or the corners coaches. Fleck has felt it important to keep those two positions separate and thus it makes it hard to change his division of labor on the offensive side.

How would you divide up the position groups such that we had a QB and OC -- I'd probably let Harasymiak walk, let Haynes take over DB or find someone who will, can Sanford and Wenger, add ST to Patterson, make Simon OC and hire a WR & QB and you still have one spot left.

Currently it is:

DC & LB - Rossi
S - Harasymiak
C - Haynes
DL - Wilt
OL - Callahan
TE - Patterson
RB - Burns
WR - Simon
OC & QB - Sanford
ST & Rush Ends - Wenger

Under Kill (only 9 back then):

DC - Claeys
DL - Phelps
LB - Sherels
DB & ST - Sawvel
OL & OC - Limegrover
RB - Anderson
WR - Poore
TE - Reeves
QB - Zebrowski
 

noamfromm said:
I think PJ still holds to the desire that his OC coach his quarterbacks -- so until that changes we will lose Simon to another job. Per Burns if Harasymiak would have gotten the Buffalo job he would have taken Simon and Wilt with him as his coordinators -- so we can look forward to that.
Click to expand...
Matt Simon might be the most overrated play called in gopher history

He called a great game against auburn but we are acting like it is a travesty that we might lost a guy who has yet to get an OC job in the MAC


people forget that the 2017 and 2018 gophers offenses left a lot to be desired.
 

Some guy said:
Matt Simon might be the most overrated play called in gopher history

He called a great game against auburn but we are acting like it is a travesty that we might lost a guy who has yet to get an OC job in the MAC


people forget that the 2017 and 2018 gophers offenses left a lot to be desired.
Click to expand...
Regardless if those offenses could have been better Simon has developed receivers here. He may or may not be OC material -- but if he is not ours he is probably someone else's shortly.
 

Some guy said:
we are acting like it is a travesty that we might lost a guy who has yet to get an OC job in the MAC
Click to expand...
Why would he want an OC job in the MAC? He has an OC job in the Big Ten.
 

Enjoyed the vibe and energy of the practice and watching the place kickers make field goals—the drill conducted to Chopin may have been an all-time first for college football.
 


Some guy said:
Matt Simon might be the most overrated play called in gopher history

He called a great game against auburn
Click to expand...
I doubt you're serious here.

"Yeah, he did a really great job for us. But would he do a great job for for us?? Who knows!"
 

noamfromm said:
Regardless if that is how it should be, currently the argument is exclusively that the number of coaches is restricted. Quarterbacks are the smallest position group (save specialists) and run the offense so it makes it nice to give them to the OC. If we separate the OC we then need to get rid of either the safeties or the corners coaches. Fleck has felt it important to keep those two positions separate and thus it makes it hard to change his division of labor on the offensive side.

How would you divide up the position groups such that we had a QB and OC -- I'd probably let Harasymiak walk, let Haynes take over DB or find someone who will, can Sanford and Wenger, add ST to Patterson, make Simon OC and hire a WR & QB and you still have one spot left.

Currently it is:

DC & LB - Rossi
S - Harasymiak
C - Haynes
DL - Wilt
OL - Callahan
TE - Patterson
RB - Burns
WR - Simon
OC & QB - Sanford
ST & Rush Ends - Wenger
Click to expand...
I would let P5 teams have another coach, simple as that. Have a separate OC and a separate QB coach.

Within the rules as they are, I understand the argument and Fleck has made his decision. Just like he made his decision with Robb Smith. He will have to live by it, or decide to make a change if warranted.
 

Some guy said:
Matt Simon might be the most overrated play called in gopher history

He called a great game against auburn but we are acting like it is a travesty that we might lost a guy who has yet to get an OC job in the MAC


people forget that the 2017 and 2018 gophers offenses left a lot to be desired.
Click to expand...
Yep, back to back goose eggs to end the season in 2017. Who was the OC back then...?
 

PMWinSTP said:
Yep, back to back goose eggs to end the season in 2017. Who was the OC back then...?
Click to expand...
According to gophersports .com, 2017 staff:
4ALej9D.png


2018 staff:
5igM3kI.png


2019 staff:
oLsPEhU.png



What changed in 2019, in regards to offensive game planning duties? :unsure:
 

MplsGopher said:
I doubt you're serious here.

"Yeah, he did a really great job for us. But would he do a great job for for us?? Who knows!"
Click to expand...

Agree there is currently more accumulated evidence that Sanford is not good than Simon would -not be - good. Of course, both or neither could be true going forward. I don’t like to be in a position of getting emotionally invested in hoping a coach fails to support a prediction he sucks, ie the Brewster Paradox. I was eg skeptical of PJF upon arrival but I’ve seen enough to throw in my total support. I reserve the option to make good natured fun of statements on numbers of upperclassmen, pay cuts, geese, and success charts.
 

MplsGopher said:
According to gophersports .com, 2017 staff:
4ALej9D.png


2018 staff:
5igM3kI.png


2019 staff:
oLsPEhU.png



What changed in 2019, in regards to offensive game planning duties? :unsure:
Click to expand...
I was being rhetorical. Many GHers often pined for him to return.
 

PMWinSTP said:
I was being rhetorical. Many GHers often pined for him to return.
Click to expand...
Yeah he was good. As was Simon. But to pretend like either are perfect and irreplaceable is just funny
 



MplsGopher said:
Should've happened after the Auburn Bowl game.

The failure to take this obvious step, and the original hiring of Robb Smith, have been PJ Fleck's two greatest blunders of his career here.
Click to expand...
Hard to say hiring Sanford instead of Simon was a blunder when we haven’t seen much of a sample size of either of them.
 

Some guy said:
Matt Simon might be the most overrated play called in gopher history

He called a great game against auburn but we are acting like it is a travesty that we might lost a guy who has yet to get an OC job in the MAC


people forget that the 2017 and 2018 gophers offenses left a lot to be desired.
Click to expand...

I don't think people forget about 2017 and 2018, I think they probably assume it takes a coach a bit to build his system. I don't think it's forgetting, it's putting those years into context. 2018 was also pretty middle of the road.

As far as Simon, I don't think people pine for him to be the OC because of the Auburn game. That was a cherry on top. He has been a position coach at one of our best positions. He gets quite a bit of credit for developing Bateman, Johnson, CAB, and people trust him to develop Jackson, Wright, Emelian. The other part of it is that Simon is one of our best recruiters. I think most people see him as an up-and-coming coach and someone we would really miss if he left. When Kirk C. left, it felt like a natural move to promote Simon (he seemed like next in line and for all of the reasons above).
 

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