Our program's depth has improved.

[victor04]

As usual what is being lost (or not thought of at all) is the best interest of the player. Nelson would be a boarder line fool to take the field 4 games in as the 2/3rd team QB.

Oh what a surprise, there you go again taking a swipe at Kill because he "supposedly" doesn't care about his players. But of course the oh so great Brewster, the one that you respect so much because he sold you on his used carsmen talk, cared so much about his players. Was Brewster caring about his players when he let the players M. Carter, J. Edwards, and K. Whaley run wild because they all had great talent but lacked discipline?

This is a team game, a TEAM. It's not a im going to get mine, and you get yours type outfit. Until you realize this, you are going to keep taking under the radar shots at Kill. I said a while back I know why you have disdain towards kill, and I thought it was unwarranted. You asked what it was. Well it's pretty clear by what you have said, that you thought Kill left your son out to dry, and he was the reason why your son didn't make it to the combine. Are you serious? If a dude has talent, going or not going to the combine has very little to do with someone getting drafted. Think of some of the great players who were hurt, and couldn't perform at the combine, but yet were still first round, second round, 3rd round draftees....

Honestly your snide remarks are getting quite predictive/old, and it sings of you playing the whole "whoa is me" type theme over and over. We all appreciate what your son did for the program, and of course Kill could have said some better things about your son or the team in general last year, but he is building a program. A program is bigger than your son, Marquies, E. Decker...... Embrace this new program, you have done alot for it, and they have done much for you. Honestly, I see you as someone who could truly help bridge the gap between Minneapolis's past grudges towards the U (of course some rightfully so), and the positive direction I see the U going in. You are tied into things that many of us here are not. I have one last thing to say, if your son would have stayed at Wisconsin, would he have had more success from a personal standpoint?

 

[MNVCGUY]

Saying "coaches are not idiots" is not a valid argument, because you're implying that they don't make mistakes. Coaches are people - they can and do make mistakes. I'm not saying they are idiots, but they quit often make idiotic decisions. That's why they get fired so much and so often. Kill is the rare coach who has never been fired in his career, but he's not above making stupid decisions. I questioned many of his decisions to play true freshmen last year, and I'm doing so again this year, and I'm sure I will be in the future. If he plays Nelson when he's not needed, it is a big deal, and I will absolutely question it.

Of course coaches are going to make mistakes on players but I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt as they are with these players everyday. They know what each guy can do and if they choose to play a guy over another there is probably a valid reason behind it. It is always easy as a fan to look back and say they should have done this or they should have done that but at the time they clearly had a reason for why they chose to burn the players red shirt. Coaches are not going to play a guy just for the hell of it if they feel like there is a better option on the roster.

 

[dpodoll68]

Of course coaches are going to make mistakes on players but I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt as they are with these players everyday. They know what each guy can do and if they choose to play a guy over another there is probably a valid reason behind it. It is always easy as a fan to look back and say they should have done this or they should have done that but at the time they clearly had a reason for why they chose to burn the players red shirt. Coaches are not going to play a guy just for the hell of it if they feel like there is a better option on the roster.

For the record, I said in 2008 that playing any one of McKnight, Lair and Kirksey (let alone all 3) was colossally stupid, so this isn't just hindsight. They redshirted practically everyone in 2009 and 2010 (except M. Carter, who I have no quibbles with as he started several games), but we have reverted to a handful of questionable redshirt decisions these last 2 seasons. I suspect we'll be having these same conversations several years down the road about all/most of the guys like Goodger, Levine, Wells, Thompson, McDonald, A. Johnson, Keith, and Murray. In particular, they seem to be very cavalier with playing DBs right away, which is concerning to me given the nature of a typical Minnesota secondary. In my opinion (just my opinion), if a guy isn't playing significant snaps from scrimmage, it's silly to waste his redshirt on playing special teams. I refuse to believe that A. Johnson or Murray is that much better at running down field on kickoffs than any number of upperclassmen on the roster.

 

[John Galt]

For the record, I said in 2008 that playing any one of McKnight, Lair and Kirksey (let alone all 3) was colossally stupid, so this isn't just hindsight. They redshirted practically everyone in 2009 and 2010 (except M. Carter, who I have no quibbles with as he started several games), but we have reverted to a handful of questionable redshirt decisions these last 2 seasons. I suspect we'll be having these same conversations several years down the road about all/most of the guys like Goodger, Levine, Wells, Thompson, McDonald, A. Johnson, Keith, and Murray. In particular, they seem to be very cavalier with playing DBs right away, which is concerning to me given the nature of a typical Minnesota secondary. In my opinion (just my opinion), if a guy isn't playing significant snaps from scrimmage, it's silly to waste his redshirt on playing special teams. I refuse to believe that A. Johnson or Murray is that much better at running down field on kickoffs than any number of upperclassmen on the roster.

It's not just that Johnson and Murray are superior at kick-off coverage, it's that it prevents you from having to put a starter out there and risking an injury. Imagine what would happen to our defense if Derrick Wells got injured covering a kick?

As for red-shirting, in a perfect world, a team would give out 18 scholarships every year, and each true freshmen would red-shirt because the talent in front of them is so much better that they aren't needed at all. In reality, this doesn't happen with even the best teams. Players get better in part by actually seeing time on the field. Does anyone doubt that Derrick Wells wouldn't have had nearly the start he has if he didn't see the field at all last year? You could argue that it was a wasted year and that he was used basically on special teams, but I think it goes without saying that some of his success is due to the game action he experienced. This is probably the difference between where he is at and a guy like Cockran. If Jerry Kill doesn't start to win and show signs of success during years 2-4, years 5-7 are irrelevant because he won't be here. The guys playing are going to be the foundation of the team over the next several years, so it makes sense to get them some experience. With Troy and Mike graduating after the season, Murray will need to be in the rotation at corner next year. I'd rather have my 3rd/4th corner be a guy that's gotten some game action and knows what to expect vs. getting thrown into the fire unprepared. As for Nelson, they are trying desperately to red-shirt him, but if Shortell goes down, they owe it to the team and fans to put players on the field that give us the best chance to win.

 

[mnsports1]

It's not just that Johnson and Murray are superior at kick-off coverage, it's that it prevents you from having to put a starter out there and risking an injury. Imagine what would happen to our defense if Derrick Wells got injured covering a kick?

.

I could be wrong but I think DW does cover kicks...