Starting Linebackers

[Ogie Ogilthorpe]

Coming into the season you would have easily said the unit returning the most experience and therefore one of the strongest units would be the linebackers. On paper, it was looking like the Gophers would start three Seniors, all with significant playing time under their belts.

It's interesting to hear in some of the camp reports how ALL of them are being pushed by underclassmen, more specifically, James Manuel, Beal, and Lamonte Edwards.

I know, I know, all of them will play a lot and it doesn't matter a LOT who starts and who doesn't but at some point in the season how many of these underclassmen will overtake the senior(s) ahead of them?

And what does it mean for the unit if the underclassmen are just as good or better than the much more experienced Seniors in front of them? Rallis, Reeves and Cooper weren't QUITE as good as we thought? Or that the younger guys are just THAT much more talented.

At any rate, large amounts of playing time for Beal, Manuel, and Edwards this year means losing the Seniors this winter might not hurt quite that much.

 

[Killjoy]

Coming into the season you would have easily said the unit returning the most experience and therefore one of the strongest units would be the linebackers. On paper, it was looking like the Gophers would start three Seniors, all with significant playing time under their belts.

It's interesting to hear in some of the camp reports how ALL of them are being pushed by underclassmen, more specifically, James Manuel, Beal, and Lamonte Edwards.

I know, I know, all of them will play a lot and it doesn't matter a LOT who starts and who doesn't but at some point in the season how many of these underclassmen will overtake the senior(s) ahead of them?

And what does it mean for the unit if the underclassmen are just as good or better than the much more experienced Seniors in front of them? Rallis, Reeves and Cooper weren't QUITE as good as we thought? Or that the younger guys are just THAT much more talented.

At any rate, large amounts of playing time for Beal, Manuel, and Edwards this year means losing the Seniors this winter might not hurt quite that much.

We are going to see a lot more substitution this year than last year. First string and second string are just names on a piece of paper. Coach Kill has always tried to have his team be the strongest team on the field in the fourth quarter. One of the ways he does this is through constant substitution. As you stated in your comment all of these guys will see significant playing time.

 

[mkAz]

Nate Sandell ‏@NSandell
From the brief part of shell drills we saw, rotation on 1st team D remained fairly intact LB L. Edwards was playing w/ 1s in place of Reeves


Nate Sandell ‏@NSandell
@The_MNSportsGuy The No. 2 spot at MLB has been in flux. Beal, Grant and Hill have all shared time. Hill was in w/ 2s today.

https://twitter.com/NSandell/status/238038547767099393

 

[John Galt]

I think it's a good sign for the team that the young guys are pushing the seniors, and I wouldn't be shocked if we are seeing Beal, Manuel, and Edwards by the end of the year. Our LBs have been terrible the last 2 years IMHO, out of place, unable to shed blocks and make tackles, etc. I don't think its a coincidence that the last average team we had, the 2009 squad that was 6-7, had Campbell, Lawrence, and Triplett at LB, all 3 who at least had some NFL looks.

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

I think Lamonte Edwards is just that good of an athlete that the staff realizes that they need to get him on the field. I remember last year, a week removed from playing RB, he was brought in on 3rd and longs to rush the passer. They were/are desperate to get him on the field.

Cooper will play a ton this season, I wouldn't be worried about him.

I am a bit worried about Rallis. I love how hard he plays and I think he is a decent LB, but I do question how well he'll hold up in the middle. The fact that Beal could get some time in the middle doesn't make me think less of Rallis, I just never thought we'd see anything from Beal. So it's nice to get a "thumper" into the mix.

Manuel. . .I don't know much about him at LB. He is a terrific athlete and it sounds like it's a situation similar to that of Edwards, our staff wants to get him on the field.

 

[highwayman]

We are going to see a lot more substitution this year than last year. First string and second string are just names on a piece of paper. Coach Kill has always tried to have his team be the strongest team on the field in the fourth quarter. One of the ways he does this is through constant substitution. As you stated in your comment all of these guys will see significant playing time.

This. You're going to see a 8-man rotation minimum--Rallis, Reeves, Cooper, Beal, Manuel, Edwards, Grant, Hill, and maybe even Matilus and Westerhaus. Light in weight, but great LB depth.

 

[lars1429]

With 8 B1G teams running some version of the spread, they're going to need bodies. I like the mix of girth and athleticism amongst the linebackers. I.E. Beal playing big minutes against traditional offenses and not so much against the spread.

 

[corcoran1]

At the Coach Kill date night event, Coach Miller said Reeves was greatly improved and playing as well as anyone, and Manuel looked very good. I think your first point was right, it will not matter much who starts. You might see Beal on first downs more against Wisconsin, MSU, Neb and Mich. as well as third and short. He is a thumper.