Mike Max filled in for Dave Mona on today's Sports Huddle. Coach Kill sounded quite enthused about the team and where it is presently in the two-a-days. He also cited a number of players that caught his eye in the scrimmage and practices.
1) Mike Max opened the show asking about the recent scrimmage, including apparent struggles: Kill said he saw a lot of good things in the scrimmage and didn't sound too conerned about the struggles. They're where he thought they'd be at this time. The first person he cited was Marquies Gray: "Marquies played well . . . threw as good as I've seen him do it." Receivers caught the ball well and cited the following receivers that he sounded quite excited about: Jamel Harbison, Andre McDonald, A.J. Barker, and Marcus Jones.
Offensive linemen mentioned as playing well in the scrimmage: Zac Epping and the Olson brothers. He also cited Joe Bjorklund as having a good camp and has shown improvement.
Defensive linemen cited: Ra'Shede Hageman (sounded excited about Ra'Shede"s play, improvement and potential), Roland Johnson, Cameron Botticelli, Michael Amaefula, Ben Perry, and true freshman Alex Keith.
Linebackers: Lamonte Edwards and Brendan Beal "stood out."
Defensive backs cited: true freshmen - Antonio Johnson, Eric Murray, and Damarius Travis.
Tailacks: Kill mentioned and sounded really high on KJ Maye. (Also mentioned Maye's receiving abilities.) He also said all of the talibacks played well and have been looking good in practice.
He closed the segment saying, "There are six or seven special freshmen."
2) Sid said he didn't think the defense looked good in the scrimmage: Kill responded, "I thought they did . . . it's about where I thought we'd be at this time . . . played about 100 players." He admitted they struggled at times because of miscommunication, which isn't surprising when you're experimenting and playing so many players. Again, Kill didn't sound upset about the struggles . . . talked about the practices leading up to the scrimmage and the two practices following saying he's "pleased with their effort." They're going to do some team building exercises today.
3) Sid said they seemed to throw a lot in the scrimmage: Kill said it may have seemed as though they were throwing more, however, they weren't: "No, we're going to be a team that runs the ball." They want to be balanced on offense. He went onto say they're looking at personnel and situations and getting the players in the right positions and determing what they need to do to improve as a team.
4) Sid asked if freshmen will play this year: Kill responded, "Yes." Although Kill said nothing is certain, he cited the following (sounded excited): KJ Maye, Jamel Harbison, Andre McDonald, Eric Murray, Damarius Travis, Antonio Johnson. Kill closed the question saying BTN staffers were at the scrimmage/practices and that they were "high" on Minnesota's freshman class.
5) Max asked about the backup QBs: "Max is doing some good things as are the other two." Not a lot of time spent on the query. He then said the next week is critical (evaluations) and a lot of decisions will be made.
6) Sid on punting: "Work in progress." Kill cited Peter Mortelli (the most consistent punter and that he averaged more than 40 yards per punt). Kill also mentioned the Aussie freshman Christan (didn't get his last name), "Has a chance to settle in." He also mentioned David Schwerman. In closing he said, "We'll be better." He then talked about the importance of competition that they're presently enjoying in the kicking game and the importance of "Performance under pressure (gameday)."
7) Sid then asked about the freshmen class: Kill feels good about the class and then repeated the BTN comments about the group. Kill closed saying, "We've got a talented class." However, he tempered his enthusiasm by saying there's a big difference between freshmen and juniors. He feels good about the future, however.
8) Sid asked about the secondary and sang the praises of Troy Stoudermire: Again, Kill stressed the competiton that they're enjoying in the secondary. He said all jobs are open and nothing is certain at this time (the past is the past, and what's important is what a player does now). He did say Martez Shabazz is playing as well as anybody. And, once again, he metioned Eric Murray as a player that has caught his eye.
9) Sd asked about Marcus Jones: "He's done a good job returning punts and kicks . . . he's consistent."
Go Gophers!!
1) Mike Max opened the show asking about the recent scrimmage, including apparent struggles: Kill said he saw a lot of good things in the scrimmage and didn't sound too conerned about the struggles. They're where he thought they'd be at this time. The first person he cited was Marquies Gray: "Marquies played well . . . threw as good as I've seen him do it." Receivers caught the ball well and cited the following receivers that he sounded quite excited about: Jamel Harbison, Andre McDonald, A.J. Barker, and Marcus Jones.
Offensive linemen mentioned as playing well in the scrimmage: Zac Epping and the Olson brothers. He also cited Joe Bjorklund as having a good camp and has shown improvement.
Defensive linemen cited: Ra'Shede Hageman (sounded excited about Ra'Shede"s play, improvement and potential), Roland Johnson, Cameron Botticelli, Michael Amaefula, Ben Perry, and true freshman Alex Keith.
Linebackers: Lamonte Edwards and Brendan Beal "stood out."
Defensive backs cited: true freshmen - Antonio Johnson, Eric Murray, and Damarius Travis.
Tailacks: Kill mentioned and sounded really high on KJ Maye. (Also mentioned Maye's receiving abilities.) He also said all of the talibacks played well and have been looking good in practice.
He closed the segment saying, "There are six or seven special freshmen."
2) Sid said he didn't think the defense looked good in the scrimmage: Kill responded, "I thought they did . . . it's about where I thought we'd be at this time . . . played about 100 players." He admitted they struggled at times because of miscommunication, which isn't surprising when you're experimenting and playing so many players. Again, Kill didn't sound upset about the struggles . . . talked about the practices leading up to the scrimmage and the two practices following saying he's "pleased with their effort." They're going to do some team building exercises today.
3) Sid said they seemed to throw a lot in the scrimmage: Kill said it may have seemed as though they were throwing more, however, they weren't: "No, we're going to be a team that runs the ball." They want to be balanced on offense. He went onto say they're looking at personnel and situations and getting the players in the right positions and determing what they need to do to improve as a team.
4) Sid asked if freshmen will play this year: Kill responded, "Yes." Although Kill said nothing is certain, he cited the following (sounded excited): KJ Maye, Jamel Harbison, Andre McDonald, Eric Murray, Damarius Travis, Antonio Johnson. Kill closed the question saying BTN staffers were at the scrimmage/practices and that they were "high" on Minnesota's freshman class.
5) Max asked about the backup QBs: "Max is doing some good things as are the other two." Not a lot of time spent on the query. He then said the next week is critical (evaluations) and a lot of decisions will be made.
6) Sid on punting: "Work in progress." Kill cited Peter Mortelli (the most consistent punter and that he averaged more than 40 yards per punt). Kill also mentioned the Aussie freshman Christan (didn't get his last name), "Has a chance to settle in." He also mentioned David Schwerman. In closing he said, "We'll be better." He then talked about the importance of competition that they're presently enjoying in the kicking game and the importance of "Performance under pressure (gameday)."
7) Sid then asked about the freshmen class: Kill feels good about the class and then repeated the BTN comments about the group. Kill closed saying, "We've got a talented class." However, he tempered his enthusiasm by saying there's a big difference between freshmen and juniors. He feels good about the future, however.
8) Sid asked about the secondary and sang the praises of Troy Stoudermire: Again, Kill stressed the competiton that they're enjoying in the secondary. He said all jobs are open and nothing is certain at this time (the past is the past, and what's important is what a player does now). He did say Martez Shabazz is playing as well as anybody. And, once again, he metioned Eric Murray as a player that has caught his eye.
9) Sd asked about Marcus Jones: "He's done a good job returning punts and kicks . . . he's consistent."
Go Gophers!!
