What do we do with Edwards

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upnorthkid

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I just feel like this is kind of a dilemma. we have a very talented (imo) stable of RBs right now and it appears as though Jones will (likely) jump Edwards almost immediately on the depth chart. So do you move him into a slot scatback type role? Just wondering how we're going to be splitting carries (which is a very good problem to have)
 

upnorthkid said:
I just feel like this is kind of a dilemma. we have a very talented (imo) stable of RBs right now and it appears as though Jones will (likely) jump Edwards almost immediately on the depth chart. So do you move him into a slot scatback type role? Just wondering how we're going to be splitting carries (which is a very good problem to have)
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Jones will likely be the scatback and play multiple spots because of his talent, being a true freshman, and having good hands. Lots of work for Jones to do on and off the field yet.
 

Tons of depth at running back for us this year!
David Cobb, Jeff Jones, Berkeley Edwards, Donnell Kirkwood, and Roderick Williams all have potential to make an impact.
 

we will definitely see plenty of of Berkley this year hopefully in the jet sweeps this year which will be very similar with what Wisconsin did with Melvin Gordon and Corey Clement. Can you imagine Berkley getting the ball at full speed in those situations. Fruechte, Engel and Wolitarsky managed to get 7-10 yards a pop on those. I can only imagine what Berkley would be able to do with that much open field. Kirkwood and Roderick will get the short end of the stick.
 

Jones is a true freshman and Edwards is going to be a redshirt freshman. After this upcoming season, Cobb will be gone. There will be plenty of work to go around in the near future. Maybe not this upcoming year immediately at the running back position......but with Jones running/pass catching ability and Edwards speed......I don't think Kill and staff will have trouble getting them both on the field.
 


Lets not forget boys it took david cobb until his junior year to figure out to pick up a blitz.. High school u can get away with that.. We have no idea if either of them can do this yet? Yes they will all get carries but to be every down back u need to be great in protection
 

I realize that Jones is a solid looking RB and everything, a lot of hype with him, yet I dont think he sees the field this year. I am not saying he wont see the field due to academics keeping out of a gopher uniform, more so that we allready have a solid stable in front of Jones, and to expect (yes even a great High School RB) to come in and tear it up is unreasonable to me. Wasting his scholarship on 2 snaps a game seems like a waste, since those 2 to 8 touches should be going to Berkley who brings the speed element lacking this past year.

I see Jones' freshman year being one focused on getting his academics in order, learning the many aspects of college ball, and simply developing as an all around individual so he can fully contribute in 2015.
 

gopherhoopsguy said:
Lets not forget boys it took david cobb until his junior year to figure out to pick up a blitz.. High school u can get away with that.. We have no idea if either of them can do this yet? Yes they will all get carries but to be every down back u need to be great in protection
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Exactly, the blocking aspect alone is a BIG one to get used to, especially in the BIG ten.
 

injuries happen and high ankle sprains coudl change the depth charts at the RB position every week.

I would be on the side of RShirting Jones because i would rather have well developed 3rd and 4th year RB's than 1st.

But of course the coaches will put the best players on the field and if something happens "next man up"
 



victor04 said:
I realize that Jones is a solid looking RB and everything, a lot of hype with him, yetI dont think he sees the field this year. I am not saying he wont see the field due to academics keeping out of a gopher uniform, more so that we allready have a solid stable in front of Jones, and to expect (yes even a great High School RB) to come in and tear it up is unreasonable to me. Wasting his scholarship on 2 snaps a game seems like a waste, since those 2 to 8 touches should be going to Berkley who brings the speed element lacking this past year.

I see Jones' freshman year being one focused on getting his academics in order, learning the many aspects of college ball, and simply developing as an all around individual so he can fully contribute in 2015.
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Hahaha you can't be serious.
 

The coaches will find a way to get the best players on the field. Even if Berkley only gets 10-15 snaps a game this year, it's not a big deal. He's only a redshirt freshman. Teams all over the country have underclassmen waiting their turn.
 

Wow, that is a dilemma! The gophers with way too much talent at running back. Oh, and two of them haven't appeared in a game yet. What to do. Luckily Coach Kill is up for a raise, as I'm sure he'll be spending late nights worrying about this one.
 

gopherhoopsguy said:
Lets not forget boys it took david cobb until his junior year to figure out to pick up a blitz.. High school u can get away with that.. We have no idea if either of them can do this yet? Yes they will all get carries but to be every down back u need to be great in protection
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but lets not forget that Roderick Williams was a major contributor as a true freshman and Donnell Kirkwood got 12 carries in the first game of the season as a true freshman as well. It goes both ways and they were inferior to what Jeff is now when they were that young and more likely then not they still are inferior to Jeff.
 



Old Goph said:
Wow, that is a dilemma! The gophers with way too much talent at running back. Oh, and two of them haven't appeared in a game yet. What to do. Luckily Coach Kill is up for a raise, as I'm sure he'll be spending late nights worrying about this one.
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when I read this I totally thought of my dad... just has an ornery sarcasm to it...

jones is one of the top 50 recruits in the nation.... kids like this don't r's.... Coaches put talent like this on the field... where ever they can make room.. he may not be running between the tackles much this year... but they will get the ball in his hands...

I want to somehow see both jones's, maxx, Holland jr, and Edwards on the field together.... alot
 

stuck_in_scony_go4_fan said:
when I read this I totally thought of my dad... just has an ornery sarcasm to it...

jones is one of the top 50 recruits in the nation.... kids like this don't r's.... Coaches put talent like this on the field... where ever they can make room.. he may not be running between the tackles much this year... but they will get the ball in his hands...

I want to somehow see both jones's, maxx, Holland jr, and Edwards on the field together.... alot
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That's what happens when you get old - you become ornery and sarcastic (although I was born that way). I totally agree with what you say. Obviously I don't post much, but sometimes things just strike me as so ridiculous, I can't help myself. When I think of dilemmas and Gopher football, too much talent is never going to crack my top 100.
 



Do we even know if Berkley Edwards is any good at this point?
 


Let us also remember that Kill is very much about the student in student athlete and knows that if Jones can't stay eligible, it wont matter how good he is. I don't expect Jones to RS, but it all depends on how well he balances school and football and life away from home.

This staff is real good at sitting players that aren't having success in the classroom regardless of their talent level. If Jones isn't getting it done off the field, he won't see the field during games.
 

I feel the bigger dilemma is this:

Jeff Jones will be the first true freshmen to preemptively be awarded the Heisman (before actually playing a single down of football). He will secure the services of an agent in or around September and be selected first overall in the 2017 NFL draft. Kill is subsequently fired for recruiting players with "too much talent".
 

Kill's pattern is that he'll put the guys on the field who he believes gives the team the best chance to win. It's quite a jump from high school to college, but if Jones shows he can play, he'll play.

Like others here, I think Jones and Edwards bring some versatility to the backfield. Don't get me wrong. I like Cobb, Kirkwood, and Williams, but they all have the same style. I think Jones and Edwards can create a lot of match-up problems for the defense and that will be welcome.
 

First things first, there is no such thing as having too much depth at RB. We are going to run a lot and guys will get injured or banged up so having multiple players that can be relied on is a very good thing.

Assuming Jones has all his school work in order and is as good as advertised this is one way I could see it all shaking out next year.

Cobb/Jones - split carries as the primary options
Williams - becomes a FB/backup option at RB
Edwards - Assuming he has some of his brothers ability to catch the ball he gets used as a scat back/slot receiver type who doesn't get a lot of carries between the tackles but is rather used as a pass catching option out of the backfield.
Kirkwood - becomes the odd man out who probably won't see a ton of action unless there are injuries in front of him on the depth chart
Smith - Red Shirts.

But again all that assumes that Jones actually lives up the hype and that Edwards is durable enough to be a quality player at this level. At this point Jones, Edwards and Smith are complete unknowns and Williams is a guy who showed some flashes but is still a somewhat unknown commodity as well. I love how we have a large contingent in here that tells us how pointless the rankings are until it comes to a guy like Jones then all of the sudden the recruiting services have it all right and he is a can't miss top flight talent.

RB will be an interesting spot to watch in the spring and fall to see how it all shakes out.
 

kittysparrow said:
btowngopher said:
Do we even know if Berkley Edwards is any good at this point?[/Q

Edwards has what the others don't, blazing speed. He will play a lot.
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He needs to have a lot of what Williams and Kirkwood have PLUS blazing speed. Devon Wright is probably faster than any rb prior to Edwards and we know how much he has played.
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MNVCGUY said:
First things first, there is no such thing as having too much depth at RB. We are going to run a lot and guys will get injured or banged up so having multiple players that can be relied on is a very good thing.

Assuming Jones has all his school work in order and is as good as advertised this is one way I could see it all shaking out next year.

Cobb/Jones - split carries as the primary options
Williams - becomes a FB/backup option at RB
Edwards - Assuming he has some of his brothers ability to catch the ball he gets used as a scat back/slot receiver type who doesn't get a lot of carries between the tackles but is rather used as a pass catching option out of the backfield.
Kirkwood - becomes the odd man out who probably won't see a ton of action unless there are injuries in front of him on the depth chart
Smith - Red Shirts.

But again all that assumes that Jones actually lives up the hype and that Edwards is durable enough to be a quality player at this level. At this point Jones, Edwards and Smith are complete unknowns and Williams is a guy who showed some flashes but is still a somewhat unknown commodity as well. I love how we have a large contingent in here that tells us how pointless the rankings are until it comes to a guy like Jones then all of the sudden the recruiting services have it all right and he is a can't miss top flight talent.

RB will be an interesting spot to watch in the spring and fall to see how it all shakes out.
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+1 I could see Kirkwood becoming a short yardage specialist, seemed like he started settling into that type of roll towards the end of last year if I remember right.
 

Obviously the only solution will be to run as often as Navy to ensure that everyone gets their fair share of carries. Maryland-I every down, even fourth.
 

btowngopher said:
+1 I could see Kirkwood becoming a short yardage specialist, seemed like he started settling into that type of roll towards the end of last year if I remember right.
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Not to mention Jones would have been he top recruit ever had he committed to an SEC program, but they downgraded him because he's a Minnesota commit ;)


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Don't forget about Thomas, the Juco FB from Kansas. He may not touch the ball often, but I fully expect to see him out on the field from the start.

Looking forward to watching him and the TE's open holes and lead the way for Jones/Edwards/Cobb.
 

We might be getting a little ahead of ourselves with our assumptions about the kind of immediate impact Edwards and Jones can make. I am excited about both of them, and obviously Jeff Jones is one of our best recruits (if not the best) in recent memory. However, neither of them has ever taken a collegiate snap, and I think it is a little silly to assume that there can be no doubt whatsoever that they will both be able to make an immediate impact. Obviously, Jones looked incredible in high school, but this is a whole new ball game.

I'm not saying they can't make a difference this year, I'm just saying lets not count our chickens until we've seen them play at least one college game.
 

We have all of this "talent" at RB. Some of which is totally untested. Remember, one of our major problems at running and passing was the O line. Improvement in the O Line will do as much next year to improve the offense as the addition of key skilled position players. This is still an open question IMHO.
 

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