What do we do with Edwards

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May have had as much to due with an undersized (but athletic and well schemed) OL being worn down. We have similar athleticism and more size, strength, and certainly more depth than in those days. Important points about RB and OL depth. 4 conference wins in a row was awesome and something to build on.

Kill needs to be working overtime to develop these young QBs. He has Leidner, Streveler, and McKinzy in school. I have no doubt they are being intensely schooled.
 

diehard said:
May have had as much to due with an undersized (but athletic and well schemed) OL being worn down. We have similar athleticism and more size, strength, and certainly more depth than in those days. Important points about RB and OL depth. 4 conference wins in a row was awesome and something to build on.

Kill needs to be working overtime to develop these young QBs. He has Leidner, Streveler, and McKinzy in school. I have no doubt they are being intensely schooled.
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Where does undersized come from? The Gophers regularly played only one guy listed below 300 last year.
 

The Mason era and the endless 4th quarter meltdowns. Run like crazy for 3 quarters but can keep a drive alive in the 4th quarter to stop the opponents comeback. Vivid and horrible memories.
 

diehard said:
The Mason era and the endless 4th quarter meltdowns. Run like crazy for 3 quarters but can keep a drive alive in the 4th quarter to stop the opponents comeback. Vivid and horrible memories.
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Shoot. I thought you were talking about last years OL. My apologies.
 

cjcarter8 said:
Shoot. I thought you were talking about last years OL. My apologies.
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No, not at all. I've been around as long as Bobby Bell and Carl Eller. Sometimes I slide back in time ithout warning.
 


diehard said:
I don't love to nitpick, but Maroney as the only one on your list from 2003. You have borrowed from at least 3 recruiting classes and left off one of my most favorite Gophers, Matt Spaeth who was 2002.
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didn't realize your criteria was all from the same class. In that case I think you are really jumping the gun proclaiming this to be such an elite class of offensive talent. Potentially an upgrade over what we have at the receiver position but that is really not saying much based on what we had last year. Obviously if Jones lives up to the hype then that will be a big boost but the rest remain to be seen.
 

MNVCGUY said:
didn't realize your criteria was all from the same class. In that case I think you are really jumping the gun proclaiming this to be such an elite class of offensive talent. Potentially an upgrade over what we have at the receiver position but that is really not saying much based on what we had last year. Obviously if Jones lives up to the hype then that will be a big boost but the rest remain to be seen.
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"The year you are looking for is 2003 - Barber, Maroney, Utecht, Hosack, Abdul-Khaliq, Eslinger, Setterstrom....."


Your year, your list. Not mine. Stop digging, your hole is plenty deep.
 

MNVCGUY said:
Agree 100% that he has a chance to be very good. But people love to bash Brewster by pointing out the 4 star players he recruited that didn't pan out. I totally get that fans get excited about the shiny new toy on the roster and many make the assumption that they are destined for greatness. I just prefer to err on the side of caution in terms of recruits. I hope guys like Jones, Edwards and the rest turn out to be great players I just choose to wait until they actually see the field before projecting them for greatness.
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You really are digging for reasons to be pessimistic if you have to bring up Brewster and his four star recruits. By now you should have realized that (1.) Brewster didn't know what he was doing and (2.) recruiting services have only limited value in determining the strength of a class, especially if it is a Kill class.

What makes me optimistic is Kill and his staff past record of identifying and recruiting under the radar talent and the developing it. Also this class IS the most talented class recruited by Kill so far, both in talent and in filling our needs. Of course, only time will tell how good this class is but there are many more reasons to be optimistic than pessimistic. Even Kill, who is very cautious about new recruits, is having a hard time containing himself. That my friend is a very good sign!
 

diehard said:
"The year you are looking for is 2003 - Barber, Maroney, Utecht, Hosack, Abdul-Khaliq, Eslinger, Setterstrom....." Your year, your list. Not mine. Stop digging, your hole is plenty deep.
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You never said anything about a recruiting class, you said "weapons this fall." And to add to his list: Tapeh.
 



FreakyDeke said:
You never said anything about a recruiting class, you said "weapons this fall." And to add to his list: Tapeh.
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And a few more names too. Seems like we were putting a couple guys a year in the NFL for a short time.

Right now I believe we have the most talent and best coaching since the 60s. In college football pretty much every player is potential until they are history. A very short time period for a player to make his mark. You rebuild until you can reload. The names and faces are constantly changing. The mark of the "U" is all that stays the same. Make it a good mark.
 

Killjoy said:
You really are digging for reasons to be pessimistic if you have to bring up Brewster and his four star recruits. By now you should have realized that (1.) Brewster didn't know what he was doing and (2.) recruiting services have only limited value in determining the strength of a class, especially if it is a Kill class.

What makes me optimistic is Kill and his staff past record of identifying and recruiting under the radar talent and the developing it. Also this class IS the most talented class recruited by Kill so far, both in talent and in filling our needs. Of course, only time will tell how good this class is but there are many more reasons to be optimistic than pessimistic. Even Kill, who is very cautious about new recruits, is having a hard time containing himself. That my friend is a very good sign!
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If I was being pessimistic I would be saying these guys are all destined to be busts and failures at this level which is in no way shape or form what I am saying. It is not about being optimistic or pessimistic it is about being realistic and taking the time to actually see if a kid can play before making proclamations about how talented the class is. The transition for high school to college is a massive step up in competition.

This happens every year, fans watch some highlights and assume that those same skills displayed on the kids best plays will of course translate over to the college game. Any kid that is being recruited to play at this level is going to have awesome highlights because in almost all cases they are one of the top players on their high school team.

I sincerely hope that all these guys look like their highlight videos and turn out to be great players. I just think it is way to early to claim this is going to be a great crop of recruits when they have not even set foot on the campus yet for spring or fall camp.

And finally to the part in bold, that rallying cry gets used around here because the services don't rate our classes highly, if they suddenly started ranking Kill's classes at the top of the Big Ten we would be singing a totally different tune about the services and their value. This year will tell us if Kill is truly able to recruit talent that out plays the rankings because the team is essentially all his guys at this point. If we can finish in the top half of the conference with talent that has been ranked in the bottom half then that will certainly be a positive for Kill and his ability to recruit at this level.

I get that taking a wait and see approach with new players doesn't really fly well around here in terms of seeing the world through Maroon and Gold colored glasses but it is the way I choose to look at recruits and guys that have not played in any games yet.
 





Yes, I am definitely excited to see both Jones & Edwards in the same backfield.

They are all potentials whether it be Andre McDonald, Jon Christenson, Rashede Hageman, or Jeff Jones, etc...

Until they perform in the field and in the class room, let's not rush to anoint them yet. We've had our hearts broken too many times.
 

MNVCGUY said:
If I was being pessimistic I would be saying these guys are all destined to be busts and failures at this level which is in no way shape or form what I am saying. It is not about being optimistic or pessimistic it is about being realistic and taking the time to actually see if a kid can play before making proclamations about how talented the class is. The transition for high school to college is a massive step up in competition.

This happens every year, fans watch some highlights and assume that those same skills displayed on the kids best plays will of course translate over to the college game. Any kid that is being recruited to play at this level is going to have awesome highlights because in almost all cases they are one of the top players on their high school team.

I sincerely hope that all these guys look like their highlight videos and turn out to be great players. I just think it is way to early to claim this is going to be a great crop of recruits when they have not even set foot on the campus yet for spring or fall camp.

And finally to the part in bold, that rallying cry gets used around here because the services don't rate our classes highly, if they suddenly started ranking Kill's classes at the top of the Big Ten we would be singing a totally different tune about the services and their value. This year will tell us if Kill is truly able to recruit talent that out plays the rankings because the team is essentially all his guys at this point. If we can finish in the top half of the conference with talent that has been ranked in the bottom half then that will certainly be a positive for Kill and his ability to recruit at this level.

I get that taking a wait and see approach with new players doesn't really fly well around here in terms of seeing the world through Maroon and Gold colored glasses but it is the way I choose to look at recruits and guys that have not played in any games yet.
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Some people are more comfortable than others than using data to make predictions. You are not one of them which is your prerogative. Since you are not, it will make no difference what anybody else says to you on this subject. The fact that Kill has a proven track record of turning programs around seems to be irrelevant to you. But on the other hand recruiting services assessments carry a lot of weight with you. I on the other hand put a great deal more weight/value on Kill's and his staff's actions in predicting the likelihood of future success. When I look to buy a stock I look for those that are under valued and out of favor. I suspect you are probably more comfortable with stocks that have already increased significantly in value. My point is that you and I are very different in our comfort levels in dealing with uncertainty or what we believe is uncertainty. There has been a great many studies lately that are shedding new light on how we make decisions. It is a fascinating field from which we all could learn a great deal and is at the core of differences.
 

Shielder said:
I agree, he looks good on film
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after going back and watching his film again i think he looks faster then Cobb, Williams, Kirkwood and even Jeff Jones. Also showed some physicality and lowered the shoulder a few times. reminds me of Jeremy Langford at MSU. Still no way he doesn't redshirt.
 

Given that Edwards and Jones seem to have a good shot at being #1 & 2 behind Cobb next year, that leaves Kirkwood(or R. Williams) on the outside looking in. Given we have no fullbacks with any notable game experience, wouldn't it behove us to convert Kirkwood or Williams to fullback?. Put 5-10 pounds on either one and they would have plenty of size for it. Kirkwood would easily have the knowledge of our run scheme to pick it up quickly. Plus, we put one more legitimate threat to run on the field to make our offence more versatile.
 

Lordshawesome said:
Given that Edwards and Jones seem to have a good shot at being #1 & 2 behind Cobb next year, that leaves Kirkwood(or R. Williams) on the outside looking in. Given we have no fullbacks with any notable game experience, wouldn't it behove us to convert Kirkwood or Williams to fullback?. Put 5-10 pounds on either one and they would have plenty of size for it. Kirkwood would easily have the knowledge of our run scheme to pick it up quickly. Plus, we put one more legitimate threat to run on the field to make our offence more versatile.
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would it be crazy to red shirt Williams?
 


nasa35 said:
Red shirt Jones.......My God, have any of you at least watched his highlight packages????

He's our number one right now, why would you red shirt him?
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Let's not get carried away with true freshmen- Mpls conference competition is not the Big Ten ! He isn't even qualified yet- Kirkwood will come hard for his Senior year and split carries with Cobb
 

Lordshawesome said:
Given that Edwards and Jones seem to have a good shot at being #1 & 2 behind Cobb next year, that leaves Kirkwood(or R. Williams) on the outside looking in. Given we have no fullbacks with any notable game experience, wouldn't it behove us to convert Kirkwood or Williams to fullback?. Put 5-10 pounds on either one and they would have plenty of size for it. Kirkwood would easily have the knowledge of our run scheme to pick it up quickly. Plus, we put one more legitimate threat to run on the field to make our offence more versatile.
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We have two JUCO walk-on fullbacks there's no need to convert a RB. Williams is a good short yardage back as is Kirkwood they will be used,
 

nsmike said:
We have two JUCO walk-on fullbacks there's no need to convert a RB. Williams is a good short yardage back as is Kirkwood they will be used,
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In our system, the FB is more similar to a TE than a RB. Kirkwood is a guy who might be able to make the leap because he is such a good blocker. I think it would be really tough for him to win that job and he'd be best served being depth and competing for PT in the backfield.

As for Williams, part of the reason he doesn't see the field a ton is that he isn't good blocker (or wasn't), so I don't think it makes sense to convert him to FB.
 

Kirkwood brings the wood on his pass blocking like no other gopher rb I can remember. I remember him blowing up more than one linebacker the last few years and he really seems to enjoy it.

He is one of those guys with absolutely no regard for his own well-being. He plays like a maniac. It's unfortunate he doesn't have a little more shake and bake but I love his toughness and I'm sure Jerry does too. I don't expect him to go away completely. He was playing hurt all last season, like M. Gray the prior year.
 

tikited said:
would it be crazy to red shirt Williams?
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honestly i'm kind of surprised he hasn't considered transferring. But damn do I respect him for not doing it. Perhaps we will see the triple I come out in more force this year with the diversity of backs we could have going
 

upnorthkid said:
honestly i'm kind of surprised he hasn't considered transferring. But damn do I respect him for not doing it. Perhaps we will see the triple I come out in more force this year with the diversity of backs we could have going
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I wouldn't have been shocked if he considered transferring, but the grass is not always greener. Last year at this time, he looked like the future of our running back postion. We all hoped for Jones and were excited about the idea of Edwards, but Williams was coming off a good FR season and Cobb was an afterthought. The fact is that a lot can change in a year. Anything can happen in terms of injuries.

He will get zero carries next season if he chooses to transfer. He would obviously RS, but I doubt that's super appealing to most guys who have been getting PT. The likelihood of him being a 1000 yard rusher next season here isn't much less than Cobb's last year. Things happen and he's a talented guy.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
As for Williams, part of the reason he doesn't see the field a ton is that he isn't good blocker (or wasn't), so I don't think it makes sense to convert him to FB.
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The main reason he didn't play last year was due to off field issues. Kill had said more than once he had "things to take care of.". I always assumed it was academics, but have no inside info on that. I'm a big nugget fan, but suspect he will be a short yardage guy only this year. Cobb & Jones are better. I'd take him before Kirkwood (running). Not sure where Edwards will get most his PT this year, but he is a different back than Williams, obviously.
 

Bring on the Wishbone! Actually, I wouldn't mind seeing the Gophers line up in the Wishbone for a play or two, just to give opposing defenses more to think about.
 

RodentRampage said:
Bring on the Wishbone! Actually, I wouldn't mind seeing the Gophers line up in the Wishbone for a play or two, just to give opposing defenses more to think about.
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Hell I wouldn't mind seeing the wishbone more than a play or two. Doubt many others would agree with me though.
 


I expect all these RBs to see the field and make positive impacts. They are all quality players that can bring it in the right scheme at the right time. We will learn the benefits of depth one year. It takes a while when you can never remember having that luxury. 2014 is the year Kill's offense breaks out!
 

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