What Gerry DiNardo said last night....

Donate To GopherHole
D

diefirma

Active member
Joined
May 24, 2009
Messages
482
Reaction score
145
Points
43
Last night's Gopher preview on the B10 network was very interesting. Generally positive. One thing Gerry DiNardo said which got me thinking was “Jerry Kill will win every matchup game”. He defined a matchup as a team that has the same talent level or a little more or a little less as the Gophers. If this is true, who are our matchup games? Here is my list

4 non conference games - All wins, we have more talent

Iowa – Win, they have no running backs and the Gopher D is built to defend against passing teams

Northwestern – win, About the same level of talent but again no running game and average D

Wisconsin – Loss, more talent. Only hope is if the all the new coaches really screw things up and/or rent-a-QB is bad

Purdue – Win. About the same level of talent

Michigan – Loss, better talent

Illinois – Tossup, slightly better talent but have not realized it last few years. New coaching staff.

Nebraska and Michigan State – Both losses, more talent.

Is DiNardo right? And if he is, who do we match up against?
 

That was a very interesting comment by Dinardo they seem to be very high on Kill and his coaching staff. He also said that he thought we would win 3 out of 4 or 4 out of 4 of the non conference games.
For those of you who didn't get a chance to watch the Gopher Preview Show on the BTN I strongly suggest you check it out.

A few highlights from the show:

I watched both the Iowa and Nebraska additions and to me it seemed like the BTN crew had fewer concerns with the Gophs than they did with Iowa.

They mentioned that we are thin on the defensive line not only concerning depth but weight. They kept mentioning that we are a part of the "downhill division (or something to that effect)," and are concerned about us stopping the run.

Dinardo mentioned that Gray may be the best overall dual-threat QB in the B1G but he then mentioned he hasn't seen all of the teams.

They thought that the secondary would be a strong position for us this year as long as we are healthy because they are concerned about depth.

They were High on the O-Line and Linebackers as well stating that they thought we had 8 potential starters on the OL and that we have 6 LB's that can play.

The most encouraging comment for me was that every time they come to visit the Gophs since Kill's hire the team looks considerably better.

During MG's interview he mentioned the two Freshman (Harbison and McDonald) that he thinks will contribute right away. note: McDonald and DCT did not practice due to injuries so the BTN crew was worried about that position.

Newcomers: Dinardo picked K.J Maye and Jamel Harbision and Howard Griffith picked Thieran Cockran

Breakout Player (we haven't heard of): Dinardo = Harold Legania and Howard Griffith picked James Manuel

Dinardo kept saying that the 1st thing to building a program is the DL and he sees vast improvements in that area.

The B1G crew was surprisingly optimistic but they think our B1G schedule is tough but that we are probably bowling. The two players that they were the highest on were Gray and Hageman no doubt about it.
 

I see the Gophers winning 3-4 non-conf games and 2-3 B1G games. So that puts them at ~5-6 wins most likely.

I think we have a chance to win the NW, Iowa, Purdue and Illinois games. I think we're even on talent with NW and Illinois, better than Iowa and I think Purdue has more talent than the other possible wins. I have a sneaking hunch that Purdue is going to be surprise team of the Conference this year.

I think if we're going to push for a bowl game we will have to sweep the non-conf and beat Iowa. After that I think we can pull off a mild upset against one of the other teams. If we lose a non-conf game or the Iowa game it's going to be tough sledding.
 

mcrow said:
I see the Gophers winning 3-4 non-conf games and 2-3 B1G games. So that puts them at ~5-6 wins most likely.

I think we have a chance to win the NW, Iowa, Purdue and Illinois games. I think we're even on talent with NW and Illinois, better than Iowa and I think Purdue has more talent than the other possible wins. I have a sneaking hunch that Purdue is going to be surprise team of the Conference this year.

I think if we're going to push for a bowl game we will have to sweep the non-conf and beat Iowa. After that I think we can pull off a mild upset against one of the other teams. If we lose a non-conf game or the Iowa game it's going to be tough sledding.
Click to expand...

Good analysis. Sweeping nc games and beating Iowa are key. 2-2 in nc will take all the air out of the baloon.
 

mcrow said:
I see the Gophers winning 3-4 non-conf games and 2-3 B1G games. So that puts them at ~5-6 wins most likely.

I think we have a chance to win the NW, Iowa, Purdue and Illinois games. I think we're even on talent with NW and Illinois, better than Iowa and I think Purdue has more talent than the other possible wins. I have a sneaking hunch that Purdue is going to be surprise team of the Conference this year.

I think if we're going to push for a bowl game we will have to sweep the non-conf and beat Iowa. After that I think we can pull off a mild upset against one of the other teams. If we lose a non-conf game or the Iowa game it's going to be tough sledding.
Click to expand...

Agree with this post. Particularly the part about Purdue, I think they will surprise people, they have a lot of starters returning and have an outside shot at 9 wins. I put that game as an upset if we win. Iowa, Illinois and Northwestern will be by far our best shots for a B1G W this season
 


Gopher07 said:
Agree with this post. Particularly the part about Purdue, I think they will surprise people, they have a lot of starters returning and have an outside shot at 9 wins. I put that game as an upset if we win. Iowa, Illinois and Northwestern will be by far our best shots for a B1G W this season
Click to expand...

Yeah, I would be surprised at this time if the Gophers be Purdue but I'm also trying not to overhype Purdue either. I still have them on the possible win list but decidely less likely than the others.
 

I agree with all of you about Purdue and that we can win the NW, Iowa and Illinois games.

If Gray has made the progression that we all think he has and has some viable WR's and the RB's improve with our secondary I put us on 7-8 wins. I just think that Gray is going to surprise us with his arm and the easiest way to win in the B1G is with a dominate QB and D. Biggest question for me is weather or not we can STOP the run if we can we are going to be in a lot of Ball Games.

I forgot to mention that DiNardo stated our facilities are at or near the BOTTOM of B1G? That got me thinking, why did the U allow this question to air? Obviously, this is a bad reflection on the U and Football program as well as it doesn't help with recruiting. So, did they allow this question to let it be known that we are working on the issue? I hope that is why but was astounded at the way DiNardo just came out that Q.

Also, if you plan on watching there are good interviews with M. Gray, T. Stoudemire, Limegrover, Claeys and Kill.
 

Wouldn't You like to Know said:
I agree with all of you about Purdue and that we can win the NW, Iowa and Illinois games.

If Gray has made the progression that we all think he has and has some viable WR's and the RB's improve with our secondary I put us on 7-8 wins. I just think that Gray is going to surprise us with his arm and the easiest way to win in the B1G is with a dominate QB and D. Biggest question for me is weather or not we can STOP the run if we can we are going to be in a lot of Ball Games.

I forgot to mention that DiNardo stated our facilities are at our near the BOTTOM of B1G? That got me thinking, why did the U allow this question to air? Obviously, this is a bad reflection on the U and Football program as well as it doesn't help with recruiting. So, did they allow this question to let it be known that we are working on the issue? I hope that is why but was astounded at the way DiNardo just came out that Q.

Also, if you plan on watching there are good interviews with M. Gray, T. Stoudemire, Limegrover, Claeys and Kill.
Click to expand...

Which facilities was he talking about? The stadiums seems nice to me, but then I have not visited or seen other facilities they use.
 

mcrow said:
Which facilities was he talking about? The stadiums seems nice to me, but then I have not visited or seen other facilities they use.
Click to expand...

He didn't specify. Kill was quick to say that TCF Bank Stadium is one of the nicest in the country and that they were trying to get facility upgrades as well as move their offices and weight room to the stadium. The question just seemed out of place because it seems like DiNardo is a big fan of Kills. Maybe Kill asked them to ask that question to get his message out, I don't know.
 



Wouldn't You like to Know said:
He didn't specify. Kill was quick to say that TCF Bank Stadium is one of the nicest in the country and that they were trying to get facility upgrades as well as move their offices and weight room to the stadium. The question just seemed out of place because it seems like DiNardo is a big fan of Kills. Maybe Kill asked them to ask that question to get his message out, I don't know.
Click to expand...

I coulds see if the coaches office looked like a converted closet or if the weight room was old and out of date, plus not near the practice field. Those kind of things do not help when recruiting against schools with state of the art training facilities.
 

The Gibson-Nagurski complex was almost certainly what he was referencing. And that is at the bottom of the conference, no doubt. I know Teague has it as a part of his master facility plan, so that's a start
 

One more thing, for those of you who haven't seen the Limegrover transformation you should tune into the preview show! Wow, what a difference and good for him!
 

Gopher07 said:
The Gibson-Nagurski complex was almost certainly what he was referencing. And that is at the bottom of the conference, no doubt. I know Teague has it as a part of his master facility plan, so that's a start
Click to expand...

But why would DiNardo bring that up and why would the U allow that to air?
 



That I can't answer. It was a weird question, or at least, a weird phrasing to say the least.
 

Gopher07 said:
The Gibson-Nagurski complex was almost certainly what he was referencing. And that is at the bottom of the conference, no doubt. I know Teague has it as a part of his master facility plan, so that's a start
Click to expand...

I was just looking at some pictures of the G-N complex and it looks like it's pretty recently remodeled.
 


Wouldn't You like to Know said:
Did you watch the show as well?
Click to expand...

I did and it certainly stuck out when he said it, particularly because he was very optimistic for most of the show. I will say it's our reality and outside of a basketball practice facility, a new football facility should be at the top of the facilities list.
 

Gopher07 said:
I did and it certainly stuck out when he said it, particularly because he was very optimistic for most of the show. I will say it's our reality and outside of a basketball practice facility, a new football facility should be at the top of the facilities list.
Click to expand...

I Agree let's hope that they can get them done sooner rather than later. It always sucks being behind the curve and though we have made strides it would be nice for a change to be ahead of the game.
 

Wouldn't You like to Know said:
Biggest question for me is weather or not we can STOP the run if we can we are going to be in a lot of Ball Games.
Click to expand...

I think this defense is patterned after TCU's defense. If you remember the Rose Bowl of a couple of years ago TCU beat the Badgers despite having a defensive line much smaller than the Badgers O line. BB made some coaching mistakes but still the TCU defense did OK. TCU was quick/fast and they were able to get penetration and disrupt the Badgers run game before it could really get going. I don't know if it will work for the Gophers but that is the plan I believe. For what it is worth the TCU coach, Patterson, and Kill are best friends.
 

Wouldn't You like to Know said:
But why would DiNardo bring that up and why would the U allow that to air?
Click to expand...

I guess that I am confused, why would the U have a say in what is aired and why would they have a problem with that being aired?

I would think that if the U has a say in what is being aired on the BTN that precisely, it is mostly through the Athletic Department. Didn't Teague just come out and bash the complex? Didn't he just say that we need a new practice facility?

I'd guess they'd want it aired, they'd want to generate interest from donors or the community at large to get new facilities. Why would they want it covered up?
 

diefirma said:
Purdue – Win. About the same level of talent
Click to expand...

Umm. No.Talent level not the same.

Purdue has likely All-American and NFL 1st rounder Kawaan Short at DE.

CB Ricardo Allen is likely a high NFL pick in 2014 - maybe 2013 if he goes nuts this year. Pick 6 last year on M. Gray.

KR/RB/WR Raheem Mostert led the nation in kick returns as true frosh last year and is dangerous in the slot and even in the backfield.

3 QB's on the roster with extensive starting experience, most notably Robert Marve who is finally healthy and has NFL talent. That's not even counting Freshman QB Austin Appleby who was an Elite 11 QB last year.

DE Ryan Russell and TE Gabe Holmes are NFL talents if they step up to their abilities.

2012 recruiting class ranked 4th in the Big Ten.

I could go on. Danny Hope (on paper) is bringing in a lot of talent to West Lafayette. He need to convert that into some wins.
 

MinnesotaBoiler99 said:
Umm. No.Talent level not the same.

Purdue has likely All-American and NFL 1st rounder Kawaan Short at DE.

CB Ricardo Allen is likely a high NFL pick in 2014 - maybe 2013 if he goes nuts this year. Pick 6 last year on M. Gray.

KR/RB/WR Raheem Mostert led the nation in kick returns as true frosh last year and is dangerous in the slot and even in the backfield.

3 QB's on the roster with extensive starting experience, most notably Robert Marve who is finally healthy and has NFL talent.

DE Ryan Russell and TE Gabe Holmes are NFL talents if they step up to their abilities.

2012 recruiting class ranked 4th in the Big Ten.

I could go on. Danny Hope (on paper) is bringing in a lot of talent to West Lafayette. He need to convert that into some wins.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I don't really consider the U and Purdue to be equal in terms of talent. I think it'll be closer than it was last year, but I would put Purdue's talent level ahead of Iowa's.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
I guess that I am confused, why would the U have a say in what is aired and why would they have a problem with that being aired?

I would think that if the U has a say in what is being aired on the BTN that precisely, it is mostly through the Athletic Department. Didn't Teague just come out and bash the complex? Didn't he just say that we need a new practice facility?

I'd guess they'd want it aired, they'd want to generate interest from donors or the community at large to get new facilities. Why would they want it covered up?
Click to expand...

That's exactly the answer that I was looking for. If you watched the show it just seemed out of place which lead me to believe that the athletic department wanted this question asked, I was just looking for a reason.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
Yeah, I don't really consider the U and Purdue to be equal in terms of talent. I think it'll be closer than it was last year, but I would put Purdue's talent level ahead of Iowa's.
Click to expand...

Don't get me wrong, I would not be shocked at all if Purdue lost at TCF this year. Yes, I agree that Danny Hope is recruiting much better than Tiller did in his later years - but I'm still not sold on Hope as a coach. Way too inconsistent for my liking. He has beaten OSU twice already and also won at Michigan, but he also laid some eggs, most notably to Jerry Kill and N. Illinois. I obviously want Hope to succeed but I don't think he's the long term answer at Purdue. Just a gut feeling.
 

Wouldn't You like to Know said:
He didn't specify. Kill was quick to say that TCF Bank Stadium is one of the nicest in the country and that they were trying to get facility upgrades as well as move their offices and weight room to the stadium. The question just seemed out of place because it seems like DiNardo is a big fan of Kills. Maybe Kill asked them to ask that question to get his message out, I don't know.
Click to expand...

There's plenty of ways to get the word out without putting it on BTN. And no I don't mean Twitter and Facebook.
 

I doubt the U had control over what the BTN crew discussed or their comments.

It's interesting to me that so many people are putting Iowa in the win category. Sure we've got two wins in a row, but both are here and this year will be there. They will probably have us circled on their calendars as one to really get after. I'm just sayin'. We are that much more talented than they are. I still look for us to make it 6 wins and a bowl - Iowa or not.
 

nc2mn said:
I doubt the U had control over what the BTN crew discussed or their comments.

It's interesting to me that so many people are putting Iowa in the win category. Sure we've got two wins in a row, but both are here and this year will be there. They will probably have us circled on their calendars as one to really get after. I'm just sayin'. We are that much more talented than they are. I still look for us to make it 6 wins and a bowl - Iowa or not.
Click to expand...

Well, they lost their leading receiver (McNut), their leading rusher (Coker) and their LT (Reilly Reif) those are big time positions. They are probably going to lean on 2 true freshman at TB as well. Watching their BTN preview Big questions about RB and WR for sure. I think we have fewer question marks that being said I think it's a toss up game.
 

mcrow said:
I see the Gophers winning 3-4 non-conf games and 2-3 B1G games. So that puts them at ~5-6 wins most likely.

I think we have a chance to win the NW, Iowa, Purdue and Illinois games. I think we're even on talent with NW and Illinois, better than Iowa and I think Purdue has more talent than the other possible wins. I have a sneaking hunch that Purdue is going to be surprise team of the Conference this year.

I think if we're going to push for a bowl game we will have to sweep the non-conf and beat Iowa. After that I think we can pull off a mild upset against one of the other teams. If we lose a non-conf game or the Iowa game it's going to be tough sledding.
Click to expand...

Exactly as I see it - maybe five wins. I don't see victories on the road with Iowa and Illinois and everybody seems to think Purdue is much improved - plus Northwestern is always tough. Possible upset? Michigan. They will be coming off games with Michigan St. and Nebraska.
 

Dave R. also said its been five years since they had a 1,000 yard rusher after 11 in 8 years under Mason.
 

The B1G network preview of the Gophers was really good for those who missed it. An entire hour of analysis, interviews with Limegrover, Claeys, Stoudemire, and Kill. They were very positive, DiNardo kept saying the difference at camp between this year and last was night and day. You could tell they really like what's going on and the improvement on the team. I didn't make it to the practices, but it was obvious just from watching the clips in the show that this team will be a lot faster than they were before. The crew really did their homework. It begs the question, why can't the local TC media cover the team like that? I'd be surprised if most sports "journalists" in town (other than Sid) could name one Gopher other than MarQueis Gray.

As for facilities, I can't exactly remember what led to the discussion. Something was said along the lines that they see all of the facilities in the conference, and we are towards the bottom. Fortunately, Norwood should be getting that taken care of for us real soon.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom