Well, the biggest and only football weekend of the Spring is coming to a close so in case you missed it - here are some thoughts.
GOPHERS Spring Game 2009
Ellie and I ended up heading over to UST for this year's version of the game, and it actually ended up being really nice outside. I'm sure a lot of you have already read the recaps so you know the gist of what happened, so I'm not going to give you a play by play.
THE GOOD:
1) Marquies Gray
This guy looks incredible - very fluid throwing motion, big arm, mobility, calm, everything is there for this guy to be a #1...maybe sooner than most think.
2) New Offenseive scheme
Love it. It's the kind of offense I would run if I was in charge of this whole thing. Run the ball - out of regular formations! Throw it deep on occasion, use the shotgun, lots of interesting and unpredictable plays...basically, getting it to your playmakers and getting them some space - I think this is what the spread was trying to do, but this offense looks light years ahead of the garbage we were putting out throughout most of last season. It looks like we might have a chance to actually be explosive after 2 years of the snooze fest where only 3 yard passes were successful. Big plays win games.
3) Young Talent on Defense
Holy crap do we have some speed on D. The young LB trio of Maresh, Reeves, and Cooper might be the fastest group of Gopher LB's I've ever seen. These guys all had multiple big hits and got all over the field. They might make us forget the glory days of John Shevlin and Mike Sherals...maybe. Best part is that all 3 have 4 years of eligibility left...yikes.
4) O-line looks the part
I really believe this group will be vastly improved in 2009. Why...#1 we ran the ball on Saturday and we ran effectively. The new guys look good - Wills is the largest person I've ever seen that close (6'7" 375) and Carufel will be money at G. I think Davis is a great coach, so I have no doubt that this unit will go from a major liability to a strength this season.
5) Cedric McKinley
The one bad part about the OL yesterday was that they gave up 3 sacks to McKinley. Coming off his breakout bowl game, I think this guy gets it. He'll be a Sr. this year, and I think he can step in to fill the spot of Willie and keep our D going.
6) Special Teams!!
Stoudamire looked incredible on returns. Almost housing 2 or 3 different chances. Ellestad was flawless...still crossing my fingers for a year with no missed XP's! I think we have a ton of options for return men, but Stoudamire will house at least one this year. He's going to be a difference maker. I also like him on offense as he ran with the 1st team quite a bit in the slot. He is so fast - no one could catch him on the end around he took for a score.
7) RB Depth
Kevin Whaley is the real deal. Eskridge looked okay, but I think he'll be a 4th option this year after Whaley, Bennett, and Lipscomb in some order. Bottom line - lots of depth at a major injury prone position is a great thing.
8) WR Depth
Our speed has increased so much since Timmy B took over I can't even remember the days of the brutal WR depth we used to have. Without our likely 2 starters on Saturday (Decker/Hayo) we still looked good. Green, McKnight, Smith all played really well and caught some nice balls. Stoudamire also made a couple of nice catches - I feel like we really want this guy to have the ball as much as possible.
I could probably go on forever...but here are a couple of negatives. Even thought it's Spring and optimism is at an all-time high for Gopher Nation I gotta point out a couple of things.
BAD/QUESTIONABLE
1) Power running game
We had a series with 3 shots to score inside the 5 and couldn't do it. Granted, it was against the first team D, but that looked too familiar (last year) so hopefully that is something we can figure out by fall. Also, Whaley is a tough runner, as is Bennett and Lipscomb so they might change this...but it all start up front.
2) D-Line
This is one spot where I don't think the depth is as good. Lots of decent front line guys, but after that I think it gets a little thin.
3) Coverage Units?
This is always the question when you play against yourself...great job Stoudamire on the returns, WTF with our coverage? Obviously, this is something that should be fixed - especially with all of the athletes coming into the program. But they looked brutal on Saturday.
4) John Nance
I know this guy is only a #3 or #4 QB, but wow...I could have looked better. He honestly looked like a 9th grade QB trying to throw...might be time for a position change.
That's about it. I feel like we have answers everywhere else, especially with the new freshman crop coming in for the fall. My 6-6 prediction might be changing...I'm drinking a little of the Andre Ware cocktail (he picked the Gophers #2 in the B10 this week!).
NFL DRAFT 2009
I've been against the Harvin idea from the start, but it happened. So I've been thinking about it, and here's my take on why it was really the only option.
First, they need another playmaker, so it makes sense in that way. My major concern was the injuries and character issues...I also don't necessarily think he's a great WR. But it was the only choice Chilly had because of where this team is at right now. Obviously, we think we're good since we've made almost zero moves in the off-season. So the whole braintrust has us in the position that they think we're only a player or two away from greatness. So we are looking for guys to put us over the top - Harvin could be the guy.
Best Case - Randy Moss Effect
Harvin is a huge playmaker/difference maker who gets in the endzone and teams with Berrian to be enough of an option for defenses to back off AD. Make it a pick your poison type thing for the D to compensate for our mediocrity at QB (which will be Sage in my opinion).
Worst Case - Smoke it up
Harvin gets busted for weed or litterally busted in half as he's done in college the last couple of years and the Purple continues to be average. Then the risk isn't worth it and we remain in the 8-10 win pool and never go anywhere...and Chilly probably goes away for good.
Either way, have to give them credit for taking a chance and going for a make or break type of pick.
Loadholt was a must - put his name in ink on your depth chart at RT...see-ya Mr. Cook.
All the pieces appear to be in place...except QB of course, but if Sage can make it work this could be a fun year.
We shall see.
What do you think? Let's discuss this week.
Later.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
What up?
Hey Guys -
Just thought I'd throw out a few updates about this week, and some thoughts on the world in general...you know, the usual.
First - this week.
Plans have changed about 25 times, but here's what I'm doing. Roe & Family are coming up and Mike and I are taking Jack and Ellie to the Spring Game...anyone else is welcome to join us, but the 4 of us will be cruising over together assuming the weather is good. After that, the draft will be watched intermittently at my place with the kids and ladies hanging out. So the usual guys weekend is not happening this year - but we'll still all be in touch debating the draft snafu that Chilly and company are sure to pull off on Saturday.
I'm stoked for the Spring Game - should be fun to see what the new offense looks like and how some of last year's big recruits look in action since very few actually played major roles last year. Obviously, seeing Mr. Gray will be a huge highlight for all Gopher fans - even though our OC Jedd Fisch came out today and said Weber has All-American potential! Tons of other questions going in - how will the re-built OL look? Who will carry the ball? Which WR will step up with Decker and Hayo, the 2 likely starters, not on the field. Can we kick XP and FG's under 40 yards consistently!?!? I'll throw together a full recap whether any of you attend or not. Once this is done we'll be shifting into full blown NCAA preview mode for the 2009 season.
What else...oh, I know, NBA playoffs. As an experiment I mapped out who I thought the 16 playoff teams were going to be on the week of x-mas to see how much things change throughout the NBA season to see if it is actually worth anything. The results - I nailed 15 of 16, missing the Knicks instead of the Bulls. The seeding was close, but I missed on about 1/2 of them. My findings - don't even bother until the playoffs in this league, unless you're a Wolves fan then that's the only chance you have. Going out on a limb and predicting CAVS-LAKERS final...ooooohhhh, didn't see that coming.
Somehow I also got into an NHL Playoff pool - WTF! I took the Caps as my darkhorse champ over the Canucks...needless to say, I think my $5 was a donation with my champs looking like a 1st round victim. This is one gambling idea I don't think I will try to adapt for our crew - it's just like flipping a coin...which is way different than our strategic picks on Football games, right?
That's all I got for today - hope everyone has a great week and we'll try and get together again soon.
PJ
restless soul, enjoy your youth
like muhammad hits the truth
can't escape from the common rule
if you hate something, don't you do it too...too...
Just thought I'd throw out a few updates about this week, and some thoughts on the world in general...you know, the usual.
First - this week.
Plans have changed about 25 times, but here's what I'm doing. Roe & Family are coming up and Mike and I are taking Jack and Ellie to the Spring Game...anyone else is welcome to join us, but the 4 of us will be cruising over together assuming the weather is good. After that, the draft will be watched intermittently at my place with the kids and ladies hanging out. So the usual guys weekend is not happening this year - but we'll still all be in touch debating the draft snafu that Chilly and company are sure to pull off on Saturday.
I'm stoked for the Spring Game - should be fun to see what the new offense looks like and how some of last year's big recruits look in action since very few actually played major roles last year. Obviously, seeing Mr. Gray will be a huge highlight for all Gopher fans - even though our OC Jedd Fisch came out today and said Weber has All-American potential! Tons of other questions going in - how will the re-built OL look? Who will carry the ball? Which WR will step up with Decker and Hayo, the 2 likely starters, not on the field. Can we kick XP and FG's under 40 yards consistently!?!? I'll throw together a full recap whether any of you attend or not. Once this is done we'll be shifting into full blown NCAA preview mode for the 2009 season.
What else...oh, I know, NBA playoffs. As an experiment I mapped out who I thought the 16 playoff teams were going to be on the week of x-mas to see how much things change throughout the NBA season to see if it is actually worth anything. The results - I nailed 15 of 16, missing the Knicks instead of the Bulls. The seeding was close, but I missed on about 1/2 of them. My findings - don't even bother until the playoffs in this league, unless you're a Wolves fan then that's the only chance you have. Going out on a limb and predicting CAVS-LAKERS final...ooooohhhh, didn't see that coming.
Somehow I also got into an NHL Playoff pool - WTF! I took the Caps as my darkhorse champ over the Canucks...needless to say, I think my $5 was a donation with my champs looking like a 1st round victim. This is one gambling idea I don't think I will try to adapt for our crew - it's just like flipping a coin...which is way different than our strategic picks on Football games, right?
That's all I got for today - hope everyone has a great week and we'll try and get together again soon.
PJ
restless soul, enjoy your youth
like muhammad hits the truth
can't escape from the common rule
if you hate something, don't you do it too...too...
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Gophers Schedule News
Not sure if you've all heard this - the opener w/AF is a 7pm BTN game, as is the Halloween Night battle with Sparty. Should be a ton of fun at each of those! Maybe a bit chilly for Sparty...
April Predictions - what do you think?
Hey Guys -
So with the Purple schedule coming out yesterday, I figured it was time for some April predictions for our 2 favorite teams. Here's what I am thinking right now...tell me what you think or where I'm wrong in as much or as little detail as you'd like:
GOPHERS
at SYR - W - these guys suck, I'm a little scared but confident that the Orange will continue to suck in 2009
AF - W - home opener, stadium opener, scary opponent. I think the defense gets it done and shuts down the wacky AF attack
CAL - L - but it will be close. Cal should be top of the P10 this year, so predicting a win might be a little nuts...although I'm not saying I won't be predicting a W by September when the Gopher Kool-Aid starts flowing.
at NW - W - I know, winning on the road in the B10 opener...yep. NW still feels fluky to me, and Kafka still can't throw the ball. This might be time for Mr. Gray to make his first major impact?
WIS - W - probably a bit of a stretch, but we've almost beat them the last 2 years, and this year's team should be better than each of those...while Becky could be in for another downer, maybe worse than 08.
PUR - W - team turmoil in PUR, Siller - the QB that gave us a few issues LY was booted from the team and they will be in a big transition year...yep, a 5-1 start for your Gophers.
at PSU - L - we'll be hyped going into Happy Valley, but come on...not this year.
at OHIOST - L - have to pick it this way, on the road vs. back to back B10 powers = bad.
MSU - W - I'm still no convinced these guys are in the B10 elite. At home I think we'll rebound...we're going to be tough to beat at the "Bank".
ILL - L - sneaky loss here. We always lose one or two of these a year...for now. ILL is better than they played in 08.
SDSU - W - 99-0, not close.
at IOWA - L - I hate picking it this way, but this is likely what will happen. Iowa should be solid this year, and at home they are really tough. WHO HATES IOWA?
Final Verdict = 7-5, but a much improved team and a nice Bowl Game for a team that will be picked in the Top 4-5 of the conference in 2010.
PURPLE
at CLE - W
at DET - W
SF - W
GB - W
at STL - W - this is an easy schedule!
BAL - L
at PITT - L
at GB - L
DET - W
SEA - W
CHI - L
at AZ - L
CIN - W
at CAR - L
at CHI - W
NYG - L
Final Results = 9-7, pretty realistic and hopefully good enough to get Chilly fired!!
What do you think? I'll document and see who comes closest to the pin in January.
So with the Purple schedule coming out yesterday, I figured it was time for some April predictions for our 2 favorite teams. Here's what I am thinking right now...tell me what you think or where I'm wrong in as much or as little detail as you'd like:
GOPHERS
at SYR - W - these guys suck, I'm a little scared but confident that the Orange will continue to suck in 2009
AF - W - home opener, stadium opener, scary opponent. I think the defense gets it done and shuts down the wacky AF attack
CAL - L - but it will be close. Cal should be top of the P10 this year, so predicting a win might be a little nuts...although I'm not saying I won't be predicting a W by September when the Gopher Kool-Aid starts flowing.
at NW - W - I know, winning on the road in the B10 opener...yep. NW still feels fluky to me, and Kafka still can't throw the ball. This might be time for Mr. Gray to make his first major impact?
WIS - W - probably a bit of a stretch, but we've almost beat them the last 2 years, and this year's team should be better than each of those...while Becky could be in for another downer, maybe worse than 08.
PUR - W - team turmoil in PUR, Siller - the QB that gave us a few issues LY was booted from the team and they will be in a big transition year...yep, a 5-1 start for your Gophers.
at PSU - L - we'll be hyped going into Happy Valley, but come on...not this year.
at OHIOST - L - have to pick it this way, on the road vs. back to back B10 powers = bad.
MSU - W - I'm still no convinced these guys are in the B10 elite. At home I think we'll rebound...we're going to be tough to beat at the "Bank".
ILL - L - sneaky loss here. We always lose one or two of these a year...for now. ILL is better than they played in 08.
SDSU - W - 99-0, not close.
at IOWA - L - I hate picking it this way, but this is likely what will happen. Iowa should be solid this year, and at home they are really tough. WHO HATES IOWA?
Final Verdict = 7-5, but a much improved team and a nice Bowl Game for a team that will be picked in the Top 4-5 of the conference in 2010.
PURPLE
at CLE - W
at DET - W
SF - W
GB - W
at STL - W - this is an easy schedule!
BAL - L
at PITT - L
at GB - L
DET - W
SEA - W
CHI - L
at AZ - L
CIN - W
at CAR - L
at CHI - W
NYG - L
Final Results = 9-7, pretty realistic and hopefully good enough to get Chilly fired!!
What do you think? I'll document and see who comes closest to the pin in January.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Maresh article on ESPN
I just read this - and started to get choked up a bit. Awesome story by Rittenberg.
God, I can't wait until Sept. 12th!!
God, I can't wait until Sept. 12th!!
Monday, April 6, 2009
Quick Update on MM Pools
Hey Guys -
Just a quick update this afternoon. The drama is over, Kobow has wn the pick'em pool and JG has won the random assigned team pool. No need to watch tonight, unless you're completly anti-Twins or Pro-Heels...nobody could possibly be pro-Sparty, so maybe a Pro-B10 angle would work.
Anyway, that's over and it's on to football. I know it's only April, but the Spring game is rapidly approaching. 19 days until Timmy Brew and Co. show us what they have comig back from 2008. I'm hoping everyone is planning on attending - I believe JG said he is fr sure out due to class, but hopefully the rest of you will still be game. I'm also thinking the football challenge is going to greatly expand this season - I already have a couple of guys from work that sound interested, with a few more on the horizon that I could prbably get in as well. Let me know if you hae any buddies that might like to join in the NCAA/NFL weekly picks and I'll get them on the list as well. The more the merrier, right?
I've also been thinking about the payout issues - here's my thought:
Charchian was promoting his league safe website during Fantasy Football season last year, so I thought maybe using that would be the simplest way to get people paid on time and have the $'s all collected in one place. I haven't checked out the site a lot yet, but I think you can just go on there and debit $20 off your checking and you're good. Then when it's over I can just send the cash to the account of the winner(s) and we're good. I do hae a master spreadsheet of who owes wat to whom at home, so we can get caught up through this year's MM Pools...I promise I will send out that update this week and then we can start everyone at zero for 2009 Football Challenge.
That's all I got right now - hope to see you all in a few weeks for Spring Game/Draft day, which I'm still working out the details on with Anna Banana...I'll let you know.
Later.
Just a quick update this afternoon. The drama is over, Kobow has wn the pick'em pool and JG has won the random assigned team pool. No need to watch tonight, unless you're completly anti-Twins or Pro-Heels...nobody could possibly be pro-Sparty, so maybe a Pro-B10 angle would work.
Anyway, that's over and it's on to football. I know it's only April, but the Spring game is rapidly approaching. 19 days until Timmy Brew and Co. show us what they have comig back from 2008. I'm hoping everyone is planning on attending - I believe JG said he is fr sure out due to class, but hopefully the rest of you will still be game. I'm also thinking the football challenge is going to greatly expand this season - I already have a couple of guys from work that sound interested, with a few more on the horizon that I could prbably get in as well. Let me know if you hae any buddies that might like to join in the NCAA/NFL weekly picks and I'll get them on the list as well. The more the merrier, right?
I've also been thinking about the payout issues - here's my thought:
Charchian was promoting his league safe website during Fantasy Football season last year, so I thought maybe using that would be the simplest way to get people paid on time and have the $'s all collected in one place. I haven't checked out the site a lot yet, but I think you can just go on there and debit $20 off your checking and you're good. Then when it's over I can just send the cash to the account of the winner(s) and we're good. I do hae a master spreadsheet of who owes wat to whom at home, so we can get caught up through this year's MM Pools...I promise I will send out that update this week and then we can start everyone at zero for 2009 Football Challenge.
That's all I got right now - hope to see you all in a few weeks for Spring Game/Draft day, which I'm still working out the details on with Anna Banana...I'll let you know.
Later.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)