Wide Receivers

Donate To GopherHole
Spoofin said:
Great points made in this thread. I love football discussions like this and truly I am more optimistic after reading some of these takes.

I do think Jones should have the opportunity to play QB - but I don't think that means he can't play WR this year. Jones knew that WR was likely for him when he came here. At some point (well after fall camp of his Freshman year) the coaches should get to make that decision - but at this point they do owe it to him to give him a say. I have made the assumption that Jones would rather play at WR than be #3 or #4 at WR this year.

We Gopher fans know all too well the debate of elite athletes that we need to decide on whether they are better off at WR or being an inconsistent QB (think #5). I'm not labeling him now - he may turn out to be a great QB, but he isn't going to play there this year and I think he should get on the field to play WR (assuming the coaches and Jones want that) because to me he looks too good to sit on the sidelines. I'm not making any statements about his ability to play QB.

Also, I don't want to sell Engel and Fruechte short, I am fans of both and wish both great success - but I don't see either as the downfield threat this team needs to take some pressure off of Nelson and the running game we want to focus on. From what I have seen (which is a VERY small fraction of what the coaches have seen), I view Jones and McDonald as our candidates for that role and am hoping one can step up. My concern is if neither does. If the coaches don't see McDonald as a strong candidate to do that then I think they should move Jones to WR for the good of the team. For 2013 at least...
Click to expand...

I'm not worried about the receiving corps in the least. The thing I am wanting to see in this third year of Coach Kill's tenure is for Cocach Kill and his staff to devise game plans to win at least three Big Ten Games along with the four ooc games. It is time for the coaching staff to start getting it done with their players out on the football field. Last season was a great start. The Gophers need to win bowl invitations at least three out of every four seasons. So, to stay on track for my target goal for Coach Kill and his staff, the Gophers need to win a bowl invitation this year and then again next season. I think that is a very reasonable goal to set for Coach Kill and his staff!

Go Get 'em Gophers!

; 0 )
 

Nebraska presses the corners very strongly, if you are going to beat them you either have to be very fast, very strong, or have really good technique. We had none of those against them last season.
MSU just had a great D, and I believe one of their corners is rated the best in the B1G, or very close. Their D was one of the best I have seen in a while. We really did nothing against them. They just beat the crap out of us everywhere.
In fairness to our team, I believe our line was a shambles by both of those games, but we could not have gotten many yeards with Adrian P against MSU. There were few holes all afternoon. I give Kirkwood a lot of credit, he really took a pounding.
 

Minnesota redshirted 17 players and played 10 Freshman in 2012. I think those were very good and very fair numbers, considering where the program has been and where it now is in 2013. We have 27 Freshman in 2013. If 9-10 play, its a very fair number. I think playing will be Jones, H. Ekpe, Santoso, Edwards, Wolitarsky, Harte, Brian Smith, and a couple of the NS defensive players (like Wipson) playing on special teams.

At what position Donovahn Jones plays in 2013 is somewhat irrelevant IMO. We have 7 quarterbacks that are Freshman and Sophomores. Streveler, Conway and Rhoda will assuredly redshirt unless disaster ensues. Jones will not. Whether he plays QB or not, I do not know. If they ask him to play WR, he will--but if he does, he's not playing QB for more than a half dozen plays all year. However, if he plays WR in 2013, nothing stops him from playing QB from 2014-2016. We don't know who will still be here or who comes on board. I think Kill and Limegrover will give him an honest assessment by the end of camp and give him and honest opinion of where he will succeed. I don't think they tricked him to get him here. I think Jones trusts them.

Don't think this is a MarQueis Gray type situation.
 

I woke up and wanted to check something on my computer and them go back to be but I noticed your posting above. Here is my quick thought before I do that. If you are really going to look at the number of people that you are red shirting you should really separate it into categories, i.e. scholarship and walk on players. This is for all kinds of reasons but I am too tired to say anything more about this now. Maybe I will/can expand on this more when I am awake.
 

Killjoy said:
I woke up and wanted to check something on my computer and them go back to be but I noticed your posting above. Here is my quick thought before I do that. If you are really going to look at the number of people that you are red shirting you should really separate it into categories, i.e. scholarship and walk on players. This is for all kinds of reasons but I am too tired to say anything more about this now. Maybe I will/can expand on this more when I am awake.
Click to expand...

Gotcha. Start another thread and we can go with it. Take a nap.
 


I think the phrase could be affective, It's just the overall layout that is terrible. You put that phrase with a good picture of Hageman's throw down sack of the UNLV quarterback last year and I think it would be pretty decent.
 

corcoran1 said:
Nebraska presses the corners very strongly, if you are going to beat them you either have to be very fast, very strong, or have really good technique. We had none of those against them last season.
MSU just had a great D, and I believe one of their corners is rated the best in the B1G, or very close. Their D was one of the best I have seen in a while. We really did nothing against them. They just beat the crap out of us everywhere.
In fairness to our team, I believe our line was a shambles by both of those games, but we could not have gotten many yeards with Adrian P against MSU. There were few holes all afternoon. I give Kirkwood a lot of credit, he really took a pounding.
Click to expand...

Good take sir.
 

When I was a college stud, many of my buddies talked about their dates being wide receivers. My stance was I preferred to be a deep threat.
 

Jones

It seems clear that Jones has a chance to give the WR core something it doesn't fully have, a great deep threat, better speed, and just better athleticism. At the same time though, Jones is not a polished WR and he is still in limbo for the QB position. With all the depth at WR we have for upperclassman (Keise, Hutton, Engle, Fruchete SP* ) in addition to some other promising underclassman, it just seems like we will be wasting a year of elgibility in playing Jones now just based off sheer talent. He doesn't even know how to fully be a WR, why not let him redshirt to figure things out and then next year when the WR position will be a bit more open we can insert him "fully" into the lineup.

I still think Jones could be an asset at the QB position at some point, but with Nelson having the QB spot locked down most likely till he leaves, and Strevler providing the explosive running option at the QB position (his ceiling at WR is not as high as Jones), it seems best to keep Jones learning the QB position but making WR a priority for him. I say redshirt Jones this year, and unleash him next year where he can make a much more solid impact.
 



Just told McDonald is being suspended again for violating team rules. I think we need Jones to play WR this year and to learn fast. No way around it now. McDonald out till end of Fall practice I hear.
 

Spoofin said:
Just told McDonald is being suspended again for violating team rules. I think we need Jones to play WR this year and to learn fast. No way around it now. McDonald out till end of Fall practice I hear.
Click to expand...

Kill told media he broke team rule and it won't be addressed until end of camp. Per media. McDonald done for rest of camp.
 

Spoofin said:
Just told McDonald is being suspended again for violating team rules. I think we need Jones to play WR this year and to learn fast. No way around it now. McDonald out till end of Fall practice I hear.
Click to expand...

Just another scholarship up in smoke.
 




Kill has stated Jones' transition to WR starts now. Long term this helps the Gophers, IMO. What impact it has short term is TBD.
 

I thought he had turned it around. Typical of a wide receiver and just ridiculous. Kick him off the team.
 

Spoofin said:
Just told McDonald is being suspended again for violating team rules. I think we need Jones to play WR this year and to learn fast. No way around it now. McDonald out till end of Fall practice I hear.
Click to expand...

Jones played mostly WR in the scrimmage - so transitioning him to that position now is a good move. Looks like we will not be able to count on McDonald to follow team rules. Why is he crapping away his college career...wonder what rules he keeps having issues with???!
 


I would think that with his history that McDonald is done. At least it was in camp which will make the scholarship available to a walk on.
 

McDonald seems to be another example of one that I would like to buy him for what he is worth and sell him for what he thinks he is worth. I will make money.
 

nsmike said:
I would think that with his history that McDonald is done. At least it was in camp which will make the scholarship available to a walk on.
Click to expand...

I don't know what he did and he certainly may be permanently suspended from the team later but why are you assuming that is the case now? Per the quote "McDonald out till end of Fall practice I hear." It didn't say that he is permanently kicked off the team. That certainly could be the case later but why do you feel the need to immediately jump to a conclusion that is not warranted? This is an another example of an over reaction by some people here.
 

It's sad that McDonald doesn't seem to have his head on straight.
 

My biggest concern isn't wide receiver, it's passing accuracy. In Kill's system of run first and pass off of a lot of run fakes you have a lot of passes quickly over the middle and sideline out. For this we need a QB that is pin point accurate. Gray, as my Grand Daddy used to say, "Couldn't hit a cow in the arse with a handful of rice." I've yet to be convinced one way or the other about Nelson's accuracy. He had a few Gray like stretches last year, but I'm ready to put that down to freshman learning.

We'll start finding out in 11 days.
 

Run the ball and stop the run. The rest will take care of itself...

; 0 )
 

Killjoy said:
I don't know what he did and he certainly may be permanently suspended from the team later but why are you assuming that is the case now? Per the quote "McDonald out till end of Fall practice I hear." It didn't say that he is permanently kicked off the team. That certainly could be the case later but why do you feel the need to immediately jump to a conclusion that is not warranted? This is an another example of an over reaction by some people here.
Click to expand...

You are right that given the info available it may be a little early to assume he is done. At the same time, given his track record to this point in his Gopher career I don't really think it is wise to ever expect to get anything out of him. Hopefully he gets his head on straight at some point before he pisses away his entire college career but seems pretty clear the writing is on the wall with this kid being a massive bust.
 

imthewalrus said:
Run the ball and stop the run. The rest will take care of itself...

; 0 )
Click to expand...

Unbelievable...a single sentence comment by walrus without a lengthy lecture that includes something about Country Jer, the new Norwood, or Prexy K. I'm impressed.
 

Dr.Don said:
Unbelievable...a single sentence comment by walrus without a lengthy lecture that includes something about Country Jer, the new Norwood, or Prexy K. I'm impressed.
Click to expand...

Congratulations on 14,000 posts
 

Dr.Don said:
Unbelievable...a single sentence comment by walrus without a lengthy lecture that includes something about Country Jer, the new Norwood, or Prexy K. I'm impressed.
Click to expand...

Coolew01 said:
Congratulations on 14,000 posts
Click to expand...

14,000 posts...damn. And magical number 14,000 was about wren....how memorable. Better make number 15,000 special.
 

pharmacygopher said:
14,000 posts...damn. And magical number 14,000 was about wren....how memorable. Better make number 15,000 special.
Click to expand...

Listen, guys. I say less in 14,000 posts than most people do in 1,000 posts. There you have it. It's like drinking beer...I am into quantity, not quality. :drink:

But I am the Commissioner of damned good Predict the Score and Pick Per Day contests.
 

Give this as much credence as you think it deserves, but Sid said on his Sunday show that Mc Donald was taking summer school classes, and "may" not have passed.

Given Kill's strong stance on academics, that sounds plausible.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
Give this as much credence as you think it deserves, but Sid said on his Sunday show that Mc Donald was taking summer school classes, and "may" not have passed.

Given Kill's strong stance on academics, that sounds plausible.
Click to expand...

Just think, if Andre would be good enough to transfer to Alabama, he'd have a chance.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom