All Things 2015 Gophers Spring Practice: Tweets, Links, Analysis, Video & More

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Wow, September is way too far away!
 

mcal24 said:
Wow, September is way too far away!
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Yep....but the 2nd day of Spring ball and to the lucky folks close enough to make Saturday's practice it's only a few hours away from getting a little taste of football :clap:
 

LakerFan said:
I know it's old and not as cool as whats out there, but when I keep hearing how we need a new practice facility and I see our guys in a heated building with a full sized turfed football field I can't help but wonder what is going to be so magical about the next facility. Will we use double turf? retractable roof? Will the 45 pound plates in the new facility weight room lift easier? If it helps bring in recruits great, but it's staggering to me that we could spend 450 million when you look at the main area (field) the new facility almost has to be nearly identical to what they are in now.
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Have you been over to practice? The roof leaks in several spots. Stands to reason I suppose since it's so low the punters hit the ceiling with every other punt. The players eat their meals in the entryway/foyer. I live in St Paul not far from Concordia's dome and it's not far behind what the U has. If you object to the price tag, that's a valid argument. Let's just get out of the football business altogether then like UAB. I believe we either have to be in it to win it, which means state of the art facilities, or we get out.
 




LakerFan said:
I know it's old and not as cool as whats out there, but when I keep hearing how we need a new practice facility and I see our guys in a heated building with a full sized turfed football field I can't help but wonder what is going to be so magical about the next facility. Will we use double turf? retractable roof? Will the 45 pound plates in the new facility weight room lift easier? If it helps bring in recruits great, but it's staggering to me that we could spend 450 million when you look at the main area (field) the new facility almost has to be nearly identical to what they are in now.
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First off...I am guessing you meant $50 mil and just missed the shift button.

This is what you get and it doesn't have to be shared with a bunch of other sports that want to practice indoors like the current facility (which will remain standing for those other sports) plus more meeting room, training table, academic support and more staff space and storage:

FOOTBALL DEVELOPMENT CENTER​

Comprised of two buildings - the Football Indoor Practice Facility and the Football Performace Center - this everyday home for Gopher Football will be a source of pride for our football program and an incredible asset for recruiting and preparing top student-athletes to excel.
FACILITIES' FEATURES​

FOOTBALL INDOOR PRACTICE FACILITY
Dedicated Indoor Field - providing year-round training and practice opportunities without juggling schedules with other sports.
FOOTBALL PERFORMANCE CENTER
Strength and Conditioning Space - featuring advanced equipment designed for teaching the latest training techniques and meeting the specific physical demands of football.
Sports Medicine Area - benefitting Gopher student-athletes with the latest injury prevention technology and practices, as well as treatment for recovery.
Team Room and Locker Room - updating the spaces where student-athletes spend their time off the field bonding as a team.
Fully Equipped Support Offices and Meeting Rooms - creating space for coaches to conduct pre-game preparation and post-game review with individuals, position groups and the entire team.
Recruiting Room - fully showcasing the greatness of Gopher Football to future Gopher student-athletes, while providing a comfortable experience for them and their families.
 

I think what some of us are incredulous about are the large amounts of dollars being thrown around. Oftentimes costs can be controlled, or not, depending on the management and the pressure to control said costs. . I'm sure we have posters intimately involved with big money projects that can attest. I am tangentially personally aware of the enormous waste in the military civil engineering arena, so skepticism is always there for me.

My hometown school district is attempting to pass a building referendum. It includes:

-New elementary school for 730 K-5 students
-7.8 MM new high school fieldhouse including indoor track, basketball, and tennis courts
-Renovations of existing schools
- 3.8 MM addition to middle school

The total budget is 52 MM and change.

The cost of doing business is going to be somewhat higher in urban Minneapolis. We understand that. However, it's far from clear how or why the money spent exceeds what even Teague forecast as an 80-90 MM project a few years ago. Sometimes business is steered towards certain contractor, not because they're the most efficient, but because of existing "relationships", aboveboard or not.
 



What is the word about the Gophers offense practicing in more of a spread/hurry up style? Is this just to have it as part of the formula or will the Gophers go away from the run first offense they have run the past 4 years?
NM- found there was another thread devoted to this topic.
 

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Go4 said:
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Keep the pics coming...much appreciated from those of us not fortunate enough to be there. :clap:
 




New player?

OPGD#71 said:
Keep the pics coming...much appreciated from those of us not fortunate enough to be there. :clap:
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Here I thought this was a picture of the new Gopher spread formation they've been talking about with Coach Kill split out wide. Never thought of the idea of player/coach.
 

Thorviking said:
Here I thought this was a picture of the new Gopher spread formation they've been talking about with Coach Kill split out wide. Never thought of the idea of player/coach.
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I heard he has a sweet double move on a 9 route.
 




Did anybody that was there today see Celestin's monster tackle on Jeff Jones? It was a harder hit than any one I saw last season. Absolutely popped him.
 



die hard gopher said:
Did anybody that was there today see Celestin's monster tackle on Jeff Jones? It was a harder hit than any one I saw last season. Absolutely popped him.
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That pop was heard around Dinkytown. I was standing by the defensive players and they all went crazy, it was great to see the energy this early in spring practices.
 


die hard gopher said:
Did anybody that was there today see Celestin's monster tackle on Jeff Jones? It was a harder hit than any one I saw last season. Absolutely popped him.
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Welcome to the B1G Jeff, you're not in the City Conference anymore! There's a reason they call Celestin "Thumper" and you saw it today. JJ had the shake the cobwebs out after that hit.
 



Was at the practice today, Celestin's hit was ridiculous. I thought the linebackers in general today looked good. Our offensive line is absolutely enormous, it's almost laughable when Pirsig (6'9) and Wozniak (6'10) line up next to each other. I think S. Richardson could run between their legs. I was also impressed with the WRs - Gentry, Gant, and Holland all look big and quick out there. Finally, it has to bode well that Carter Coughlin (sp?) was at practice, alongside a handful of other recruits taking it in. My only complaint is that they didn't take the practice outside! It was a fun morning.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

I was chatting most of the practice but some quick observations....

- Rodrick Williams is much leaner and was getting tons of reps. Anyone who thinks he's just a short yardage back is wrong.

- Jeff Jones made some nice jukes. He left Everett Williams in the dust on one play in particular. Jones also got destroyed by Celestin coming through the hole once and the whole practice went "ooohhhh". He was a little slow getting up and needed a minute to get himself together. One hell of a hit.

- Leidner was throwing a lot of ducks but they were all right where they needed to be. The exception is he threw one floater to the right flat that was picked and would have gone for a TD the other way in a game. The intended receiver Eric Carter didn't out up much of a fight for the ball though.

- Streveler's motion looks cleaner, but he just doesn't have the same zip on the ball as Mitch or Perra.

- Hard to tell much from a practice like this, but Perra looked solid.

- I didn't see much of Duke today, but Lingen got a lot of work and Nick Hart #45 got some reps. Wozniak is hard to miss at 6'10" and got plenty of work as well

- Gentry's knee is good now and physically he looks a little sturdier. He needed a red-shirt.

- Melvin Holland got a lot of work and caught some tough passes in traffic. He's going to be a very good player.

- Wolitarsky caught a nice bomb from Leidner down the right sideline over BBC. Impressive.

- OL 1st unit was LT-Lauer, LG-Bjorklund, C-Bobek, RG-Connor Mayes, RT-Pirsig. Couldn't see the second team OL well, but Matt Leidner was the Center, with Tyler Moore at RG. Christenson and Campion were out today.

- DL 1st unit was DE-Cochran, DT-Richardson, DT-Stelter, DE-H. Ekpe. 2nd Unit (from what I could see? Sight lines aren't the greatest from the sideline.) was DE-Keith, DT-Moore, DT-Ndondo-Lay, DE-Elmore.

- LB, Everett Williams was MLB with the 1's, Campbell was SLB of course and I saw both Lynn and Poock out there but wasn't sure who was with which unit. As mentioned Celestin was working a lot with the 2's.

- CB, not much to report. Murray and BBC are the 1's, Myrick and James are the 2's. Everyone looked good, BBC gave up the one long pass. but it was a great pass and great catch.

- Safety, Rogers will step right in and basically act as a veteran. Lot's of basic today and it wasn't much of a challenge for him. Jacob (or is it Julian?) Huff got some reps at Safety as well.

- Crowd was good. Lot's of coaches, lot's of big kids in letterman jackets. Coughlin, Barber, Kegel and Schluester were all hanging with Coach Sherels. Pace of practice is very fast. Everyone runs everywhere. They get more reps per practice this way.
 

Costa Rican Gopher said:
I was chatting most of the practice but some quick observations....

- Rodrick Williams is much leaner and was getting tons of reps. Anyone who thinks he's just a short yardage back is wrong.

- Jeff Jones made some nice jukes. He left Everett Williams in the dust on one play in particular. Jones also got destroyed by Celestin coming through the hole once and the whole practice went "ooohhhh". He was a little slow getting up and needed a minute to get himself together. One hell of a hit.

- Leidner was throwing a lot of ducks but they were all right where they needed to be. The exception is he threw one floater to the right flat that was picked and would have gone for a TD the other way in a game. The intended receiver Eric Carter didn't out up much of a fight for the ball though.

- Streveler's motion looks cleaner, but he just doesn't have the same zip on the ball as Mitch or Perra.

- Hard to tell much from a practice like this, but Perra looked solid.

- I didn't see much of Duke today, but Lingen got a lot of work and Nick Hart #45 got some reps. Wozniak is hard to miss at 6'10" and got plenty of work as well

- Gentry's knee is good now and physically he looks a little sturdier. He needed a red-shirt.

- Melvin Holland got a lot of work and caught some tough passes in traffic. He's going to be a very good player.

- Wolitarsky caught a nice bomb from Leidner down the right sideline over BBC. Impressive.

- OL 1st unit was LT-Lauer, LG-Bjorklund, C-Bobek, RG-Connor Mayes, RT-Pirsig. Couldn't see the second team OL well, but Matt Leidner was the Center, with Tyler Moore at RG. Christenson and Campion were out today.

- DL 1st unit was DE-Cochran, DT-Richardson, DT-Stelter, DE-H. Ekpe. 2nd Unit (from what I could see? Sight lines aren't the greatest from the sideline.) was DE-Keith, DT-Moore, DT-Ndondo-Lay, DE-Elmore.

- LB, Everett Williams was MLB with the 1's, Campbell was SLB of course and I saw both Lynn and Poock out there but wasn't sure who was with which unit. As mentioned Celestin was working a lot with the 2's.

- CB, not much to report. Murray and BBC are the 1's, Myrick and James are the 2's. Everyone looked good, BBC gave up the one long pass. but it was a great pass and great catch.

- Safety, Rogers will step right in and basically act as a veteran. Lot's of basic today and it wasn't much of a challenge for him. Jacob (or is it Julian?) Huff got some reps at Safety as well.

- Crowd was good. Lot's of coaches, lot's of big kids in letterman jackets. Coughlin, Barber, Kegel and Schluester were all hanging with Coach Sherels. Pace of practice is very fast. Everyone runs everywhere. They get more reps per practice this way.
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Thank you very much for this
 

Costa Rican Gopher said:
I was chatting most of the practice but some quick observations....

- Rodrick Williams is much leaner and was getting tons of reps. Anyone who thinks he's just a short yardage back is wrong.

- Jeff Jones made some nice jukes. He left Everett Williams in the dust on one play in particular. Jones also got destroyed by Celestin coming through the hole once and the whole practice went "ooohhhh". He was a little slow getting up and needed a minute to get himself together. One hell of a hit.

- Leidner was throwing a lot of ducks but they were all right where they needed to be. The exception is he threw one floater to the right flat that was picked and would have gone for a TD the other way in a game. The intended receiver Eric Carter didn't out up much of a fight for the ball though.

- Streveler's motion looks cleaner, but he just doesn't have the same zip on the ball as Mitch or Perra.

- Hard to tell much from a practice like this, but Perra looked solid.

- I didn't see much of Duke today, but Lingen got a lot of work and Nick Hart #45 got some reps. Wozniak is hard to miss at 6'10" and got plenty of work as well

- Gentry's knee is good now and physically he looks a little sturdier. He needed a red-shirt.

- Melvin Holland got a lot of work and caught some tough passes in traffic. He's going to be a very good player.

- Wolitarsky caught a nice bomb from Leidner down the right sideline over BBC. Impressive.

- OL 1st unit was LT-Lauer, LG-Bjorklund, C-Bobek, RG-Connor Mayes, RT-Pirsig. Couldn't see the second team OL well, but Matt Leidner was the Center, with Tyler Moore at RG. Christenson and Campion were out today.

- DL 1st unit was DE-Cochran, DT-Richardson, DT-Stelter, DE-H. Ekpe. 2nd Unit (from what I could see? Sight lines aren't the greatest from the sideline.) was DE-Keith, DT-Moore, DT-Ndondo-Lay, DE-Elmore.

- LB, Everett Williams was MLB with the 1's, Campbell was SLB of course and I saw both Lynn and Poock out there but wasn't sure who was with which unit. As mentioned Celestin was working a lot with the 2's.

- CB, not much to report. Murray and BBC are the 1's, Myrick and James are the 2's. Everyone looked good, BBC gave up the one long pass. but it was a great pass and great catch.

- Safety, Rogers will step right in and basically act as a veteran. Lot's of basic today and it wasn't much of a challenge for him. Jacob (or is it Julian?) Huff got some reps at Safety as well.

- Crowd was good. Lot's of coaches, lot's of big kids in letterman jackets. Coughlin, Barber, Kegel and Schluester were all hanging with Coach Sherels. Pace of practice is very fast. Everyone runs everywhere. They get more reps per practice this way.
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Thanks! Great report with lots of interesting and useful information. I would have to say that, as of now, you are the leading candidate to become the official GopherHole sideline reporter. I can't wait to go practice on Tuesday.:clap:
 

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