STrib: Streveler practicing some at WR; Jones to be primarily a WR, too

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BleedGopher

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per Joe:

Gophers coach Jerry Kill said Tuesday that backup quarterback Chris Streveler has been mixing in some reps at wide receiver this summer and will practice at receiver some during camp.

Kill was clear to note this isn't a position change; Streveler is still a quarterback.

Kill also said freshman Jeff Jones will be a wide receiver in training camp and work out of the backfield "as needed."

http://www.startribune.com/strevele...640112/?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=dlvr.it

Go Gophers!!
 

I understand that getting Jones on the field is probably a good thing in any way possible; but is anyone else a little bit disappointed that our 4* RB recruit is changing positions to WR(which he has never played before)?
 


IAGopherfan said:
I understand that getting Jones on the field is probably a good thing in any way possible; but is anyone else a little bit disappointed that our 4* RB recruit is changing positions to WR(which he has never played before)?
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It will be fun to watch his career and see where he gets the majority of his snaps. Just get him the ball!
(I can understand your point)
 

If I'm not mistaken, I think some schools were thinking of moving him to WR out of high school (at least, have read that MSU's coaches said so)
 


IAGopherfan said:
I understand that getting Jones on the field is probably a good thing in any way possible; but is anyone else a little bit disappointed that our 4* RB recruit is changing positions to WR(which he has never played before)?
Click to expand...

Actually, having seen Jones do both, I am really impressed with his receiving ability .... especially instinct. He holds his blocks and checks off at the right time without fail. I see him being the one to help spread the field with jet sweeps and short over the middle receptions. I think it says a lot about what we have going at running back right now. Even athletic freak Femi-Cole won't be seeing much playing time at this point. I see it as a positive positional change, not as a failure to scout.
 

Rescooter said:
Actually, having seen Jones do both, I am really impressed with his receiving ability .... especially instinct. He holds his blocks and checks off at the right time without fail. I see him being the one to help spread the field with jet sweeps and short over the middle receptions. I think it says a lot about what we have going at running back right now. Even athletic freak Femi-Cole won't be seeing much playing time at this point. I see it as a positive positional change, not as a failure to scout.
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I definitely don't see it as a failure. I am sure he can be a solid player still. What does it say about our current WR's though? Does it say that our current RB's are that good or does it say that Jones just isn't good enough to beat them out? Do you think he will be a WR going forward or is Kill just finding a way to get him on the field until next year(or year after)? I could see him being player in the mold of say Percy Harvin?
 

IAGopherfan said:
I definitely don't see it as a failure. I am sure he can be a solid player still. What does it say about our current WR's though? Does it say that our current RB's are that good or does it say that Jones just isn't good enough to beat them out? Do you think he will be a WR going forward or is Kill just finding a way to get him on the field until next year(or year after)? I could see him being player in the mold of say Percy Harvin?
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Except that Jones won't be a cancer in the locker room like Percy Harvin is.
 

IAGopherfan said:
I understand that getting Jones on the field is probably a good thing in any way possible; but is anyone else a little bit disappointed that our 4* RB recruit is changing positions to WR(which he has never played before)?
Click to expand...

My thoughts exactly. I hope he ends up being Decker-like, I guess. I was really thinking he'd be more D. Thompson or Maroney-like.
 



IIRC, at jones' under armour game, he caught a ton of balls out of the backfield, and in space he is scary good. He did play some WR in highschool too, so he is not compeltely fresh at the position. I think it speaks to how much talent we will be fielding on offense this year. Its going to be fun. Rodney Smith is a helluva player, and Nugget seems to be poised to really take the reigns this year.

30 more days.... cant friggin wait. should be a fun year. Wish we were this good when i was in school.
 

IAGopherfan said:
I definitely don't see it as a failure. I am sure he can be a solid player still. What does it say about our current WR's though? Does it say that our current RB's are that good or does it say that Jones just isn't good enough to beat them out? Do you think he will be a WR going forward or is Kill just finding a way to get him on the field until next year(or year after)? I could see him being player in the mold of say Percy Harvin?
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One of the areas that Kill emphasizes is blocking. The WR he's recruited recently are longer/speed type players. Jones is built a little more solid and will give Leidner an extra few tenths of a second which is huge. Jones' gift is really awareness and instinct. It's helped him at RB, but with his slight positional change, it will be a real asset. He's like your mother (knowing exactly what's going on even when their head is turned).
 

IAGopherfan said:
I understand that getting Jones on the field is probably a good thing in any way possible; but is anyone else a little bit disappointed that our 4* RB recruit is changing positions to WR(which he has never played before)?
Click to expand...

He lined up quite a bit in the slot at Washburn
 

He played a lot of receiver in HS especially junior year when they had Ramonte Maynard at RB.
 




So I take it, this indicates that the 2nd string QB position is now an open competition, between Perra & Strevler.
 

IAGopherfan said:
I understand that getting Jones on the field is probably a good thing in any way possible; but is anyone else a little bit disappointed that our 4* RB recruit is changing positions to WR(which he has never played before)?
Click to expand...

I feel this way a little...but then I consider it from an NFL/career/health standpoint and I wonder if Jones maybe prefers WR because it has better outcomes. The NFL is a passing league, he can make a lot more money there, and the risk of concussion/general wear and tear on your body is lower. At 6'0" he is on the taller side of average for an RB, and there is an easier path to playing time at the WR position in MN. Just my thoughts.
 

JJ playing at WR is not a reflection against the RS Freshman WRs. It is more a reflection of a new wrinkle in the offense that JK & Limey are going to implement.

It is getting scary deep talent-wise in Gopherland.

JK must have a lot of confidence in Rodney. He had a year at RS to mature, learn the system, and bulk up. My understanding was JJ was not allowed to participate in camps last year due to his academic status.

I'd expect him to figure greatly in the backfield in the future.

My hunch is blocking will improve drastically which will be key to executing the offense that they want to play. We have a lot of new & old offensive weapons. We shall soon see which RS WRs will separate themselves.

IMHO, watching GOpher Football will be exciting once the offense start clicking.

We are building an empire brick by brick.
 

Lordshawesome said:
So I take it, this indicates that the 2nd string QB position is now an open competition, between Perra & Strevler.
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Not really, just trying to get the best athletes on the field. Wouldn't be shocked if Streveler got some touches under center as well. Can't ignore that long TD run he had in the Spring game, kid can fly.
 

bemidjigopher said:
Not really, just trying to get the best athletes on the field. Wouldn't be shocked if Streveler got some touches under center as well. Can't ignore that long TD run he had in the Spring game, kid can fly.
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+1 It always amaze me how people take a little bit of information and then twist it beyond recognition to mean something else. All Kill said was that Leidner and Streveler were practicing with Streveler at WR during captain practice to see what would happen. Kill then made it clear that this not anything he had seen but he did like Streveler's speed. End of story.
 


Having seen JJ play quite a bit in HS, the move doesn't really surprise me. I think it's the best move for him, as a player. The Percy Harvin comparison's are apt, he catches the ball with absolute ease and he is just a REAL problem in the open field. That is where he reminds me of Harvin, it isn't so much the blazing speed or brute power, it's really just an ability to make people miss. It is really a natural fit. I wasn't sure our staff would go with the move because I wasn't sure where we would be as a program at the RB position when JJ was ready to play. This move says a lot about Williams, Smith and the youngsters.

As far as Streveler goes, I'm not reading much into it. It makes sense that the staff would have the RS FR backup QB ONLY focus on QB duties. He's a year older, it's probably significantly easier for him to take on additional responsibilities than it was last year. It probably also speaks to the staff's comfort in Perra if things don't go well. Lastly, we didn't really have a 3rd stringer we felt comfortable with last year. We didn't want to burn Perra's RS because Streveler played 3 plays a game at WR. Streveler and Perra are both a year older and we aren;t concerned about the possibility of burning a RS on our third stringer, it makes sense to see what Streveler can do because he can fly.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
Having seen JJ play quite a bit in HS, the move doesn't really surprise me. I think it's the best move for him, as a player. The Percy Harvin comparison's are apt, he catches the ball with absolute ease and he is just a REAL problem in the open field. That is where he reminds me of Harvin, it isn't so much the blazing speed or brute power, it's really just an ability to make people miss. It is really a natural fit. I wasn't sure our staff would go with the move because I wasn't sure where we would be as a program at the RB position when JJ was ready to play. This move says a lot about Williams, Smith and the youngsters.

As far as Streveler goes, I'm not reading much into it. It makes sense that the staff would have the RS FR backup QB ONLY focus on QB duties. He's a year older, it's probably significantly easier for him to take on additional responsibilities than it was last year. It probably also speaks to the staff's comfort in Perra if things don't go well. Lastly, we didn't really have a 3rd stringer we felt comfortable with last year. We didn't want to burn Perra's RS because Streveler played 3 plays a game at WR. Streveler and Perra are both a year older and we aren;t concerned about the possibility of burning a RS on our third stringer, it makes sense to see what Streveler can do because he can fly.
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That is.... Valid. Well said sir.
 

No way would u move strevler to WR if he was your backup QB. You would not risk a player to injury just to try it out. Parra is the backup! I didn't see anything from strevler at QB last year except a running back.
 

IAGopherfan said:
I understand that getting Jones on the field is probably a good thing in any way possible; but is anyone else a little bit disappointed that our 4* RB recruit is changing positions to WR(which he has never played before)?
Click to expand...

JJ is a very good athlete but he just doesn't have the power that Smith and Williams have. I said this in the spring and I will say it again - Smith is the real deal - in my opinion a better runner than JJ - this is not to say anything against JJ - he is great in the open field and has excellent hands. I think he is at the right position at WR and can catch a short pass and turn it into an explosive play.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
Having seen JJ play quite a bit in HS, the move doesn't really surprise me. I think it's the best move for him, as a player. The Percy Harvin comparison's are apt, he catches the ball with absolute ease and he is just a REAL problem in the open field. That is where he reminds me of Harvin, it isn't so much the blazing speed or brute power, it's really just an ability to make people miss. It is really a natural fit. I wasn't sure our staff would go with the move because I wasn't sure where we would be as a program at the RB position when JJ was ready to play. This move says a lot about Williams, Smith and the youngsters.

As far as Streveler goes, I'm not reading much into it. It makes sense that the staff would have the RS FR backup QB ONLY focus on QB duties. He's a year older, it's probably significantly easier for him to take on additional responsibilities than it was last year. It probably also speaks to the staff's comfort in Perra if things don't go well. Lastly, we didn't really have a 3rd stringer we felt comfortable with last year. We didn't want to burn Perra's RS because Streveler played 3 plays a game at WR. Streveler and Perra are both a year older and we aren;t concerned about the possibility of burning a RS on our third stringer, it makes sense to see what Streveler can do because he can fly.
Click to expand...

Great Post Bob. Thanks!
 

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