Pioneer Press: Gophers move Carter Coughlin to rush end to get best 11 on the field

per Greder:

When the Gophers football team splits into groups for individual drills in spring practices, most positions have platoons of players to run through tailored movements.

But for the new rush ends, there’s a small but intriguing threesome: Carter Coughlin, Tai’yon Devers and Trenton Guthrie. One player gets a rep at the defensive end spot, another will play tackle or tight end to simulate a play and the other will play running back. No one rotates in.

With new Gophers defensive coordinator Robb Smith’s base 4-3 system and a lack of depth on the defensive line, the spot has brought together new pieces.

For Coughlin, it’s a position switch from linebacker but one with some familiar characteristics. Under departed Gophers defensive coordinator Jay Sawvel last season, Coughlin was an outside linebacker/edge rusher in a 3-4 sub package.

As a highly recruited true freshman from Eden Prairie, Coughlin had four tackles for lost yards, two sacks and 25 total tackles in 11 games last year.

“We have to be incredibly creative to find the best athletes, the best players, the smarter players, get them on the field and put them in a position to be really successful,” Fleck said.

Ideally, Fleck wants rush ends that are 255 pounds with an ability to run and bend around the offensive tackle, but that player is not on the roster. Instead, the Gophers will go with these three rush ends. Coughlin is 6-foot-4, 220 pounds; Devers is 6-4, 215, and Guthrie is 6-3, 215.

“I didn’t know much about (rush end), but I’m adjusting to it and love it,” Coughlin said.

Smith told Coughlin the move was coming before spring ball started in early March. The switch allows the Gophers to play more players from their deepest position — linebacker — opening up snaps for Kamal Martin, Jon Celestin, Thomas Barber, Jaylen Waters and others.

“I love the progress of Devers; I love the progress of Carter,” Fleck said after a recent practice. “You talk about selfless people: Carter is a linebacker, and he knows for him to get on the field and Kamal to get on the field and Celestin to get on the field and Jaylen to get on the field, we all have to sacrifice a little bit.”

http://www.twincities.com/2017/04/0...hlin-to-rush-end-to-get-best-11-on-the-field/

Go Gophers!!

“I didn’t know much about (rush end), but I’m adjusting to it and love it,” Coughlin said.

Smith told Coughlin the move was coming before spring ball started in early March. The switch allows the Gophers to play more players from their deepest position — linebacker — opening up snaps for Kamal Martin, Jon Celestin, Thomas Barber, Jaylen Waters and others.

IMO the importance of getting the good instate recruits.

Why not just play a 3-4?

depth and rotation at defensive tackle is an issue just as much as defensive end.

GopherinPhilly said:

Why not just play a 3-4?

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I believe your going to see a lot of subset 3-4 defensive looks with Carther Coughlin, Huff and Kamal Martin all taking turns at rush end out of the base.
There likely isn't enough depth at defensive tackle to play a 3-4 look on every down. There will probably be some 3-4 looks with Merrick Jackson manning the middle and Stetlar and Richardson all in at the same time.
Coughlin or Martin standing up often as the rush ends just like Huff did as a freshman. The base positions will stay 4-3 but there will be a lot of 3-4 looks even with Ploock,coming off surgery, and Cashmen getting in the mix at linebacker.
Martin and Coughlin will play a lot of end just because they have the respective height and overall strength to do it. Those two guys Martin and Coughlin have enough mass to take on tackles and not get swallowed up.

gopherdudepart2 said:

I believe your going to see a lot of subset 3-4 defensive looks with Carther Coughlin, Huff and Kamal Martin all taking turns at rush end out of the base.
There likely isn't enough depth at defensive tackle to play a 3-4 look on every down. There will probably be some 3-4 looks with Merrick Jackson manning the middle and Stetlar and Richardson all in at the same time.
Coughlin or Martin standing up often as the rush ends just like Huff did as a freshman. The base positions will stay 4-3 but there will be a lot of 3-4 looks even with Ploock,coming off surgery, and Cashmen getting in the mix at linebacker.
Martin and Coughlin will play a lot of end just because they have the respective height and overall strength to do it. Those two guys Martin and Coughlin have enough mass to take on tackles and not get swallowed up.

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215-225 pounds taking on a Wiscy/Iowa 310 pound tackle? For four quarters? There won,t be any third and long opportunities to rush the passer; they'll rush for 425 yards.

What's to adjust to? I was told in no uncertain terms on here just days ago that this is the position CC always has played and always will play.


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GoldyMoose said:

215-225 pounds taking on a Wiscy/Iowa 310 pound tackle? For four quarters? There won,t be any third and long opportunities to rush the passer; they'll rush for 425 yards.

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That isn't happening on every play, and there will be more rotational depth in the fall when the Freshman and Juco arrive. I'm not saying Coughling and Martin and Huff will play rush end every down, they will play a lot because of lack of depth. Playing Wisconsin your probably going to have to play Richardson, Stetler, Jackson, the Juco, Moore 3 DT's and one undersized rush lineman anyways. We were already doing that this year, playing 3 of the bigger body's inside and one stand up lineman on the rush end side a lot anyways.
Gophers have been doing the smaller stand up rush end thing for a few years now. Devers and Coughlin each need to gain about 10-15 pounds.

Spoofin said:

What's to adjust to? I was told in no uncertain terms on here just days ago that this is the position CC always has played and always will play.

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Did you skip over this part?

BleedGopher said:

per Greder:
For Coughlin, it’s a position switch from linebacker but one with some familiar characteristics. Under departed Gophers defensive coordinator Jay Sawvel last season, Coughlin was an outside linebacker/edge rusher in a 3-4 sub package.

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As for the other weight comments, it's highly unlikely Coughlin and Devers are still only 215-220 lbs. It's not a stretch to think they can get to 250-255 lbs for their JR/SR years.

GopherWeatherGuy said:

Did you skip over this part?

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Nope. I just paid more attention to the headline, PJF talking about the "sacrifice" CC was making, and CC's own quote about how he "didn't know much about the position".


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GopherWeatherGuy said:

Did you skip over this part?



As for the other weight comments, it's highly unlikely Coughlin and Devers are still only 215-220 lbs. It's not a stretch to think they can get to 250-255 lbs for their JR/SR years.

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Saw Devers a good bit at the open practice (was looking for him), and to me it looks like he's put on 20 lbs.

GopherinPhilly said:

Why not just play a 3-4?

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Because they believe a 4-3 is a better defense and they're building a program not a season.




I'm a 3-4 but I firmly believe that you shouldn't play a 3-4 if you know and believe in a 4-3 more. Coaches have to coach what they believe in.

GoldyMoose said:

215-225 pounds taking on a Wiscy/Iowa 310 pound tackle? For four quarters? There won,t be any third and long opportunities to rush the passer; they'll rush for 425 yards.

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you should watch football sometime. interesting sport with a lot of strategy. there are these end guys that outrun these tackle guys on most plays. kind of cool. games are on ABC, ESPN, B1G Network. look up the channel.

highwayman said:

you should watch football sometime. interesting sport with a lot of strategy. there are these end guys that outrun these tackle guys on most plays. kind of cool. games are on ABC, ESPN, B1G Network. look up the channel.

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Hell, why not find some 5'8", 150# guy who is EVEN FASTER than our edge rushers? I'm starting to thing CC is too big for this position.


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highwayman said:

you should watch football sometime. interesting sport with a lot of strategy. there are these tackle guys that can move and shove those small end guys downfield creating huge running lanes for talented backs on most plays. kind of cool. games are on ABC, ESPN, B1G Network. look up the channel.

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FIFY

highwayman said:

you should watch football sometime. interesting sport with a lot of strategy. there are these end guys that outrun these tackle guys on most plays. kind of cool. games are on ABC, ESPN, B1G Network. look up the channel.

Click to expand...

So you're criticizing GoldyMoose for an obvious football scheme observation? My guess is these guys will go on a weight gain regimen to mitigate the issue of size at this position.

BleedGopher said:

The switch allows the Gophers to play more players from their deepest position — linebacker — opening up snaps for Kamal Martin, Jon Celestin, Thomas Barber, Jaylen Waters and others.

“I love the progress of Devers; I love the progress of Carter,” Fleck said after a recent practice. “You talk about selfless people: Carter is a linebacker, and he knows for him to get on the field and Kamal to get on the field and Celestin to get on the field and Jaylen to get on the field, we all have to sacrifice a little bit.”

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Lot of experience and depth and "how" at linebacker with 5th year guy Poock, 4th year guys Williams and Celestin, 3rd year guys Waters, Huff, and Cashman. Plus, the super soph trio of Barber, Coughlin, Martin. New def coord Smith was an NFL linebacker coach and had GREAT linebackers at Maine, Rutgers and Arkansas; new DL coach Paup sure to impart some knowledge.

Love the depth and experience and talent at linebacker, defensive tackle, and safety. Sounds like they are being proactive and figuring some creative things out to make DE work. Coughlin, Devers, Martin, Cashman can all play some edge in passing situations. Wonder if Martin, Waters, Barber can help the dline in rushing situations. Maybe Beebe ends up on d-line? Hope some of those things plus Otomewo and Mafe can help DeLattiboudere, Devers and Gibson. DeLattiboudere looks MUCH bigger this Spring.

Plenty of teams play a one gap 3-4 and don't get gashed vs the run. They have to play fast and disrupt due to the size issue or yeah, it will be a bloodbath. Line and backer alignments, stunts, blitzes all factor into it. Seems like our personnel, right now, are better for a one gap 3-4. IIRC one of the reasons Bielema wanted to go away from the 4-3 was their difficulty finding top quality defensive linemen in Arkansas. His philosophy on recruiting was you have to adapt recruiting to what's available to your in-state talents or whatever peipeline connections you have or it's an uphill effort.

Fleck seems pretty set on his defensive philosophy and if he can get good players everything should work out. We seem to have plenty of hyper-athletic OLBs that could thrive in 3-4 though. I hope they get the best athletes out there and make it work.

1-6-4 all day long!!!