BTN Bus Tour show

Rare because he's short is not a good thing when trying to play DL in the NFL. A GM is more likely to take a flier on a less productive 6'4" 320 lb DT than a more productive but undersized player. That's just the way it is and it's not limited to just football either. There are many productive, but undersized players in college that don't make it in pro sports when they have to start practicing/playing every day against the biggest and the best athletes in the game.



Ball was 6'1" 330 lbs.

Mike Daniels wreaked havoc as an interior lineman both for Iowa and now for the Packers. He's listed as 6'0" 310 lbs. and he's probably not that tall. He credits his stature for his ability to get leverage on larger offensive linemen.
 

Mike Daniels wreaked havoc as an interior lineman both for Iowa and now for the Packers. He's listed as 6'0" 310 lbs. and he's probably not that tall. He credits his stature for his ability to get leverage on larger offensive linemen.

NFL guys are measured when they enter the draft. Unlike college and high school rosters, their listed heights are accurate. Daniels is a legit 6'0", Aaron Donald and John Randle are 6'1". If Richardson was going to measure in at that range, he'd easily get drafted. But he'll likely measure in at 5'10" at best, and that'll kill his stock.
 

It really was a schit show by BTN. Complete lack of preparation by all those on the show. They just looked like they wanted out of there. I thought Dave Revsine was going to say something intelligent at the end but he just sat there with his thumb up his butt.
 

NFL guys are measured when they enter the draft. Unlike college and high school rosters, their listed heights are accurate. Daniels is a legit 6'0", Aaron Donald and John Randle are 6'1". If Richardson was going to measure in at that range, he'd easily get drafted. But he'll likely measure in at 5'10" at best, and that'll kill his stock.

I think you're overrating the importance of height in a DT. Strength, leverage, quickness are what's important and he has that in spades. I suspect many teams will look very closely at a guy that can routinely get through a gap to disrupt. Obviously he has to have a good year and stay healthy.
 

so basically ignore anyone who isn't coaching a winning team? So despite being good enough and knowledgeable enough to become the HC of a D1 program, they know nothing.

I don't think any of these guys hate MN or have disdain or anything like that. They just don't think we're all that good. Plus its true that the Athlete's village is just us getting back to par. There are programs spending as much as we are on just FB facilities or just a stadium.

Exactly.

I don't get why people are so outraged by the show, though it really shouldn't surprise me.
 


NFL guys are measured when they enter the draft. Unlike college and high school rosters, their listed heights are accurate. Daniels is a legit 6'0", Aaron Donald and John Randle are 6'1". If Richardson was going to measure in at that range, he'd easily get drafted. But he'll likely measure in at 5'10" at best, and that'll kill his stock.

It shouldn't. He's one of the better DT in the BIG and in college football. When he continues to dominate OL all year long like he's done every year, his stock will not fall. 5' 10 isn't that big of a difference than 6 when playing DL.


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Exactly.

I don't get why people are so outraged by the show, though it really shouldn't surprise me.

Not seeing outrage
For me I was surprised at how poor of a show it was compared to others that I had seen. Bad editing in the interviews especially.
Dinardo saying this was a complete overhaul for PJ is flat out wrong, even PJ has said it's not. We do have some depth concerns and will be inexperienced if we have to play back ups, but the O and D schemes we're implementing fit the players who were here last year.
Personally not real fond of PJ continually bringing up the 50 or so FR and RSFR. It played right into the thoughts of Dinardo saying what he did at start.
Would rather have him talk about the 50 plus returning players who have contributed the past few seasons.
His comment about us getting in the game with facilities was pretty accurate. We moved from the bottom to the middle in the conf so that is good.


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The show made it seem like we lost a lot from last year. I don't see it. I think Kiante Hardin and Leidner were the biggest losses. Beyond that, Jack Lynn and Tyler Moore. Demarius Travis?

I think our D has just as good, if not better personnel. Only question is the secondary, and Hardin missed half the year. The defensive coaches might be the biggest loss, but this D should be just as good imo, if not better.

On the O side, all we've talked about for the last 6 years is the lack of O! I think Tyler Moore is a big loss. Obviously Wolitarsky was exceptional. And with Mitch we lose experience. But the WR group should be better as a group. And I think the coaching will be better. Certainly the O line coach. Lot of O lineman back, some another year to mature, and excellent RB's return. Lingen back.

My only question is will the D coaches be as good? QB's lack experience so obviously that's a concern, but early schedule is favorable. How much drop off from Leidner? I don't think offense will be worse. It will be equal or better. My concern is maintaining that very good defense.

So I don't get BTN's exaggerated take. I guess we'll see. Last years team won 8 regular season games. People seem to think it was 9 regular season games. This team will be on par with last years regular season win total.


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It shouldn't. He's one of the better DT in the BIG and in college football. When he continues to dominate OL all year long like he's done every year, his stock will not fall. 5' 10 isn't that big of a difference than 6 when playing DL.


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One of the better DTs in all of college football? He was 3rd team All B1G last year. He puts up his best stats against lesser competition and struggles more against the better B1G teams. He has limitations due to his height, especially when it comes to stopping the run. The better offensive lineman can get on top of him and control him.

Even at 6'0"-6'1" the previously mentioned DL slipped in the draft because of their height. Donald would have been a top 3 pick if he was 2" taller, instead he was a mid 1st rounder. Daniels was a late 4th rounder, John Randle undrafted. Just a few inches matter a lot.
 


One of the better DTs in all of college football? He was 3rd team All B1G last year. He puts up his best stats against lesser competition and struggles more against the better B1G teams. He has limitations due to his height, especially when it comes to stopping the run. The better offensive lineman can get on top of him and control him.

Even at 6'0"-6'1" the previously mentioned DL slipped in the draft because of their height. Donald would have been a top 3 pick if he was 2" taller, instead he was a mid 1st rounder. Daniels was a late 4th rounder, John Randle undrafted. Just a few inches matter a lot.

Dumb and uninformed. http://www.startribune.com/gophers-dt-steve-richardson-among-247sports-preseason-top-100/438141053/

Stop posting for a while. Thanks.
 

Size matters

Wait are we talking about football again? or something else?

I agree with you his size is going to drop him significantly. He could put up the best numbers in all of college football this year and he'll still get passed over because of his size.

If we are talking about something else... it's a lie! Size does not really matter.
 



The show made it seem like we lost a lot from last year. I don't see it. I think Kiante Hardin and Leidner were the biggest losses. Beyond that, Jack Lynn and Tyler Moore. Demarius Travis?

I think our D has just as good, if not better personnel. Only question is the secondary, and Hardin missed half the year. The defensive coaches might be the biggest loss, but this D should be just as good imo, if not better.

On the O side, all we've talked about for the last 6 years is the lack of O! I think Tyler Moore is a big loss. Obviously Wolitarsky was exceptional. And with Mitch we lose experience. But the WR group should be better as a group. And I think the coaching will be better. Certainly the O line coach. Lot of O lineman back, some another year to mature, and excellent RB's return. Lingen back.

My only question is will the D coaches be as good? QB's lack experience so obviously that's a concern, but early schedule is favorable. How much drop off from Leidner? I don't think offense will be worse. It will be equal or better. My concern is maintaining that very good defense.

So I don't get BTN's exaggerated take. I guess we'll see. Last years team won 8 regular season games. People seem to think it was 9 regular season games. This team will be on par with last years regular season win total.


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I think you're forgetting about Myrick. He and Travis were the two best players on the team last year and are huge losses. It's a little funny when I hear how depleted the secondary was for the bowl game, yet we still had two starters now in the NFL. If the bowl game DBs were depleted, what does that make this years DBs?
 


Look up his stats. His best games are against Purdue, Rutgers, Colorado St. etc.

I think Richardson is a really good college player, I just don't think he's going to get drafted. He'll end up on someones training camp roster though.

I think he could get drafted depending on what he does this year. If he is one of the best in college football this year you think he'll still not get drafted just due to his size?
 

One of the better DTs in all of college football? He was 3rd team All B1G last year. He puts up his best stats against lesser competition and struggles more against the better B1G teams. He has limitations due to his height, especially when it comes to stopping the run. The better offensive lineman can get on top of him and control him.

Even at 6'0"-6'1" the previously mentioned DL slipped in the draft because of their height. Donald would have been a top 3 pick if he was 2" taller, instead he was a mid 1st rounder. Daniels was a late 4th rounder, John Randle undrafted. Just a few inches matter a lot.

You're going to have to explain this, although there is obviously a stigma from some coaches (e.g. Fitz, but not Claeys) I don't fully understand. In theory an offensive lineman may be able to grab him before a shorter-armed guy can fight him off, and shorter arms are less likely to bat down passes.

On the positive side, it's difficult to block a strong, low, quick lineman one on one and evidence seems to show he's usually blocked by two. In theory he should be able to penetrate and disrupt his gap better not worse than a taller lineman assuming strength and quickness are equal. He's not a two gap nose tackle, sure.
 

The BTN show was terrible if you are a Gopher fan. I was in attendance at the practice and watched the BTN crew live when they interviewed PJ and I thought about how many folks would be watching WI practice, how about MI or Ohio State and then I thought probably quite a few and all of those folks and many more will watch the MN BTN show and wonder about Fleck. Well of course the other (eastern) regions of the Big Ten are where the vast majority of BTN viewers come from, we are basically flyover country. My conclusion is the BTN dopes pander to their ratings and to their advertisers and sponsors and make the Blue Blood School fans feel good about watching the MN show and freely put down the Gophers. BTN is a big business. Now it is up to PJ to kick the door down and make them take notice. I hope we bump this thread for DiNardos sake when we hit 8 wins. I lost a lot of respect for that show this week and especially DiNardo but really all of them had a smarmy take about the U. I'm sure PJ and his burning desire to prove himself is turned up to white hot about now. Beat Buffalo 60 to 0 and see how those BTN dopes react.
 

Looks like Richardson was one of three DTs on the All Big 10 defensive line last year and most of the 12 other players mentioned were seniors or went into the draft.

If he has a big year I won't be surprised to see someone take him despite the stigma. There were 27 tackles drafted last year. It will definitely help if the other guys can step up their game. There just haven't been many 5 foot 10 300 pounders with speed and strength. Freak.
 

The BTN show was terrible if you are a Gopher fan. I was in attendance at the practice and watched the BTN crew live when they interviewed PJ and I thought about how many folks would be watching WI practice, how about MI or Ohio State and then I thought probably quite a few and all of those folks and many more will watch the MN BTN show and wonder about Fleck. Well of course the other (eastern) regions of the Big Ten are where the vast majority of BTN viewers come from, we are basically flyover country. My conclusion is the BTN dopes pander to their ratings and to their advertisers and sponsors and make the Blue Blood School fans feel good about watching the MN show and freely put down the Gophers. BTN is a big business. Now it is up to PJ to kick the door down and make them take notice. I hope we bump this thread for DiNardos sake when we hit 8 wins. I lost a lot of respect for that show this week and especially DiNardo but really all of them had a smarmy take about the U. I'm sure PJ and his burning desire to prove himself is turned up to white hot about now. Beat Buffalo 60 to 0 and see how those BTN dopes react.

Dinardo has very strong opinions on a lot of things and is an old school guy. He knows what a Big Ten team is "supposed to" look like and how they "should" play. He loves the Iowas, Wisconsins, etc. I haven't seen the Wisconsin installment of their show but it will probably be nauseating.

Truth if the matter is, our offense may indeed not be very good this year if the offensive line sustains injuries and the QBs and WRs don't perform. Ciarrocca' spread attack and their plans for the run game excites me, particularly if the QB is also mobile enough, but may struggle for awhile if the QB is subpar. If our CBs cannot cover one on one it makes it more difficult. I prefer to be optimistic because it's August!

On the surface lots of issues but these coaches are pretty experienced. We have an early schedule as soft as an overweight Wisconsin fan's midsection to get better and get healthy.
 

You're going to have to explain this, although there is obviously a stigma from some coaches (e.g. Fitz, but not Claeys) I don't fully understand. In theory an offensive lineman may be able to grab him before a shorter-armed guy can fight him off, and shorter arms are less likely to bat down passes.

On the positive side, it's difficult to block a strong, low, quick lineman one on one and evidence seems to show he's usually blocked by two. In theory he should be able to penetrate and disrupt his gap better not worse than a taller lineman assuming strength and quickness are equal. He's not a two gap nose tackle, sure.

It's just as important for DTs to eat up blockers and keep them off of the LBs as it is for DTs to make plays. That's where his size limits him. Let's not forget that Claeys didn't start Richardson in the non-conference games last year either.
 

It did seem a bit like someone from Minnesota kicked DiNardo's dog...but I didn't think the analysis was off base. Griffith and the crew seemed fair.

Highlighted our strengths - running backs, Richardson/DL, our line backers, Fleck's energy. Highlighted potential concerns - inexperienced quarterbacks and dual QB system, corner back depth, new systems.

They seemed complimentary of the facilities. Mentioned they got us in the game after lagging behind for years. Not sure what is untrue about that.

They mentioned the talent wasn't as high as other teams but also mentioned we were in the running for the West the past few years. To me that coincides with what was said that he past staff did a good job coaching up lesser talent. PJ will need to continue that until he brings in more of his own recruits.

I thought it was fair. Probably a decent/good football team going through a transition - we'll see how it plays out.
 


It's just as important for DTs to eat up blockers and keep them off of the LBs as it is for DTs to make plays. That's where his size limits him. Let's not forget that Claeys didn't start Richardson in the non-conference games last year either.

How does it limit him if he's disrupting the play? Eating up two blockers?
 

It's just as important for DTs to eat up blockers and keep them off of the LBs as it is for DTs to make plays. That's where his size limits him. Let's not forget that Claeys didn't start Richardson in the non-conference games last year either.

He has seen constant double teams in both run and pass situations, which tells anyone with a clue that he is taking up blockers and keeping them off LB's.


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Regarding Dinardo I've watched enough BTN to read between the lines and appreciate his disdain for spread attacks. I found an 2012 article he wrote explaining why spread attacks cannot win championships. A snippet:


But does the spread help build national champions? I say no.

The version of the spread offense that promotes, encourages, enables, schemes and welcomes the quarterback to be the team’s leading rusher is no more or no less than the modern-day wishbone formation disguised as a passing formation.

The simple fact is that this type of spread cannot beat a good opponent by passing any more than a wishbone team can beat a good opponent by passing. In fact, you could make the case that at least the wishbone helps its own defense by winning the time-of-possession battle.

...For at least the next three-to-five years, the spread offense will continue to dominate college football. But during that same span, the national championship will not be won by a quarterback-run-based spread team, unless, of course, they have a Heisman winner at the position.

To win the national championship, you need a team that can do it all, including an ability to run the ball on offense from the tailback position to go along with a quarterback who can throw it when you can’t run it. It needs to be an offense that has a good answer to running the ball from its own one-yard line, as well as being able to move the chains in short-yardage situations to keep possession. It must be a unit that can score touchdowns in goal-line situations when the field has shrunk. This gives the defense the advantage against the pass. What it comes down to is that an offense that trains its defense during the spring and fall camp will be able to defend all of these situations.



The article was written in 2012. Dinardo admits Cam Newton and the 2010 Auburn squad were exceptions to his rule. And now 2014 Ohio State, Clemson, even Alabama has embraced it now...running it with elite talent just makes it even better. Pair with elite defense.

Old school guys like Dinardo dismiss spread teams (and love Iowa/Wisconsin) but many spread teams are heavy on runs. There are different flavors of spread. Fleck will run the ball probably close to 55-60% of snaps.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...yst-gerry-dinardo-dissects-the-spread-offense
 




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