Offensive Line

Donate To GopherHole
AF_Howie_2180

AF_Howie_2180

Active member
Joined
Nov 17, 2013
Messages
302
Reaction score
210
Points
43
Will there ever be a time when Minnesota rolls out an offensive line as impressive in size as that was Wisconsin's? I know they didn't grow that line over night but that was an impressive front 5 they had in size there. I can't recall a time I have seen the Gophers even similarly close in that size.
 

If Ed Warriner doesn't get hired away from us sometime in the near future, I think we will.
 

He's only been here 1 season. There has been size but the issue, from my eyes, has been the athleticism and overall strength. We seem to lack bend and any type of quickness, it looks the line is cemented in at times. I am hoping that the new facilities can enhance some of these problems but recruiting will solve more. Fleck has had one class and you could tell he put more emphasis on keeping red-shirts for longevities sake over immediate wins.
 

I know Fleck has been a broken record on this point (he says it at EVERY press conference) but it's true: The offseason injuries and surgeries that prevented 20+ players to get a full year of strength and conditioning workouts really hurt MN down the stretch. They had 4 healthy OL until Fall Camp started. You aren't going to make up for that lost time during the season, no matter how hard a player works or how good the coaching staff is.

This repeated excuse is reasonable in year 1. If Fleck is still using it in year 3, we got trouble.

MN needs to hit the recruiting trail hard for the next couple years, keep the top kids in-state, and maintain coaching consistency. It's the only way to get on the right track toward emulating what WI has on the OL.
 

IMHO, the Gophers need to have sixteen to eighteen linemen at their disposal at all tines. Backups, backups to the backups, and for running the opponents offense in practice.
 


hungan1 said:
IMHO, the Gophers need to have sixteen to eighteen linemen at their disposal at all tines. Backups, backups to the backups, and for running the opponents offense in practice.
Click to expand...

I agree. With walk-ons and scholarships you need 4 in every class to contributors.

We return 13 OL next year and 6 of them were red-shirted this year. Add to it 4 true freshmen and we're at 17. There will be a few walk-ons as well.

TFR: Beier, Norton, York, Boe
RFR: Schmitz, Andries, Bursch, Rousemiller, Roschmeyer, Sassack
SO: Olson, Schlueter
JR: Oseland, Dovich, Davis
SR: Weyler, Greene

Walk-on from Blue Earth Area
 

That's where WI does well.
They get a good number of walk-ons who end up contributing, and that's what you need. More competition at the starting spots.
 

One of the more important things that could happen next year would be to get through it without losing any OL to a career-ending injury. When was the last time that happened? We seem to have lost guys every year since Brewster was here, and that's not very helpful for building depth.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom