Gopher Gridiron Radio 4.18.18 Podcast

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Gopher Grid Iron Radio 4.18.18 Podcast Episode 112: Post Spring Ball Wrap Up
Luke and Ryan talk a little 2019 recruiting and a lot of Minnesota’s 2018 spring game in this episode.
By Ryan Burns, GopherIllustrated

Podcast Notes: Read at your own peril. Is rather lengthy, but has lots of nuggets of interest.

This is a rather positive and very informative read about the Gopher Football. Thank you Ryan Burns.

My apologies to you all and to Ryan Burns in advance for slogging through the transcription of this podcast. You are at the mercy of my ability to digest and jot down what I heard.

You can read through this, or listen to the actual podcast itself - https://247sports.com/college/minnesota/Article/Gopher-Gridiron-Radio-41818-117444743

Name your potion.

PJ Fleck was adamant about not cancelling the Spring Game and instead moved it to Thursday which was the right thing to do.

I skipped through a few items in the beginning leading to the Max Duggan talk. You'd have to listen to the podcast to hear what I did not jot down.

MAX DUGGAN:
Talked about missing out on Max Duggan (Gopher offer on 3/25/2017)– whole situation strangely flabbergasting. MN heavily invested in his recruitment. Tea leaves lined up with Duggan leaning to MN. Fourth visit to MN. Even mom visit to MN and PJF three trips to Iowa to show how high a priority he was, in daily contact w/MN staff. PJ Fleck had invested a year recruiting Duggan.

TCU offered in January. Ryan thinks depth chart favors MN. But Duggan already saw a QB committed for the class. How much did Cole Kramer’s commitment impact Duggan’s commitment? Duggan doesn’t perceive much of Kramer, and doesn’t think it played a role in his decision. Bottom line, Max doesn’t know how to say no to a persistent and very convincing PJ Fleck.

GRAHAM MERTZ:
A big nugget. Graham Mertz’s dad went to college in MN. Graham was very interested in the Gophers offer (10/4/2017). But, Cole Kramer’s imminent commitment may have played a part in him committing to WI (10/8/2017) instead. Cole Kramer’s stats wasn’t as hot and he is under the radar because Eden Prairie is a running team. There was no doubt he absolutely wanted to be a Gopher. Kramer’s imminent commitment (12/21/2017) may have scared off Mertz (they camped together at MN on 7/29/2017). Mertz wanted to be the sole commitment on the 2019 Class of whatever team he chooses to play for. Kramer had no other offer when he committed.

COLE KRAMER:
Ryan: KRAMER WILL SURPRISE PEOPLE. Is absolutely higher on Cole Kramer than 95% of people. He is going to UA Chicago Camp in two weeks, then to the Elite 11 Camp in Columbus hoping to be invited to attend The Big Camp (?).

TANNER MORGAN, VIC VIRAMONTES, ZACK ANNEXSTAD:
On the three QBs in scrimmages and Spring game: People were able to watch TM, VV, and ZA – Staff high on these guys. Especially Zack Annexstad who had offers from Pitt and IL, but chose to walk-on at MN to compete for the starting job. Zack from Mankato area, is very driven and sure of himself.

SECOND QB FOR 2019:
Does MN need to recruit another QB in 2019 class? No. Largely in part to what people are able to see in the three guys they already have. Ryan thinks MN doesn’t necessarily have to, but his sources say yes. Ciarrocca is on reset – is on the road for two weeks to evaluate QBs. Who will be the 2nd QB? Pay attention in the next two weeks!

HANK BACHMEIER:
Is HANK BACHMEIER an option? Depends on who you ask. Everybody needs to be on the same page at where they’re at with Bachmeier. So many things going on with Hank and MN in the last few months, but doesn’t see it paying off for MN (It is interesting that Hank is re-visiting MN on April 28 if the Gopherhole post is true).

BOTTOM LINE:
Duggan to TCU was a big blow to MN. Duggan not scared of competition. TCU has a FR and SO QB rated higher than him.

TYLER NUBIN:
2019 Recruit - Chooses MN over MI, MSU, IL, ISU, Purdue, Iowa, NW, Tenn, etc….Is the 2nd highest rated defensive commitment for MN since 2010. The 5th highest rated DB for MN in the Internet Era.
Allen Trieu: Per multiple sources Nubin is the top rated CB in the Midwest. A BIG WIN FOR MN. Nubin may start at CB, but a Safety may be in his future.

QUARTERBACKS:
Ryan feels good about QBs after Spring Game. TANNER MORGAN LEADS – What was seen in Spring Game wasn’t great to start, but saw him built rapport with Tyler Johnson and Demetrious Douglas combining for 50% of TM passes. Saw consistency in him – what MN values the most.

TANNER MORGAN: What separates him from Vic Viramontes and Zack Annexstad? He is not flustered under pressure. He rolls to either side while keeping eyes downfield. Is he athletic enough to use his legs to get a 1st down? Ryan: Absolutely. More athletic than Connor Rhoda, but not on Demry Croft’s level. Croft not overly athletic, but TM can develop to be on same level as Demry.

On highlight play where he rolled out to his right and threw a pass to Tyler Johnson for a TD, TM was able to accomplish that by keeping his eyes on the playing field. Different from previous Gopher QBs who immediately tuck in the ball to run downfield and not keeping their eyes for open guys downfield missing an opportunity.

FURTHER QUARTERBACK DISCUSSIONS:
Believes TM is front runner for the starting job, but it becomes interesting. Zack Annexstad showed some stuff. PJ had been talking him up a week before Spring Game. ZA got 18 pass attempts while VV only got 3. Why? VV has fumbleruski. QBs had fumble problems. VV had 3 fumbles on 4 passing attempts, bizarre. TM had 3. “Ball is the program”. QBs have serious turnover issues that will be corrected.

ZA has firmly established himself in contest.

ON ALLOWING QB HITS: Loved it. QBs need life reps especially where they’re at experience-wise. Don’t know truly who they are getting w/these 3 QBs with little or no experience. Need live hitting to further their development.

TM and ZA shined through the hitting.

VIC VIRAMONTES: VV needs to adjust to collegiate level. The clock ticking inside his head needs to go faster at this level. Different from CA JC level of play.

Offense will be significantly different depending on which of the three QB is playing. TM is a more astute passer. VV is more athletic. His 1st play was a 16-yrd run.

Glenn Mason: Vic Viramontes compares to Mitch Leidner. Ryan does not agree. ML is 6’4” and VV is 6’1” for one thing. He compares more to Streveler.

ZACK ANNEXSTAD: Impressive – a kid who is going to Prom this week.A kid who at IMG was a backup to Sitkowski, a top 100 player at the time. By midseason, Zack surpassed him. Because of that Miami pulled Sitkowski’s scholie.

Zack surpassed expectations the last 18 months. Has things to work on absolutely.
Ryan: There is a young QB talent here. Something that haven’t been said at MN for quite some time. Compliments to PJ Fleck and Ciarrocca.

SETH GREEN:
Story about Seth – he goes to a big Texas football powerhouse school because his family moved. Gets an Oregon offer for QB. But, Oregon changed it to TE. He could not beat out the other QB for the starting job. Ergo, he decided to go to MN who has an offer out for QB.

Ryan: He looks okay at TE. He may surprise this Fall.

PJ Fleck had an honest talk with him. Buried in QB Depth Chart, and Gophers in desperate need for playmakers. PJF asked if he is willing to move to WR/TE – he said yes.

People who saw him in practice were impress. They saw a pass catching athlete of size the Gophers sorely need, especially a TE who can cause mismatches.

He’ll allow Brevyn Spann-Ford to red shirt. Their physicality and skillset are so similar. You have a big bodied WR/TE pass catcher so desperately needed.

Ryan thinks he will be an emerging threat this fall. In practice, he was making plays over DBs when the Gophers needed to make those plays. He’ll absolutely see the field this Fall.

OFFENSIVE PLAYMAKERS:
Chris Autman Bell wasn’t off to a great start in practice. But, he got better towards end of Spring Game in traffic. Was targeted nine times, and unfortunately did not come up with a few catches in traffic. These are catches that he makes 70% in practice that he is converting at a 30% clip under the lights. Is able to get separation, able to get deep on defenders as a receiver.

IDEAL PLAN FOR MN PASSING GAME THIS FALL: CAB and Rashod Bateman are your X receivers who can stretch the field. Contrary to popular believe, TJ is not a field stretcher even though he was able to reel off 70-yard TDs. He is a 4.7/4.8 40 guy who is able to break some tackles. Beats guys on man to man coverages.

Crossing routes are such an improvement. If you have CAB and Rashod Bateman on the outside to stretch the field, it would allow TJ and Demetrius Douglas to combine for 11 catches 191 years and 2 scores.

Seth Green and other TEs will be in the mix. Don’t diminish Philip Howard. He is close if he can stay healthy. Is soft tissue injury prone causing him to miss some practice. Need to overcome injuries if he is to be in the mix with five other guys. If he is able to catch a pass in a crossing route, he can be gone for a TD. Ryan likes him potentially as an athlete, potentially a shifty Z.

Second Tyler TD was not as impressive, but the way TM was able to get a pass to him where only TJ can make the catch outside of his radius where only he can make the catch and then toe taps it to the corner of the end zone was impressive.

With great route running and TM making accurate throws, playmakers will be better catch-wise.

RODNEY SMITH:
Running Wise: Rodney Smith had 6 touches and Ryan thinks that is four too many. On first play, he reeled off a 16-yard run, Then, he gets a 56 yards catch across the field with TM keeping his eyes downfield. Finds Rodney, he does the rest.

Ryan perturbed Rodney was kept in the game in the second quarter – what did Rodney Smith have to prove today? He already had a circus catch for a TD, and goes again for 31 yards for another TD. He was tempted to going running to the field and ask PJF what hew is doing because he has no Kobe McCrary or Shannon Brooks.

MO IBRAHIM:
People were impressed with Mo Ibrahim who had 19 carries for 104 yards for the first time. Ryan thinks he is fine. He is a north-south runner who can make a man miss, but has no deep speed. A short yardage guy who is a solid double who is no Jeff Jones who can really fly once he get the ball.

That is why he thinks Nolan Edmonds or Bryce Williams will have to come in from Day 1 to give you the chance of a homerun run.

PASSING GAME:
Feels better about pass catching over this time last year. Have more weapons. CAB will get his lumps, but he is just scratching the surface of his abilities. Demetrious Douglas can provide something over the middle in short to intermediate routes.

Tyler Johnson can take you to the next step. What can Bateman bring you as a true Freshman, and what can Seth Green bring as a pass catching WR/TE? Seth can be a mismatch in the field – a weapon that Ciarrocca yearns for.

PASSING RATIO:
Gold Team 35 Rush/21 Pass

Maroon Team 30 Rush/28 Pass

Getting closer to the 50/50 balance offense that Ciarrocca and PJ Fleck likes.

TANNER MORGAN - BALL DISTRIBUTION:
Ryan likes the way Tanner Morgan distributes the ball: 9 target, 6 target, 5 target, 4 target, and a couple of guys with 1 target each. With better ball distributions, defenses will have greater difficulty.
The more they can stretch the field the more difficult to defend. The more efficient the Offense become. This is the goal of PJ Fleck and Ciarrocca.

Ryan thinks that the Offense is trending in the right direction under the PJ Fleck Era.
People are screaming for more plays now that they actually have a Spring Game instead of a scrimmage. Why didn’t we see kickoffs? Etc… You saw an attempted pass by a TE (Seth Green). What more do they want?

DEFENSE:
Tackling is horrendous. Tyler Johnson going over Antonio Shenault resulted in a TD. In an ideal Defense, Shenault will not start. Rodney Smith burned the corner over Danny Anderson resulting in a TD. Rodney turning corner on Coney Durr resulted in a TD (Doesn’t think Durr is a 100% coming off his ACL injury). There were walk on guys in secondary.

DEFENSIVE LINE/DEFENSIVE END:
Looked the part physically of what a modern day D looks like.

BOYE MAFE AND TAI’YON DEVERS:
Boye Mafe and Tai’yon Devers stole the show. Mafe 2 TFL, 1 forced fumble, and a QB sack. Devers 2 tackles, 1 TFL, and a forced fumble.

Mafe a physical freak – needs 12/18 months in weight room to bulk up upper body. Has hour-glass shaped body with narrow hips. Already giving offensive linemen a run for their money.

Mafe and Devers helping Carter Coughlin and Esezi Otomewo. Flashes of how good Mafe and Devers are going to be. Ryan needs to see more consistency before he gets his hope up at DE.

If Mafe and Devers hit the weights and agility drills hard, it will mean the Gophers will be able to rush the passer with 4 guys which they needed to do.

GOLD TEAM:

THOMAS RUSH:
Seem to be in on every play. Had 9 tackles, 3 solo, and a pass breakup. Impressive working with Julian Huff.

Thomas Rush is the real deal. The surprise of Defense in the Spring Game. He got better and better each practice. He laid out his 6’ 3” athletic frame and break up a pass, and lead the team in tackles.

His HS Senior year wasn’t spectacular because he played both ways as a RB and a LB. Committed as a Running Back to a MAC school originally before being flipped by MN to play LB. How good are his instincts? Not great, but can see his athletic explosive frame being able to cover TEs and RBs either in wheel routes or in the flats. Ryan impressed with Rush. Ideally should be red shirted. That depends on how fast Barber and Cashman can recover, and if Kamal Martin can keep healthy.

JULIAN HUFF:
Got 2 TFLs, a sack, and a forced fumble using him as a blitzing LB. Linebacker depth is never an issue. Thinks if Thomas Rush and Julian Huff do what they did last Thursday night with regularity, he will feel better with the Linebacking Corps.

MAROON TEAM:
Calvin Swenson - 13 tackles, was everywhere, a couple of pass breakups. Kamal Martin was okay. Adam Beck showed up a couple of times, had a nice pass breakup.

Not a lot of guys stick out on D in the Marron Team.

CALVIN SWENSON:
Started at Safety in Spring Game w/Antoine Winfield not getting reps with staff keeping healthy. Calvin keeps making plays – 13 tackles leads entire D. Had 2 PBUs, 1 TFL, and 1 sack. A solid kid who will be an ideal swing safety. Maybe put him in as a Starting Safety with Winfield in the Slot Corner like his dad who with the Vikes became one of the best Nickel Corner of all time.

IDEAL SCENARIO:
Kiondre Thomas and Chris Williamson (FLA transfer who did not play) with Winfield, Thomas, and Williamson. Winfield in Slot Corner or travels with opponents’ best playmaker. Thomas and Williamson (hopefully healthy) on the outside.

Then Jacob Huff and Swenson with guys like Adam Beck who was a pleasant surprise closing up a few holes to break them up. Saw on some of the big plays the Offense was able to generate going against backup guys who shouldn’t be seeing time in a B1G game now.

Looking at guys like Benny Sapp and Terrel Smith coming in to help. CJ Smith coming in. Some of these guys will be pressed into early action because behind starters. There is a severe need for depth.

DEFENSIVE LINE:
Don’t feel great about DL still. Have some nice pieces. Gary Moore fits a need. Royal Silver have a sack and a half TFL. Is worried about Defensive Tackles. Wants to see more from AL transfer OJ Smith who is granted a 6th year of eligibility. This is big for red shirting DTs coming in.

According to 247Sports, MN signed the best Defensive Line Class in the Internet Era. Let the new DLs red shirt and hit the weight room for 18/24 months. Let them build their strengths to go against opposing Offensive Line. That will be a huge benefit down the road.

So, OJ Smith, Royal Silver, Nate Umlor, and Gary Moore – a lot to be determined there because of inexperience. None of these guys ever played. Noah Hickox was able to beat Blais Andries for a sack.
There is a lot less to be desired at this point.

SPECIAL TEAMS:
Atrocious punting. Ryan was watching Grant Ryerse and Jacob Herbers during warmups, Herbers looks far superior than Ryerse. He doesn’t know what kind of role Ryerse will have on the team right now.

Big thing about Specialists – is they can get their confidence shot at it is such a big process to get it back, get it build even stronger. Grant Ryerse need something to go right now. He was doing kickoffs, punting, he was kicking and he seems to not be right at any of those. Grant needs for something to work out. He is on scholarship, and for him to not be doing a lot of field goal stuff as MN is looking to sign a kicker. Writing is on the wall that he needs to figure things out. As of right now, Jacob Herbers is MN’s best option. They are going to add a Grad Transfer from SMU (name escapes him). He took an official visit a while back and did commit. A Grad Transfer punter who never punted in a game. They are trying to replace Santoso, and need a better record to replace him. Kicking is such a confidence thing that is more mental than physical and it is so routine-oriented, and muscle memory type stuff.

OFFENSIVE LINE:
The bright spot is team depth. Able to give ton of reps to guys. A blessing to be able to play a Spring game. Too many sacks? Some folks are worried. Ryan not too worried in Spring. Can be fixed in time. Depth would allow OL to substitute and rest in regular season. Didn’t give a ton of reps to guys like Jared Weyler who has nothing to prove and very vital to the Offensive Line.

Daniel Faalele is enormous 6’ 8” 400lbs. Thinks that long term or even short term he feels okay or above average about the Offensive Line. Blais Andries as he continues to get reps will do good at Right Guard, thinks he is adequate and has a very high ceiling. Other guys like Sam Schlueter continues to be at Right Tackle. Thinks Daniel Faalele is going to be able to compete sooner rather than later. As he continues to be in game shape, he’ll be able to help things along.

Ryan feels pretty good about the Offensive Line – to him Average to Above Average. If MN is like that this Fall, it is going to be the best Offensive Line they’ve seen in five years.

Not having to have a discussion to pull a red shirt is a large improvement.

Donnell Greene has a serious shot at getting drafted.

The Offensive Line is better than it has been purely on depth. Competition breeds improvement.

POSITIVES:
Not predicting MN will go to a Rose Bowl. MN will go to a bowl.

Tanner Morgan, Zack Annexstad, and Vic Viramontes – Pass catching will improve.

If Rodney Smith can have possibly 20-25 touches per game, the Offense can do something.

It depends on how the Defensive Secondary reacts, and how the interior of the Defensive Line can hold up against bigger running teams.

6-7 wins is absolutely attainable this coming season. Ceiling continues to grow as MN continues to get playmakers and gain more experience.

If Thomas Rush is any indication of the quality of the incoming 2018 Class, there is a lot to be optimistic about.

Made it to Spring Practice without any major injuries. That is a success. Brooks got hurt in pre-Spring practice workouts.

Hopefully developing some talent. Feels better about certain position groups that were anemic last year.

No longer terrified about the QB situation. Not necessarily optimistic, but not terrified anymore.

Agrees with PJ Fleck that this year’s team is better than last year.

From Day 1 to last Spring practice, feels a lot better about QBs. Finally, there is legitimate competition from guys that have an actual ceiling.

We have above average passing QBs which hasn’t happen in 10 years since Adam Weber.

MN needs to find a compliment to Rodney Smith. Maybe it can be Mo Ibrahim, but wants to see what Nolan Edmonds and Bryce Williams bring to the table.

Chris Autman-Bell if he continues to grow and feel comfortable playing under the bright lights, he will be something before his career is over.

Seth Green moving to WR/TE can be something – needs to monitor his progress.

Can Rashod Bateman be something in the next four months before Fall camp?

Feels good about the Offensive line.

He hopes the Defensive Line show up like they did in the Spring Game. If the MN Defensive can apply pressure with four or five guys, it will be a huge benefit to the team to show some help to the Defensive Secondary.

A Defensive Line that still has question marks. Who will be CB2 alongside Kiondre Thomas?

Curious to see what a healthy Chris Williamson will do.

Ryan sees a 6-7 win team.

Only time will tell.
 

thank you for posting. I subscribe to 3+ Gopher podcasts including Gopherhole and Gopher Gridiron. I will listen to this tonight for sure.
 


You are both welcome.

It is interesting to hear about the quarterback recruiting dynamics.

It is also great to see improvements with Gopher Football through the eyes of someone in the know from a positive and honest assessment and perspective.

Thanks again to Luke and Ryan for the excellent podcast.
 

Why the Max Duggan recruitment is such a big blow? The Gophers have heavily invested in him since his unofficial visit on 2/4/2017. TCU came out of nowhere and swept Max Duggan on 4/16/2018:

Max Duggan TCU/Gophers known timeline:

2/04/2017 - Unofficial Visit to MN
3/02/2017 - Gophers offer Max Duggan
3/25/2017 - Max attends Junior Day Camp
6/15/2017 - Unofficial Visit to MN
6/15/2017 - Max attends Gophers's School Camp
1/??/2018 - TCU offered Max
3/24/2018 - Unofficial Visit to TCU
3/29/2017 - Unofficial Visit to MN
4/16/2018 - Max commits to TCU
 


Interestingly, Graham Mertz (0.9129) and Cole Kramer (0.8266) camped together at MN on 7/29/2017. If the story of Mertz wanting to be the sole QB in a recruiting class and worries about Cole Kramer is true, he would have seen what Kramer is capable of then.

Ryan Burns is really high on Cole Kramer. It will be interesting to see how Kramer stacks up against other QBs in the upcoming UA Camp in Chicago and the Elite 11 Camp in Columbus.

Hank Bachmeier (0.9323) at 6'3" 188 lbs. is an interesting recruit. He has MN roots from one set of grandparents who still live here.

He received a Gopher offer on 4/20/2017, and came on an Unofficial Visit with his family on 9/13/2017.

PJ Fleck then made a home visit on 9/18/2017. Was warm to MN, and then cooled off at some point in time. He is warm to Boise, Washington State, Cal, and Colorado.

The speculation of him returning to MN on 4/28/2018 is interesting. Was the Gophers offer on 4/20/2017 non-commitable? How much of Max Duggan being the primary recruiting target affect his Gopher interest?
 

The Duggan decision isn't hurting me. Scott Frost didn't get him. I'm more than fine with only taking Kramer this year. Glad we got him!
 

So I recently listened to the podcast and heard a few things that were interesting that were not mentioned in hungan's summary as well as one pretty important difference.

On Max Duggan: Heading in to Duggan's last visit to Minnesota, Steve Wiltfong was telling Ryan others that Minnesota was in the lead for Duggan which coincided with everything Ryan was hearing from his sources. So when Wiltfong wrote the article after that final visit had concluded and suggested it woudl be TCU for Duggan, it caught Ryan (and everyone else obviously) off guard. What happened between the start of that visit and that article coming out changed things? Nobody really has any idea. The other interesting thing was during Duggan's "quiet time" post visit/pre announcement, he was actually in contact with PJ Fleck or a member of the Gopher staff on a daily basis. So while he wasn't talking to the press, he was talking to the Gophers. The pretty big difference in what Hungan wrote and what I heard on the podcast was that this idea that Duggan just didn't know how to say no to PJ Fleck was a theory of some posters on the 247 board.

On Graham Mertz: Ryan said the he doesn't see Mertz ending up a Badger as he's shown quite a bit of interest in another offer (or offers) he's received.

It's unfortunate that the host, Luke, doesn't have more of an interest in recruiting as I'd like to see the show be more focused on that aspect (who is visiting, who might be close to committing, etc) especially during the off season. With the limitations on the press actually viewing practice, Ryan can't really add a ton of insight to what is going on with the current team that the rest of us don't already have access to. Other than that, it's always a good listen and I've never felt like it was a waste of my time.
 

Thanks EG#9. I kind of glazed over a few stretches of the podcast. I listened to it over a span of two days.

Duggan keeping in constant touch with the Gophers is an important point.

Does it truly mean that Duggan until the very last moment was truly having a hard time deciding? How close where the Gophers to having him commit?

What did Patterson and Cumbie do and say that push Duggan over the fence? I for one thought that the Gopher's situation was a win-win.
 



He said his heart and his head was sold...on TCU as we found out later. Sometimes, whether it’s a college, a girl, a car, a house you just know.
 



Generally, I agree with most of what Ryan Burns has said here.

QB situation: I agree with him, it's not ideal, but we have better options this year than last year and they seem to be heading in the right direction. I do disagree with Ryan on VV, he is not a Streveler. I get that he is more the height of Streveler, but VV will run like a linebacker (see Mitch Leidner), Streveler was one of the fastest players on our team. Vic isn't going to be one of the fastest players on the team.

Cole Kramer - I agree with Ryan here. Cole Kramer has been fantastic (maybe the most efficient passer in the history of MN HS football?). I don't know if that's right, but I don't know if it's statistically possible to be more efficient of a passer than Cole Kramer. He is playing against good competition, his throws translate to the college game (a lot of PA deep posts, rollout, etc.). I agree with Ryan Burns, if Cole Kramer is our ONLY QB recruit from this class, I'm good with it.

Seth Green - He is a great athlete and by all accounts, he seems like a good teammate. Reminds me a bit of the Gray situation, and I definitely think he could surprise some people and make an impact next year and especially in a couple of years.

WR situation: Still seems dicey. I don't like that all the prognosticators seem to be penciling in Bateman. To me, that says more about what people think of Douglas, Howard, Van Dyne than it does Bateman. He has never stepped foot on campus, we've seen enough highly rated WRs (albeit not as highly rated as him) flame out that this should be a concern.

Young DEs: Couldn't agree more. Mafe is only going to get better. He is a freak athlete that is learning football.

Rush: Yeah, he's a stud. We have a crowded crew at LB and that's a good thing.

Shenault: It's weird to me the amount of criticism I've seen Shenault get for the TJ touchdown. He had ok coverage, TJ made a great play, that's why it was a great play. There is very little a CB can do against an underthrown deep ball where the WR just makes a great play (see Randy Moss).

The one thing that I am a little surprised by about the coverage of the spring game, I haven't seen many people talk about Umlor. I thought he looked really good. I tried focusing on him for long stretches, and he was really disruptive. He reminds me of Botticelli or Roland Johnson. I could see him having to be situational, but he was impressive to me on the pass.
 






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