Brevyn Spann-Ford playing time

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MnplsGopher said:
The stats could surely prove me wrong, but it seems that the Gopher offensive brain trust simply does not want to have TEs factoring into the offensive production. It's RBs and WRs, everyone else is a blocker of some kind or a QB.

Witham and Kieft are road-graders. Paulson is a talented TE as well.
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I get that same impression - but tight ends are such a weapon (as Iowa has proven) I can't understand why we don't employ that weapon more than we do. Remember Maxx Williams?
 

Great Plains Gopher said:
I get that same impression - but tight ends are such a weapon (as Iowa has proven) I can't understand why we don't employ that weapon more than we do. Remember Maxx Williams?
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I think part of it is Paulson, Kieft, Witham, Beebe and Wozniak all are/were not exactly the best receivers and the one guy who is, Spann-Ford, isn't a good enough blocker to the point where you can play him and run your entire offense the same you do with the other guys.

However even if he isn't the best blocker, I'd still like to see what he can do in redzone and short yardage situations.
 

Ciarrocca will have to engage the TE's for B1G play sooner or later. They are too valuable a commodity to just use as blockers. I'll bet that BSF or the other TEs will start factoring in. For the moment, they need for the QB protection and running play packages to stabilize as they gain more experience playing together.

We see improvements between the first and second game. It is crucial that they secure a victory in the upcoming game game. The Gophers may be showing real vanilla in the preseason and we will see more TEs involved in receiving.

They've got to get all the other moving parts working and fixed first.
 

PJ had something to say about TEs:

Tight end usage

The Gophers' best drive at Fresno State was the first, when they covered 75 yards in 11 plays in just over six minutes. Sophomore receiver Rashod Bateman caught the 15-yard touchdown pass to end it, but the first two passes of the drive went to sophomore tight end Jake Paulson for 19 yards.

Fleck has not used tight ends often in the passing game, including only eight catches in 2018 and two so far this season.

"In our offense, you've got to be able to put your hand in the ground, you've got to be able to block a six-technique [lineman or linebacker lined up directly over the tight end], you've got to be able to run-block very physically. But you also have to be able to be athletic enough and catch the ball well enough to be able to be in our passing game," Fleck said. "… Guys have to be able to earn that part, be able to be more physical, be able to do the whole thing and not just go out there to be a specialized person in something."
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http://www.startribune.com/p-j-flec...nst-fresno-state-was-undisciplined/559975802/
 



MnplsGopher said:
To me that sounds like Fleck is speaking exactly what what die hard gopher is talking about in post #32. Could be a good theory about why we haven't seen him more.
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Yeah, hard to blame PJ. If you've had OL issues like the first game you're going to want your TEs to help, and the catching guy can't ... throwing him the ball while the QB is face down in the dirt doesn't work so well, well it might a few times, but it won't long term.
 

A_Slab_of_Bacon said:
Yeah, hard to blame PJ. If you've had OL issues like the first game you're going to want your TEs to help, and the catching guy can't ... throwing him the ball while the QB is face down in the dirt doesn't work so well, well it might a few times, but it won't long term.
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Would be interesting to know what would've happened on the one really bad sack (completely blind side, smashed him to the ground) from when our RB had to block their DE, right before the half, if it had been Paulson or another good blocking TE on the DE instead. Maybe he gets a couple more seconds and makes a great throw.
 

MnplsGopher said:
Would be interesting to know what would've happened on the one really bad sack (completely blind side, smashed him to the ground) from when our RB had to block their DE, right before the half, if it had been Paulson or another good blocking TE on the DE instead. Maybe he gets a couple more seconds and makes a great throw.
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This is a big part of it. When you have really strong receivers and at least a decent running game, you are choosing between giving Bateman, Johnson, and CAB another half second, or possibly running another TE out on a route.

For me, it's hard to knock Fleck/Ciarocca for thinking that if any of those three are not doubled, that half second of protection might be more with it. It, especially, might be more worth it when you consider our backup QB is a true freshman.
 

MnplsGopher said:
Would be interesting to know what would've happened on the one really bad sack (completely blind side, smashed him to the ground) from when our RB had to block their DE, right before the half, if it had been Paulson or another good blocking TE on the DE instead. Maybe he gets a couple more seconds and makes a great throw.
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Yeah there were a couple "RB blocking" ... "hey I touched him" incidents ;)
 



MnplsGopher said:
Would be interesting to know what would've happened on the one really bad sack (completely blind side, smashed him to the ground) from when our RB had to block their DE, right before the half, if it had been Paulson or another good blocking TE on the DE instead. Maybe he gets a couple more seconds and makes a great throw.
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Paulson gave up a sack against one on one against an SDSU DE.
 


MnplsGopher said:
I already forgot about that! Thanks

So much for that idea.
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WeightyDisastrousLaughingthrush-size_restricted.gif
 

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