I just keep thinking how we have to get better with the wide receiver position.

I'm excited about Bateman, but we need a lot more.

Do we have any leads on receivers for next year? We just have to upgrade there.

I am confident in the oline making big improvements as well as qb. We are bringing in some good running backs.

Wide receiver is the missing piece for me.

until 2019 as GoT won't return for their final 6 episodes until 2019.

https://minnesota.rivals.com/news/the-film-room-indiana

There are a lot of question marks on both sides going into Saturday's game. Who can step up to the plate with answers?

I can't disagree and good for them.

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Boom! If you are looking for us look in the "First Four Out" category.

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/bracketology

FIVE GOPHERS HAVE EYES ON SUPER BOWL



Jan. 4, 2018

Gophers In The Super Bowl

Five former University of Minnesota football players will compete in the upcoming NFL playoffs, which begin Saturday.

De'Vondre Campbell (Atlanta Falcons), Eric Decker (Tennessee Titans), Eric Murray (Kansas City Chiefs), Jalen Myrick (Jacksonville Jaguars) and Marcus Sherels (Minnesota Vikings) all have their sights set on winning Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis on Feb. 4, 2018.

Campbell and the Falcons face Los Angeles on Saturday. The second-year linebacker played in the Super Bowl last season with Atlanta. This year, he has started 16 games and has made 92 tackles, four pass breakups, two sacks and one forced fumble.

Decker and Murray will face one another on Saturday as the Titans battle the Chiefs. Decker, who is in his eighth season in the league, has made 54 catches for 563 yards and one touchdown this season. Murray has played in 14 games and has made 36 tackles this year. He has one sack and has also broken up five passes.

Myrick, who is a rookie with the Jaguars, will play in a home game against Buffalo on Sunday. Myrick has played in five games this season and has broken up one pass. He has also returned one kickoff for 18 yards.

The lone Gopher in the playoffs who will not play this weekend is defensive back Marcus Sherels. The Rochester, Minn., native and the Vikings finished the season 13-3 and received a first-round bye. The Vikings will host a playoff game at 3:40 p.m. on Jan. 14. Sherels has six tackles in 16 games this year. He has also returned 11 kickoffs for 271 yards and 39 punts for 372 yards.

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Born in St. Paul and drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 7th round.

Here is a link to his elite prospects profile:

http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=300993

Who's excited?

Let's hear them.

AFC Division Winners
East- Patriots
North- Steelers
South- Titans
West- Raiders

Wild Cards- Broncos, Chargers

Wild Card Round: Titans over Chargers, Raiders over Broncos
Division Round: Patriots over Titans, Steelers over Raiders
AFCCG: Patriots over Steelers

NFC Division Winners
East- Giants
North- Packers
South- Panthers
West- Cardinals

Wild Cards- Seahawks, Bucs

Wild Card Round: Seahawks over Cardinals, Bucs over Panthers
Division Round: Packers over Bucs, Seahawks over Giants
NFCCG: Packers over Seahawks

Super Bowl: Packers over Patriots

NFL MVP: Goat Rodgers
OPOY: David Johnson
DPOY: Khalil Mack
OROY: Deshaun Watson
DROY: Jamal Adams

"Free" makes it worth a look.



Jon Krawczynski‏Verified account@JonKrawczynski 38m38 minutes ago
Try @TheAthleticMIN (and our entire site including Warriors, Cavs, @Ken_Rosenthal, @SethDavisHoops, etc) free for a week. 30% off if you stay on. https://theathletic.com/newyeartrial

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Gophers offer 2019 Michigan DE Adam Berghorst. He has P5 offers from Minnesota, Indiana, Iowa State, Kentucky, and Michigan State.

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@Matt Jessen-Howard @Connor Stevens

2 May 2017: Not a lot of action tonight, but in case you missed it, Mariano Sori-Marin got 3* from Rivals today. Also for those star gazers, Brennan Armstrong and Terell Smith are rated as 4* by ESPN.

25 May 2017: Terell Smith got bumped from a Rivals Rating of 5.5 to 5.6. Not a huge jump, but nice to see Rivals acknowledge they had him underrated.

6 June 2017: Aune and Spann-Ford both earned 3* from ESPN (previously unrated). Additionally, Aune earned 2* from Rivals.

20 June 2017: Boe earned 3* from ESPN.

26 June 2017: Boe earned a 5.5 3* from Rivals.

27 June 2017: Ahanotu earned 3* on ESPN.

28 June 2017: Sapp earned 3* on 247.

29 June 2017: Boe and Rush earned 2* on Scout.

3 January 2018: @Littlefinger passed the amazing @Nine to move into the top 20 for the most posts on TGR ever.

STP started the ball rolling in the Zack Annexstad thread, so here goes.
Fleck has often said that he's a "two": too short, too slow, too small ... etc.In keeping with that theme I see 2 wins in the non-conference games, 2 wins in B1G road games, and 2 wins in B1G home games. Plus a bowl win. Final prediction 7-6. If this was the year for 5 B1G home games, I would have gone with one more win. Ski-U-Mah &RTB!!!

Hour and 20 minutes before tip-off. Nate Mason was warming up 15 minutes ago but is in the locker room right now as just the bigs are on the court. I'd guess that he plays.

Pregame reads:

• Illinois preview
• Film Room: Illinois
• Behind Enemy Lines: Illinois
• Pregame presser notes

Illinois has a new head coach in Brad Underwood who won an impressive 89 games with Stephen F. Austin in three years before going to Oklahoma State, where he went to the NCAA Tournament and then left after a year for Illinois. Illinois is a good, not great team that's better defensively than they are offensively. Power forward LeRon Black is definitely the best player. He's a strong, explosive power forward that scores on all three levels. Illinois has struggled rebounding as Black is an average rebounder, center Michael Finke doesn't rebound well and he's more of a stretch 5 whose production comes away from the basket, and there are no solid bigs on the bench. Illinois' backcourt has struggled shooting the ball, but there are three young and talented scoring perimeter players on the bench in Trent Frazier, Kipper Nichols, and Aaron Jordan. The Illini have a deep bench with nine players playing at least 16 minutes per game.

Aranda is receiving a new four-year contract that will pay him $2.5 million annually. The entire $10 million deal is guaranteed. And there are like 47 HC that don't get this kind of cash.
Will we start to see some of these kind of raises slowing down now that the schools won't be getting as much for seating licenses? I think that's where it's going to hurt us more than a school like Bama, Ohio St, and ones that have so much more coming in from donors.

I'm terribly sorry for the insensitive comments I made that got me Banded! I will never do that again!

In case you missed the game last night, here is almost every basket scored from the game condensed into a five minute video:

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Brad Underwood

• The first ten minutes was like being taken to the woodshed and getting whooped. Credit Pitino and their intensity level. That was the ballgame -- you can't come back from a deficit like that against a good team. You can't play when you're 20 down against a good team. It was literally a punch in the mouth.
• Lynch dominated the game, dominated. We were a one man defensive rebounding team and that was our off guard Da'Monte Williams.
• Very poor last four minutes.
• LeRon Black is our best player. Obviously important when he has to sit out much of the first half.

Richard Pitino

• Starting five all played well. This was Reggie's toughest game. Dupree played well other than his jumpers not falling. Nate, Murphy, and Coffey all obviously made plays. Good, tough win.
• Sometimes when you get a big lead, it's hard. Know they're going to make a run at some point.
• You could tell Mason was tired, but you have to go with your senior captain down the stretch.
• Illinois forces you to go one-on-one. I was hoping Isaiah would be a little more aggressive than he was.
• Bench was really good. Mike Hurt did some good things. BK played well other than his illegal screens.
• If we made free throws at the end, we really, really pull away.
• That was a noticeable defensive difference. We watched every three that teams made against us, and studied it.
• Pitino did not speak to the team today. He got in late. It was great to have him in the building like it's been the last five years.

Nate Mason

• Played in two practices recently, only one of which was full go.
• Challenging to play that defense coming off an injury without a quick first step. They're a great, wacky defensive team.

Jordan Murphy

• Means a lot to potentially tie Tim Duncan's double-double record as long as we get the W.

Minnesota OT Jacob Smith, who signed with BYU, claims that he did in fact have a Minnesota offer back in August but always knew he would end up at BYU. Interesting since this is the first I've heard of a Minnesota offer for him.

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I always enjoying listening to Richard. Here's a link to the interview: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/gophers-on-demand-28275888/

Richard said one of his goals of the non-conference schedule was to get bench players in-game experience that haven’t necessarily had that before.

There has been a sense of urgency to get the defense right. Coach feels the defense has much improved since the beginning part of the season.

“It’s clear at the beginning of the year I didn’t trust our bench necessarily, but I can’t play five guys 40 minutes a night. I’m much more comfortable now than I was at the beginning of the year.”

Dupree McBrayer is incredibly important from a defensive standpoint, and it was evident throughout the Miami game from a continuity standpoint having to play Washington at the point and Mason at the two.

Isaiah Washington got his first collegiate start against Harvard with Nate Mason sitting out. On Washington, “He’s got a long way to go in understanding where to get his shots. How to take his shots too. He has a couple shots that are ok, and then he creates a more difficult shot than what it needs to be. Isaiah is a better shooter than his stats show. People may be in a rush with him a bit, but I like where he’s at.” Richard also doesn’t believe it is a quick fix, but will come with more experience.

“I don’t want anyone on our team to feel handcuffed in any way. I want them to feel free. Isaiah is fearless, aggressive. I like being able to tone him down, but also teaching him when to pick his spots. He can go by anybody, but that doesn’t mean you should go by anybody all the time.”

Pitino talked at length in regard to Isaiah Washington’s “JellyFam” not necessarily being a reality. Washington models his game after Irving, who is known for making tough layups. However, Irving efficiency-wise, is not in the top 10 inside the arc. The highest-efficiency player at the rim in converting layups is Chris Paul. “It’s important for Isaiah to play his way, but also understand not too make things too difficult. Jump off two feet, use the glass.”

Interesting tidbit: Richard noted that watching NBA games may not necessarily be good for college players since college players don’t notice some of the little things that NBA players do. “Kevin Durant can make a transition three better than anyone. Just because he can do it, doesn’t mean you can too. Everyone watches Steph Curry jack up threes, but they don’t see what he does every day to get to that point.”

Our guards such as Michael Hurt, Amir Coffey, and Dupree McBrayer need to be better at rebounding since our bigs are very good at boxing out.

Justin Gaard asked about recruiting and the impact Minnesota’s weather makes. Richard responded that while it is a factor, he tries to highlight the positives that outweigh the negatives. When recruiting, it is important to find out what a player cares about. If he cares about warm weather, don’t recruit him. “If you can get players in your backyard and you can sell playing in front of your family/friend, that’s the biggest thing I think. We have a lot from a recruiting standpoint (facilities, conference, etc.). Every school I’ve been to (Louisville, Florida, Minnesota) all have their drawbacks. Once players get here, they love it.”

Jordan Murphy has had a double-double in every game this season. Coach said he doesn’t want players to be stat-focused, however in the rebounding category he can be selfish. Pitino believes that if he averages 12-13 rebounds a game, that usually a few will be offensive rebounds and points will come.

Best of luck to Hunter, wish he finds what he is looking for. I liked the way he announced, first class. Tyler Johnson is the only WR on roster above a sophomore now.

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https://minnesota.rivals.com/news/how-minnesota-won-the-first-game-of-2018

Minnesota opens up 2018 by defeating Illinois 77-67.

Top five
1. Jim Harbaugh: 95 points

Current job: Michigan Wolverines head coach
NFL experience: Former 49ers head coach (2011-14)

In Harbaugh's one NFL stop in San Francisco, he took over a 6-10 team and went 44-19 over the next four seasons -- which included a heartbreaking three-point loss in Super Bowl XLVII. Before that, he inherited a 1-11 Stanford team and went 29-21 over four seasons. Most recently, he inherited a 5-8 Michigan team and has gone 28-11 in the three seasons since.

2. David Shaw: 86 points

Current job: Stanford Cardinal head coach
NFL experience: Former assistant for Ravens (2002-05), Raiders (1998-2001) and Eagles (1997)

Shaw took over for Harbaugh at Stanford in 2011 and has gone 73-22 since -- a mark that includes three Pac-12 championships. He played wide receiver at Stanford in the early '90s. Other former Stanford coaches include Bill Walsh, Denny Green and (why not?) Pop Warner.

3. Josh McDaniels: 85 points

Current job: New England Patriots offensive coordinator
Other NFL experience: Former Broncos head coach (2009-10)

McDaniels has coached New England's offense and been Tom Brady's quarterbacks coach since 2012. In that time, the Patriots have finished first, fourth, sixth, fifth, second and second in Football Outsiders' offensive DVOAmetric. McDaniels had an 11-17 record in a relatively brief stint as the Broncos' head coach in 2009 and 12 games into 2010.

4. Nick Saban: 59 points

Current job: Alabama Crimson Tide head coach
NFL experience: Former Dolphins head coach (2005-06)

Saban was 15-17 in a two-year stint as the Dolphins' head coach more than a decade ago, but that was with Daunte Culpepper, Joey Harrington, Cleo Lemon and Gus Frerotte at quarterback -- not Drew Brees. Since leaving Miami, Saban has gone 131-20 at Alabama, winning four national titles along the way. Not too shabby. His overall record over 22 combined years as a college head coach is 222-62-1.

5. Jon Gruden: 58 points

Current job: ESPN analyst
NFL experience: Former head coach of Buccaneers (2002-08) and Raiders (1998-2001)

Gruden had a 95-81 career record as an NFL head coach, a stretch that included a Super Bowl title with the Buccaneers in the 2002 season. He has not coached since 2008. He started his career as a graduate assistant at Tennessee in 1986 and coached for the next 22 years before he was fired by Tampa Bay after the 2008 season.

Case Keenum in Minnesota this season, and his 9-23 two-year stint as the Browns' head coach in 2011 and 2012 -- with Brandon Weeden, Colt McCoy and Seneca Wallace among Cleveland's quarterbacks over that span -- hasn't aged that poorly.

Next 10

6. Mike Vrabel, Texans defensive coordinator (25 points): The former Ohio State All-American defensive end played 14 seasons in the NFL and immediately transitioned to coaching, first at his alma mater and now in Houston under Bill O'Brien.

7. Dave Toub, Chiefs special-teams coordinator (23 points): An ace special-teams coach in the NFL since 2001, Toub has consistently produced units that are among the league's best. John Harbaugh was a special-teams coach for the Eagles before he was elevated to Ravens head coach in 2008.

T-8. Pat Shurmur, Vikings offensive coordinator (21 points): Shurmur has done remarkable work with QB Case Keenum in Minnesota this season, and his 9-23 two-year stint as the Browns' head coach in 2011 and 2012 -- with Brandon Weeden, Colt McCoy and Seneca Wallace among Cleveland's quarterbacks over that span -- hasn't aged that poorly.

T-8. Matt Patricia, Patriots defensive coordinator (21 points): Instead of engineering military aircraft, Patricia opted to work his way up the New England and Bill Belichick coaching tree, where he's been since 2004. One plus: Patricia has coached offense and defense during his time in Foxborough.

10. Chris Petersen, Washington head coach (19 points): Petersen's record at his two college stops (Boise State and Washington) is 129-29. He once lost just eight games over a seven-year stretch at Boise State. He's renowned for his offenses and creativity.

11. John DeFilippo, Eagles quarterbacks coach (16 points): In less than two seasons, the 39-year-old has helped take Carson Wentz from a mistake-prone rookie to the likely MVP winner had he remained healthy. A hot name.

12. Steve Wilks, Panthers defensive coordinator (15 points): Sean McDermott left to become Buffalo's head coach last offseason, and Wilks took the reins of the defense in 2017. The Panthers allowed just 317.1 yards per game with Wilks at the controls in the regular season, the seventh-lowest average in the league.

13. Urban Meyer, Ohio State head coach (14 points): Meyer has a 177-31 record at the college level among his stops at Ohio State, Florida, Utah and Bowling Green -- a winning percentage that trails only Knute Rockne and Frank Leahy all time. In short: No college coach has a better winning percentage than Meyer in the past 65 years.

14. Mike Leach, Washington State head coach (10 points): Come for the wins, stay for the news conferences. The legendary offensive mind (and talker) has a 122-81 record at Texas Tech and Washington State and has authored some of the greatest passing offenses in history.

15. Dabo Swinney, Clemson head coach (10 points): Swinney has a lofty 101-30 record at Clemson and a national championship to go with it.

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...sts-rank-their-choices-jim-harbaugh-leads-way

Quite the list this year, I've linked it here.

Contains many names that I grew up with or enjoyed during my university days.
Tom Petty
Gord Downie (Tragically Hip)
Chris Cornell (Soundgarden)
Chuck Berry
Gregg Allman
and the list goes on