Another solid turnout in terms of fan support. Weather is getting there and the next open practice could very well be on the outside field. I thought it would be today but it was just too cold. Nice to meet @jasonwclark and @sky dragon 15 at the end! As always, questions, comments, and opinions are more than welcome.
Quarterbacks:
The first play of 7-on-7 for Zack Annexstad started with one of those throws that won him the job last year. He hit Clay Geary right on the sideline deep down the field. Ball was well placed for a completion. Zack had a solid day after that as well. His ball was accurate in 7-on-7, and he was making good decisions. Fade routes and slants were all they did for 1-on-1's today. Zack was throwing a good ball. He was making his guys go up and get it and putting it in a good spot. In 7-on-7 Zack made several nice reads in the endzone. He hit Tyler Johnson on a slant for a touchdown, Erik Gibson on a fade (great catch) and then Demetrius Douglas on another slant route. I mentioned last week that Zack had improved going through his progressions. I still think he has improved, but today I noticed that the speed at which he processed everything seemed a bit slow. Just waiting on someone to get open a bit too long at times. Overall, I think he had a pretty good day.
Tanner had a very similar day. Made several good throws on the short and intermediate routes and more often than not put the ball in the right place. His processing speed when making his progressions seems a bit more advanced than Annexstad's at this time. His deep ball to start the day was a bit underthrown and knocked away by the defender (Terell Smith). Tanner's decision making in 7-on-7 is a bit different from Zack. It seems he takes less chances down field and avoids tight windows. That's not a bad thing at all, but with the talent the Gopher's have at receiver I'd like to see him take a few more chances and give them the shot to make a play. Tanner had similar success in the redzone 7-on-7. He threw three touchdowns, all of them to Rashod Bateman. One thing I will say about Tanner is that he goes out of his way to be a good leader. Always was congratulating whoever on the offense made a nice play or a nice block. I'm not saying the other quarterbacks weren't doing this, but Tanner made a point to do it whenever he could.
Jacob Clark and Cole Kramer are still limited in the reps that they're getting. Each of them got one 7-on-7 throw, and completed them. Kramer's was a slant where he hit an open Brock Annexstad, and Jacob's was a post that hit Rashod Bateman right in the numbers. A lot of zip on Clark's ball. When the two were working on fade's in the endzone, they both looked like they needed to develop timing with the routes and receivers. They both made good throws in this drill, but consistency will comes as they take more reps. I think Clark starts to earn some more reps as camp goes on, but timing, processing, and things that come natural with more playing time need to improve. Both Clark and Kramer were constantly working on footwork while the other quarterback's took reps. In Rowphers, where the scout teams face off, Kramer started with a terrific throw over the shoulder to Erik Gibson, who made a an even better catch on the sidelines. This drive ended with a fade to Gibson for a touchdown. Clark's drive also ended in a touchdown on a sharp throw that hit Michael Brown-Stephens at the goal line.
Running Backs:
Not too much to say here. No tackling. Jason Williamson broke a big run in the Oklahoma drill where I swear he was wrapped up but came out of it. He has some footwork things to improve and was working with Coach Burns a lot. Mo Ibrahim and Bryce Williams took a majority of the reps with the first two teams, and Preston Jelen and Jason Williamson took the rest. Rodney Smith was working on the side with a trainer, as was Trey Potts. Potts looks a bit further away from a return than Smith, but he has plenty of time to heal up.
Wide Receivers:
You guys know all about Tyler Johnson, Rashod Bateman, Chris Autman-Bell, and Demetrius Douglas so I won't take much time talking about them. They all had good days. I think Chris Bell is ready for a breakout season. There are going to be weapons on the field, and with the defense likely to key on Johnson and Bateman often, Bell is going to going to get his looks. I was really impressed with Erik Gibson today. His footwork is so much better than when he first got there. He's a big, physical receiver that can go up and get any ball. If he continues to improve his footwork and develop timing with the quarterbacks he will be a problem for defenses, especially in the red zone. I also thought Harry Van-Dyne had a very good day. He's another person that needed serious work on his footwork when he first got here, and that improvement is now easy to see. He made a few nice catches throughout the day and created separation I hadn't seen from him in the past. These are two guys that could see the field from time to time and contribute. If this was the Gophers receiver group from years past, they are closer towards the top.
Offensive Line:
LT: Sam Schlueter, Jason Dickson
LG: Blaise Andries, Ben Davis
C: Conner Olson, John Michael Schmitz
RG: Curtis Dunlap, Austin Beier
RT: Daniel Faalele, JJ Guedet
Defensive Depth Chart (PRACTICE):
CB: Kiondre Thomas, Terell Smith, Phillip Howard,
N-CB: Chris Williamson, Justus Harris
S: Antione Winfield Jr., Jordan Howden, CJ Smith
S: Jordan Howden, Benny Sapp, Solomon Brown
CB: Terell Smith, Coney Durr, Kelvin Clemmons
LB: Kamal Martin, Braelen Oliver
LB: Thomas Barber, Mariano Sori-Marin or Thomas Rush
DE: Winston DeLattiboudere, Esezi Ottomewo, Mayan Ahanotu, Abi Okonji
DT: Jamaal Teague, Mayan Ahanotu, Keonte Schad
DT: Sam Renner, Micah Dew-Treadway, Noah Hickox
DE: Carter Coughlin, Boye Mafe, Taiyon Devers, Alex Reigelsperger
I didn't watch the defense as much as I watched the offense. There's nothing too much to report there. Much of the depth chart was the same as last practice report. Phillip Howard was getting picked on a bit in coverage but was battling. He got a lot of 1-on-1 coaching from Coach Chance and took it well. Micah Dew-Treadway is still getting into shape. On the third team Keonte Schad got into the backfield and stopped the running back either for loss or right at the line and got praise over the loud speaker. Alex Reigelsperger made a nice team during Rowphers and got praise from all of his teammates as he came back from the sideline. Hadn't heard from him much before, but it was good to see him get into the action. Abi Okonji is another person who was getting reps I hadn't seen much of before. He has a big body and should benefit from another year sitting out. This will be his first season practicing after being injured all last season. Solomon Brown made some nice plays in the secondary during Rowphers, and I was impressed with what he could do in coverage during 1-on-1's. I think he's going to be a really good player for Minnesota one day.
If there are any questions I'll do my best to answer them!
Quarterbacks:
The first play of 7-on-7 for Zack Annexstad started with one of those throws that won him the job last year. He hit Clay Geary right on the sideline deep down the field. Ball was well placed for a completion. Zack had a solid day after that as well. His ball was accurate in 7-on-7, and he was making good decisions. Fade routes and slants were all they did for 1-on-1's today. Zack was throwing a good ball. He was making his guys go up and get it and putting it in a good spot. In 7-on-7 Zack made several nice reads in the endzone. He hit Tyler Johnson on a slant for a touchdown, Erik Gibson on a fade (great catch) and then Demetrius Douglas on another slant route. I mentioned last week that Zack had improved going through his progressions. I still think he has improved, but today I noticed that the speed at which he processed everything seemed a bit slow. Just waiting on someone to get open a bit too long at times. Overall, I think he had a pretty good day.
Tanner had a very similar day. Made several good throws on the short and intermediate routes and more often than not put the ball in the right place. His processing speed when making his progressions seems a bit more advanced than Annexstad's at this time. His deep ball to start the day was a bit underthrown and knocked away by the defender (Terell Smith). Tanner's decision making in 7-on-7 is a bit different from Zack. It seems he takes less chances down field and avoids tight windows. That's not a bad thing at all, but with the talent the Gopher's have at receiver I'd like to see him take a few more chances and give them the shot to make a play. Tanner had similar success in the redzone 7-on-7. He threw three touchdowns, all of them to Rashod Bateman. One thing I will say about Tanner is that he goes out of his way to be a good leader. Always was congratulating whoever on the offense made a nice play or a nice block. I'm not saying the other quarterbacks weren't doing this, but Tanner made a point to do it whenever he could.
Jacob Clark and Cole Kramer are still limited in the reps that they're getting. Each of them got one 7-on-7 throw, and completed them. Kramer's was a slant where he hit an open Brock Annexstad, and Jacob's was a post that hit Rashod Bateman right in the numbers. A lot of zip on Clark's ball. When the two were working on fade's in the endzone, they both looked like they needed to develop timing with the routes and receivers. They both made good throws in this drill, but consistency will comes as they take more reps. I think Clark starts to earn some more reps as camp goes on, but timing, processing, and things that come natural with more playing time need to improve. Both Clark and Kramer were constantly working on footwork while the other quarterback's took reps. In Rowphers, where the scout teams face off, Kramer started with a terrific throw over the shoulder to Erik Gibson, who made a an even better catch on the sidelines. This drive ended with a fade to Gibson for a touchdown. Clark's drive also ended in a touchdown on a sharp throw that hit Michael Brown-Stephens at the goal line.
Running Backs:
Not too much to say here. No tackling. Jason Williamson broke a big run in the Oklahoma drill where I swear he was wrapped up but came out of it. He has some footwork things to improve and was working with Coach Burns a lot. Mo Ibrahim and Bryce Williams took a majority of the reps with the first two teams, and Preston Jelen and Jason Williamson took the rest. Rodney Smith was working on the side with a trainer, as was Trey Potts. Potts looks a bit further away from a return than Smith, but he has plenty of time to heal up.
Wide Receivers:
You guys know all about Tyler Johnson, Rashod Bateman, Chris Autman-Bell, and Demetrius Douglas so I won't take much time talking about them. They all had good days. I think Chris Bell is ready for a breakout season. There are going to be weapons on the field, and with the defense likely to key on Johnson and Bateman often, Bell is going to going to get his looks. I was really impressed with Erik Gibson today. His footwork is so much better than when he first got there. He's a big, physical receiver that can go up and get any ball. If he continues to improve his footwork and develop timing with the quarterbacks he will be a problem for defenses, especially in the red zone. I also thought Harry Van-Dyne had a very good day. He's another person that needed serious work on his footwork when he first got here, and that improvement is now easy to see. He made a few nice catches throughout the day and created separation I hadn't seen from him in the past. These are two guys that could see the field from time to time and contribute. If this was the Gophers receiver group from years past, they are closer towards the top.
Offensive Line:
LT: Sam Schlueter, Jason Dickson
LG: Blaise Andries, Ben Davis
C: Conner Olson, John Michael Schmitz
RG: Curtis Dunlap, Austin Beier
RT: Daniel Faalele, JJ Guedet
Defensive Depth Chart (PRACTICE):
CB: Kiondre Thomas, Terell Smith, Phillip Howard,
N-CB: Chris Williamson, Justus Harris
S: Antione Winfield Jr., Jordan Howden, CJ Smith
S: Jordan Howden, Benny Sapp, Solomon Brown
CB: Terell Smith, Coney Durr, Kelvin Clemmons
LB: Kamal Martin, Braelen Oliver
LB: Thomas Barber, Mariano Sori-Marin or Thomas Rush
DE: Winston DeLattiboudere, Esezi Ottomewo, Mayan Ahanotu, Abi Okonji
DT: Jamaal Teague, Mayan Ahanotu, Keonte Schad
DT: Sam Renner, Micah Dew-Treadway, Noah Hickox
DE: Carter Coughlin, Boye Mafe, Taiyon Devers, Alex Reigelsperger
I didn't watch the defense as much as I watched the offense. There's nothing too much to report there. Much of the depth chart was the same as last practice report. Phillip Howard was getting picked on a bit in coverage but was battling. He got a lot of 1-on-1 coaching from Coach Chance and took it well. Micah Dew-Treadway is still getting into shape. On the third team Keonte Schad got into the backfield and stopped the running back either for loss or right at the line and got praise over the loud speaker. Alex Reigelsperger made a nice team during Rowphers and got praise from all of his teammates as he came back from the sideline. Hadn't heard from him much before, but it was good to see him get into the action. Abi Okonji is another person who was getting reps I hadn't seen much of before. He has a big body and should benefit from another year sitting out. This will be his first season practicing after being injured all last season. Solomon Brown made some nice plays in the secondary during Rowphers, and I was impressed with what he could do in coverage during 1-on-1's. I think he's going to be a really good player for Minnesota one day.
If there are any questions I'll do my best to answer them!
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