Greetings

I'm guessing a lot of you either: A/ Had other things to do, or; B/ Didn't want to bother with the rain.
Because there sure weren't a lot of you out at TCF Bank Stadium today watching the spring game. Talk about a smattering of fans.
It was a strange scrimmage. Unlike many years, there really wasn't a stand out player, with the possible exception of linebacker Mike Rallis, who had two sacks. The quarterbacks didn't dominate, especially late. The running backs found holes early, less so late. The defense gave up some big plays, but made some big plays too.
It was all so middle-of-the-road.
That said, here are some thoughts I had coming out of spring ball, in no particular order:

--I don't think there is any question about Adam Weber being the starter this fall. It was obvious by the amount of playing time he had with the first team Saturday. He threw 20 passes to MarQueis Gray's seven. For Weber, it was a strange kind of mix of good and bad. There were times Saturday when Weber looked miles ahead of last year from a comfort level. One play stands out. It came during a two-minute drill late in the first half. On fourth-and-four Weber got blitzed by a linebacker from his left side. He calmly threw over the blitz to running back Duane Bennett for a 7-yard gain and a first down.
He also looked good completing long passes to Troy Stoudermire and Da'Jon McKnight.
But there were also moments when he took chances and threw into coverage. Now, to be fair, there were too many drops by the receivers, which I'll get to later. But, overall, it was a bit of a mixed bag with Weber Saturday. But I do think he's making progress, and I do think he'll benefit from an offense that is determined to run the ball.

--So how is that going, that running the ball thing? Again, mixed bag. There were a lot of holes early, fewer late. I will say that I was impressed with the linebacker play (more on this later). And, as the game went on, DTs Jewhan Edwards and Brandon Kirksey started playing better and better. This is the crux of the Gophers offensive success this season, running the ball.
Saturday I thought Jeff Willis looked pretty good; I think his footwork has improved. I think D.J. Burris was doing a nice job at center before going out after tweaking a knee – nothing serious. I don't know how much better this group will ultimately be this season, but I bet there will be a measurable improvement.

--Running the ball, part two: Offensive coordinator Jeff Horton said he thinks DeLeon Eskridge and Duane Bennett will likely be his guys this fall. We'll see. There are some nice freshmen coming in. But, of course, they will be freshmen. I will say that both backs had their moments Saturday. I still rally like Bennett's receiving ability coming out of the backfield.

--Now, the receivers. This group has got to get a lot better between now and the start of the 2010 season. After the spring game Weber gushed about the receivers' growth this spring: "Those guys have stepped up more than I would have imagined," he said. Really? Well, there is a lot of spring practice the media can't see. Saturday I saw those flashes of big play ability, but also way too many drops.
"We had our hands on a couple of balls we should have caught," head coach Tim Brewster said of the receivers. "Credit the secondary; they put some hats on the ball. But we dropped a few. We have to be mentally tougher at the receiver position. We have to make those hard, tough catches. .. .I'm a little disappointed we didn't do more."
I think Bryant Allen (currently injured) will be a factor this fall. I'm also of the opinion that we'll see Gray at the receiver spot more than a bit, too. But both Stoudermire and McKnight have to add consistency to big-play potential.

--I think the Gophers are going to have a pretty good front seven by the time things get going this fall. I like the defensive tackles, and I really like what the competition has done at the linebacker spot.
Playing with the first team in place of Gary Tinsley, Sam Marseh played well, with five total tackles, two for loss. Rallis had six tackles, two sacks and another tackle for loss. Spencer Reeves had a sack and Keanon Cooper had an interception.
I really like Rallis. He has a knack for strongside linebacker position. I think he will make plays this fall.
Maresh? This summer will be key for him. "The next phase is crucial, the summer strength and conditioning program will be very important to Sam. You can see he has a nose (for the ball), he has instincts for the game."

--The secondary, especially safety, will look very different this fall. Kyle Theret will be back, and there is a chance Kim Royston will recover from a broken leg in time to play this fall. There are also some impact safeties due in camp this fall.
Still, I liked the way Christyn Lewis played Saturday. He covered ground well and was able to get to the sidelines.

--Kicker Eric Ellestad was 4-for-4 on field goals with kicks of 20, 32, 35 and 50 yards.


That's about it. Have a good weekend.