Pair and Spare August 15: Darius Taylor Hurt, Look at Iowa and Wisconsin

thank you PJ it is time for another edition of the pair and as spare podcast we've got chip Scoggins from the Star Tribune Ryan Burns from gopherillustrated.com I'm Justin Guard from the fan and we are two weeks away boys from as we record this now two weeks from tonight at least a couple of us will be at Huntington Bank Stadium as the Gophers open the 2024 campaign against the University of North Carolina hard to believe but here are fellas State Fair starts one week from today in Minnesota but you can start least start to feel it a little bit can't you bernzy you can there's finally a little bit of a crisp in the air this morning with that weather front that came through it feels a little bit like fall feels a little bit like footballs around the corner now hopefully the college sports teams don't fall off a precipitous chipper like we've seen the injury Gods come down on the pro pro sports teams but uh we're almost there chipper yeah I can't wait um I'll be there I'll be there open night you can confirm I can confirm I will be there project God willing I didn't know if you had a Mr Project thing hey Mr project if you see chip at an American somewhere across the Upper Midwest just know that he's working on something if you got on something you got a person that's got a great story in your town he's working on something I you know what I do like I do like um I do like that Thursday night game that traditional Thursday night game me too me too people don't like it I love it anything like the Friday games get your weekends back we're g to be there anyway I know fans don't like them but for people that have work yeah well they like the Saturday they're traditionalists yeah I for that first one I mean obviously once you get into a season I want Saturdays but um I don't know I kind of you know I'm never really going to root for a night game just for deadline and selfish purposes but y um but it's now it's become kind of a tradition that I I look forward to that first Thursday and it kicks it off and then you got the week to watch some games so I'm excited for it all right bernzy I have to start with are you okay are you doing all right are you fine I'm scared to know well I've texted you about this but this is I printed it out because I'm old school like chip anybody watching on the YouTube you can see this is the gopherillustrated.com football practice report from August 13th from from a couple of days ago um we're going to talk about the news obviously that you know in the last practice open of the media I'm sure much to PJ Flex shagrin the we're never going to see another practice the future of the off one you were at we'll never see another the future of the offense and the future of the program Darius Taylor misses half of it with an apparent leg injury um and now we'll we'll we you know what we're going to do next week we're going to talk to PJ yep Darius is fine yeah day to-day we'll see we we know but chipper I'm reading Bern's practice report it was a beautiful day out there on Tuesday I got to the Lake of the Woods L gate flawlessly everybody that when I walked in said hey did you find the right gate I said yes thank you so I'm reading it injury report okay shape two weeks of Camp okay Aiden goby Daniel Jackson wasn't dressed here's paragraph one where I'm worried about Bernay oh boy I'd also note that running back Darius Taylor left practice today and didn't return he was running the pass route and came up limp on his left leg after spending some time on the ground he moved off to the side and then had ice on his left hamstring area for 15 to 30 minutes it was removed toward the end of practice and he remained with the team Fleck didn't seem to be too concerned about it but he's not exactly a reliable narrator for injuries they're salt number one so then I'm reading you I go hold hold on hold on hold on stop there yeah let's start let's start with that statement there because you two have more experience with the pro sports teams and I certainly do yeah PJ Fleck has to be about the worst narrator about injuries that I can remember yeah I don't you know anything that he uh opines on regarding injuries I take with a grain of salt well like last week he talked about uh Dar excuse me Daniel Jackson he was like yeah Daniel be fine and then Hees practiced the next seven days later and so Andy greeter friend of the podcast Pioneer Press he like so has he practiced and flex's like no no he hasn't but he's been working really it's like oh why did you say that just he's beening trainers you know this you always say I hear what you say you trust what I do like yeah Kevin okell gets arounded because he always is like uh I'm gonna update you guys I'm Gonna Keep you going and NFL is different they have to like NFL has to be honest about injuries some like college does not we're about to get ready for next week it'll be uh we'll get the status report what what Paul two hours before the game then he'll look over like over Ro or Jeep yeah what about two hours before the game Big 10 status yeah it'll come out then like just get used just accept it that's what it is a lot of them are like that Northwestern was the only one I ever remember that actually did when Fitz was there they used to put out an injury report the week and which is of course it's helpful like it's help you'd like You' like it if they were all that helpful and not so stupid because North Carolina's not sitting there going well what if Darius Taylor plays or doesn't play like they're going to prepare like he's going to play and if not you also know they're going to run the ball so it's not like it's not like a quarterback thing and it's just yes I get it on its face it's stupid but I just love how it still bothers you this much every single time that on your Camp report August 13th you've got to take a gratuitous cheap shot right in the middle just adds it right at the end there just like I just I just he lays out the facts and he and he says oh we can't believe anything he says well everybody likes to compare like this one since this has happened in the last 48 hours to the Cody linenberg deal which that was a whole different type of situation me I know they may be similar in injury but the the second aggravation around the North Carolina was a different injury completely now do I wish Cody linenberg or PJ Fleck would now after the fact come out and talk about what actually happened I do but it doesn't seem like uh that's ever going to happen it's just whether it's early on or H God forbid down the line and you just refill everybody in and what actually happened there's no just don't understand nobody know to that point Nobody Knows the Trey pot situation four years later right that and that one I can understand to a degree because I think that one was more serious oh it was lifethreatening threaten for was it four five nights yeah yeah and so I can understand like some privacy laws there but if it's a hamstring and when you know those type things it's like come on what it is yeah so I'm going along so I already know Berns he's not feeling great I don't know an wasn't in the sun he was annoyed it's one of his usual and I just become a a crotchy old man so then he goes and he starts breaking down this is where it gets really good so I've already read that part chip I'm like man bery just salt right away um talks about the offense and with Daniel Jackson as we mentioned who wasn't in practice he said it wasn't a good day to watch them create separation catch the football in space Elijah Spencer was pretty good um Ethan Rob uh he beat Ethan Robinson Max brosmer had a nice throw pass catchers need more consistency then he writes this chip there was a play or two made like Quinton reading caught a back shoulder parenthesis yes they threw that to a five6 player parentheses touchdown Drake Lindsay what do you wanty let Quinton reading get some reps they might need him why why don't salty burnsy salty ber text had a couple other folks around the program text me and say who just like in what world and on an actual Thursday or Saturday whatever it may be are you gonna be throwing to the back pylon to quit and reading like it was never know dime of a throw like it's a practice rep we all need reps I know I know I'm just I'm old and crotchy now m brown has to prepare for that when Quinton reading's out there as wide receiver six he got back shoulder throw so Ryan what is going on like the season hasn't even started you don't have any kids like what why why all the stress in the anst that's what I'm worried about here because you're far too young and you have far too few stressful obligations compared to Mr projects to Mr 15 jobs and three kids why I get why I'm mad sure why are you so mad well I'd love if a big buck could show up on one of my 20s something cameras because I've been putting in the work behind the scenes gy I'm sweating my tail off two three days a week and just haven't I don't have the rewards to show for it so far just some instant gratification on my cell phone for one of those cell cameras but I feel like it comes back to I still don't exactly know what this team is I've seen three practices I know what their schedule looks like I still believe even after watching three practices that this is the widest variance team of the Fleck era now as much as it says about their own team I think it says a lot about the teams they're going to play where we've talked about this and I'm sure we will again next week when we kind of preview the season but there's two teams you're going to be three touchdown underdogs to Michigan and Penn State two teams you'll be three touchdown favorites against Rhode Island and Nevada and then you got eight teams where you'll be plus or minus a touchdown and I just don't know which way it's going to go I still don't know if the run defense is any good I want to see what this offense looks like with an actual consistent quarterback in which I believe Max brosmer will be but I think a lot of it comes down to too you know I see some of the same issues like you I mentioned the receivers in there I'm tired of Monday morning press conferences with PJ Fleck where they don't have a great passing day like they have it over the last three seasons and he comes in laments talks about the inconsistencies and I'm just like if we do that for a fourth straight year I just I'm really losing time for it at this point chipper yeah no I wrote a column about this a couple weeks ago where I've followed this program closely intimately for I think 20 20 years um 21 years excuse me I'm battling a cold here and this is uh my hardest season to predict what this team's going to be of all those I can't remember a more um being more uncertain about like how this season's going to go and I think it's you know obviously the quarterback that's that's a big part of it but I think a lot of it I mean and and the changes with the conference and the schedule's tougher you don't have the West um excuse me but I think a lot of it too just how they finished last year was so poor and you know you I I just don't know how they're going to rebound and and be better in the areas where receivers we talked about that are they going to make a dramatic Improvement this year well this Daniel Jackson injury hasn't been exactly excuse me hasn't been uh you know inspired confidence and then with the defense I like their line but there's just so many new faces and and and I think PJ said there other day we got a lot of bodies well that I mean what is you know what does that mean you know so you're not gonna you need to narrow down on who you can rely on so um I I'm same with you like I really don't know I said on the radio day the other day I think six and six but it could be you know a couple games either way yeah anything between 4 and eight and eight and four if we're talking right after that Black Friday game against Wisconsin it wouldn't shock me either way I just wish I had a better handle on a guardy and that's where you know my angst and anxiety comes from when I don't know something about something in my career path here it gives me a little Stress and Anxiety and maybe I write some things that you know I'm not viewing it through the maroon and gold color uh sunglasses I'm just glad that I wasn't the only one that picked up on your saltiness by the time you texted me that night I'd already received I think three other Tex things what what are you talking about well did you have some reflection I mean did you sit there and think about it like I don't why are you taking your lack of bucks sightings out on Max brosmer and Elija Spencer and poor Quinton reading who's just trying to do his best catching Strays for being a King yeah it's not his fault it's not we are it's not my fault I'm 5'9 we can't all be 6'4 to whatever like you burnsy so it's like you know don't take your trail cams out on Quinton reading and Max brosmer I hope you got some sleep that night because it's far too we're I appreciate the burnsy salt I've told you before I I appreciate it um the burnsy salt more than most because you will absolutely say what you're thinking um Rob Winger and his wife can attest to that but it's it's far too early to be this salty I think it's far too early you got a long season ahead you got to keep your ore in the water a little bit well trust me I've got I've got the talking toos at practice or a phone call here and there saying what are we doing here I'm like work for you yeah I know um well it is hard when you it is it is hard when you don't get to see the team what three times in Fall camp and one of them top 15 players don't do anything it's like well right how are you going to know what like how are you going to have a good handle on the team so you have like Wisconsin's been at Platville for two weeks and their media got to see essentially everything and they continue to this week and then you have IA who you get to see one day but they're also the only Pony show in town yeah so you have two very different ends in the Spectrum and that's a whole different podcast about uh media access and different things like that I'm gonna we'll do that at the end of the season we'll do that at the end of the year when you're really salty and really worned out chips getting these Loz here this is can we be sponsored by cough drop we might need to I'm I'm I'm not only you know running this live stream and trying to make sure that everybody can see where to follow us I'm also muting Chip's mic every time he stops talking just so he doesn't completely I can do it here I found the mute I found the mute button I can do it I don't trust you with your own mute button so I was doing it yeah you you were you self his face when he said I found the mute button found the mute button guys speaking of Technology you should have had me posted last week because apparently we need somebody better technical what's yeah you know what but I I that's what I should have led with i i and I'd forgotten about it and that was that was a mistake by me I don't know what I did I saved the file and that when I I when I went to submit the file to um all of our different podcast platforms I just put last week's episode in I have no idea how it happened what's funny though is people like people can't just follow along like how many times have we tweeted about it bernzy like 10 because we got and we appreciate people that want and that we're disappointed that it was the wrong file that's good we deal with this a lot fan when something's wrong trust me hear about it we're working on it odds are you're not the first person that is letting us know that it is an issue and also odds are we've already explained the issue because you kept sending me tweets I'm like Bernay just tell him to redownload it it's there just tell him to R clearly you had already seen about eight of them and I hadn't yet I put it up on your board I said you just have to if if you're one of the great people that download us every single week thank you when I screw up like that you just have to redownload the episode um it's a pain I'm sorry I'm an idiot and yeah chip if you'd like to take that off my hands imagine feel free no I can't I can't imagine I can't imagine well chip I'll say this I was proud of you because uh oh you got the Dolly Parton on the initial game guys you both were on initials guardy defending his crown and you had to flex on the kids with the initials DP but I'm just glad chipper got good old Dolly Parton so he could at least make sure the south is I will say this um gy is like the king he just do I mean he gets dueling Pian on like one guest I mean he was he absolutely he destroyed us but as a boy from East Tennessee if I couldn't have got Dolly Parton then I should have been just sarily dismissed right then so I got my one point I went home happy I will say that game is harder in studio oh yeah and playing along in your car because the thing I did I got stuck on one thing as soon as I heard the I thought I was thinking dance party the whole time dance party has to be one of them and so I kept thinking about it it's like and the I'd hear these Clues and it's like that could be dance party I was like no stop thinking about dance party it's not going to be in here it's such a mental grind it's such a mental grind you have to um your your mind has to be open to all possibilities your mind cannot you know the two at the end chip I had those in the holster for a while like Democratic party I was I was just waiting to throw those in I was trying to be like Larry Bird in the three-point shooting contest shot it and then hold his finger up like that I really wanted an epic walk-off for nine but yeah well then you know you you get fixated and yes that's what it is you guess you second guess yourself and then if somebody's hot like I was in the middle of the game it's a wrap it's over and then you're in your head then you never think you're going to get get anything I've been completely lost in there a couple of times not recently but there were like the first five or I don't know when uh I had no clue like dirty pool was one of them I've never even heard of that phrase yeah um Dueling Pianos I wouldn't I don't even know what a dueling piano is I never would have even thought of that I thought you were a man of culture I've been to a dueling dueling Pian I don't even what's that like two piano playing at the same time like there you go you nailed it yeah you nailed like back to back forth they'll go back and forth they'll play together it's a big it's a big you know there's a bar downtown that has it there's a couple of them in Vegas wow yeah you just got to get out of the bubble you just got to get out of the bubble a little bit chip and your life experience informs how you're doing well I went home happy and I'm proud of you and if I'm putting money down I'm putting it on you or do Park to bring home the championship because well there's some heavy weights there's some heavy weights it all depends on the words and if you get yeah like there was a stretch of like two or three years where I didn't get any because it was all like super pop culture movies like I'm out but if you do like phrases and general life things I can do that I I can do that I can get out there a little bit but thanks for watching bernzy um yeah I was very proud of my parent a spare Brethren and I hope you can be doou young Park here as you continue I think that might be my greatest life accomplishment that I knocked him out of round one a year ago because that guy speaking of wizards that guy that's the thing I mean guy is literally been on Jeopardy twice and he's like the smartest guy and I I saw him in the Press box at Target uh field uh a couple days before I did it I was like yeah he's like what are you doing I was like Monday and he's like yeah first time you play it man that messes with your brain I'm like oh great wonderful the smartest guy I've ever met is tell me how hard it is well then if you don't get one you feel like you should that also messes with you you have to have a short like when Ron got Disney Princesses and for those of you that weren't listening to KFAN initials really sorry about this derailment on the parent of spare podcast but when Ron got Disney princesses like that's one I should get I have a 5-year-old daughter she's all in and then I'm down in the game you got to just forget it you got to just Punt and move on and you know try to play defense and thankfully I was able to but the best line is one that was tweeted at us that I we couldn't believe for the par Andis Spar podcast bit mode that daily planner was not one of them on DP that was so great like it was just sitting right there for us daily planner um which one of us would have gotten that would it have been you the guy who doesn't have one somehow or me the guy who SAR dep it would depend on the clues right but that would have been a perfect one that would have been so on brand but um wasn't to be I've never been more excited when I heard Corey Co say Pigeon Forge I knew I was getting one I was walking out there I wasn't getting shut out you know I had Zack cson save the video of Chip with this double arm her Brooks celebration like this we're we're GNA we're GNA use that The First Time toy perit is back to return a kick at Huntington B Stadium we're just going to and Sh double arms up like this um all right well let's get back to the team we Bernay saltiness um aside from the practice report the headline news from that practice is that the future of your offense and your best offensive player didn't finish it and like you said Bernay it looked like a hamstring injury right which as Cody lindenberg won't tell you those are tricky um as Justin Jefferson has learned those are tricky like if you're skill position guy you need your hamstrings and so what do we make of this do we have any other info on it you've got sources burnsy what we're two weeks out not ideal to have literally the the the program if the ball is the program the guy who's gonna have the ball the most Darius Taylor left practice earlier in the week your thoughts yeah when he's running down the sidelines out stretches for a ball and then immediately comes up limp you're like oh boy yeah oh boy like I wrote in that salty practice report and he was down there for about a minute or so ends up getting up they put some ice on the hamstring and whatnot and he was moving around i' see today that go for football tweeted out a picture of Darius Taylor doing some serving and giving so good to know that his left leg has not been amputated contrary to what we've seen some other Minnesota football teams in town go through but I think it comes back to you know we talk a lot about and I certainly have the 92 touches in 14 days for Darius and then he gets hurt and then he's not the same comes back for Iowa re-injures well he didn't finish the spring and now he's banged up again towards the end of fall Camp I you know at some point here it's just how do you figure out how to have him find Health well when he's healthy he's obviously tremendous chip but it's for him finding health and staying health and it's finding the right uh workload for him he's he's not Muhammad Abraham well I would say in the spring and in the fall it's not a usage issue yeah I mean obviously that can you know it's not like he's being overly taxed in training camp I don't think correct right um but so I mean so this could happen anytime but but it it does you know I I think it usage is a thing that we need talk about with him though because now you got the Marcus major kid who I we haven't seen a lot of but he looks like he could be a guy that they can count on to to take some of those uh so sorry just dying I know I'm just dying but they have to this is goes back to I mean you know we're a broken record but this is where you have to be able to uh depend on your passing game to to take some of the pressure off uh a guy having to carry the ball 25 times you know i' also in a game to get a win it had goes back to the name of this podcast the pair and spare that's where I wanted to go next hit you know we'll see if Darius is healthy I know that they were going to get him in for an MRI I want to have some swelling it down we'll see what that ends up entailing I think he that advances the story there you go that advances the story Bernay I mean I I think certainly he's gonna be a question mark for North Carolina considering we're just a couple weeks out I don't know how severe it is gez but I think that's what it comes back down to is both to both of your points here I think it comes back to instead of this being the Darius Taylor offense I think now it certainly shifts to this has to be the max brosmer offense and it also shifts to with the running game chip I me you talk about Marcus major who's been one of the surprises of fall Camp maybe is the favorite to get that first Carry against North Carolina he was really good at Oklahoma you know what he also battled at Oklahoma for five years injuries injuries yeah so it's going to be Marcus major CA Binger the Ohio transfer Jordan nubin we'll see if a freshman like Fe IG boy can potentially you're gonna have to rely on three maybe four backs here in September because not one of these guys is built to get 25 30 carries a game no but it's also chip well it has to come back to the passing game with a lot of this too I'll believe it when I see it man I know I mean yeah this is what it was going to be last year right I mean we didn't know Darius Taylor at the time but we thought it was going to be hey this offense is going to revolve around Athan cic Manis and he's going to be the the you know the guy and they're going to build it around him and and uh obviously he throws it 40 times against Nebraska and they lose faith in him and now it's back to you know run run run and so or even like the North Carolina game guys running wide open all over the place and aan and Cole Kramer can't hit him right but I do think especially with darius's injury and I'm more optimistic that Daniel Jackson will be fine and be back for North Carolina but that's where I think I'm not saying they're going to throw it 35 40 times a game but well it's what if they end up throwing it CH I mean I've said this before and I'll continue to say it in two weeks out I think Max brosmer breaks Tanner Morgan's 2019 Fleck era passing record for passing attempts this year yeah and and I I can't remember if we talked about this the last time but the flex say in the 70% uh completion percentage Yeah we talked about it okay but but I think just the forget the number I mean obviously I think it's more he was more saying this is GNA be yeah yeah a rhythm short passing get you know quick hitting stuff throw to the tailbacks those type things so if you can have that kind of offense where you are um you know incorporating a bunch of different guys but again it comes back to a bunch of different guys being consistent and reliable and catching the ball and you know based on your uh your report from the other day that's still an ongoing issue and so mhm you have to figure out you know which guys you can trust which you know which guys are going to produce for you but I I do think I mean Daniel Jackson obviously he's going to be the you know the focal point in the pass game but I I was impressed with Brockington a couple years ago and I thought he had a chance to be a guy that could be a playmaker for him so I want to see more of him and see if he can stay healthy and if he can kind of slide into that role for him I think Elijah Spencer is someone that's finally found a little consistency yep very good at Charlotte didn't work out last year sounds like there's a lot of optimism that he can provide something I think there's a lot of optimism around the Penn State transfer and Donald driver's kid Christian driver now yeah what's his health status that's what I want to know about him like because I keep hearing his name and I've been there a couple times and I've never seen him well that was part of the issue in the spring was he was always was injured and then when he was on the field he was Dynamic and that's what we've seen so far in Paul Camp I'm optimistic that he'll be back for North Carolina okay but it's trying to figure out if that core four there that Daniel Jackson lcky Brockington Elijah Spencer Christian driver um hopefully a couple of tight ends like Jameson gears maybe Pierce Walsh just catch football I mean that's all we're asking here is just catch the football say you will about Miss tackles and different things like that but that's going to be the difference in this offense is if they can just catch the quick stuff it's second and five second and four versus second and 10 and we I feel like I'm beating a dead horse at this point don't get salty don't turn salty okay I'll interrup difference for this offense this year is if you don't have a running back that you can give the ball 25 30 times a game to you have to be so much better on first and second down because we've seen with this offense the last few seasons when you get into second and third and long and your passing game is what it is it's so much harder to be efficient explosive so that's where the hope would be that brosmer can just be accurate I mean last year they completed 52% of their passes right Flex out here talking about 70% which again is in hyperbole considering only six college football teams last year completed that amount but if brosmer can be somewhere around 62 65% that'd be a much much bigger Improvement than last year yeah Tanner was in 19 and in [Music] 202 he was in that 6566 yep that might be a little high for brosmer but but I agree with Bernay like if you get to 62 you know in that ballpark that's then you have a that tells you you have a rhythm with your with your offense and guys are catching the ball and you don't have a bunch of drops and and if they can if they can complete at that percentage then I think you know you'll see things open up for Darius Taylor and and major in the in the running game and not just be so you know on third and four you know you have an option to throw the ball too you're not just going to automatically run you finally do but I also think this could be I think back to the offensive lines in the Fleck era I mean I think this 24 offensive line with the headliners being Aron ursery Tyler Cooper Quinn Carroll I think it could rival the 2019 one I think the 20 22 one was pretty good so whether it's protecting brosmer whether it's opening up some things in the Run game they should have about as good of an offensive line as they've had in the Fleck era if everybody can stay healthy I agree I mean obviously the left tackle is gonna be an NFL player um I mean and and you know you have some depth there and I just I feel like if you're starting off the Big 10 you want to have two good lines and like I think that's a good starting point for them um you know I know the run defense and how they're going to hold up there has some concerns with with Bernay but I I do think they have some Playmakers along that defensive line so I mean as a starting point that's a pretty good place where they're at with their lines it's just it's everything else around him you know how's that going to come together yeah well the urgency here is like you need to find a way to beat North Carolina because that's this it's not hyperbole I mean that is a massive swing game for your whole season but also just September because you've got this you don't have Jerry kill's secondy year Aggies coming in here that you're going to boat race right you've got a legitimate power five team that has some dudes it's it's essentially a pick them game I think the Gophers right now are favored by two and a half but as a tone Setter in this market with these fans with this group with everything else that's that's around here I mean just today wolves schedule's uh opening up Wild tickets go on sale links are back in action and by the way the Vikings are the like you you drop that first game like no one cares about you until that Iowa game and you win it you give yourself a little bit of a of I guess um breathing room to maybe get some of these other guys in hopefully for the next couple of weeks but like with Darius going down here two weeks before the game it's like man it's a really important game so all everything you all just talked about is like you got they got to figure out every little nook and cranny to try to grease that game out because it is a sneaky big game just for The Narrative of the season in my opinion well yeah I agree too because I think a lot of it because look how they finished last year terrible November fans I felt for the first time um with Fleck really started to be like yeah really what like where's this going like what you know and not just the The Fringe ones that are going to come and go you know but even the die The Observers as I call them The Observers yeah but even I mean I felt like the tenor changed within the fan base in November last last year um not that they lost everybody but but you know you could just feel like people like ah man this is the first time where you really uh felt people kind of questioning what was happening well you want to see where it's going to go from there like I think everybody understands a dip and we know the reasons why and I think they've had a pretty good off season all told you know recruiting wise bery you've told us that obviously retaining players like from what they had in November I mean they and then there was the UCLA stuff which I'm sure shut some things down like even though it's okay to love where you're at copyright PJ Fleck Big 10 media days like yeah that's that's a thing that that people are going to file away now like they want to see like whether he likes it or they like it or not like that's a thing in there too where if you don't have a good season then it is it is going to get louder rightfully so and so that's why I think you know getting off to a good start when you know it just gives some some momentum and like okay yes this is a a page Turner almost like this is not a ation of last year where things were just not good at the end of the year so I I yeah and and there's so many of those games where you're like they're just like pick them games like I I could see it going either way like y I feel like North Carolina should be a game that they should win but you go down to the list you're like you could talk yourself into a bunch of scenarios you know you know so as many of those games as you can get is going to determine how you feel about this season well especially with the way the Viking news has broke unfortunately for that team there's an opportunity in this football town which is football is king without question that if you can just win that opening game and then you get two gimmies at home against Rhode Island and Nevada setting up that NBC night game against the Iowa Hawkeyes you have an opportunity to capture some of the market share in town because I don't know what you guys think but obviously I'm not incredibly bullish on what the Vikings will be doing people want to watch a winning team in this town and that's where to Chip's point do I think Minnesota should win this game I do because I think they're better up front but it's only 6040 in my mind it wouldn't shock me at all if North Carolina won but to your point gy it's such a pivotal game early in the year it sets the tone for the rest of the season to me yeah because no one cares what you do the next two weeks right after that in those two non-conference games like you're gonna get no juice out of those whatever happens and so you it's a as PJ says it it's an opportunity it's a it's a big opportunity and that's why you know when you're at practice and the guy who's allegedly going to help you with that opportunity is out it's alarming and now it's and so that's why we've kind of talked out the depth that they have behind him hopefully the depth that they have in the passing game all of those things um anything else you want to talk about practice report did you get it all out bernzy did you get it all out we'll take a break here and talk about a couple of rival schools and some things that they've got going on at Camp are you are you gopher it out here are we good for this week that was very cathartic for me I appreciate that all right well we will uh come back and talk about a quarterback controversy in Iowa City and a quarterback decision in Madison that's coming up in just a second but I know this didn't make you salty your evening at Jack Cafe we got multiple texts from you bernzy last week you went to Jack Cafe you made reservations at Jack cafe.com great partner of the podcast for another season I've been in Minneapolis forever year after year decade after decade meal after meal tell the people what you got tell the people about your parking tell the people about your conversations give us the the most recent Ryan Burns Jack's Cafe experience well I'll lead off for chip my father was so excited about the free and ample parking in Northeast Minneapolis I thought of you instantaneously great mind think alike I mean Peace of Mind Peace of Mind knowing that you've got a place to park yeah but it it was outstanding I mean my family especially my parents are especially the older they get food snobs and they were absolutely Blown Away by the food whether it was uh the salads whether it was their main course whether it was the desserts my family are big dessert people chip the crle was had just for you oh want you to know that was it not gold oh my gosh it it was outstanding I also got the chocolate cake afterwards goodness gracious I'm gonna have to check my sugar levels goodness I got uh I got the 8 O filet which was perfectly done got it with some uh there were crispy hash browns and it was trust me everybody looked around afterwards and was like holy cow this was tremendous yeah so got to bring them out on the patio afterwards show them everything it is just I can't say enough good things it it surpassed any at all expectations from my family who was there with me they'd never been I can assure you they've already asked me when are we going back that's awesome first time trip for him it was it it was hopping there I'll tell you that much whether inside outside a Wednesday night Jack's Cafe was the place to be so yeah if and know there were multiple birthdays going on around us so I and the steak was tremendous just absolutely I'm a steak snob I mean I thought it was better than some of the more talked about ones around town in my opinion here there you go there you go uh whether it's a special occasion whether it's a date night whether it's a happy hour whether it's a brunch don't forget about the weekend brunches as well we're almost in we're basically in Peak Brunch season as we speak right now before or after games I know we got 11 o' kick coming up here I think week two um great spot to uh to stop off early or certainly stop back late they've got a great bar as well groups 15 to 400 they can do everything for you it's Jack Cafe in Minneapolis make your reservations at Jack cafe.com one thing that's been discussed a lot on this podcast and basically any college football show the last few years has been the University of Iowa hawkey's offense and they made some sweeping changes the offensive coordinator Brian Kirk ference's son is now an analyst at at the University of Maryland with Mike Loxley they bring in Tim Lester who's bringing in apparently some Green Bay Packer type ideals into the offense um from the Matt leflour school and all of this you know last year when they talked about the offensive struggles guys they talked about the fact that they a starting quarterback Kade mcamera who transferred for Michigan because he was gonna lose his job to JJ McCarthy or did um he was injured he didn't play they lost like every tight end that they possibly had they didn't have a ton of wide receiver depth I know they're still young at wide receiver it was all kind of built the optimism towards this season with the new quarterback that well now kade's been here he stuck around for another year we know how excited they were to have him a year ago I was stunned bernzy to read your counterparts down there in Iowa City whether it's Shan Bach or David iold that there was a big battle apparently and not a great battle it was a battle of attrition a war of attrition on the day that was open to their media between something called Brendan Sol and Kade mcam for Q for qb1 at the University of Iowa your thoughts well I would say this I have the stats up Chip have you seen I saw someone tweet the stats and Yik Kade mcnamer against the first team Iowa defense which is obviously tremendous yeah I think he was without Luke Lee as well who is going to be an NFL draft pick at tight end Kad mcnamer was seven of 21 for 20 passing yards he had more passing attempts and he had passing yards I believe the first pass he threw was a pick six had a fumbled snap I understand that there's going to be growing pains and you're one of a new guy you're one of Cade mcamera getting back on track after all the injuries that he's dealt with I know there weren't some key Playmakers out there but if that's your only impression as the Iowa media heading into the season that your starting quarterback had 21 passing attempts and he couldn't even get to 21 passing yards goodness gracious chipper what do you think Brian fence did when he saw those stats from Maryland you call your dad do you do you tweet it Beth GS what does does your burner account tweet things at the at the athletic director down there without a doubt he has a burner account right without a doubt he would always say I remember listening interviews he would say his father-in-law was the one he always had to worry about yeah he's like I block out all the noise but then my father-in-law comes back after listening to The Post game show and and he's bitter um yeah it's surprising it is it though I mean do we think it would be dramatically different well first of all it's kids day and it's scrimmage against Iowa like too I fully expect them to to look choppy and then be really good by the end of the year win 10 games somehow I mean I just that's just what I expect from them because that's how they roll that's how they play speaking of burnsy salt I mean nothing has elevated Bern's blood pressure levels more the last few years than the fact that Iowa just continues to churn out 10- win Seasons because of multiple pick sixes you know Penn State losing third their third string quarterback not being able to snap it in the North End Zone for a time like there's a million a million variables there but it it just was interesting to me but then it makes sense because all the guys down there you know like Chad low and Scott dran they do a great podcast called Legends and listeners which is a brilliant awesome brilliant Big 10 title love that um you know they're doing an episode like I just didn't expect but then people started talking well Sullivan wasn't going to transfer just to be an also ran like I'm sure he did see there might be an opportunity here and now it's almost like they're kind of expecting both guys to play a little bit at some point this year yeah I wonder um I wonder what how they sold him like quarterback I mean I assume it was like hey come in nothing's guaranteed you got a chance to start or and I'm not sure if playing two quarterbacks is you know the best way to go but I I just assume McNary he was healthy he was just going to kind of slide back in there and be the starter but clearly um you know there's I don't know if it is it a 50-50 competition uh Bernay or how is it I think it's more 8020 mamera from what I understand I I also don't pretend to be the Iowa Guru that maybe Mr former Iowa Hawkeye Justin guard was but that's right the thing I want to see is what what does Kade mcamera look like and what version of this with his health are we because battled Health goes down he was already not the most Nimble of guys and now I'm wondering if he's even less Nimble because to your both of your points you only bring in Bren and Sullivan after the spring when you're maybe starting to have because it felt like after that Cade mcneer injury it really no one wanted to talk about how the rehab process was going and then they bring in Sullivan and to me that's when my red flag went up of they had to bring in a guy regardless because they're number two left the guy who played against the Gophers I forget his name de Hill yeah something I don't remember well let me give you Sean go ahead bringing in a guy like Brennan Selvin who's obviously started Big 10 games is yeah is gonna be peculiar to me where I fully expected to be Kade mcar and the opener but if he struggles the first couple of games that's where I wonder in and around that Gopher game what we end up seeing but this also could be for not because like I like to say with these goer practices I would got to see one of 20-some practices and maybe he just had a bad day because that's going to happen in Fall camp but to go back and to go back to the gy your point about the the new coordinator and I mean do we really think Kirk fence is going to deviate much from who he is his identity that he's established for a 100 years in terms of philosophy and so it's it's probably going to look pretty similar right you yeah it's idea is that they'll execute it better but and that they have better players and that they actually have a starting caliber quarterback which they obviously didn't have a year ago I mean we all watched that I mean we I mean we we watch like like part of the reason why the whole fair catch thing is funny is because let's just say the play was you know blown dead or whatever like Iowa still had the ball after all that even after the golfers you know you know they punted it back at like Midfield like it wasn't like so yeah just and that's what even fence talked about late in the season maybe even before bll prep basically like I mean when I do an evaluation I'm looking at and PJ's talked about this too is it schematic is IT personnel is it execution whatever it is like they lost a ton on offense now do I think they were going to be the 99 Rams last year if Cade mcamera and all the tight ends were healthy probably not but they certainly were going to be better than what they were what they saw when they literally couldn't do anything especially in the passing game here's your guy Shan Bach Hawkeye Insider Sullivan was brought in to push mcam for the sparting spot mcam is the internal leader right now has been that way for a while however based on the last couple of weeks you can't ignore Sullivan anymore he's going to continue to push mcnamer for the job and his stock is getting higher so they be interesting to see and they have forget about the Minnesota game for them they've got the shawk game you know week two or three whenever it is Iowa State's going to be a good team too they're seen as kind of a sneaky you know playoff Contender as well with Matt Campbell and everything he's done down there in Ames like they always have that huge litmus test important in State game too before they even come up here well they even got Illinois state who's ranked in the top 25 for FCS programs to lead off you mentioned the shawk game or Troy I don't know that they're going to be the team they were last year but last year they won 10 games yeah they won double digit they were the Big 10 West Champs right this isn't Rhode Island and Nevada coming oh you're talking about Illinois State yeah yes Illinois well Illinois state was top 25 FCS or Troy in the Sun Belt there they won double digit games last year now every seems a little bit different but they're going to be tested more than Minnesota will be so it's going to be very interesting to see how does how does it all look between those two I was reading about their defense too I for some reason I thought Sebastian Castro was also gone they're older than BYU defense like everyone talks about dein and rightfully so by the way I saw his uh I saw his his kid Brothers like a top 30 recruit nationally Bernay I saw you guys just put that out I have a hunch where he's probably gonna go um I have a hunch where he's gonna go um but every time like and and deine obviously is unbelievable like but I'm looking you know they've got the great linebacker but then like every time I watched and I think it was the Wisconsin game a year ago leading up to the Gopher game um or might have been after him like God Sebastian Castro is nice like that's another dude that just makes plays I remember even talking to PJ about him on the coaches show I'm like you know Castro's good and he's like oh man he's just like yeah we know he's like you know like we we we offered him too you know what I mean like there's there's those guys in the recruiting battles where you're like it would have been nice to to have a guy like that it's um their back seven I kid you not has to be an average of 24 years old yeah they are old and really really talented which is why a lot of people down in Iowa City are hoping that college football playoff come November is on the table I think it is just with their schedule I mean they obviously they can't drop games like up here you know they gotta but their schedule is producive outside of they only play one ranked opponent as of today and that's on the road after a byee in Columbus yeah and they they miss Michigan Oregon it's on the table I just yeah I'm not saying I'd bet it I'm just saying if their defense is what it was and their offense is a little bit better we know they know how to win games like they have the formula and they're all bought in on it so it but it's going to be something to think about and I don't know if there's another program that maximizes their opportunities when it's there like the schedule being favorable for him or whatever you know we we know about the you know special teams and fluky things that not fluky but just you know how they can win games you know in the margins there um but I want to see that offense I mean I know their defense is going to be great they you know they're obviously going to be very good special teams but I want to see if that offense um because they were just so inept last year and lot of that was a quarterback and you know they playing a quarterback that wasn't a big 10 quarterback but um and they haven't run the ball for their for them very well the last handful of years and they've got an experienced line I know they like their depth at line too and just reading some stuff out of there so that you know when I when when any of these teams here in the Midwest are at their best it's because they have great line play you you said it at the top of this chipper in the Big 10 and I don't think they've had that necessarily even though they've put guys in the league and they've put guys obviously on on all big 10 type Seasons I don't think they've had that dominant running game that has really set up everything part of that might be because everybody knew they couldn't throw correct but I think that's a very underrated part of this but they also I think feel feel pretty good about what they have up front down there too yeah anything else Hawkeye related bernzy I don't want to get you too salty and make you think about flashbacks of pick sixes and fumbles inside their own 10 yard lines um we've got some stuff to talk about um in the Big 10 if you'd like you comfort mov I'm already salty enough today yeah seriously 32 years old I I'm not I'm not a coach I'm not here to motivate and inspire you know I I don't think I can I don't think I can pump you up I'm gonna work my best to change my best with the necton mentality all right so let's go to the uh the neighbors to the east the last game of the season the Wisconsin Badgers Black Friday 11 o'clock on CBS um you mentioned Bernay the Platville Camp which I love by the way I think that's a that's such a cool thing great idea by Luke fickle um I would love it if the Gophers I don't know where they would go like duth for a couple of weeks or you know some someplace random yeah Mano that's what they should have done go back to mano go back yeah um and do like a week somewhere else but they did announce that Miami transfer Tyler van djk is going to be the starting quarterback when they open up August 30th against Western Michigan Braden lock was kind of the incumbent or a guy that's been there and van dijk it's from reading stuff um both on your site bernzy what do they call it Badger 247 and also the Wisconsin State Journal and everything that comes with it it doesn't sound like this was particularly close it sounds like the the coaches tried to make it sound a little bit closer but anybody that was there watching um it was pretty clear that van djk was the clear guy and now he's uh he's goingon to get the ball here they're trying to do the whole onea and 1B bit but it seems pretty cemented unless you've read something differently bernzy that this is the the slam dunk decision for them I don't know that it was a slam dunk decision from what I've read in terms of I I was fully expecting him to be named the starter in the spring I you bring in a guy who's got nearly 7,500 passing yards and I know he's been inconsistent at Miami but the the fact that we're just two weeks away and they just named him the starter yesterday and I remember reading stuff last week from people at those practice saying Tyler van dijk's finally putting it together well that also says to me on the flip side of the coin he wasn't that much better than Braden lock was for a large part of the of the off season now will it matter will it not I have no idea but I will say I'm I'm gonna be very curious to see what van dijk looks like because yeah he was really good as a freshman at Miami but it hasn't been consistent the last couple of Seasons now he's in a brand new conference with a brand new team with a brand new offensive coordinator and to me the leaves that the media was talking about in terms of Van djk not being exponentially better than lock chip I mean I'm very curious to see like all of these big 10 teams what does your brand new transfer quarterback look like well that's it I mean yeah I mean it it's and part of that you know like he's starting to put together is I mean sometimes it just takes time to learn new system I mean you're going against a guy who's in in combat who knows the system I mean it's just um you know you're not just going to come in and master it and and so I mean you look at that situation you know versus like the Gophers where you know you have two new guys and they're both learning it together and so that's what makes this um and maybe this is going to be a yearly thing where every year there's going to be 10 new quarterbacks because of there just so much fluid I think it is yeah I think we've seen that I think it will be I I think it's just something we're GNA have to get used to where you're like at the most important position you're having a guy who's come in either you know a backup from somewhere else or a highly productive guy from a smaller conference trying to make that transition and and you don't really know you know how they're going to adjust to like you said a new conference a new coaching staff a new um everything and so um that's where I think it is important when we talk about infrastructure you know you know I think about the Vikings with with JJ McCarthy or or Sam darnold the infrastructure matters with these guys and that's what I think for you know if if you Circle back to Max brosen I mean having a a really veteran offensive line that's played a lot having a running game with Darius Taylor having a all Big 10 conference uh wide receiver Daniel Jackson I mean that stuff you got to have that because if you're going to constantly every year you know go look for a transfer portal quarterback if you plop him into a a situation that doesn't have good infrastructure is not going to work and so you know I think fickles probably recruited well enough and they have enough pieces coming back I mean obviously you're losing a big running back there but I think malzi is back right is he he is back yep is he after another well that said he hasn't been able to stay healthy but when he's healthy I I kind of like what he gives him um and you know they'll have good tight ends they'll I assume the line's going to be improved so um but yeah I mean there's just so many unknowns with all these new quarterbacks in the league and like which which quarterback's going to be able to flourish the most in a new system Wisconsin is a team to me I'm going to be very curious to see because that schedule is more difficult I just pulled it up they got two weeks out before kin dor and the Crimson Tide come to madtown on September 14th or even you got to travel on the road to face USC Road games against Ruckers and then on the lake and that weird new configuration at Northwestern or even the four games before they play Minnesota and you're home against Penn State who's ranked as the number eight team in the country you got to tr that is a that is a grind you're right I'm just looking at it now my God you have to then at the beginning of November you have to go to kinnick you get a byee to prepare for Oregon at home yeah on the road at Nebraska who I think we all agree is gonna in theory be an improved team Theory make a bowl game at the very least and then he face Minnesota I mean this schedule is a grind and you're gonna know by the end of September with those games against Bama and USC if van dijk's the one you want to roll with or if you want to give Lock another shot but yeah that is a grind of a schedule for Luke fickle this year I know is the new college football in 2024 but do you think there's I mean just think about these Legacy Brands they're playing Alabama USC Penn State Oregon and Nebraska like that my God I don't have them as a fringe playoff team with that schedule if we're gonna Circle back to what we just talked about with the Hawkeyes you know I'd kind of done a cursory look at all all the schedules but you mentioned it that October 26th on woo man well that's the thing when when the Gophers show up there at on Black Friday what kind of shape is that team going to be in physically having gone through that you know that is epic we'll get to it in October but even UCLA you look at that stretch for Wisconsin end those four games before are brutal and then you got the UCLA stretch which I think is the toughest three game stretch any team plays in college football this year where you're on the road at LSU home against Oregon on the road at Penn State and then you get to host Minnesota so there is in theory a little bit of scheduled luck but it's all on paper and obviously Minnesota Minnesota's got to show up but yeah this Wisconsin schedule they start nice with with Western Michigan and South Dakota yep but it gets really difficult really quickly yeah you better you better get all your jumps out September 7th and August 30th um you know all the chips kids classmates that are still there get all your jump arounds there the first couple of weeks boys and girls I if there'll be a lot of jump my wife will be there for the uh week to is it South Dakota is that who they South Dakota the Y by the way we talk about PJ being on a heater the last six months or so I think fickle has been too um yeah great great recruiting even for this upcoming class like there there's a reason I mean he was smart to to kind of see where things were going and get out of Cincinnati I think he's landed on a good at a good spot um at Wisconsin obviously and that was a big time Higher by them I mean we said it at the time the guy you know he took Cincinnati to the playoffs obviously has good pedigree knows what he's doing and he's he looks like he's got his teeth in in Wisconsin um anything else we want to talk about before we head out I feel like this was good for Bernay um to kind of explain away some of his salt in the practice report i' I'd say I look forward to reading your next one bernzy but much to your sugar in there won't be a next one it'll be in Spring practice the practice report that's very true and I wonder how many we'll get then considering Darius Darius is getting injured uh at a practice we're at so I'm excited though boys two weeks away we finally made it through the off season there actual feasible football to talk about here very very soon North Carolina season stuff we're almost there we've almost made it for you chipper unlike what apparently your cough has yeah get healthy chip I apologize this yes it is uh it has been bugging me last couple days so I apologize to our listeners for the cough that's all right we I'm just glad you found your mute button that's that's the most so I didn't I didn't have to do it the whole time I could focus on everything else I'm doing over here I saw you m i saw you m me I was like maybe I should do that myself yeah do I have that yeah he's chip Scoggins he's Ryan Burns I'm Justin guard thanks everybody for listening please tell a goer fan friend in your life or Big 10 fan friend in your life about us we'd love if you'd subscribe we'd love if you'd subscribe to the YouTube channel as well it is the pair and as spare YouTube channel um we're blowing up on YouTube with the young people the young people love us the youth the young people even though Berns is a grumpy young person um the people in his demo I forgot this chipper and we got to go you should my job at the other practice was I had to take pictures for Bern's adoring fans that came over to introduce themselves oh really I'm standing there with Bernay and a couple of Young Bucks come up excuse me sir sir are you Ryan Burns oh we're just big fans we're just big fans of all your content yeah Burns that the DBS I said would you guys like a picture with Mr Burns I'm happy to oh that'd be great sir yeah thank you sir made their day it's probably their new profile pick burnsy what's it like being a big celeb like you that is awesome when you have a face for radio like I do I'm pretty recognizable on the sidelines there a face for radio and a body for podcasting that's Ryan Burns from Illustrated subscribe to the YouTube channel subscribe to the podcast tell a friend leave a rating a review we love it all and make sure you hit Jack's Cafe before or after your next go for event for your date nights for your special occasions or if you just want a great meal for no particular reason except you just want a great night out that's Jack's Cafe you see them on the scroll Jacks cafe.com to make your reservations and we'll talk to you next week on the par and a spare podcast bye everybody