kupe_33

Chris is starting and playing well. He graded out at 93% for the last 2 games and is enjoying his time in the league. He is still a fighting sioux at heart and has contact with a lot of his ex-teammates.

Oops my bad. I took "game used" to mean game used. After reading the original post I'm thinking you mean "authentic"

I'm pretty sure the seniors get the opportunity to purchase theirs at the end of the season. The helmet too. I know that we bought Chris'

Here's something else that was taken from www.draftdaddy.com : A player that isn't getting a lot of attention in the media, but is doing a great job for Rutgers' offensive line is center Darnell Stapleton, who the Scarlett Knights' coaching staff feels could emerge as a solid N.F.L. prospect....The 6' 3", 285 pound senior is very strong, agile and durable -- missed only three offensive plays during the entire 2005 season. **

A few people have remarked that they haven't been able to pick up Dale's show on the internet so I went to Pat Sweeney who indicated that there may have been some corporate issues that created some problems picking it up on the net. He e-mailed me an update today: David: Our engineers tell me the coaches show should be available now on wdaz.com Pat Sweeney

I e-mailed Pat Sweeney and he indicated that WDAZ's parent company was in the middle of buying the GFH and they were having other technical difficulties on the website that COULD be attributed to this issue. Chris wanted to watch it in Denver and I tried from Anchorage but couldn't get it to work (couldn't even find it)

The part about rule #2 is hard and fast, I'm surprised he was quoted. chris did not make the 42 man roster to dress for the game so he gets to learn about the NFL "redshirt". Good thing is that it pays better than the NC$$'s . Good luck to the Fighting Sioux (can we still call them that without being abusive and hostile?) it looks like they have a real challenge on the road this week. Hi to all the tailgaters Grossman,Hermes, Smitty etc.. lots of love from Alaska

He graded out with no M/A's (missed assignments). I was at the game and on one passing play he picked up their All Pro tackle and slammed in flat on his back. He thought that he would get chewed a little on Sunday but the only remarks he got were about hand position. He was in on 3 drives one was a 14 play drive and they scored TD's on 2 of them. The third was stalled on penalties on of which was his on 4th down.

You are right ..he has worked very hard for it. He (and his family) have made many sacrifices. I will see him on Friday and pass along your good wishes. thx dk

No such thing as a "lock" in the "Not For Long" league. But off the record i have heard similar things

Chris played until the beginning of the 4th quarter. I thought he looked pretty good but it's amazing how tough they grade you in the NFL. Certain plays such as the one you described he received a M/A grade which means "missed assignment". He is working hard and having fun. I am going to the game against the Titans this week so hopefully he will continue to improve and make the 53 man roster this month.

he is also ranked @ number 7 on Draftdaddy.com

Conner is a senior in HS and we are currently visiting schools in the Northwest in order for him to be closer to his grandparents and play in a good program . I think all of us are waiting to see where Chris ends up at in order to for all of us to determine where we want to live so we can attend his games. We missed way too many of his college games and we aren't willing to miss his pro career. Colton is a 7th grader and a very good rb/wr so we have a couple of years to figure it out. UND is a great school and we will be following it's success in the near future. Thanks for the kind words and hopefully we will see you in GF. Best Regards, David Kuper

He had a very good practice week although he struggled in the pass protection one-on-one drills the first day and part of the second day. During team drills he buried a d-tackle from Texas A&M twice in a row. The D-lineman was so embarassed that he drilled Chris from behind as Chris was walking back to the huddle. A scout was quoted as saying " Kupers obscenity laced enthusiasm for the physical play could be heard as far as the middle rows of the stadium" On day three of practice he did very well during one on one's and continued to excel during team and the run game. Chris' agent thinks he will be in the top five for the 40 yd dash, the 10 yd dash, the vertical jump and the shuttle drills which will cause him to leap frog some of the big school kids because of his athleticism. This could potentially get him drafted on day one but more than likely he will be a 3-5th round pick. Bottom line is it doesn't matter because he still will have to make a team. Regardless of what happens, his family and friends are proud of the man he has become and UND is a big part of that growth. Go Sioux!!!!

Thanks Bob...I was wondering about it..I agree it is a stupid rule

RD17 I think your assessment of the trials and tribs this year are pretty accurate. The loss of Braegelman AND Hoffelt put UND in the position of having to move their best run blocker out on the left edge thus making the offensive scheme change a bit. Kuper did a good job at left tackle, but I know he was never really comfortable and it isn't his natural position. The loss of Strouth took away the "lightning and thunder" run game that they had last year with Roland and Strouth. And as well as Grossman, Dressler, Groeshle and company played, we didnt have the 6'2" deep threat that we had with Lueck a couple of years back and I think you need someone like that to throw the fade route to and let them get up and take the ball. Put all of this together and you end up with very few sustained drives against the good teams when we needed them which forced the Defense to be on the field way too long in a lot of instances. This group of seniors should be very proud of their efforts this year and their career's as a whole. Many of these guys were starters or major contributor's as RS Sophomores and some even earlier. I know they are even more disappointed with the way the season ended than any of us spectators could ever be. We should be cognizant of this fact as we second guess the coaches, criticize the players and express our dismay over the season that "should have been" and congratulate these fine young men for their contributions to a program that is recognized nationally as one of the finest football programs at any level.

Did anyone get any kind of reception on Saturday?

You can watch tommorow's game on netflix just go to www.fightingsioux.com click on "live broadcast" and then click on "Ready to take your online experience to the next level? Click here to watch Fighting Sioux Athletics live with Video Webcasting." the game costs 8.95 and sometimes you can actually see it!!! It is hit and miss but I watch it from alaska so maybe you will get a better feed.

I talked to his agent about a week ago and it looked like JB was going to be on the practice squad this year and then battle for a spot next year because Brad Johnson's contract was up and they aren't happy with Shawn Hill's progression. That's too bad...he may get another opportunity with another squad.

I heard Kuper has been lining up at right tackle. I think Mitch had surgery two weeks ago.

Kuper was named to the "CDC Underappreciated 2005-2006 Draft Team" Go to www.condraft.com and click on "CDC UA Team" Basically they track players that are typically are "under the radar" type kids. I think this would fit Digger and possibly a couple of other sioux players. They have an interview and a discussion board for the players to log on and answer questions about their playing career. Parts of the website are free but there are others that you have to pay to access.

Grossman is in the same class as Kuper&Digger but he is still rehabbing his shoulder.

Congrats to Digger, Kupe & Gagner SECOND TEAM ^OFFENSE Quarterback -- Chad Friehauf, Colorado Mines, senior. Running backs -- Germaine Race, Pittsburg State (Kan.), sophomore; Danny Woodhead, Chadron State (Neb.), freshman. Wide receivers -- Brandon Simmons, West Chester (Pa.), junior; Nick Cushman, Albright (Pa.), senior. Tight end -- Vince Dargush, Ithaca (N.Y.), senior. Linemen -- Adam Hernandez, Hardin-Simmons (Texas), senior; Chris Kuper, North Dakota junior ,Rodney Magwood, Albany State, (Ga.); Jeff Oliver, Mary Hardin-Baylor (Texas), senior; Jahri Evans, Bloomsburg (Pa.), junior. All-purpose -- Danieal Manning, Abilene Christian (Texas), sophomore. Kicker -- Justin Gray, Emporia State (Kan.), senior. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ^DEFENSE Linemen -- Cedric Cursh, Arkansas Tech, sophomore; Jason Ripke, Simpson (Iowa), junior; Damian Gilyard, C.W. Post, sophomore; Walter Curry, Albany State (Ga.), junior. Linebackers -- Brent Gailey, Hardin-Simmons (Texas); Deandrae Fillmore, Texas A&M-Kingsville, junior; Shaun Spisak, Mount Union (Ohio), senior. Defensive backs -- Scott Greenberg, John Carroll, senior; Danny Gagner, North Dakota, senior; Howard Wiilliams, Elizabeth City State, junior; Jordan Talge, Concordia-Moorehead (Minn.), senior. Punter -- Jeff Carpenter, West Georgia, junior. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ^THIRD TEAM ^OFFENSE Quaterback -- Drew Beard, Southeastern Oklahoma, senior; Running backs -- Brett Trichilo, Wilkes (Pa.), senior; John Kuhn, Shippensburg (Pa.), senior. Wide receivers -- Elfren Quiles, Merrimack (Mass.), freshman; Brad Musso, Wheaton (Ill.), senior. Tight end -- Cole Drussa, Missouri-Rolla, senior. Linemen -- Brian Alderson, South Dakota, junior; Matt Bush, Mary Hardin-Baylor (Texas), senior; Vinnie Olson, Sioux Falls (S.D.), senior; Torrey Howard, Valdosta State (Ga.), senior; Greg Bzorek, Edinboro (Pa.), junior. All-purpose -- Mark Robinson, St. John Fisher (N.Y.), sophomore. Kicker -- Scott Greene, Grand Valley State (Mich.), senior. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ^DEFENSE Linemen -- Lawrence Frierson, Bridgewater (Va.), senior; Josh Lane, Aurora (Ill.), senior; Jacob Galloway, Central Washington, senior; Ryan Meredith, Pittsburg State (Kan.), sophomore. Linebackers -- Jeff Howard, Eastern New Mexico, senior; Digger Anderson, North Dakota, junior; Anthony Ostland, Occidental (Calif.), freshman. Defensive backs -- Bo Busch, Clarion (Pa.), junior; Will Galusha, Hardin-Simmons, sophomore; Rocky Myers, Wesley (Del.), senior; Mitchell Denne, St. Cloud State (Minn.), sophomore. Punter -- Dan Eggertsson, Franklin & Marshall (Pa.), senior.

This came out today on D2football.com Northwest Region 1st Team Offense QB- Dan Mettlach SR Michigan Tech RB- Jamar Day JR Nebraska-Omaha RB- Matt Birkel JR St. Cloud State RB- Lee Marana SO Michigan Tech WR- Chris Samp SR Winona State WR- Nate Washington SR Tiffin WR- Andy Olson JR Western Washington TE- Keith Recker JR Hillsdale OL- Joe Berger SR Michigan Tech OL- Todd Herremans SR Saginaw Valley OL- Christian Harmeyer SR Minnesota State OL- Evan Picton SR Central Washington OL- Chris Kuper JR North Dakota Northwest Region 1st Team Defense DL- Jacob Galloway SR Central Washington DL- Keyonta Marshall SR Grand Valley State DL- Geoff Fischer SR Minnesota-Duluth DL- Corey Petersen SR Nebraska-Omaha LB- Digger Anderson JR North Dakota LB- Lucius Hawkins SR Grand Valley State LB- Taiwo Onatolu JR Nebraska-Omaha LB- Kevin Myers SR Ferris State DB- Martell Foster SR Northwood DB- Luke Lokanc JR Winona State DB- Danny Gagner JR North Dakota DB- Andy Bonk SR Michigan Tech Northwest Region 1st Team Special Teams K- Scott Greene SR Grand Valley State P- Michael Koenen SR Western Washington KR- Sean Treasure JR Minnesota State PR- Weston Dressler FR North Dakota