MINNEAPOLIS -- The transition in head coaches at Minnesota from Jerry Kill to Tracy Claeys has been subtle, save for a contrast in personality and size.Claeys had one big target for change, though. The offensive line needed to be restored as a power. Road graders was the label he used to describe the type of players desired up front.Jonah Pirsig and the rest of the returners received the message after their 6-7 season a year ago.Offensive linemen have just really bought into the fact that we need to be bigger and we need to be stronger to kind of change the culture, the senior right tackle said, adding: Were only going to see good things from that.With junior college transfers Vincent Calhoun and Garrison Wright joining Pirsig in the starting five, the Gophers will be bigger. Obsessive work in the weight room over the winter and spring has drawn rave reviews, so the group is stronger. Will it be better?Theres no question that theyve made a lot of progress, Claeys said.In 2015, the Gophers were second-to-last in the Big Ten in scoring, third-to-last in yards and fourth-to-last in rushing. Claeys fired offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Matt Limegrover, picking Jay Johnson and Bart Miller as dual replacements. The five up front, of course, will go a long way toward senior quarterback Mitch Leidners success.I know theyve outworked everybody in the entire country, as far as that goes, Leidner said. They straight grind.Here are some other key angles to follow for the Gophers:LEIDNERS HELPERSWith Shannon Brooks hobbled by a foot injury, Rodney Smith will take the lead at running back following a promising freshman year for both of them. Senior Drew Wolitarsky is the only proven wide receiver. Tight end Brandon Lingen, named a captain as a junior, will likely be Leidners go-to guy.Its been an incredible thing to try to help lead this team in maybe some different capacities than I wouldve before, Lingen said.SECONDARY SCRUTINYSpeedster Jalen Myrick, who was second on the team last season with three interceptions, will lead an inexperienced collection of cornerbacks with Briean Boddy-Calhoun and Eric Murray in NFL camps. Safety Damarius Travis has returned for a fifth year after a hamstring injury in the 2015 opener led to a medical redshirt. Myrick and Travis will be counted to maintain the secondary as a team strength.One bonus for the defensive backs is that Jay Sawvel, their fiery former position coach, has replaced Claeys as defensive coordinator.Hes not only yelling at us, Travis said. Hes yelling at everybody.SEASON OPENERThe Gophers host Oregon State Sept. 1, their now-annual Thursday night lid-lifter. After kicking off last season with a 23-17 loss to TCU, ranked then No. 2 in the nation, the Gophers ought to have a smoother start. The Beavers finished 2-10 last year, including 0-9 in Pac-12 play, and allowed an average of 37 points per game that ranked 113th out of 127 FBS teams.KEY GAMESThe Big Ten opener at Penn State on Oct. 1 will be a big test, as will the Nov. 12 trip to Nebraska. For the Gophers, though, rare are the games more important than border-state rivals Iowa (home, Oct. 8) and Wisconsin (road, Nov. 26). The Hawkeyes are the defending Big Ten West Division champions, and the Badgers have beaten Minnesota 12 straight years. The Gophers have lost 10 consecutive games at Wisconsin since winning there in 1994.PREDICTIONBy trading TCU for Oregon State on the nonconference slate and swapping East Division crossover opponents Michigan and Ohio State for Maryland and Rutgers, the Gophers are set up for a significant jump from their 5-7 regular-season finish that got them to a bowl game only because there werent enough eligible FBS teams to fill the spots. An 8-4 record with a 5-4 mark in the Big Ten, now on a nine-game schedule, is a safe bet for 2016. Nine or 10 wins wouldnt be unrealistic, either. nfl cheap jerseys . Following a lopsided 5-2 loss against the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night, Paul MacLean told reporters that "theres a lack of focus, theres a lack of leadership and theres a lack of preparation" with his struggling team. That came on the heels of Bryan Murray taking the unusual step of going into the locker room at the Prudential Center and addressing the players himself. Wholesale Jerseys . Barcelona also left injured defenders Carles Puyol, Javier Mascherano and Jordi Alba out of its squad for the trip to Glasgow. That means that Marc Bartra will probably start again in the centre of the defence alongside Gerard Pique. http://www.nflcheapwholesalejerseysstore.com/ . The judges scored it 48-47, 48-47, 49-46 for Jones (19-1). It was the champions closest call. Despite the loss, it was a remarkable show by the confident Swedish challenger, who had the best of the early rounds and then hung on in the fourth and fifth. wholesale authentic jerseys . Ferrer, trying to win his fourth title on Mexican soil, will next play South Africas Kevin Anderson, who eliminated American Sam Querrey,7-6 (2), 6-4. Also Wednesday, Gilles Simon (6) of France beat Donald Young of the United States 6-4, 6-3, Ukraines Alexandr Dolgopolov downed Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 6-4 and Croatias Ivo Karlovic defeated Dudi Sela of Israel 7-6 (4), 6-2. cheap jerseys from china . Both players have lower body injuries that will keep them out of the lineup until at least January 31, which is the first game they can be activated from IR. MADRID -- A group of European media outlets on Friday published what it claims are details of tax arrangements made by several top soccer players and coaches, including Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho and Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil.The news outlets, which include German weekly Der Spiegel and Spanish daily El Mundo, cited documents provided by the website Football Leaks, which has in the past claimed that some players and coaches made transactions that could suggest financial impropriety.The group, which goes by the name European Investigative Collaborations, said it plans to release further reports in the coming days and weeks.The company of Ronaldos and Mourinhos agent, Jorge Mendes, released a statement denying any wrongdoing by his clients.Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Jose Mourinho are in compliance with their fiscal obligations in Spain and in the United Kingdom, said the statement by Mendes company Gestifute, which was released Thursday after a report in Spain accusing Ronaldo of wrongdoing. Cristiano Ronaldo and Jose Mourinho have never been involved in any legal process related to any fiscal crime.It added that it would take legal action against any insinuation or accusation of that nature related to Ronaldo or Mourinho.El Mundo reported that Spains tax authority has been investigating some of Mendes clients for some time.Many top playerss in Spain have had to deal with local tax authorities recently, including Barcelonas stars Neymar and Lionel Messi.ddddddddddddIn July, Messi and his father were sentenced to 21 months in prison for tax fraud, although they were not sent to jail because sentences of less than two years for first offences are usually suspended in Spain.Neymar and his father recently found out that they are each facing a two-year prison sentence and a $10.6 million fine on corruption charges related to alleged irregularities during his transfer from Brazilian club Santos to Barcelona in 2013. They have denied wrongdoing.In June, Barcelona paid a fine of $5.8 million in a separate case after acknowledging to the local tax authority it made an error in the fiscal planning of the players transfer.Last month, Spanish prosecutors said they are seeking a prison term of more than 10 years for former Barcelona striker Samuel Etoo for alleged tax crimes committed when he played for the Catalan club.Also this year, Barcelona midfielder Javier Mascherano was handed a suspended one-year sentence for tax fraud, and former defender Adriano was also charged with tax irregularities.---Associated Press writer Frank Jordans contributed from Berlin.---Tales Azzoni on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tazzoni Cheap Authentic Jerseys Discount NFL Jerseys Wholesale NFL Camo Jerseys Cheap NFL Autographed Jerseys China Jerseys Wholesale Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Store China Jerseys Wholesale Wholesale Throwback Jerseys Cheap Stitched Jerseys China NFL Hoodies Cheap Authentic Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys China Camo China NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China ' ' '