Dane Mizutani: Emerging weapons won't matter if Leidner doesn't improve

[BleedGopher]

per Dane:

As playmakers have emerged for the Gophers early in the season the overall attack has lagged behind thanks to inconsistent play from quarterback Mitch Leidner. Freshman Rodney Smith was the story of Week 1, while third-year wideout Drew Wolitarsky stole the show in Week 2, but both positive performances were overshadowed by questions about Leidner's ability as a passer.

Leidner has been far from spectacular this season. Granted, he hushed some of his skeptics with a 12-play, 80-yard march that led to a go-ahead score late in the matchup with Colorado State. He's boasts a 52.5 percent completion percentage for 430 yards and 3 touchdowns this season. He was 23-for-45 for 233 yards and a pair of scores against Colorado State, though those numbers fail to give a clear indication of the struggles he experienced throughout the game, especially before halftime.

Leidner has struggled with accuracy in his career and missed on a number of throws against Colorado State. He overthrew a wide-open wheel route to tight end Nick Hart that would have resulted in a touchdown early in the game; and late in the game, on a crucial third-down play, he sailed an easy pass 10 yards over Hart's head. There were a handful of other blunders spliced between those most notable misfires.

"You take about eight plays out of the game and we're saying (he had a pretty good game)," head coach Jerry Kill said.

It doesn't work that way, though.

http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/...s_wont_matter_if_Leidner_doesnt_improve091515

Go Gophers!!

 

[imthewalrus]

That's one way to ascribe all problems to one individual. How can any "weapons" emerge without OUTSTANDING offensive line play? How well can any qb function without outstanding offensive line play, backs that pick up blitzes and wide-outs who throw blocks to help open some running lanes and seams downfield? Of course Leidner is KEY.

It is a LONG season. Let's see how Leidner...AND...the offensive line AND the rest of the offense does during the wind up to this endless ooc schedule. The EASY part of the OOC schedule is coming and then we will REALLY be able to tell how Leidner and everybody else is doing once BIG TEN FOOTBALL finally starts.

Yes, you can not take about 8 plays out of the game. It does NOT work that way. However, Dane Mizutani, on EVERY offensive play, it takes 11 players doing their job reasonably well to make the play work. Or, doesn't it "work that way..." any longer?

 

[UpnorthGo4]

Not to worry, Dane. Once Leidner has multiple wide receivers who can run routes, get open, and hang onto the football he will be a Top 6 QB in the Big 10, maybe higher. He doesn't have those weapons now and certainly didn't have them last year. Leidner is also going to need good blocking and smart play calling. He hasn't always had them either.

 

[homermn]

I need to start writing click-bait surface articles for radio stations. I appreciate a well thought out and defensible argument, especially when I don't agree. It makes me work harder to defend my own position. A collection of thoughts and stats gleaned from a twitter search, waste of a click.

 

[wait!what?]

Not to worry, Dane. Once Leidner has wide receivers who can run routes, get open, and hang onto the football, he will be a Top 6 QB in the Big 10. He doesn't have those weapons now and certainly didn't have them last year. Leidner is also going to need good blocking and smart play calling. He hasn't always had them either.

expect 11-29 for 141 yds and leidner will rarely let you down.

 

[GO4INLALALAND]

I will say, in defense of ML, his receivers have dropped a lot of easy balls. I am not an ML apologist, but there is no question his stats would be much improved if our receivers did not have stone hands. It was frustrating watching the ball hit our receivers' hands and just bounce off. If we can get a couple of guys who can catch a football that hits them in the hands, it will have a significant positive impact on the offense and ML's numbers.

 

[Ole]

Cripes this guy must be a Souhan lackey. What a garbage dump piece.
Honest question: How many passes has Leidner thrown to Nick Hart in pratice? It looked to me like a pass that hit Hart in the outstretched hands, but maybe he lead the throw a foot too far.
This stuff is getting stupid. Mitch Leidner isn't the reason we lost to TCU, and wasn't the reason we struggled against CSU. He's never ever going to be the type of QB that carries the entire offense on his back. Coach Kill thinks 8 plays? I'd say 1 or 2 dropped balls get caught and we probably score 10 more points.
Whatever, Saturday cannot get here fast enough.

 

[goldy93]

I will say, in defense of ML, his receivers have dropped a lot of easy balls. I am not an ML apologist, but there is no question his stats would be much improved if our receivers did not have stone hands. It was frustrating watching the ball hit our receivers' hands and just bounce off. If we can get a couple of guys who can catch a football that hits them in the hands, it will have a significant positive impact on the offense and ML's numbers.

Yep. There were at least 3 possibly 4 dropped balls (not to mention Holland falling down on his route) that should have been caught. That would put Mitch at 60%, but no one wants to hear that. Same thing happened in the TCU game.

 

[e.bigelow]

Cripes this guy must be a Souhan lackey. What a garbage dump piece.
Honest question: How many passes has Leidner thrown to Nick Hart in pratice? It looked to me like a pass that hit Hart in the outstretched hands, but maybe he lead the throw a foot too far.
This stuff is getting stupid. Mitch Leidner isn't the reason we lost to TCU, and wasn't the reason we struggled against CSU. He's never ever going to be the type of QB that carries the entire offense on his back. Coach Kill thinks 8 plays? I'd say 1 or 2 dropped balls get caught and we probably score 10 more points.
Whatever, Saturday cannot get here fast enough.

+1 to all.

 

[gopher7]

Yep. There were at least 3 possibly 4 dropped balls (not to mention Holland falling down on his route) that should have been caught. That would put Mitch at 60%, but no one wants to hear that. Same thing happened in the TCU game.

There is blame on both sides here since Mitch rarely throws a clean spiral. Yes the receivers should have caught most of these but odds of cleanly catching a ball goes down when it comes in wobbly.

 

[Spoofin]

Spiral Talk!

 

[FanSinceTheFifties]

That's one way to ascribe all problems to one individual. How can any "weapons" emerge without OUTSTANDING offensive line play? How well can any qb function without outstanding offensive line play, backs that pick up blitzes and wide-outs who throw blocks to help open some running lanes and seams downfield? Of course Leidner is KEY.

It is a LONG season. Let's see how Leidner...AND...the offensive line AND the rest of the offense does during the wind up to this endless ooc schedule. The EASY part of the OOC schedule is coming and then we will REALLY be able to tell how Leidner and everybody else is doing once BIG TEN FOOTBALL finally starts.

Yes, you can not take about 8 plays out of the game. It does NOT work that way. However, Dane Mizutani, on EVERY offensive play, it takes 11 players doing their job reasonably well to make the play work. Or, doesn't it "work that way..." any longer?

Well told.

 

[imthewalrus]

I'd have to believe that this Mizutani character's efforts as the writer of this "pooch-piece" will never have sports fans calling Dane a GREAT writer...he is much closer to being a GREAT DANE wanna be with the skills of a street mutt.

 

[denguegopher]

The drops are obvious, as is the inaccuracy of some of Mitch's passes. Others have commented that some of this throws are made without stepping toward the receiver - I saw that Saturday. I have not seen any tape of the game, but it also appeared to me that the receivers are not adept at creating separation. Lots of room for improvement from everyone. Go Gophers!

 

[short ornery norwegian]

when I was in HS, we did not have a good team. after every game the coach would come in the locker room and make the same speech: "if you just take those 3 or 4 big plays out of the game, we were right in there." Unfortunately, you can't cherry-pick the plays you don't like. You live with the good and the bad.

Leidner missed some throws, the line missed some blocks, the receivers dropped some balls - and the team still won. I don't think that's being an apologist or a pollyanna- it's the truth. When a team doesn't play its best game, and still wins, I see that as a positive. Because, (assuming) when the team puts it together and plays a solid 4-quarters, they have the potential to beat a lot of teams.

There is a lot of room for improvement - but if the players and coaches can find that improvement, this can still be a very fun season.

 

[hungan1]

when I was in HS, we did not have a good team. after every game the coach would come in the locker room and make the same speech: "if you just take those 3 or 4 big plays out of the game, we were right in there." Unfortunately, you can't cherry-pick the plays you don't like. You live with the good and the bad.

Leidner missed some throws, the line missed some blocks, the receivers dropped some balls - and the team still won. I don't think that's being an apologist or a pollyanna- it's the truth. When a team doesn't play its best game, and still wins, I see that as a positive. Because, (assuming) when the team puts it together and plays a solid 4-quarters, they have the potential to beat a lot of teams.

There is a lot of room for improvement - but if the players and coaches can find that improvement, this can still be a very fun season.

Even both TCU & CSU have some pivotal dropped balls not only the Gophers. So goes the pendulum swing. Leidner is a gamer and a team leader who kept my blood boiling. That march down the CSU end for a TD late in the game is a thing of beauty. I just wish they started sooner. My heart can't take that kind of excitement.

As IATW said, it takes eleven players on offense to make everything click. I get it that the coach and the QB almost always take the blame when things don't go to the fans' liking. I sure hope ML has thick skin.

Key injuries may very well be this season's outcome. Keep your fingers crossed.

The season is young. This season's version of the Gophers are just gelling together, and they just got mauled by two very good scrappy teams. If the OL and those other with injuries can heal up fast, and once the new WR sets get their grooves I am optimistic for another great season.

Mitch Leidner and company may surprise us yet. Keep the faith.

On another note, IMHO the Gophers should not close the book entirely on OL recruiting. They ought to keep one scholie open until the very end should a quality OL lineman suddenly become available (or a quality DT?). We never have enough of them given the history of injuries at this position.

 

[Ski U Mah Gopher]

There is blame on both sides here since Mitch rarely throws a clean spiral. Yes the receivers should have caught most of these but odds of cleanly catching a ball goes down when it comes in wobbly.

 

[sonnygarcia]

So when a receiver bails him out and makes an outstanding catch do we need to take those out of his completion percentage? WR's drop passes, happens to every QB, and more so to the ones who throw knuckleball wobblers.

what would his stats have been had we taken the 20 diving catches Maxx made last year out? YIKES!!!!

 

[sonnygarcia]

Not to worry, Dane. Once Leidner has multiple wide receivers who can run routes, get open, and hang onto the football he will be a Top 6 QB in the Big 10, maybe higher. He doesn't have those weapons now and certainly didn't have them last year. Leidner is also going to need good blocking and smart play calling. He hasn't always had them either.

You are utterly clueless. Fruetche is apparently good enough to make an NFL practice squad, and that other guy, Maxx Williams was a really high draft pick. Ever think you are wrong and Mitch is just a terrible QB? After watching these wideouts I'm really excited for the future, they are athletic and he's had open guys to throw to; he just misses them a lot. You sound like everyone else nowadays, making excuses it's everyone else's fault....

 

[cjbfbp]

That's one way to ascribe all problems to one individual. How can any "weapons" emerge without OUTSTANDING offensive line play? How well can any qb function without outstanding offensive line play, backs that pick up blitzes and wide-outs who throw blocks to help open some running lanes and seams downfield? Of course Leidner is KEY.

Well said. Leidner may be still too inconsistent, but on that last drive when the offensive line was giving very good pass protection, Leidner looked great.

 

[GopherFanatic19]

I know talking Spiral gets old but so does listening to the ML blow hards. A clean spiral is much better than a ball that is coming in wobbly to all hell. It's like a damn change up coming and trying to catch it cause your guessing how it will come in makes it tough to catch. Now if those balls are nicely thrown and hits the receiver nicely and drops it well let's blame them. In reality that Rarely happens so ML deserves criticism.

 

[UpnorthGo4]

You are utterly clueless. Fruetche is apparently good enough to make an NFL practice squad, and that other guy, Maxx Williams was a really high draft pick. Ever think you are wrong and Mitch is just a terrible QB? After watching these wideouts I'm really excited for the future, they are athletic and he's had open guys to throw to; he just misses them a lot. You sound like everyone else nowadays, making excuses it's everyone else's fault....

Last time I checked Maxx was a tight end. Has he changed positions in the pros? I have been going to Gopher football games for several decades. Whenever the QB from either team drops back to pass I always look down field to find the open receivers and try to guess which one is going to get the pass. Over the last 5 - 7 years (going back to Brewster's teams) I have noticed one pattern that is true more often than not: Gopher wide receivers usually don't create as much separation as the receivers on their opponent's team.

There are only four possible reasons for this: 1) the Gopher receiver's lack of speed; 2) the Gopher receiver's poor route running; 3) the Gopher OC's unimaginative and predictable play calling; or 4) the Gopher DB's are not as good as their opponent's DB's. None of those reasons have anything to do with who the Gopher QB is and how he passes the ball. For whatever reason, Gopher wide receivers do not get open near as often as they should. That has to change if the Gopher passing game is going to improve with whomever is playing QB.

 

[killme]

So when a receiver bails him out and makes an outstanding catch do we need to take those out of his completion percentage? WR's drop passes, happens to every QB, and more so to the ones who throw knuckleball wobblers.

what would his stats have been had we taken the 20 diving catches Maxx made last year out? YIKES!!!!

Do you have some data that illustrates your opinion about completion percentages based on tightness of spirals?

 

[RodentRampage]

Even if Liedner's doesn't improve a bit, yes, emerging weapons will make a difference. Improved receiving will improve the team's performance. Improved passing will improve the team's performance. Improving both is ideal, but improving one if the two will improve the team. Less dropped balls and Leidner's percentage goes up. Improve Leidner's accuracy, and his percentage goes up.

Sent from my XT1031 using Tapatalk

 

[goldy93]

You are utterly clueless. Fruetche is apparently good enough to make an NFL practice squad, and that other guy, Maxx Williams was a really high draft pick. Ever think you are wrong and Mitch is just a terrible QB? After watching these wideouts I'm really excited for the future, they are athletic and he's had open guys to throw to; he just misses them a lot. You sound like everyone else nowadays, making excuses it's everyone else's fault....

Ever think you are wrong and it is not just one individual causing the issues? Watching some other games and it is an eye opener how little time and space Leidner has had in the pocket compared to other QB's in our conference.