Does anyone on GH really know how Gray has done in practice?

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Bayfieldgopher

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We all know how painful it has been watching the Weber led offense and fans have been clammering for Gray. The coaches have not used him more for a reason(s). We can speculate forever, but does anyone have first hand info on how well he does in practice? Does he have trouble learning and understanding Fischball? Or heard from any players with this controversary?

Coach Brewster has now said that Gray may play WR next Fall. That is a surprise. If not QB, I wonder how well he would do at RB? I think he could do well at both spots, especially WR. It is interesting to know what Gray wants as well.
 

No inside info from me but a couple thoughts along those line.

1. Brew and his staff must feel he has not done enough in practice to take over this team or he would be playing more. The coaches have watched Gray and other players more than anyone else on this board.

2. If the staff were to play Gray more and he stuck the place up what would the media and fans be saying about Brewster's recruiting. I believe Gray is the most prized recruit in the Brewster era.
 

Just based on speculation posted here...possible future spots for Gray: QB, WR, RB, TE

Agreed...would be helpful to get some insight from someone close to the program.
 

What I've heard:

Heard from a family friend who was a former employee within the Athletic Department that still has contacts.

Exact quote from them to him to me: "Gray is not smart enough to play quarterback at the Big Ten level."

I don't know if you can know for sure without seeing it in a game. Gray looked rather at ease against Ohio State, despite it being against their backups. That could also have been because there was zero pressure on him to succeed because things were out of hand.

I do think that the "one play in, one play out" style isn't fair to either Weber or Gray. Weber's confidence is already shot, but when he does make a good throw, often time's he's on the bench the next play. No chance he can develop a rhythm. Same with Gray in for running a play, off....then backin to run a reverse pass? That INT wasn't shocking to me in the least.
 

FireDaveLee said:
What I've heard:

Heard from a family friend who was a former employee within the Athletic Department that still has contacts.

Exact quote from them to him to me: "Gray is not smart enough to play quarterback at the Big Ten level."
I don't know if you can know for sure without seeing it in a game. Gray looked rather at ease against Ohio State, despite it being against their backups. That could also have been because there was zero pressure on him to succeed because things were out of hand.

I do think that the "one play in, one play out" style isn't fair to either Weber or Gray. Weber's confidence is already shot, but when he does make a good throw, often time's he's on the bench the next play. No chance he can develop a rhythm. Same with Gray in for running a play, off....then backin to run a reverse pass? That INT wasn't shocking to me in the least.
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Noting that this is a board with no journalistic standards, this post might tie in with a reference to Sid's remark on another thread here...something to the effect that Gray can't remember the plays.

Nothing really wrong with that...most qb's wear wrist bands as memory aids etc...maybe it relates to the level of support needed, complexity of the NFL-level schemes etc.

Undoubtedly more will be posted on this aspect of Gray's development...hopefully more by those close to the program to offset all the speculation here.
 


Nonsense. A good coach can figure out a way to light the dimmest bulb.
 

Studwell55 said:
Nonsense. A good coach can figure out a way to light the dimmest bulb.
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Exactly. Vince Young was said to have one of the lowest scores in the history of the Wonderlic test yet he seemed to do OK in college. A good coach adjusts your system to fit the players and not the other way around. Hopefully Fisch figures this out.
 

This thread needs more .....

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koppco1 said:
Exactly. Vince Young was said to have one of the lowest scores in the history of the Wonderlic test yet he seemed to do OK in college. A good coach adjusts your system to fit the players and not the other way around. Hopefully Fisch figures this out.
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On a similar note, many of my family and friends are Packer fans, and a few years back I was watching one of those mini-bios of Favre with them. Someone told a funny little story about when he showed up in GB (his second year in the NFL), and was perplexed in practice because the coaches kept talking about something called a 'nickel' defense, an idea he was completely unfamiliar with.

So...yeah, you don't need to be a genius if you have the right coach.
btw, you can put me in the camp that believes a big part of Weber's struggles this season come from coaches asking him to do too much with his head, and not enough with his arm and legs (which he's already proven are at least serviceable).
 



I'm trying to figure out how saying Gray is too dumb to play QB and needs to be moved to WR can't be construed as racist but I can't quite get there.
 

Khaliq said:
I'm trying to figure out how saying Gray is too dumb to play QB and needs to be moved to WR can't be construed as racist but I can't quite get there.
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Well, it could be true, for one. Especially in this system.
 


koppco1 said:
Exactly. Vince Young was said to have one of the lowest scores in the history of the Wonderlic test yet he seemed to do OK in college. A good coach adjusts your system to fit the players and not the other way around. Hopefully Fisch figures this out.
Click to expand...

Yeah, and Vince Young was a hot mess his first year and THEN he blossomed. To say Gray's QB time here is done is ridiculous. Give the kid some time to figure things out and then we'll see what's up.
 



Whatever his deficiencies, Gray should have gotten some playing time so he and we and everyone could see how he handles the QB job - SD State would have been the perfect game for that. He is our biggest and best runner - should have been in there somewhere more regularly.
 

To say Gray isn't smart enough to play quarterback at the Big Ten level is completely premature, IMHO. Give him an entire off season with the playbook and we can have this discussion again next August as we're gearing up for Middle Tennessee State.

Saying he doesn't have a great grasp of the playbook / offense at this moment and is probably too limited in his knowledge of the plays being called to be the starter or play significant time right now is something I've heard from several people who are "in the know." I have no reason to think this isn't true, and is the primary reason he hasn't seen more time on the field.
 

yeah Gray has seen this system for a limited # of hours per week and has only been here learning the offense since August. Bowl game and off season will help him immensely before the 2010 season.
 

Bayfieldgopher said:
We all know how painful it has been watching the Weber led offense and fans have been clammering for Gray. The coaches have not used him more for a reason(s). We can speculate forever, but does anyone have first hand info on how well he does in practice? Does he have trouble learning and understanding Fischball? Or heard from any players with this controversary?
Click to expand...

If the offense is too complicated for a three year starter, it is probably too complicated for a freshman. I suggest that coach fish asks Favre to come down to practice and run it. If he can't do it, then maybe we simplify the approach? What do you think?
 

NewEngland_Gold said:
Noting that this is a board with no journalistic standards, this post might tie in with a reference to Sid's remark on another thread here...something to the effect that Gray can't remember the plays.

Nothing really wrong with that...most qb's wear wrist bands as memory aids etc...maybe it relates to the level of support needed, complexity of the NFL-level schemes etc.

Undoubtedly more will be posted on this aspect of Gray's development...hopefully more by those close to the program to offset all the speculation here.
Click to expand...


It's not in reference to what Sid says. I didn't even know what Sid said until I saw it here.

Like I said, it's what I was told. I'm not an insider by any means and don't know how legit it is. But it was from a source that wasn't Sid and has some inside to the athletic department.

And like I said before, he looked plenty in control when he was in against Ohio State.
 

Gray will not be moved anywhere. He is a QB.
 

he fogs out

I have some connections with gophers the word is he can run offense but will fog out and doesn't focus. Case in point the roll out pass in the iowa game completely no reason to throw that intro he just doesn't lock into the play. So if weber, recievers, lineman and coach look confused then gray is in trouble it is not fair to him that the offense has no flow, its predictable and not suitable to this teams personal
 

jpman said:
I have some connections with gophers the word is he can run offense but will fog out and doesn't focus. Case in point the roll out pass in the iowa game completely no reason to throw that intro he just doesn't lock into the play. So if weber, recievers, lineman and coach look confused then gray is in trouble it is not fair to him that the offense has no flow, its predictable and not suitable to this teams personal
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Thanks for posting and your perspective.

However, since this is the web and this your 1st post, I wonder if there are others out there who can post to their knowledge in this area.
 

And maybe Moses is doing very well, and is not as athletic as Gray. They might want both on the field. But one thing is sure, we can't have another yr.with this inept QB play.
 

A member of the team told me Gray is an incredible athlete and an exceptional runner (and a nice guy), but his passing is very inconsistent. On the other hand, he says Moses (whom he says is also a nice guy) has a gun and has looked very good as a passer. I can't comment on the mental aspects of the game, but this player feels Moses has looked better than Gray as a QB in this system.

Anyone who saw Gray in HS knows what a talent he is, however. IMO, if Fisch looks at how Tennessee used Vince Young last night on MNF, he would get a pretty good idea how he might use Gray.
 

I think the obvious issue is that Gray is a spread-style QB being pushed to learn a pro-style offense one year out of high school by coaches who have no experience coaching. What kind of results are you realistically expecting?
 

magpie said:
I think the obvious issue is that Gray is a spread-style QB being pushed to learn a pro-style offense one year out of high school by coaches who have no experience coaching. What kind of results are you realistically expecting?
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Spot on!
 

risk reward

I can live with Gray "fogging out" and losing focus if he follows up with a great play or just individual effort by taking off and running and getting the first down. Terrelle Pryor has made many many mistakes but then he comes out of now where with a great long run or a completion. I think we have to go with Gray and let him learn. The risk is low and the reward could be very high.
 

No excuses. Find a way to get Gray on the field with the ball in his hands. No more excuses going into next year.

Gray has The Glide. You can't coach that.
 

Studwell55 said:
No excuses. Find a way to get Gray on the field with the ball in his hands. No more excuses going into next year.

Gray has The Glide. You can't coach that.
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Agreed, give Gray the reins and let him loose, build the offensive plan around him and get out of the way.
 

Studwell55 said:
No excuses. Find a way to get Gray on the field with the ball in his hands. No more excuses going into next year.

Gray has The Glide. You can't coach that.
Click to expand...

That's a great way of describing the way Gray runs...I agree, get the man on the field and I don't care what position. The guy is incredibly athletic and would love to see him the entire bowl game! At least then the coaches can see what he can do leading into next year.
 

From a close friend

who has a relative on the offensive side of the ball. There are 2 issues:

1 - Gray had huge turnover problems in practice all year. Both fumbles and throws. Can't seem to keep the handle on the ball.

2 - The game moves too fast for Gray's decision making. Changing the scheme set him back significantly. He is a reasonably good student of the game, so this should improve with time.

It's the reason why all his plays have been very simply runs.

PS - By the way, the team is 100% behind Weber and a change before spring drills would have the potential for a mutiny.
 

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