AK... Do I have this correct?

[touchdownvikings]

I had to view Saturday's game in a social environment, and could only watch three-quarter's of it. So my view of the game was unfocused and incomplete.

That said, here's what I took away.

(1) AK showed he has a strong arm and can throw all the routes. But we already knew that.
(2) He was inaccurate on Saturday, but I don't think that will be a persistent problem. I am not certain what to attribute his inaccuracy to -- I'd need to watch tape.
(3) He is not in possession of great "touch," i.e., getting the ball not only to the target, but getting it there with the desired speed and along the desired aerial path. I think this will be more of an enduring characteristic of his play.
(4) The receiving corps dropped several catchable passes -- I think AK contributed to that by delivering passes that came in "hotter" than need be. See point #3. Every pass is a fastball. The good news is that his receiving corps should grow accustomed to heaters being delivered their way, and as they acclimate, they'll hang on to more of those -- this will improve things in time.

So, I think the inaccuracy is more of an aberration, and I think the receiving corps will adapt over time to the fastballs AK throws. So, chin up. This will improve.

With that, I ask all of you: I could not form an impression about AK's pre-snap reading of the field or his post-snap reading of the field. The environment I was in was just to hectic and social. Can some of you weigh in with informed info on that point?

Many thanks!

 

[MonikerSchmoniker45]

He was staring down receivers. Not going through his progressions and throwing sooner than he needed at times from what I saw.

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

We will see how this all plays out.

I'm still excited to see him develop, but I also wasn't on the same hype train like folks were last year about AK. He played well last year ... for a guy learning the job.

Currently much of the offense is a lot of guys in play maker positions and are regularly NOT making plays that are RIGHT there to be made.

The "thank god someone else other than tanner" crowd I'm pretty sure are the same "thank god someone else than ____" crowd who seem to just insist on stabbing themselves in the eye and then blaming the coaches and players...

 

[Word]

Latest update and comparisons:

	ATT	COMP	COMP-%	INT	TD	YDS	YDS/ATT	TD/ 100 ATT	INT/100 ATT	TD RUSH	NCAA Pass Rtng
LEIDNER	1029	580	56.37%	32	36	7,287	7.1	3.5	3.1	33	121.2
KALIAKMANIS	199	105	52.76%	7	4	1,392	7.0	2.0	3.5	2	111.1
MORGAN	1063	661	62.18%	32	65	9,469	8.9	6.1	3.0	8	151.2

 

[Tommyboy]

Latest update and comparisons:

	ATT	COMP	COMP-%	INT	TD	YDS	YDS/ATT	TD/ 100 ATT	INT/100 ATT	TD RUSH	NCAA Pass Rtng
LEIDNER	1029	580	56.37%	32	36	7,287	7.1	3.5	3.1	33	121.2
KALIAKMANIS	199	105	52.76%	7	4	1,392	7.0	2.0	3.5	2	111.1
MORGAN	1063	661	62.18%	32	65	9,469	8.9	6.1	3.0	8	151.2

Smart and accurate is where it is at.

 

[Gopherguy0723]

He plays like the game is too fast for him, and he has terrible mechanics in his throwing motion and footwork.

 

[GFBfan]

He plays like the game is too fast for him, and he has terrible mechanics in his throwing motion and footwork.

So he plays like a first year starter.

 

[MNVCGUY]

So he plays like a first year starter.

Beat me too it....AK is far from a finished product. Raw talent is there but he is still just getting his feet wet and doesn't even have a full season worth of starts under his belt. He is going to have bad games and he is going to make mistakes, the hope is he continues to develop so that he can cash in on the obvious talent he has.

 

[Gophers1992]

By no means am I even close to ready to give up on AK, but touch and accuracy have been issues for pretty much the whole time he has been the starting QB (which obviously isn't a long time). We remember his great games against Nebraska and Wisconsin last year, and those showed what he is capable of, but he was also erratic vs Northwestern and Iowa last year, and certainly against Nebraska in the opener this year.

 

[Drake University Gopher]

At this point I’m more worried that he can stay healthy. He’s still so young, so hopefully he'll become have more touch on his deep balls over time.

 

[FanSinceTheFifties]

These are major college receivers. They should be able to catch fastballs. I think sometimes we prize speed of receivers too much and ability to catch the damn ball too little.

 

[touchdownvikings]

Go to and look at the play starting at timestamp 10:10. It's the play where BSP tips the ball and it is intercepted.

In my view, AK does a nice job of reading the field post-snap. He threw at the blitz, attempting to get the ball into the region of the field vacated by the blitzing LB. That's the right read. If completed, that would have been a BIG play.

That was a poor throw, albeit under tough circumstances (blitzing LB was right in his face).

...I'm looking for someone to engage with meaningful analysis and commentary. Like what I just posted there. Let's figure this out together. Not just piss and moan like dumb fans simply because the team lost.

 

[touchdownvikings]

By no means am I even close to ready to give up on AK, but touch and accuracy have been issues for pretty much the whole time he has been the starting QB (which obviously isn't a long time). We remember his great games against Nebraska and Wisconsin last year, and those showed what he is capable of, but he was also erratic vs Northwestern and Iowa last year, and certainly against Nebraska in the opener this year.

I don't think AK will ever have great or even good "touch." I hope I'm wrong, but I think the receiving corps will have to expect fastballs, even when a soft touch would be better.

As for accuracy, I suspect he's not erratic in practice. I suspect he CAN throw accurately, but is impeded by other aspects of the game right now. If I'm right, this will progressively improve.

 

[GopherWeatherGuy]

So he plays like a first year starter.

Tanner Morgan was also a first year starter in 2019.

The problem with AK is he looked more comfortable and had a better throwing motion last year. It's really odd to see him change to more of a sidearm thrower this season.

The Gophers also haven't played against a good pass defense yet. Those are coming, quickly.

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

Tanner Morgan was also a first year starter in 2019.

The problem with AK is he looked more comfortable and had a better throwing motion last year. It's really odd to see him change to more of a sidearm thrower this season.

The Gophers also haven't played against a good pass defense yet. Those are coming, quickly.

Tanner started 6 games in 2018 and AK started 5 games in 2022.

But you're right, his mechanics seem wonky.

 

[MplsGopher]

Nay/doom-sayers, how did this happen then??

 

[MplsGopher]

Did GHj change AK's throwing motion??

 

[touchdownvikings]

Did GHj change AK's throwing motion??

Can you point to a timestamp in the video I posted previously that shows clearly his unusual delivery?

Thank you.

 

[Tucker32]

I don't think AK will ever have great or even good "touch." I hope I'm wrong, but I think the receiving corps will have to expect fastballs, even when a soft touch would be better.

As for accuracy, I suspect he's not erratic in practice. I suspect he CAN throw accurately, but is impeded by other aspects of the game right now. If I'm right, this will progressively improve.

Touch is easier to fix than accuracy. That said, for all the excitement from coaches, he is probably showing both a little better in practice than games so far. He has moments he has looked great. The matter is establishing consistency for him, which is just increased reps. The staff is giving him a lot more options than the staff ever gave Tanner (Kirk loved the option and, and probably arm strength) or previous staff gave Mitch.

 

[upnorthkid]

for those commenting on the fastballs being a problem, what pass did you see that the fastball was the problem this week? II watched it back and he threw 29 passes
1: roll out pass to Taylor; nice touch and hits him right where it needs to be. Big gain.
2: downfield to Crooms; it's high and behind him; miss off the fingertips. could it be caught? sure, but the ball should be better. However this is 20 yards down the field and ball gets there on time
3: underhanded pitch pass to Crooms
4: the pick; uncovered blitzer (bad shuffle by the line who double team the tackle and completely miss the blitzer, which maybe AK is counting on them picking up) and he's waiting for BSF to get out of his mesh. feet get happy and he sidearms it so the pass is off. This is a mechanical issue and the coaches need to talk to him about this. Happy feet=inaccuracy unless you're Mahomes
5: Deep out to Crooms; solid ball thrown with pretty good timing. solid chunk gain
6: Deep shot to Crooms; this one is absolutely there and he leads him too far down the field rather than Crooms who's reading to the sideline. This is a miss from AK.
7: swing pass to Tyler; ball is behind him but the play is going nowhere
8: ball to CRAB on deep out (what is with the 12 yard outs to the deep hash??); CRAB falls down on the cut but ball looks like it's probably going to be high and outside with AK under pressure
9: Crosser to Jackson; ball is late and behind him
10: crosser to BSF; goes through his hands. That is 1000% a catchable ball. If you feel that ball was thrown too hard, idk. could he throw it softer? sure. but he's trying to get it to him quickly and let him catch and run. BSF has to catch this ball.
11: under pressure; scramble throw away
12: read is right. Jackson falls down on his break on what is a TD if he stays on his feet.
13: Fade to Jackson. Unsure about the concept that you throw it to Jackson. Huzzie makes a nice play throwing the hand up and getting on it, but that ball needs to be back pylon if you're throwing it to Jackson.
14: pressure; thrown away
15: ball off the helmet. this is a blown call from the officials. He hooks him before it's thrown. Kind of a weird play but that read is not very open though should've stood as a penalty.
Next pass attempt is a PI; ball a little underthrown but it works out
16: Deep out/hitch again to Brockington. Great ball thrown on time.
17: deep out to Crooms; perfectly thrown and on time. another nice gain
18: pass to BSF on the roll out left. AK seems to struggle with these rather than setting his feet he throws again with bad mechanics. Misses BSF a little behind. Still a completion but limits the YAC
Next attempt picked up for a PI where they blow up Jackson early
19: pass to Tyler rolling left off play action. Decent ball (its a little behind him so good catch from Tyler) for good catch and run
20: drilled into Brockington. Another good catch and run
21: late to Jackson on the crosser. misses him by 2 beats on timing and then the ball is behind him. This is a bad throw with a late read
22: weird ass middle screen on the 3rd and 10; he's under a bunch of pressure but gets it there. no idea what we're doing with this play call
AK cramp run
23: deep throw to Brockington. He and AK are on wrong page. AK falls backward and throws it to side with Brockington going deep (seems like he locates late losing it in the sun). AK misses another one that should be a cheapy for a home run/TD and a possible tie game. This kind of play cannot happen as a QB. There was a 15 yard box he could put it in and it's at minimum a 30 yard game and a decent ball is a TD.
Kramers one pass..... holy fuck there's so much field to throw the ball to (and multiple guys) for big gain/TD. Threw it in the one place that's a disaster. Jackson has literally no one to the center of the field on that pass. He has maybe a 20 yard box to the middle of the field that that's a TD
24: outstanding ball on a quick out to Crooms. Perfectly on time and with perfect velocity. Probably his best throw of the day where he throws a guy open
25: he and Crooms not on same page. Tough window to fit ball into and the ball is poorly thrown
26: tries to sling it in. This is a horrible read.
27: Jesus christ Spencer. Ball hits him in the teeth. this would've been a great gain. Perfect ball
A comment on the bootleg on 3rd and 2. UNC knows the exact play. BSF pushes their DE into AK for some reason? so many micro things that were idiotic on this one.

2 min drill at end
28: BSF hit in the hands again that he tries to rocket in there. BSF should catch this ball as well. It is thrown where it needs to be
29: pressure coming. Tries to make a play and it should've been picked. Another bad decision. He misses both Jackson and Crooms who are open.

He added some nice things with his feet as well.

Overall: he is erratic with the ball which is more the issue. They're also giving him a ton of "tough" routes to throw. It clearly seems like an NFL concept route tree with a lot of stuff to the sidelines/boundaries and across the field (so many deep outs). He hits most of the high percentage ones. add in 3 drops (2 from BSF, 1 from Spencer; not going to hold the fingertip one on Crooms nor the ones that are behind to Jackson), 2 WRs falling down, and 2 throw aways and it could've been a real different looking day.

The WRs: Brockington needs to be on the field a hell of a lot more. He is open consistently. He, Jackson and Crooms should be the sets. Spencer should not see the field. I'd also take some 4 wide when CRAB is healthy and see if that helps get some more plus matchups. we don't use BSF in a way where he gets plus matchups often enough. (why is there not a trips set with him iso on other side of the field for fades/hitches where you dare them to either roll 2 guys to his side or live with that matchup 1v1 with a guy who will be smaller than him?)

 

[Tommyboy]

That Colorado State RS Freshman has a nice arm. Not very big, he looked like a trained QB

 

[touchdownvikings]

Fantastic post. Thank you.

I need to go back and watch all of the passes and point out the fastballs. Off the top of my head, I think #10 on your list is an example (I recall BSF having one go right through his hands and thinking "he definitely should have caught that, but it was fired at him from close range and was probably hard to catch."

for those commenting on the fastballs being a problem, what pass did you see that the fastball was the problem this week? II watched it back and he threw 29 passes
1: roll out pass to Taylor; nice touch and hits him right where it needs to be. Big gain.
2: downfield to Crooms; it's high and behind him; miss off the fingertips. could it be caught? sure, but the ball should be better. However this is 20 yards down the field and ball gets there on time
3: underhanded pitch pass to Crooms
4: the pick; uncovered blitzer (bad shuffle by the line who double team the tackle and completely miss the blitzer, which maybe AK is counting on them picking up) and he's waiting for BSF to get out of his mesh. feet get happy and he sidearms it so the pass is off. This is a mechanical issue and the coaches need to talk to him about this. Happy feet=inaccuracy unless you're Mahomes
5: Deep out to Crooms; solid ball thrown with pretty good timing. solid chunk gain
6: Deep shot to Crooms; this one is absolutely there and he leads him too far down the field rather than Crooms who's reading to the sideline. This is a miss from AK.
7: swing pass to Tyler; ball is behind him but the play is going nowhere
8: ball to CRAB on deep out (what is with the 12 yard outs to the deep hash??); CRAB falls down on the cut but ball looks like it's probably going to be high and outside with AK under pressure
9: Crosser to Jackson; ball is late and behind him
10: crosser to BSF; goes through his hands. That is 1000% a catchable ball. If you feel that ball was thrown too hard, idk. could he throw it softer? sure. but he's trying to get it to him quickly and let him catch and run. BSF has to catch this ball.
11: under pressure; scramble throw away
12: read is right. Jackson falls down on his break on what is a TD if he stays on his feet.
13: Fade to Jackson. Unsure about the concept that you throw it to Jackson. Huzzie makes a nice play throwing the hand up and getting on it, but that ball needs to be back pylon if you're throwing it to Jackson.
14: pressure; thrown away
15: ball off the helmet. this is a blown call from the officials. He hooks him before it's thrown. Kind of a weird play but that read is not very open though should've stood as a penalty.
Next pass attempt is a PI; ball a little underthrown but it works out
16: Deep out/hitch again to Brockington. Great ball thrown on time.
17: deep out to Crooms; perfectly thrown and on time. another nice gain
18: pass to BSF on the roll out left. AK seems to struggle with these rather than setting his feet he throws again with bad mechanics. Misses BSF a little behind. Still a completion but limits the YAC
Next attempt picked up for a PI where they blow up Jackson early
19: pass to Tyler rolling left off play action. Decent ball (its a little behind him so good catch from Tyler) for good catch and run
20: drilled into Brockington. Another good catch and run
21: late to Jackson on the crosser. misses him by 2 beats on timing and then the ball is behind him. This is a bad throw with a late read
22: weird ass middle screen on the 3rd and 10; he's under a bunch of pressure but gets it there. no idea what we're doing with this play call
AK cramp run
23: deep throw to Brockington. He and AK are on wrong page. AK falls backward and throws it to side with Brockington going deep (seems like he locates late losing it in the sun). AK misses another one that should be a cheapy for a home run/TD and a possible tie game. This kind of play cannot happen as a QB. There was a 15 yard box he could put it in and it's at minimum a 30 yard game and a decent ball is a TD.
Kramers one pass..... holy fuck there's so much field to throw the ball to (and multiple guys) for big gain/TD. Threw it in the one place that's a disaster. Jackson has literally no one to the center of the field on that pass. He has maybe a 20 yard box to the middle of the field that that's a TD
24: outstanding ball on a quick out to Crooms. Perfectly on time and with perfect velocity. Probably his best throw of the day where he throws a guy open
25: he and Crooms not on same page. Tough window to fit ball into and the ball is poorly thrown
26: tries to sling it in. This is a horrible read.
27: Jesus christ Spencer. Ball hits him in the teeth. this would've been a great gain. Perfect ball
A comment on the bootleg on 3rd and 2. UNC knows the exact play. BSF pushes their DE into AK for some reason? so many micro things that were idiotic on this one.

2 min drill at end
28: BSF hit in the hands again that he tries to rocket in there. BSF should catch this ball as well. It is thrown where it needs to be
29: pressure coming. Tries to make a play and it should've been picked. Another bad decision. He misses both Jackson and Crooms who are open.

He added some nice things with his feet as well.

Overall: he is erratic with the ball which is more the issue. They're also giving him a ton of "tough" routes to throw. It clearly seems like an NFL concept route tree with a lot of stuff to the sidelines/boundaries and across the field (so many deep outs). He hits most of the high percentage ones. add in 3 drops (2 from BSF, 1 from Spencer; not going to hold the fingertip one on Crooms nor the ones that are behind to Jackson), 2 WRs falling down, and 2 throw aways and it could've been a real different looking day.

The WRs: Brockington needs to be on the field a hell of a lot more. He is open consistently. He, Jackson and Crooms should be the sets. Spencer should not see the field. I'd also take some 4 wide when CRAB is healthy and see if that helps get some more plus matchups. we don't use BSF in a way where he gets plus matchups often enough. (why is there not a trips set with him iso on other side of the field for fades/hitches where you dare them to either roll 2 guys to his side or live with that matchup 1v1 with a guy who will be smaller than him?)

 

[TurfGopher]

He had a bad game. The sky is not falling.

 

[kg21]

He plays like the game is too fast for him, and he has terrible mechanics in his throwing motion and footwork.

I swear he didn't have terrible mechanics and footwork last year. He was setting his feet and his throwing motion was great.

This year he is not set, throwing sidearm a lot and his mechanics are way off.

 

[PMWinSTP]

I swear he didn't have terrible mechanics and footwork last year. He was setting his feet and his throwing motion was great.

This year he is not set, throwing sidearm a lot and his mechanics are way off.

He's always had sort of a hop with his delivery on many throws.

 

[Dakota2]

Beat me too it....AK is far from a finished product. Raw talent is there but he is still just getting his feet wet and doesn't even have a full season worth of starts under his belt. He is going to have bad games and he is going to make mistakes, the hope is he continues to develop so that he can cash in on the obvious talent he has.

We will never know how much cramping in his legs and throwing arm factored into many of the poor throws.

 

[Dakota2]

for those commenting on the fastballs being a problem, what pass did you see that the fastball was the problem this week? II watched it back and he threw 29 passes
1: roll out pass to Taylor; nice touch and hits him right where it needs to be. Big gain.
2: downfield to Crooms; it's high and behind him; miss off the fingertips. could it be caught? sure, but the ball should be better. However this is 20 yards down the field and ball gets there on time
3: underhanded pitch pass to Crooms
4: the pick; uncovered blitzer (bad shuffle by the line who double team the tackle and completely miss the blitzer, which maybe AK is counting on them picking up) and he's waiting for BSF to get out of his mesh. feet get happy and he sidearms it so the pass is off. This is a mechanical issue and the coaches need to talk to him about this. Happy feet=inaccuracy unless you're Mahomes
5: Deep out to Crooms; solid ball thrown with pretty good timing. solid chunk gain
6: Deep shot to Crooms; this one is absolutely there and he leads him too far down the field rather than Crooms who's reading to the sideline. This is a miss from AK.
7: swing pass to Tyler; ball is behind him but the play is going nowhere
8: ball to CRAB on deep out (what is with the 12 yard outs to the deep hash??); CRAB falls down on the cut but ball looks like it's probably going to be high and outside with AK under pressure
9: Crosser to Jackson; ball is late and behind him
10: crosser to BSF; goes through his hands. That is 1000% a catchable ball. If you feel that ball was thrown too hard, idk. could he throw it softer? sure. but he's trying to get it to him quickly and let him catch and run. BSF has to catch this ball.
11: under pressure; scramble throw away
12: read is right. Jackson falls down on his break on what is a TD if he stays on his feet.
13: Fade to Jackson. Unsure about the concept that you throw it to Jackson. Huzzie makes a nice play throwing the hand up and getting on it, but that ball needs to be back pylon if you're throwing it to Jackson.
14: pressure; thrown away
15: ball off the helmet. this is a blown call from the officials. He hooks him before it's thrown. Kind of a weird play but that read is not very open though should've stood as a penalty.
Next pass attempt is a PI; ball a little underthrown but it works out
16: Deep out/hitch again to Brockington. Great ball thrown on time.
17: deep out to Crooms; perfectly thrown and on time. another nice gain
18: pass to BSF on the roll out left. AK seems to struggle with these rather than setting his feet he throws again with bad mechanics. Misses BSF a little behind. Still a completion but limits the YAC
Next attempt picked up for a PI where they blow up Jackson early
19: pass to Tyler rolling left off play action. Decent ball (its a little behind him so good catch from Tyler) for good catch and run
20: drilled into Brockington. Another good catch and run
21: late to Jackson on the crosser. misses him by 2 beats on timing and then the ball is behind him. This is a bad throw with a late read
22: weird ass middle screen on the 3rd and 10; he's under a bunch of pressure but gets it there. no idea what we're doing with this play call
AK cramp run
23: deep throw to Brockington. He and AK are on wrong page. AK falls backward and throws it to side with Brockington going deep (seems like he locates late losing it in the sun). AK misses another one that should be a cheapy for a home run/TD and a possible tie game. This kind of play cannot happen as a QB. There was a 15 yard box he could put it in and it's at minimum a 30 yard game and a decent ball is a TD.
Kramers one pass..... holy fuck there's so much field to throw the ball to (and multiple guys) for big gain/TD. Threw it in the one place that's a disaster. Jackson has literally no one to the center of the field on that pass. He has maybe a 20 yard box to the middle of the field that that's a TD
24: outstanding ball on a quick out to Crooms. Perfectly on time and with perfect velocity. Probably his best throw of the day where he throws a guy open
25: he and Crooms not on same page. Tough window to fit ball into and the ball is poorly thrown
26: tries to sling it in. This is a horrible read.
27: Jesus christ Spencer. Ball hits him in the teeth. this would've been a great gain. Perfect ball
A comment on the bootleg on 3rd and 2. UNC knows the exact play. BSF pushes their DE into AK for some reason? so many micro things that were idiotic on this one.

2 min drill at end
28: BSF hit in the hands again that he tries to rocket in there. BSF should catch this ball as well. It is thrown where it needs to be
29: pressure coming. Tries to make a play and it should've been picked. Another bad decision. He misses both Jackson and Crooms who are open.

He added some nice things with his feet as well.

Overall: he is erratic with the ball which is more the issue. They're also giving him a ton of "tough" routes to throw. It clearly seems like an NFL concept route tree with a lot of stuff to the sidelines/boundaries and across the field (so many deep outs). He hits most of the high percentage ones. add in 3 drops (2 from BSF, 1 from Spencer; not going to hold the fingertip one on Crooms nor the ones that are behind to Jackson), 2 WRs falling down, and 2 throw aways and it could've been a real different looking day.

The WRs: Brockington needs to be on the field a hell of a lot more. He is open consistently. He, Jackson and Crooms should be the sets. Spencer should not see the field. I'd also take some 4 wide when CRAB is healthy and see if that helps get some more plus matchups. we don't use BSF in a way where he gets plus matchups often enough. (why is there not a trips set with him iso on other side of the field for fades/hitches where you dare them to either roll 2 guys to his side or live with that matchup 1v1 with a guy who will be smaller than him?)

Great post.

 

[holereader]

Latest update and comparisons:

	ATT	COMP	COMP-%	INT	TD	YDS	YDS/ATT	TD/ 100 ATT	INT/100 ATT	TD RUSH	NCAA Pass Rtng
LEIDNER	1029	580	56.37%	32	36	7,287	7.1	3.5	3.1	33	121.2
KALIAKMANIS	199	105	52.76%	7	4	1,392	7.0	2.0	3.5	2	111.1
MORGAN	1063	661	62.18%	32	65	9,469	8.9	6.1	3.0	8	151.2

What about Adam Weber? Ryan Cupito? AbdulKalik ? Where do they rank?

 

[Word]

What about Adam Weber? Ryan Cupito? AbdulKalik ? Where do they rank?

Will post it a little later. I only posted Leidner and Morgan initially since they are the 2 most recent.

 

[Harrymannback77]

for those commenting on the fastballs being a problem, what pass did you see that the fastball was the problem this week? II watched it back and he threw 29 passes
1: roll out pass to Taylor; nice touch and hits him right where it needs to be. Big gain.
2: downfield to Crooms; it's high and behind him; miss off the fingertips. could it be caught? sure, but the ball should be better. However this is 20 yards down the field and ball gets there on time
3: underhanded pitch pass to Crooms
4: the pick; uncovered blitzer (bad shuffle by the line who double team the tackle and completely miss the blitzer, which maybe AK is counting on them picking up) and he's waiting for BSF to get out of his mesh. feet get happy and he sidearms it so the pass is off. This is a mechanical issue and the coaches need to talk to him about this. Happy feet=inaccuracy unless you're Mahomes
5: Deep out to Crooms; solid ball thrown with pretty good timing. solid chunk gain
6: Deep shot to Crooms; this one is absolutely there and he leads him too far down the field rather than Crooms who's reading to the sideline. This is a miss from AK.
7: swing pass to Tyler; ball is behind him but the play is going nowhere
8: ball to CRAB on deep out (what is with the 12 yard outs to the deep hash??); CRAB falls down on the cut but ball looks like it's probably going to be high and outside with AK under pressure
9: Crosser to Jackson; ball is late and behind him
10: crosser to BSF; goes through his hands. That is 1000% a catchable ball. If you feel that ball was thrown too hard, idk. could he throw it softer? sure. but he's trying to get it to him quickly and let him catch and run. BSF has to catch this ball.
11: under pressure; scramble throw away
12: read is right. Jackson falls down on his break on what is a TD if he stays on his feet.
13: Fade to Jackson. Unsure about the concept that you throw it to Jackson. Huzzie makes a nice play throwing the hand up and getting on it, but that ball needs to be back pylon if you're throwing it to Jackson.
14: pressure; thrown away
15: ball off the helmet. this is a blown call from the officials. He hooks him before it's thrown. Kind of a weird play but that read is not very open though should've stood as a penalty.
Next pass attempt is a PI; ball a little underthrown but it works out
16: Deep out/hitch again to Brockington. Great ball thrown on time.
17: deep out to Crooms; perfectly thrown and on time. another nice gain
18: pass to BSF on the roll out left. AK seems to struggle with these rather than setting his feet he throws again with bad mechanics. Misses BSF a little behind. Still a completion but limits the YAC
Next attempt picked up for a PI where they blow up Jackson early
19: pass to Tyler rolling left off play action. Decent ball (its a little behind him so good catch from Tyler) for good catch and run
20: drilled into Brockington. Another good catch and run
21: late to Jackson on the crosser. misses him by 2 beats on timing and then the ball is behind him. This is a bad throw with a late read
22: weird ass middle screen on the 3rd and 10; he's under a bunch of pressure but gets it there. no idea what we're doing with this play call
AK cramp run
23: deep throw to Brockington. He and AK are on wrong page. AK falls backward and throws it to side with Brockington going deep (seems like he locates late losing it in the sun). AK misses another one that should be a cheapy for a home run/TD and a possible tie game. This kind of play cannot happen as a QB. There was a 15 yard box he could put it in and it's at minimum a 30 yard game and a decent ball is a TD.
Kramers one pass..... holy fuck there's so much field to throw the ball to (and multiple guys) for big gain/TD. Threw it in the one place that's a disaster. Jackson has literally no one to the center of the field on that pass. He has maybe a 20 yard box to the middle of the field that that's a TD
24: outstanding ball on a quick out to Crooms. Perfectly on time and with perfect velocity. Probably his best throw of the day where he throws a guy open
25: he and Crooms not on same page. Tough window to fit ball into and the ball is poorly thrown
26: tries to sling it in. This is a horrible read.
27: Jesus christ Spencer. Ball hits him in the teeth. this would've been a great gain. Perfect ball
A comment on the bootleg on 3rd and 2. UNC knows the exact play. BSF pushes their DE into AK for some reason? so many micro things that were idiotic on this one.

2 min drill at end
28: BSF hit in the hands again that he tries to rocket in there. BSF should catch this ball as well. It is thrown where it needs to be
29: pressure coming. Tries to make a play and it should've been picked. Another bad decision. He misses both Jackson and Crooms who are open.

He added some nice things with his feet as well.

Overall: he is erratic with the ball which is more the issue. They're also giving him a ton of "tough" routes to throw. It clearly seems like an NFL concept route tree with a lot of stuff to the sidelines/boundaries and across the field (so many deep outs). He hits most of the high percentage ones. add in 3 drops (2 from BSF, 1 from Spencer; not going to hold the fingertip one on Crooms nor the ones that are behind to Jackson), 2 WRs falling down, and 2 throw aways and it could've been a real different looking day.

The WRs: Brockington needs to be on the field a hell of a lot more. He is open consistently. He, Jackson and Crooms should be the sets. Spencer should not see the field. I'd also take some 4 wide when CRAB is healthy and see if that helps get some more plus matchups. we don't use BSF in a way where he gets plus matchups often enough. (why is there not a trips set with him iso on other side of the field for fades/hitches where you dare them to either roll 2 guys to his side or live with that matchup 1v1 with a guy who will be smaller than him?)

for those commenting on the fastballs being a problem, what pass did you see that the fastball was the problem this week? II watched it back and he threw 29 passes
1: roll out pass to Taylor; nice touch and hits him right where it needs to be. Big gain.
2: downfield to Crooms; it's high and behind him; miss off the fingertips. could it be caught? sure, but the ball should be better. However this is 20 yards down the field and ball gets there on time
3: underhanded pitch pass to Crooms
4: the pick; uncovered blitzer (bad shuffle by the line who double team the tackle and completely miss the blitzer, which maybe AK is counting on them picking up) and he's waiting for BSF to get out of his mesh. feet get happy and he sidearms it so the pass is off. This is a mechanical issue and the coaches need to talk to him about this. Happy feet=inaccuracy unless you're Mahomes
5: Deep out to Crooms; solid ball thrown with pretty good timing. solid chunk gain
6: Deep shot to Crooms; this one is absolutely there and he leads him too far down the field rather than Crooms who's reading to the sideline. This is a miss from AK.
7: swing pass to Tyler; ball is behind him but the play is going nowhere
8: ball to CRAB on deep out (what is with the 12 yard outs to the deep hash??); CRAB falls down on the cut but ball looks like it's probably going to be high and outside with AK under pressure
9: Crosser to Jackson; ball is late and behind him
10: crosser to BSF; goes through his hands. That is 1000% a catchable ball. If you feel that ball was thrown too hard, idk. could he throw it softer? sure. but he's trying to get it to him quickly and let him catch and run. BSF has to catch this ball.
11: under pressure; scramble throw away
12: read is right. Jackson falls down on his break on what is a TD if he stays on his feet.
13: Fade to Jackson. Unsure about the concept that you throw it to Jackson. Huzzie makes a nice play throwing the hand up and getting on it, but that ball needs to be back pylon if you're throwing it to Jackson.
14: pressure; thrown away
15: ball off the helmet. this is a blown call from the officials. He hooks him before it's thrown. Kind of a weird play but that read is not very open though should've stood as a penalty.
Next pass attempt is a PI; ball a little underthrown but it works out
16: Deep out/hitch again to Brockington. Great ball thrown on time.
17: deep out to Crooms; perfectly thrown and on time. another nice gain
18: pass to BSF on the roll out left. AK seems to struggle with these rather than setting his feet he throws again with bad mechanics. Misses BSF a little behind. Still a completion but limits the YAC
Next attempt picked up for a PI where they blow up Jackson early
19: pass to Tyler rolling left off play action. Decent ball (its a little behind him so good catch from Tyler) for good catch and run
20: drilled into Brockington. Another good catch and run
21: late to Jackson on the crosser. misses him by 2 beats on timing and then the ball is behind him. This is a bad throw with a late read
22: weird ass middle screen on the 3rd and 10; he's under a bunch of pressure but gets it there. no idea what we're doing with this play call
AK cramp run
23: deep throw to Brockington. He and AK are on wrong page. AK falls backward and throws it to side with Brockington going deep (seems like he locates late losing it in the sun). AK misses another one that should be a cheapy for a home run/TD and a possible tie game. This kind of play cannot happen as a QB. There was a 15 yard box he could put it in and it's at minimum a 30 yard game and a decent ball is a TD.
Kramers one pass..... holy fuck there's so much field to throw the ball to (and multiple guys) for big gain/TD. Threw it in the one place that's a disaster. Jackson has literally no one to the center of the field on that pass. He has maybe a 20 yard box to the middle of the field that that's a TD
24: outstanding ball on a quick out to Crooms. Perfectly on time and with perfect velocity. Probably his best throw of the day where he throws a guy open
25: he and Crooms not on same page. Tough window to fit ball into and the ball is poorly thrown
26: tries to sling it in. This is a horrible read.
27: Jesus christ Spencer. Ball hits him in the teeth. this would've been a great gain. Perfect ball
A comment on the bootleg on 3rd and 2. UNC knows the exact play. BSF pushes their DE into AK for some reason? so many micro things that were idiotic on this one.

2 min drill at end
28: BSF hit in the hands again that he tries to rocket in there. BSF should catch this ball as well. It is thrown where it needs to be
29: pressure coming. Tries to make a play and it should've been picked. Another bad decision. He misses both Jackson and Crooms who are open.

He added some nice things with his feet as well.

Overall: he is erratic with the ball which is more the issue. They're also giving him a ton of "tough" routes to throw. It clearly seems like an NFL concept route tree with a lot of stuff to the sidelines/boundaries and across the field (so many deep outs). He hits most of the high percentage ones. add in 3 drops (2 from BSF, 1 from Spencer; not going to hold the fingertip one on Crooms nor the ones that are behind to Jackson), 2 WRs falling down, and 2 throw aways and it could've been a real different looking day.

The WRs: Brockington needs to be on the field a hell of a lot more. He is open consistently. He, Jackson and Crooms should be the sets. Spencer should not see the field. I'd also take some 4 wide when CRAB is healthy and see if that helps get some more plus matchups. we don't use BSF in a way where he gets plus matchups often enough. (why is there not a trips set with him iso on other side of the field for fades/hitches where you dare them to either roll 2 guys to his side or live with that matchup 1v1 with a guy who will be smaller than him?)

Most important point in all of this is that Brockington needs to be on the field. His explosiveness and ability to get open and catch the ball is undeniable. He looks like he could house it every other time it comes his way. I'd be designing plays to get it into his hands as much as possible.