Alex Kaliakmanis: Trying very hard not to comment on a program that our family decided to cut ties with.

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MNVCGUY said:
Some of the drops may certainly have been Athan's fault but there were some I can clearly remember that should have been caught including multiple TDs. The biggest one that jumps out at me though was a ball thrown to BSF that would have led to a first down or possible TD (Iowa game maybe) that hit him right in the hands and was thrown just fine.

Bottom line is that our pass catchers didn't do Athan a ton of favors although Jackson did make some really tough catches on balls that were not thrown particularly well.
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If we’re thinking the same play then it was Northwestern for a touchdown and would have won that game. Little roll out to the right? Then he wiffed on a block on the next play.

Yeah, it did hit him in the hands but it was rifled at him from like 5 yards away. If Athan possessed even a little bit of touch then that was a touchdown.

He could have shovel passed it to him and scored.

That catch was made far more difficult than it needed to be by the throw.
 
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First, there were a lot of drops this season, some seemingly inexcusable. But, throws that are on the mark, but a little late can be expected to result in drops, too. If a QB, throwing late, "leads" you directly into an immediate vicious hit by a safety coming from the opposite direction at full tilt, your instinct (a human instinct) is to flinch a bit or defend. AK sometimes seemed to deliver a hard-to-catch missile while the "safe catch" window was rapidly closing--doubling the catch difficulty. Might have been a result of the coverages AK was facing, too--where safeties were playing, etc.

I'm sad that AK didn't make it. Good kid; great arm. But he had a full season try-out. And the "non-arm-strength" characteristics, including perhaps throwing mechanics and "touch," just weren't up to par for the Goph's offensive design. I think our passing game improves in 2023 even if we have the same OC combo, because the new QB has proven that he has touch, can get into a rhythm, etc.
 

MNVCGUY said:
Assuming that was in response to my post that is not anywhere close to what I said in any way shape or form.

I'm not going back through all 12 games and analyzing each of the 25 or so dropped balls we had this year.

If I had to guess it was probably a 50/50 or 60/40 (one way or the other) split as to who's fault the drop was. I can definitely recall some that were 100% on the WR or TE, and I have zero doubt that some were primarily Athan's fault as well. BSF had a stretch this year where he was having a really hard time catching the ball and I don't recall thinking at the time it was because the passes he was dropping were uncatchable due to how they were thrown.
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I’m not saying 100% on AK. Agree some were just plain drops. That’s going to happen. It did happen, in 21 and 22.

I’m addressing the otherwise inexplicable surge in drops in 23, far beyond those previous two years.

What else explains it??

You don’t actually think it was just an incredible string of bad luck … over and over and over??? Come on. You’re way too intelligent for that.
 

hello-world said:
Yeah, it did hit him in the hands but it was rifled at him from like 5 yards away. If Athan possessed even a little bit of touch then that was a touchdown.

He could have shovel passed it to him and scored.

That catch was made far more difficult than it needed to be by the throw.
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Yep!!

This, folks …
 


PMWinSTP said:
Could explain why other QB left.
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It is good to be king. If most of these coaches at all levels were accountable for how they treat 17 and 18 year old kids, they would be banished at any other line of business. They have their group of coaches and you are either in their circle or out. They run it like WWII new recruits were treated, take one for the team. If your are getting your education paid, I guess, some of it can be expected. But these kids paying to play and getting treated that way, they must love playing.
 


MplsGopher said:
I’m not saying 100% on AK. Agree some were just plain drops. That’s going to happen. It did happen, in 21 and 22.

I’m addressing the otherwise inexplicable surge in drops in 23, far beyond those previous two years.

What else explains it??

You don’t actually think it was just an incredible string of bad luck … over and over and over??? Come on. You’re way too intelligent for that.
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Question - do you even read the post you are replying to or just skim it? I have said repeatedly that some of the drops were on the receivers and some were on the QB but to say with any sort of certainty how many fit in each category would require going back and re-watching each dropped pass.

WTF is the bold part of your reply....nobody (but especially not me) has said or even tried to imply anything even remotely close to that. You are just pulling that out of thin air and acting like it is something that people are actually saying.
 

MNVCGUY said:
Question - do you even read the post you are replying to or just skim it? I have said repeatedly that some of the drops were on the receivers and some were on the QB but to say with any sort of certainty how many fit in each category would require going back and re-watching each dropped pass.

WTF is the bold part of your reply....nobody (but especially not me) has said or even tried to imply anything even remotely close to that. You are just pulling that out of thin air and acting like it is something that people are actually saying.
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You don’t need to go back and re-watch anything to acknowledge and have a discussion about the increase in drops of 23 above 21 and 22.

You just said it can’t be bad luck. I agree.


Then what can be the possible football related reasons??

You’re claiming it’s 50/50 QB and receivers.

I say that doesn’t explain such a large increase. If it was half reciever then they would drop that many with any QB.
 



Tommyboy said:
It is good to be king. If most of these coaches at all levels were accountable for how they treat 17 and 18 year old kids, they would be banished at any other line of business. They have their group of coaches and you are either in their circle or out. They run it like WWII new recruits were treated, take one for the team. If your are getting your education paid, I guess, some of it can be expected. But these kids paying to play and getting treated that way, they must love playing.
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Nonsense.
 

MNVCGUY said:
Question - do you even read the post you are replying to or just skim it? I have said repeatedly that some of the drops were on the receivers and some were on the QB but to say with any sort of certainty how many fit in each category would require going back and re-watching each dropped pass.

WTF is the bold part of your reply....nobody (but especially not me) has said or even tried to imply anything even remotely close to that. You are just pulling that out of thin air and acting like it is something that people are actually saying.
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Consider the source.
 

PMWinSTP said:
Could explain why other QB left.
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No it doesn’t. And it sheds zero light on why AK left. Zero. In fact, we are all vastly dumber for having read it.

The other guy was pretty clearly somewhat homesick. He’s going to end up transferring to a school 30-minutes from his boyhood home.
 




this story is like an iceberg. we are seeing the 10-or-20% that is above the surface. there is a lot more below the surface - and it's the part of the iceberg below the surface that sank the Titanic.

most people do not know what happens inside a locker room, meeting room or training room. some of it comes out in little bits of information - but most of the time, it is being filtered through one or more layers of 'sources.'

and 'sources' reveal things to the media for reasons. Doogie's source had a reason for revealing this information. a reporter understands that, and should always regard sources with some skepticism -
you have to ask "why is he/she telling me this, and what are they trying to accomplish?"

unfortunately, in today's "be first" world of reporting/tweeting, there is such an emphasis on getting the information out there, that reporters IMHO don't take the time needed to evaluate sources and their motives. it's 'splash the headline out there' and worry about any consequences later.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
this story is like an iceberg. we are seeing the 10-or-20% that is above the surface. there is a lot more below the surface - and it's the part of the iceberg below the surface that sank the Titanic.

most people do not know what happens inside a locker room, meeting room or training room. some of it comes out in little bits of information - but most of the time, it is being filtered through one or more layers of 'sources.'

and 'sources' reveal things to the media for reasons. Doogie's source had a reason for revealing this information. a reporter understands that, and should always regard sources with some skepticism -
you have to ask "why is he/she telling me this, and what are they trying to accomplish?"

unfortunately, in today's "be first" world of reporting/tweeting, there is such an emphasis on getting the information out there, that reporters IMHO don't take the time needed to evaluate sources and their motives. it's 'splash the headline out there' and worry about any consequences later.
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To piggyback on the last part of your post....there really aren't any consequences anymore for being wrong or not having all the information. The attention span for people is so short that nobody really bothers to go back and see if you were right because they have moved on to something else already.
 

MplsGopher said:
People are going to bag on our pass catchers in 2023 relentlessly. It’s understandable why. A dropped pass of any kind can only appear to be a dropped pass.

But the dirty little secret that no one wants to talk about for some reason is ……

If you throw a ball that’s harder to catch …. it’s harder to catch it!

You really think that all of a sudden, from nothing … that Simon and the WR just decided “hey, let’s start practicing to not catch the ball this year!”


This will be dismissed and hand waived away.

But I will be vindicated in 2024 when, somehow magically with a lot of the same pass catchers, we start catching the ball again!
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Especially when, in the off chance the pass is accurate, it's thrown so hard that you're in danger of having your fingers broken every time it hits your hands.
 

mngg11 said:
Especially when, in the off chance the pass is accurate, it's thrown so hard that you're in danger of having your fingers broken every time it hits your hands.
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Correct.

I’m happy to see at least a couple folks here get it. That’s good enough for me.

In spite of others who purposefully try to not get it, for no stated valid reason.
 

MplsGopher said:
Correct.

I’m happy to see at least a couple folks here get it. That’s good enough for me.

In spite of others who purposefully try to not get it, for no stated valid reason.
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lol....who do you think doesn't get it? I mean you get out there with a lot of your stuff but you are acting like you are onto something hidden that is plainly obvious to everyone.

The WR/TE dropped some really catchable passes, they also dropped some really poorly thrown balls. It isn't complicated.
 

10% of the drops were “really catchable”

90% of the drops would have been difficult catches, either because of how the ball was thrown, the overall difficulty of the situation, or both.


That is a vast increase over 2021 and 2022.
 

MplsGopher said:
10% of the drops were “really catchable”

90% of the drops would have been difficult catches, either because of how the ball was thrown, the overall difficulty of the situation, or both.


That is a vast increase over 2021 and 2022.
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87.3 percent of percentages you read on the internet are made up out of thin air.
 


99.9% of GH posts are just people believing whatever they want to believe.

Oh well, at least it was entertaining.
 

Good to know, though.

The vast increase in drops in 2023 over 21 and 22 … it actually didn’t happen! Just a figment of your imagination! And even if it did happen, there is no possible explanation for it!

Carry on
 


MplsGopher said:
Good to know, though.

The vast increase in drops in 2023 over 21 and 22 … it actually didn’t happen! Just a figment of your imagination! And even if it did happen, there is no possible explanation for it!

Carry on
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Are you having an argument with yourself because nobody is saying the things you seem to think people are saying.....we know why the drops increased last year....it isn't a mystery. QB made a lot of bad throws, WR/TE dropped some catchable ones too.

Do you know how many drops we had in 22 and 21? I know MBS dropped a bunch in 22 but haven't seen where that stat is easy to look up though I am sure it is out there somewhere.
 

MNVCGUY said:
Are you having an argument with yourself because nobody is saying the things you seem to think people are saying.....we know why the drops increased last year....it isn't a mystery. QB made a lot of bad throws, WR/TE dropped some catchable ones too.

Do you know how many drops we had in 22 and 21? I know MBS dropped a bunch in 22 but haven't seen where that stat is easy to look up though I am sure it is out there somewhere.
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13 dropped passes in both '21 and '22 according to PFF. 21 this season with 15 more pass attempts than last season.
 

That seems low.

And obviously that’s not counting just plain bad passes that you can’t (and they don’t) consider to be a drop.

I feel like there were 10 agonizingly bad pass plays per game this year.
 


Tommyboy said:
It is good to be king. If most of these coaches at all levels were accountable for how they treat 17 and 18 year old kids, they would be banished at any other line of business. They have their group of coaches and you are either in their circle or out. They run it like WWII new recruits were treated, take one for the team. If your are getting your education paid, I guess, some of it can be expected. But these kids paying to play and getting treated that way, they must love playing.
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Sorry Caruso yelled at your son
 


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