Annexstad

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I thought Annexstad’s ankle injury to be less noticeable vs Iowa with the exception of when he was tackled by the ankle from behind.
Mix it up with Green like this past weekend. This game will be good for this young team’s development as eventually they would like to beat OSU.
I will be interested in watching whether our young receivers can get open vs what I presume is the best secondary in the conference.
 

Honest question, what have any of you seen of Tanner Morgan that makes you want to see him play more?

From what I've seen, he's a turnover prone QB with not near the arm of ZA. He might have more mobility / running game to him, but to me he's a Mitch Leidner style QB who can't pass as well, can't run as well, and who turns over the ball more, and a very likely candidate to transfer somewhere else end of season if he wants to keep playing QB.
 

Face The Facts said:
Honest question, what have any of you seen of Tanner Morgan that makes you want to see him play more?

From what I've seen, he's a turnover prone QB with not near the arm of ZA. He might have more mobility / running game to him, but to me he's a Mitch Leidner style QB who can't pass as well, can't run as well, and who turns over the ball more, and a very likely candidate to transfer somewhere else end of season if he wants to keep playing QB.
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You’ve seen all that from a few series? A healthy Morgan is possibly more effective overall than a hobbled ZA but hard to say. His arm is fine for short/intermediate just like ZA. They're both capable of throwing wounded ducks down field. They both get passes batted b/c the defense knows the favorite routes and stare down receivers. TM is definitely more mobile right now. ZA is getting healthier, certainly more than Maryland where he could barely walk. Both inexperienced.
 

Face The Facts said:
Not injured that badly. Player said he could go and PJ believed medical staff who cleared them.

PJ has a predilection to bench players he sees are questionable even if medically cleared. (Mo Ibrahim is a recent example).

PJ won't play a player who isn't cleared medically by medical staff.
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Coney Durr, Purdue game 1 year ago.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
It comes down to this:

Is Annexstad at 80% better than Morgan at 100%?

If Annexstad is 70%, is he still better than Morgan at 100%?

The coach said the decision on which one to start was very close. But it doesn't seem close if an injured Annexstad is playing over a healthy Morgan.

My personal take - Annexstad may be showing gumption by playing, but ultimately, I do not think it's fair to Annexstad to put him out there and expect him to perform when he is not close to being 100% healthy. That is, IMHO, almost setting him up to fail.

If the coaches (for whatever reason) absolutely do not want Morgan to play, then bite the bullet and let Green play QB. With his physical strength, he is less likely to get injured. It may not be pretty, but I would take that over another QB who is clearly not healthy.
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Zack is an impressive FR who has a good chance to be the face of the team over the next 4 seasons. He might have to get used to playing at 80%. I think he's played fine and I don't think his issues have been health related.

I hope PJ lets Zack become a leader and a good way to do that is to have Zack lead the team in the toughest environments.
 


Bob_Loblaw said:
Zack is an impressive FR who has a good chance to be the face of the team over the next 4 seasons. He might have to get used to playing at 80%. I think he's played fine and I don't think his issues have been health related.

I hope PJ lets Zack become a leader and a good way to do that is to have Zack lead the team in the toughest environments.
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I could be dead wrong, but my gut tells me that Annexstad will not be the starting QB for the next 4 seasons. MN fans are so starved for good QB play that - I believe - they are over-rating Annexstad. He does a nice job on short and intermediate routes, but he can't throw the deep ball, he bails out of the pocket, and throws off the back foot. yes, those are correctable errors, but I just don't get the sense that we're watching a future star. I see Annexstad as a Cupito-level QB at best.

So, if Fleck is the recruiter we hope he is, I believe he will recruit a better QB at some point in the next 2-3 years, and that player will supplant Annexstad as the QB.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
I could be dead wrong, but my gut tells me that Annexstad will not be the starting QB for the next 4 seasons. MN fans are so starved for good QB play that - I believe - they are over-rating Annexstad. He does a nice job on short and intermediate routes, but he can't throw the deep ball, he bails out of the pocket, and throws off the back foot. yes, those are correctable errors, but I just don't get the sense that we're watching a future star. I see Annexstad as a Cupito-level QB at best.

So, if Fleck is the recruiter we hope he is, I believe he will recruit a better QB at some point in the next 2-3 years, and that player will supplant Annexstad as the QB.
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I hope we find the next Patrick Mahomes :rolleyes:. I agree with what you said. We have receivers that can get open deep. I’d like to see a quarterback hit the receiver in stride and not underthrow it every single time or loft it so much that the DB has time to catch up and recover. We left at least two touchdowns off the board against Iowa because the qb couldn’t hit our receiver in stride.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
I could be dead wrong, but my gut tells me that Annexstad will not be the starting QB for the next 4 seasons. MN fans are so starved for good QB play that - I believe - they are over-rating Annexstad. He does a nice job on short and intermediate routes, but he can't throw the deep ball, he bails out of the pocket, and throws off the back foot. yes, those are correctable errors, but I just don't get the sense that we're watching a future star. I see Annexstad as a Cupito-level QB at best.

So, if Fleck is the recruiter we hope he is, I believe he will recruit a better QB at some point in the next 2-3 years, and that player will supplant Annexstad as the QB.
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Of course not, he'll get drafted before then....
 

short ornery norwegian said:
I could be dead wrong, but my gut tells me that Annexstad will not be the starting QB for the next 4 seasons. MN fans are so starved for good QB play that - I believe - they are over-rating Annexstad. He does a nice job on short and intermediate routes, but he can't throw the deep ball, he bails out of the pocket, and throws off the back foot. yes, those are correctable errors, but I just don't get the sense that we're watching a future star. I see Annexstad as a Cupito-level QB at best.

So, if Fleck is the recruiter we hope he is, I believe he will recruit a better QB at some point in the next 2-3 years, and that player will supplant Annexstad as the QB.
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Considering that Cupito is one of the better QBs in school history (if not the best), why are you framing a comparison to him as though it would be a disappointment?
 




short ornery norwegian said:
I could be dead wrong, but my gut tells me that Annexstad will not be the starting QB for the next 4 seasons. MN fans are so starved for good QB play that - I believe - they are over-rating Annexstad. He does a nice job on short and intermediate routes, but he can't throw the deep ball, he bails out of the pocket, and throws off the back foot. yes, those are correctable errors, but I just don't get the sense that we're watching a future star. I see Annexstad as a Cupito-level QB at best.

So, if Fleck is the recruiter we hope he is, I believe he will recruit a better QB at some point in the next 2-3 years, and that player will supplant Annexstad as the QB.
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I'd welcome more talent at the QB position -- or anywhere else, for that matter. At its heart, Fleck's hiring (and continued employment) is based on the assumption he can put our raw talent level on a sustainable upward trajectory.

That being said, I have a very different reading on ZA. Assuming he's capable of learning and improving -- which doesn't seem like a far-fetched assumption -- I think he'll go down as one of Minnesota's all-time top passers. I'm basing that on the eye test, but the stats also back it up. He's currently on a trajectory for 2,300 yards passing this year, along with 20 TDs and 12-13 INTs (52.1% completion rate). Adam Weber, the team's all-time passing leader, had 2,900 yards with 24 TDs and 19 INTs (58% completion rate) his first year. (And the Gophs were 1-11 that year, so there was plenty of need to throw the ball.)

(EDIT: Incidentally, 2,300 yards would be awful close to a top 10 season in Gopher football history (2,412 yards is 10th); 20 TDs would be tied for third-best ever in a season.)

Point is, ZA's freshman season appears it could be fairly comparable to that of the best passer the program has ever produced. And Cupito, the program's No. 2 all-time passer, didn't start as a freshman.

Yes, time will tell. That's why we watch, right? ;)

JTG
 
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I've not been shy in my praise of Jacob Clark and what he brings to the table. I think he has a stronger arm than Annexstad, good accuracy, and is very capable of running the no huddle from the game action I've watched. Assuming the OL will be much improved going into next season, Clark could be starting earlier than expected.
 




dpodoll68 said:
Considering that Cupito is one of the better QBs in school history (if not the best), why are you framing a comparison to him as though it would be a disappointment?
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I guess I just don't remember Cupito as a game-changing type of QB. I remember him as a good, but not great QB. A good game-manager who could make some decent throws - but NOT a game-changer.

So, I'm not saying that Annexstad would be a disappointment - but that I don't see Annexstad as THE QB - the game-changer that fans have been waiting for. Other people see him as having a higher ceiling. They could be right and I could be wrong.

I'm just expressing an opinion that,based on what I've seen so far, I just don't get that sense that Annexstad has as high of a ceiling. I see him as good, but not great. And, it would be nice to have a great QB at MN in my lifetime.
 

FWIW, Mason said that Minnesota has the best wide receivers in the BIG!!

IF, if, if, if......... and another if, the OL can improve and give Zack a chance, then we will stand a good chance to get to a bowl. #78 has to do better than #70, and if so, the we are on the right track. #77 held his own against Iowa so the right side could be getting better.
 

I don’t think for a freshman he’s a bad QB by any means but we have some guys that can either get deep or win 50/50 balls. Where could this WR corps be in the pantheon of MN receivers? Given how his balls die I’m not yet convinced ZA has the arm to fully take advantage down field but maybe his inaccuracy and velocity is partially because he’s not setting up/spooked by the lack of protection, perhaps some miscommunications with the WRs, etc. Maybe too soon to say he can’t deliver the long ball. Even if he can’t, plenty of QBs have found success without rocket arms.

I was really impressed in non-con, was horrified by the Maryland game (not totally his fault by any means), and Iowa was up and down. I think with a better pocket he’ll be better at going long. He’s obviously really good at throwing into the middle of the field, other than staring receivers down.

In summary, maybe he is the QB of the future, but I there will be a battle the next few years as Clark comes in and maybe a top tier dual threat guy down the road. Preferably I’d want a top echelon dual threat but they aren’t extremely common.
 



Pompous Elitist said:
I don’t think for a freshman he’s a bad QB by any means but we have some guys that can either get deep or win 50/50 balls. Where could this WR corps be in the pantheon of MN receivers? Given how his balls die I’m not yet convinced ZA has the arm to fully take advantage down field but maybe his inaccuracy and velocity is partially because he’s not setting up/spooked by the lack of protection, perhaps some miscommunications with the WRs, etc. Maybe too soon to say he can’t deliver the long ball. Even if he can’t, plenty of QBs have found success without rocket arms.

I was really impressed in non-con, was horrified by the Maryland game (not totally his fault by any means), and Iowa was up and down. I think with a better pocket he’ll be better at going long. He’s obviously really good at throwing into the middle of the field, other than staring receivers down.

In summary, maybe he is the QB of the future, but I there will be a battle the next few years as Clark comes in and maybe a top tier dual threat guy down the road. Preferably I’d want a top echelon dual threat but they aren’t extremely common.
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I understand what you meant by that statement, but still, it makes me concerned for the young man's future social life...........
 

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