ATHAN

[strokemonster]

We sometimes forget that we're all Gopher fans here. The 'keyboard cowboy' in each of us lies very close to the surface at times.

 

[Dakota2]

I "went nuts", eh?

If someone on this board (or in your life, for that matter) happens to disagree with you, is that them 'going nuts' (by your definition)?

There's a difference between a stray nut and a guy who throws a bushel of nuts around the room.

 

[GringaGopher]

Not a knock on you Gringa but this is such a ridiculous standard. How many very good QB's have never been on a SB team? My guess is a lot and will start with Tarkenton, Marino, Kelly, Fouts, Moon, Rivers, etc

Not a knock on you Gringa but this is such a ridiculous standard. How many very good QB's have never been on a SB team? My guess is a lot and will start with Tarkenton, Marino, Kelly, Fouts, Moon, Rivers, etc

I will be more clear- the Vikings will always be held to the No SB standard n Cousins will be held to needs to win more playoff games. I never said Cousins has to win the SB to be considered a great WB but he does need to improve his record against teams above .500 n win more playoff games.

 

[GoldGoldGold]

I will be more clear- the Vikings will always be held to the No SB standard n Cousins will be held to needs to win more playoff games. I never said Cousins has to win the SB to be considered a great WB but he does need to improve his record against teams above .500 n win more playoff games.

I think that the perception problem with Cousins is two fold. First he hasnt "won" any championships yet. Second, his extra large salary was deemed a real problem in the world of salary caps and made it difficult to put a quality team around him... aslo a huge part of the no championships thingy...

Cousins is a very good QB. He has a pr problem.

 

[Dave H]

I think more would have been receptive if there wasn't such a weird freakout anytime anyone suggested AK gave the team a better chance to win. Goes both ways.

That is true...there definitely was some circling of the wagons around Tanner and that was unneeded. His play fell off as the season wore on and there is nothing wrong with saying that. I love TM but he wasn't Joe Montana out there. In truth, with the way the team was playing AK was the better choice to play for many different reasons. I am not sure the record would have been any different but I think the team would have played better.

This is kind of reminiscent of some conversations that were being had about Sammy Walker amongst fans of the hockey team. He could have gotten a COVID year and some fans were hoping he would come back and some were hoping he would move on and go pro. Now Sammy is a fine player and always gave it everything he had but he wasn't exactly Thomas Vanek. People got very defensive of Walker though if others wished him well and wanted the next generation to take over. It was weird to see. (ultimately I prefer him on The Wild now to the Gophers)

Morgan is the most consistent QB we have had in my lifetime. (I am 42) I am quite loyal to him and I hope we are still talking about him 30 years from now. That said he isn't above reproach, and I think the team would have benefited from him sharing time more often. This isn't the 1980s you can play 2 QBs with different skillsets and throw the D for a loop. I am not ready to say AK is a top ender cause plenty of QBs have had a nice few games when thrust into the position and then flamed out...but the potential is definitely there and man in hindsight him and Mo on the same field would have really been fun to watch in more games!

 

[Dave H]

I think that the perception problem with Cousins is two fold. First he hasnt "won" any championships yet. Second, his extra large salary was deemed a real problem in the world of salary caps and made it difficult to put a quality team around him... aslo a huge part of the no championships thingy...

Cousins is a very good QB. He has a pr problem.

I think part of that is he really doesn't play the PR game. He is boring as heck and he doesn't hide it. Not much the media can really do with that. Meanwhile Dak Prescott is a robust 1-3 in the playoffs and every season we have to pretend Dallas is the favorite and ESPN followed his contract negotiations like it was Watergate. Flashy players in big markets on brand name teams get all the accolades. Cousins played on terrible teams in Washington (and was drafted alongside RG3 by them) and then came here.

True Story: I worked much of the Super Bowl fan fest when it was in town and the hot topic at the time amongst Vikings fans there was "we need to find a way to get Cousins. It wasn't like he wasn't a known commodity and we were going to get him cheap, he was the guy they wanted. It didn't take long to turn on him...

 

[RememberMurray]

There's a difference between a stray nut and a guy who throws a bushel of nuts around the room.

Has anyone ever told you that you are a master of the English language?

 

[RememberMurray]

Stetson Bennett at Georgia, who throws a pretty damn good ball, is 5"11" and 190 lbs. Height is certainly a recognized advantage (for a drop back QB), but mobility, arm strength, quick release, accuracy, etc. can more than make up for a few inches. Russell Wilson 5'11". Drew Brees 6'0". Fran Tarkington 6'0".

Drew Brees never wowed anybody with his arm strength. Neither did Joe Montana.

Arm strength is a very nice quality for a QB, but it isn't a requirement.

There's more to playing QB than physical talent.

 

[WorkingMyTailOff]

My guess, if AK threw the TD pass that Morgan threw to Jackson you would've said the same thing, "Morgan can't make that throw". It was great catch by Jackson but was also great throw in tight coverage in end zone.


We're all excited about Athan. Most of us can express it without putting down Morgan in the process. It's really not that hard actually, but you seemed insistent on it.

Right count me in as someone who is very excited for Athan and the future and as someone who appreciates all the great game winning plays Morgan has made. There have been many beautiful drop it in the bucket throws during his career

 

[gopherbadgerman]

Hope that Athan's College Career is better than Cousin's was, at least the post-season part.

2009 - Michigan State was 6-7 and they lost to Texas Tech in the Alamo Bowl
2010 - MSU was 11-2 and lost in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando
2011 - MSU was 11-3 and lost the Big Ten Championship Game but then beat a 10-4 Georgia team in the Outback Bowl.

If he goes to Alamo, Outback, and Citrus over the next three years I think most people would be pretty happy. And I am aware B10 no longer has Alamo tie in. So replace that with music city bowl and most would be thrilled.