Athlon: How do the Big Ten teams stack up in returning starters?

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Having returning starters is a good thing - if they are good players.

What if last year's starter struggled, and you're replacing him with a better player at that position? Isn't that a net gain?

What if you have Fred 5-Star recruit coming in to take over a position? Not a returning starter - but could be a difference-maker for the program.

Yes, in general, having returning starters is a positive - but each situation is also unique.

Nothing against any of last year's seniors as people, but not all of them were All-Americans. It is entirely reasonable to consider that you can upgrade a position by replacing a starter.

There are a number of people on this board who believe QB play has a chance to be better this year without a returning starter.
 

cjbfbp said:
Agreed. Mitch's biggest individual issue wasn't throwing, it was mental: he tended to choke in tight games against strong opponents (at least he did as a senior). In contrast, he more or less kept it together against weaker opponents. He wasn't helped by a less-than-stellar receiving corps.

There was a lot of pressure on Mitch the last three years. Having a successor who can stay mentally even would help but running more plays designed to get the ball out of the QB's hands faster may help too.
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What little we've seen of Fleck's offense in the Cotton Bowl and this spring indicates the QB needs to make instantaneous post-snap reads and fit balls into relatively tight windows in the short to intermediate zones.

I'm not sure Mitch's relatively slow windup, difficulty with check downs, and routine failure to lead receivers leading to pirouette catches, etc or throw uncatchable balls would have cut it for Fleck. The best part of Mitch's game was his read option. He had moments of being in the zone as a passer but too few. The usual caveats about poor protection at times apply (along with holding the ball for an eternity).

It's a moot but interesting question- would Fleck have kept Leidner on as starter or go with a youth movement?
 

Pompous Elitist said:
What little we've seen of Fleck's offense in the Cotton Bowl and this spring indicates the QB needs to make instantaneous post-snap reads and fit balls into relatively tight windows in the short to intermediate zones.

I'm not sure Mitch's relatively slow windup, difficulty with check downs, and routine failure to lead receivers leading to pirouette catches, etc or throw uncatchable balls would have cut it for Fleck. The best part of Mitch's game was his read option. He had moments of being in the zone as a passer but too few. The usual caveats about poor protection at times apply (along with holding the ball for an eternity).

It's a moot but interesting question- would Fleck have kept Leidner on as starter or go with a youth movement?
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From what I have read, the QB success comes pre-snap using motion and shifts to reveal the defense's set. The mismatches and who the defense is keying on are exposed before the snap, so the QB has an easy read/decision and high success rate.

Forgive me since I know I've posted this article multiple times before, but to me it best explains how Fleck creates high percentage opportunities on offense. This is why I'm actually excited about the offense and Gophs overall chances this season.

http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2016/11/19/13577022/pj-fleck-coach-western-michigan-wmu

From the article...

If the Broncos need to throw to convert a passing down, they’ll again use alignments to create an easy read for the QB and an easy opportunity for a main receiver to get the ball.

Almost every play is either targeted to get the ball to a key player or to stress the defense with a spread-option concept. WMU likes how it’s going to go, either way.

If you’re game-planning for Western Michigan, you can expect to see lots of formations, only a few concepts (but all executed at a high level), and plenty of option plays designed to prevent you from keying in on both the lead runner and the lead receiver. You have to pick someone.
 




Pompous Elitist said:
It's both, IMO.

More here: https://prostylespreadoffense.com/2017/02/17/run-pass-option-p-j-flecks-offense/
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It's all good, with high execution being the key. Certainly puts the QB in a great spot pre-snap knowing where his best 1-2 opportunities are, and then can make a quick, easy read post-snap based on which one gets immediately revealed.

If Johnson and/or Still have early success, this is going to be fun to watch with the RB tandem attack Gophs already have in place.
 

New scheme, new QB, new receivers and elite backs. It "should be" a major improvement both run and pass as it's a simple numbers game. Just need to deliver the ball and keep defenses honest. There is a question mark at H back and I really hope Lingen makes it back.
 

Pompous Elitist said:
What little we've seen of Fleck's offense in the Cotton Bowl and this spring indicates the QB needs to make instantaneous post-snap reads and fit balls into relatively tight windows in the short to intermediate zones.

I'm not sure Mitch's relatively slow windup, difficulty with check downs, and routine failure to lead receivers leading to pirouette catches, etc or throw uncatchable balls would have cut it for Fleck. The best part of Mitch's game was his read option. He had moments of being in the zone as a passer but too few. The usual caveats about poor protection at times apply (along with holding the ball for an eternity).

It's a moot but interesting question- would Fleck have kept Leidner on as starter or go with a youth movement?
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I've seen this bolded part mentioned before, and I don't understand why. The statistics don't back it up - in fact, the statistics say the exact opposite. Gopher quarterbacks were sacked last year just 16 times, second fewest in the Big Ten to Nebraska's 15. Leidner wasn't terribly elusive in the pocket, but he had an uncanny ability to get rid of the ball just before being tackled.

That's something we very well might miss next season. For all of Leidner's shortcomings, the Gopher offense rarely faced a second and 19 after a sack.
 

Pompous Elitist said:
I'm not sure Mitch's relatively slow windup, difficulty with check downs, and routine failure to lead receivers leading to pirouette catches, etc or throw uncatchable balls would have cut it for Fleck. The best part of Mitch's game was his read option. He had moments of being in the zone as a passer but too few. The usual caveats about poor protection at times apply (along with holding the ball for an eternity).

It's a moot but interesting question- would Fleck have kept Leidner on as starter or go with a youth movement?
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I loved Mitch but spot on. If the play the coaches sent in didn't work perfectly good luck. He was easily flustered by pressure and that came every passing down. Mitch wasn't that great at the read option either. Despite all his flaws though he won a lot of games relatively speaking. I will appreciate that always.
 



Urbandale said:
I've seen this bolded part mentioned before, and I don't understand why. The statistics don't back it up - in fact, the statistics say the exact opposite. Gopher quarterbacks were sacked last year just 16 times, second fewest in the Big Ten to Nebraska's 15. Leidner wasn't terribly elusive in the pocket, but he had an uncanny ability to get rid of the ball just before being tackled.

That's something we very well might miss next season. For all of Leidner's shortcomings, the Gopher offense rarely faced a second and 19 after a sack.
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He did get better but in 2014 he was 121st in the nation in sack rate on passing downs (improved to 61st last year), 51st on standard downs. Opponent-adjusted 104th. These are Football Outsiders stats.

First impressions die hard.
 

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