Brewster says Weber is U's No. 1 QB

[dpodoll68]

So what makes all you experts think that Gray is going to jump into the mix and succeed or be more productive than Weber? Sure the potential is there, but not a one of you see what the coaches see day in and day out.

Yeah, I guess there is the possibility that Gray could finish 100th out of 100 QBs this year.

Hell, at this point, I'd rather throw Adam Lueck out there. I'd at least have some optimism and not be subjected to 5 yard hook routes being thrown at the receiver's feet. And yes, I'm being 100% serious.

 

[bankonit]

I can't help but think that no matter who is coordinating Payton Manning he is going to execute the offense and make crisp passes that his receivers can catch. I don't buy the coordinator carousel as an excuse for his lousy performances. You can pass or you can't pass and Weber can't pass

 

[AhliBobwa]

So who do we look at for our new coach for 2011 and beyond? NFL assistant? BCS assistant? Hot "mid-major" coach? NFL/NCAA retread?

It'll be interesting to see which way the administration goes after the season, with both Brewster and (presumably) Maturi out the door.

It is way too early to engage in this kind of ridiculous negativity. Look, I was as frustrated with Weber last year as any of you. But, to regain some perspective read this thoughtful piece by Rittenberg.

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/12413/weber-gets-nod-as-gophers-starting-qb

"I got my first glimpse of Adam Weber in 2007, when he took the field as a redshirt freshman for Minnesota in a game at Northwestern.

That day, Weber passed for 341 yards and five touchdowns and added 89 rushing yards and a touchdown in a 49-48 double-overtime loss at Ryan Field. Northwestern escaped with the win after Weber's pass attempt on a game-deciding 2-point conversion attempt fell incomplete. Weber's 430 yards of total offense marked the third highest single-game total in team history.


My thought that day: this guy is going to be really good.

My thought today: Weber can still be really good...

Not only did Minnesota install a dramatically different offense last season -- going from the spread, a system to which both Weber and Gray were recruited, to a pro set -- but the quarterbacks seemed to be flooded with information. I got to see this first hand before a game last season when I spent time with Minnesota and sat in on a quarterbacks' meeting.

New offensive coordinator Jeff Horton has simplified the system and tried to identify a few things that his quarterbacks do best.

Weber deserves another chance, NOT JUST FROM THE TEAM BUT FROM THE FANS. He separated himself early in spring practice and emerged as the likely starter. Now it's official.

This guy was a pretty good quarterback not that long ago. And he can be a good quarterback again."

If the offensive line plays in the fall like they did in the spring Weber will have a solid senior campaign.

 

[ruralgopher]

I can't help but think that no matter who is coordinating Payton Manning he is going to execute the offense and make crisp passes that his receivers can catch. I don't buy the coordinator carousel as an excuse for his lousy performances. You can pass or you can't pass and Weber can't pass

If the bar is set at Peyton Manning for you, you will probably never be satisfied.

 

[GoAUpher]

I can't help but think that no matter who is coordinating Payton Manning he is going to execute the offense and make crisp passes that his receivers can catch. I don't buy the coordinator carousel as an excuse for his lousy performances. You can pass or you can't pass and Weber can't pass

Except when he did, just 2 (and 3) years ago. He SUCKED last year. But you don't get to point to that and pretend he always stunk that bad b/c its not true.

 

[Maroon]

husker~
I really don't think that most (if not anyone) really thinks Weber is the answer. But I suspect many are like me and think that Gray isn't ready either. Brewster is trying to keep his job and obviously feels that Weber is the right guy to help him do that. That doesn't mean he's right. IMO that means Weber should have a short leash. If he doesn't and he struggles then we get a new coach next season. That's basically what it boils down to.

I don't really blame anyone who thinks we should just go with Gray. But he's an unknown as well (other than that his athleticism is huge).

But if you don't let Gray take all the first-team reps in fall practice, how is that putting him in the best position to progress. We know what we have in Weber - and average at best QB who can't make things happen by himself when surrounded by an average at best supporting cast.

Gray, at least, can make some things happen when the protection breaks down and would force defenses to prepare for a whole different element. In this case, I'd rather roll with the unknown when the known is mediocre.

 

[frozengopher]

Thank you Ahli. +1

 

[GoAUpher]

But if you don't let Gray take all the first-team reps in fall practice, how is that putting him in the best position to progress. We know what we have in Weber - and average at best QB who can't make things happen by himself when surrounded by an average at best supporting cast.

Gray, at least, can make some things happen when the protection breaks down and would force defenses to prepare for a whole different element. In this case, I'd rather roll with the unknown when the known is mediocre.

I'm totally sympathetic to this viewpoint. And I wouldn't care if that's what they did b/c I'm not sold on Weber as the answer. But I get why Brew is sticking with him. Since I have no say in the matter I've decided to be glass half full and avoid jumping off a bridge or throwing Adam under the bus until he, ya know, plays another game. In the meantime I'll hope that Horton can get him back to '08 form or better and that there is a short leash for him if he continues to stink.

 

[ruralgopher]

The only problem with Rit's take is that Weber was not recruited for the spread, other than that it is a solid opinion piece.

 

[ruralgopher]

Gray, at least, can make some things happen when the protection breaks down and would force defenses to prepare for a whole different element. In this case, I'd rather roll with the unknown when the known is mediocre.

Short memory. Weber has been very mobile in the past. Remember the Purdue game in 08?

 

[frozengopher]

But if you don't let Gray take all the first-team reps in fall practice, how is that putting him in the best position to progress. We know what we have in Weber - and average at best QB who can't make things happen by himself when surrounded by an average at best supporting cast.

Gray, at least, can make some things happen when the protection breaks down and would force defenses to prepare for a whole different element. In this case, I'd rather roll with the unknown when the known is mediocre.

How do you "know" that Weber is mediocre at best? He hasn't had any coaching consistency in his career minus his freshman/sophomore years, where he got a second year in one system and was All Big Ten as a sophomore! The selective memory here is occasionally dumbfounding, until i realize who is doing the posting.

 

[bankonit]

How do you "know" that Weber is mediocre at best? He hasn't had any coaching consistency in his career minus his freshman/sophomore years, where he got a second year in one system and was All Big Ten as a sophomore! The selective memory here is occasionally dumbfounding, until i realize who is doing the posting.

Um, take a look at the record and the completion percentage and the interceptions and the passes not thrown to a guy named Decker and tell me how you can come away with a different conclusion?

 

[Maroon]

How do you "know" that Weber is mediocre at best? He hasn't had any coaching consistency in his career minus his freshman/sophomore years, where he got a second year in one system and was All Big Ten as a sophomore! The selective memory here is occasionally dumbfounding, until i realize who is doing the posting.

Because I have eyeballs.

 

[Monty519]

Some of ya'll just unreasonable, I see that, but I can understand where it's coming from. The question though, is why in the world do you think Brewster made Adam his #1? Do you honestly believe he's gonna slight MarQueis to give Weber a boost? Obviously he looked at what they've done on the field and Weber has shown more. What is he supposed to do, just put Gray out there and hope it works out? Or go with what his eyes are seeing (Weber playing better than Gray) and go with that. He can't just throw Gray out there just cause he's a highly touted recruit, that's a good way for things to blow up in his face (yeah, yeah, I know, just like starting Weber is a good way for things to blow up in his face, right?). I for one am willing to give the guy a shot to redeem himself with an experienced QB coordinator and see what's up. Is the leash short from my perspective? Yes it is, but I'm not the coach, so we'll see how that goes. But point is, Weber's gonna get first shot, and from all accounts, he's clearly earned that shot.

 

[dpodoll68]

What is he supposed to do, just put Gray out there and hope it works out?

In the current situation? Yes, that's exactly what he's supposed to do. Look, you and I both know that some players just don't practice very well. They need the crowd, and the reps, and the momentum, to rise to their abilities. We don't know whether MarQueis is that kind of player, but we will never know until he's given an opportunity. We can be nearly certain what we will get with Weber - 6, maybe 7 victories, a mediocre bowl that we will probably lose. In other words, lather, rinse, repeat. Could Gray lead us to 8, 9, 10 victories? We don't know, because apparently our coaching staff is afraid of sticking their necks out and reaching for greatness. They'd rather go with Wally Pipp when a potential Gehrig is sitting on the bench.

 

[bankonit]

In the current situation? Yes, that's exactly what he's supposed to do. Look, you and I both know that some players just don't practice very well. They need the crowd, and the reps, and the momentum, to rise to their abilities. We don't know whether MarQueis is that kind of player, but we will never know until he's given an opportunity. We can be nearly certain what we will get with Weber - 6, maybe 7 victories, a mediocre bowl that we will probably lose. In other words, lather, rinse, repeat. Could Gray lead us to 8, 9, 10 victories? We don't know, because apparently our coaching staff is afraid of sticking their necks out and reaching for greatness. They'd rather go with Wally Pipp when a potential Gehrig is sitting on the bench.

Agreed, for a coach who promised greatness and rose bowls and not settling for the status quo Brewster sure is coaching scared and settling for mediocrity rather than going for the Championship

 

[Ole]

In the current situation? Yes, that's exactly what he's supposed to do. Look, you and I both know that some players just don't practice very well. They need the crowd, and the reps, and the momentum, to rise to their abilities. We don't know whether MarQueis is that kind of player, but we will never know until he's given an opportunity. We can be nearly certain what we will get with Weber - 6, maybe 7 victories, a mediocre bowl that we will probably lose. In other words, lather, rinse, repeat. Could Gray lead us to 8, 9, 10 victories? We don't know, because apparently our coaching staff is afraid of sticking their necks out and reaching for greatness. They'd rather go with Wally Pipp when a potential Gehrig is sitting on the bench.

I can see your point, but do you then excuse the coaching staff if they win 4 games due to Gray's mistakes? No, you'd expect they'd be fired.
For all the puffing and hollering about "mediocre bowls" and "meaningless bowls" you need to remember that these are not meaningless to the coaches and players.
Weber is most likely going to win 6-7 games this year you are right, to be honest we don't know what kind of production we can get out of him even as a 5th year senior, he's had very little around him and turmoil above him for 4 years. If he can't put up against the non conference and early Big Ten season, then you pull the plug and see where Gray's ups and downs take us.
It's too easy for fans to simply toss away victories for potential, and these coaches and players don't have the luxury.

 

[MRJ]

I can understand both sides of this particular debate. Weber certainly hasn't had much consistency in his coordinator and that almost certainly has had an effect on his development. He was okay as a freshman, good as a sophomore and below average last year. I guess it really comes down to this: There were times when Weber wasn't just bad last year, he was absolutely brutal. If that happens again this year, it's going to be on Brewster to make a move. That's when things get interesting.

Could Weber step up? I'm not sure because to be honest, I've never thought of him as anything more than average at best. There's only so many times when you can watch a guy over-shoot an open receiver by 20 yards on one play and then turn around and throw a five yard out to the turf on the next play before you start to get restless. Between those things and Weber's little run around in a circle whenever the pressure comes move, I'm a little bit skeptical. But it could very well be that Weber is our best bet. And if that is the case and Weber struggles like last year, it's going to be a LONG year.

 

[Rosemountian]

You gotta play the best player and Brewster knows this. It is just an extreme disappointment that Weber is the best player considering how below average he has been. Speaks volumes about how the other two QB's are so far away from being ready (if they are ever ready)

 

[MJGopher]

You gotta play the best player and Brewster knows this. It is just an extreme disappointment that Weber is the best player considering how below average he has been. Speaks volumes about how the other two QB's are so far away from being ready (if they are ever ready)

I disagree with this. You have no idea how far away the other 2 QB's are from being ready. Brewster knows for sure that he needs to win at least 3 of the first 4 games, no doubt about it. Who gives him the best chance to do that? Is it a true sophomore who was inconsistent in limited duty last year? A red-shirt freshman who has yet to play a down? Or a 5th year Sr. that thas seen the good and the bad, and more often that not been able to win out-of conference games? (It hasn't necessarily been pretty, but he has won those games).

But if I was a coach that knew he had very little room for misses in the early part of the season, I know that I would be hoping that my Sr. would step up and get the job done.

It is easy to talk about needing to play potential from a fan's perspective, but I think that Weber is the obvious choice to start the year. That being said, my guess would be that Weber does not have a lot of room for error.

 

[wait!what?]

Brewster coaches to win.

Agreed, for a coach who promised greatness and rose bowls and not settling for the status quo Brewster sure is coaching scared and settling for mediocrity rather than going for the Championship

We can question the players Brew selects to start but Brewster almost always in the final minutes/secs of the game calls plays to win games. not tie, but win

 

[Too Long in the Wasteland]

The root of the frustration

You gotta play the best player and Brewster knows this. It is just an extreme disappointment that Weber is the best player considering how below average he has been. Speaks volumes about how the other two QB's are so far away from being ready (if they are ever ready)

You look at the two most critical positions offensively, QB & RB, and we still have Mason's guys in the starting role four seasons after Glen got S-canned. For all of the hype regarding Brewster's recruiting skills one would have expected otherwise. Granted, we've had some bad luck with guys qualifying academically. Gray essentially lost a year because of the mess-up on his test scores. But that's what happens when you go after guys who have question marks academically.

Based on what little we've seen of Gray on the field, noone is expecting him to suddenly be all-big 10 this season. The fact that Weber wasn't benched in favor of Gray last year speaks volumes. Either Brewster is the most stubborn moron in football coaching history, or he saw things in practice to tell him that Gray wasn't ready for prime time. Based on what happened when Gray was in there, its more likely the latter. While I don't think Weber is the answer, either long term or short term, he has earned the privilege of being the starter in the MTSU game. The $10K question, though, is whether Gray is ready to take over if Weber struggles as much as he did last year.

 

[Costa Rican Gopher]

After the 2011 the same guys will be on here clamoring for Alipate. Its the love of the back-up QB thing.

Exactly right. The backup QB is always the most popular guy in town. The reality is Weber is CLEARLY the best QB on the team at this time and everyone on the coaching staff and team knows it. He was voted 2nd team All-Big10 two years ago by the coaches (Probably just a crafty plan by opposing coaches to saddle us with him for two more years!) The idea that Brew is going to play a less qualified QB because he's stubborn is just absurd.

 

[GoAUpher]

In the current situation? Yes, that's exactly what he's supposed to do. Look, you and I both know that some players just don't practice very well. They need the crowd, and the reps, and the momentum, to rise to their abilities. We don't know whether MarQueis is that kind of player, but we will never know until he's given an opportunity. We can be nearly certain what we will get with Weber - 6, maybe 7 victories, a mediocre bowl that we will probably lose. In other words, lather, rinse, repeat. Could Gray lead us to 8, 9, 10 victories? We don't know, because apparently our coaching staff is afraid of sticking their necks out and reaching for greatness. They'd rather go with Wally Pipp when a potential Gehrig is sitting on the bench.

Easy enough to say when it isn't your job on the line. Brew thinks he'll win more with Weber. That's all that matters.

 

[Maroon]

Easy enough to say when it isn't your job on the line. Brew thinks he'll win more with Weber. That's all that matters.

I agree that Brewster thinks that. But my question is if Weber wins 4 or 5 games and Gray would win say 2 or 3, wouldn't getting Gray a year of experience be worth it if it's going to be a bad season anyway? Obviously Brewster thinks he can get to a bowl again, and that's fine. I just don't think I'm that optimistic. Hope I'm wrong.

 

[bankonit]

Easy enough to say when it isn't your job on the line. Brew thinks he'll win more with Weber. That's all that matters.

Up-surd. Weber has won 14 career games in 3 years, that is not winning more

 

[GoAUpher]

I agree that Brewster thinks that. But my question is if Weber wins 4 or 5 games and Gray would win say 2 or 3, wouldn't getting Gray a year of experience be worth it if it's going to be a bad season anyway? Obviously Brewster thinks he can get to a bowl again, and that's fine. I just don't think I'm that optimistic. Hope I'm wrong.

Sure, except the 2 extra losses you're talking about get Brew fired for sure. So would it be good for Gray (and by extension the program)? Maybe. But once Brew is gone in this scenario you're assuming Gray doesn't transfer when the new coach is hired or that the new coach doesn't like Alipate more, etc. But its not better for Brew (which again, is all that matters).

Of course, Brew could be kept after a 3 win season...but I wouldn't hold my breath.

Again, I'm totally sympathetic to the viewpoint that we should just play Gray and let the chips fall. But I'm also realistic that at this point Brew isn't going to follow this strategy (though hopefully he keeps Weber on a short leash).

 

[GoAUpher]

Up-surd. Weber has won 14 career games in 3 years, that is not winning more

What part of it is absurd? The fact that Brew thinks this? B/c he obviously does or else he'd start someone Gray. Coaches on the hotseat play the QB's they think will win games. Its not rocket science.

FYI, those 14 wins are more than Gray has. And thats why its a crapshoot either way. Hope that the experienced QB gets on a heater and comes up big as a senior or hope that the unproven QB ends up being the real deal.

You think Gray will win us more games. Fair enough. Brew disagrees and that is all that matters.

 

[bankonit]

The point is a good QB should have 14 wins in a season and a half, not 14 wins in 3 years. Weber's record is terrible. If Weber wins 6 games this year, he will have 20 wins which amounts to 5 wins a season and that sucks.

 

[Maroon]

Sure, except the 2 extra losses you're talking about get Brew fired for sure. So would it be good for Gray (and by extension the program)? Maybe. But once Brew is gone in this scenario you're assuming Gray doesn't transfer when the new coach is hired or that the new coach doesn't like Alipate more, etc. But its not better for Brew (which again, is all that matters).

Of course, Brew could be kept after a 3 win season...but I wouldn't hold my breath.

Again, I'm totally sympathetic to the viewpoint that we should just play Gray and let the chips fall. But I'm also realistic that at this point Brew isn't going to follow this strategy (though hopefully he keeps Weber on a short leash).

What Brewster should really do if he wants to save his job is go to Maturi and say that Weber's not the guy. The team is in rebuilding mode. Have to think long-term for the good of the program. For that, we need to see what Gray can do. But it will be a rough season probably, so give me some assurances that if I go with the youngster and we struggle, I still get to keep my job.

Or he could try to win seven games with Weber at QB against this schedule.

Neither scenario looks all that promising for Coach Brew.