Can we call him "Clutch Leidner"?...

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KFAN is re-playing an interview with Leidner after the game. Sounds like he basically said "screw it" before the game and decided to play loose and have fun rather than worry about any criticism. I've never heard him that confident in an interview before. Hopefully it carries into big ten play.
 

Spoofin said:
Mitch is what he has always been. Inconsistent. I have been saying for over a year on here - ML7 isn't great and he doesn't suck. He is great some and sucks some. Inconsistent. Unfortunately too many need definitives and for that reason this debate will never stop. Group A will say "told you so" one week and Group B will the next. I am tired just thinking about it.

Great Game Mitch! 3-1. Offense is improving. I am confident the D will figure today out. I am still optimistic for the rest of the year. Go Gophers!
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Couldn't agree more. Mitch and the offense played very well yesterday. With the exception of the one bad throw that could have ended the game (Ohio player will have nightmares about that one) the game winning drive was a thing of beauty. If Mitch and the offense continues to play like this going forward we could have a good year, if they revert to the way they played for a good part of the CSU game and entire Kent State game we will be in trouble.

People are way to fixed on Mitch....he is what he is....an average QB. He played well yesterday but had the Ohio player hung onto the ball that was right in his hands I guarantee we would have a million anti Leidner threads again today.
 

Just a question on what others think, but does Mitch look about 3 steps slower this year? Really noticed it in the second half on some of his keepers. Leaves a lot more yards out there vs last year it felt. Just wondering if others see that too or if I'm just not remembering
 

jaymil said:
KFAN is re-playing an interview with Leidner after the game. Sounds like he basically said "screw it" before the game and decided to play loose and have fun rather than worry about any criticism. I've never heard him that confident in an interview before. Hopefully it carries into big ten play.
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I found it on the gopherports.com web site this morning. Post-game pressers with Kill, Brooks, Smith, Carter, and Leidner. I found all of those interviews to be more revealing about the pulse of the team than 99% of what I read on GH.
 

Yeah- I think he does. I figure he's been instructed to avoid big hits so emphatically that it's making him run less freely- doesn't look like he's put on a ton of weight so can't explain it otherwise.


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killme said:
I found it on the gopherports.com web site this morning. Post-game pressers with Kill, Brooks, Smith, Carter, and Leidner. I found all of those interviews to be more revealing about the pulse of the team than 99% of what I read on GH.
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So you think info directly from the coach and players gives a better "pulse" on the team than what some rubes post on an anonymous message board? That is really surprising. Thanks for sharing.
 

GopherFanatic19 said:
Lol ML had one decent game. This game still doesn't make me want ML in B10 games. He is shaky, and unreliable. ML will always be that way, it is what it is. I bet everyone from the ML bashers to lovers will all agree we would rather have the Vick guy as our QB over ML if we had a choice.
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You are just wrong. 5 for 5. Move on.
 

Spoofin said:
So you think info directly from the coach and players gives a better "pulse" on the team than what some rubes post on an anonymous message board? That is really surprising. Thanks for sharing.
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Do you have the corner on the sarcasm market?
 





westcoastgopher11 said:
However gaudy as the stats were you would've thought we hung 40+ on these guys.


I see what you're saying, but you're forgetting that often points are a reflection of defensive play and special teams play. The defense forced no turnovers and the special teams produced no long returns. The Gophers scored on five of their last six possessions, all of them on long fields.

If the defense had recovered a fumble on the Ohio six-yard line and the offense punched it in for another seven points, would you have suddenly said the offense had an outstanding game?
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TheBulldog said:
What are you saying about Leidner right now if the Ohio DB doesnt drop the INT to ice the game? Nothing, I'd wager. That's likely the direct opposite of clutch against a B1G CB (which is a senseless thing to say, since the Gophers likely wouldn't have been in a spot for a game winning drive in the first place if playing a B1G team outside of Purdue).

The people trying to make him sound like John Elway are just as wrong as those saying he was totally awful today. He was OK today, and it may be the ceiling. Having to drive down and score with a golden horseshoe crammed up Leidner's butt against Ohio to win the game doesn't instill much more confidence than last week. That's just my opinion on the matter. As much as I'd like to see the QB play improve, it isn't going to any time soon.

Whether it's Leidner's fault or isn't is irrelevant. The fact that he's just not very good can't be denied. Bottom line, this team is looking to get destroyed in the B1G schedule if something just short of a miracle doesn't happen. If you're not worried, I would have to question whether you have a grasp on what you're watching.

Just as easily as they are 3-1, they could be 1-3, and there would be tumbleweeds blowing through these threads. Realistically, they didn't deserve to win that game today. I can't say anyone played a good game after the last two weeks. They should be rolling these teams, and people want to hand out participation ribbons for a few lucky splash plays to snatch victory from defeat.
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You're not very good at logic, are you?
 

If the special teams would have played close to their usual level, Leidner would not have had to lead a last-minute drive.

But, he did - even with a few anxious moments. Leidner reminds me of when Eddie Guardado was the Twins' closer. He almost never had a "clean" save - usually gave up a hit or a walk - but more often than not, he survived. That's how I see Leidner. He's the guy who's standing at the end of the fight. he may have a bloody nose or a split lip, but he's the one walking away. There are worse qualities to have in a QB.

At the risk of hyperbole, Mitch Leidner encapsulates a lot of what I feel about the Gopher program as a whole. Good - not perfect - and maddeningly inconsistent at times - but the Gophers are "our" team, and Leidner is "our" QB. We have two choices - support him, or not. I choose to support him.
 



Urbandale said:
You're not very good at logic, are you?
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Don't let logic, statistics, or victories cloud your judgement. Despite the fact that #7 is one of the winningest QB in Gopher history, completes 58% of this years passes, has a 118 QB rating, and two game winning TDs (yes, CSU counts) he sucks.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
If the special teams would have played close to their usual level, Leidner would not have had to lead a last-minute drive.

But, he did - even with a few anxious moments. Leidner reminds me of when Eddie Guardado was the Twins' closer. He almost never had a "clean" save - usually gave up a hit or a walk - but more often than not, he survived. That's how I see Leidner. He's the guy who's standing at the end of the fight. he may have a bloody nose or a split lip, but he's the one walking away. There are worse qualities to have in a QB.

At the risk of hyperbole, Mitch Leidner encapsulates a lot of what I feel about the Gopher program as a whole. Good - not perfect - and maddeningly inconsistent at times - but the Gophers are "our" team, and Leidner is "our" QB. We have two choices - support him, or not. I choose to support him.
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SON, just want to say that pretty much all of your posts on here seem to be very level-headed and reasonable. The comparison to Guardado is a very good one.
 

westcoastgopher11 said:
However gaudy as the stats were you would've thought we hung 40+ on these guys.

Ski-U-Mah.
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I pretty much agree, although....

No forced turnovers = no short fields to work with

AND

Special Teams fk-ups = too many long fields to deal with

I'm too lazy to dig up their average starting field position but I'm sure it wasn't overly favorable. They DID have some nice longer sustained drives yesterday, which was good to see
 

short ornery norwegian said:
If the special teams would have played close to their usual level, Leidner would not have had to lead a last-minute drive.

But, he did - even with a few anxious moments. Leidner reminds me of when Eddie Guardado was the Twins' closer. He almost never had a "clean" save - usually gave up a hit or a walk - but more often than not, he survived. That's how I see Leidner. He's the guy who's standing at the end of the fight. he may have a bloody nose or a split lip, but he's the one walking away. There are worse qualities to have in a QB.

At the risk of hyperbole, Mitch Leidner encapsulates a lot of what I feel about the Gopher program as a whole. Good - not perfect - and maddeningly inconsistent at times - but the Gophers are "our" team, and Leidner is "our" QB. We have two choices - support him, or not. I choose to support him.
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This is a good post
 

Ogee Oglethorpe said:
I pretty much agree, although....

No forced turnovers = no short fields to work with

AND

Special Teams fk-ups = too many long fields to deal with

I'm too lazy to dig up their average starting field position but I'm sure it wasn't overly favorable. They DID have some nice longer sustained drives yesterday, which was good to see
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The turnover point is definitely valid; I can't believe we are what, -6 from the first 4 games?

Turnovers can swing a game, and we are going to need good field position (and the ability to capitalize on it) if we are going to beat Northwestern.
 

Ogee Oglethorpe said:
I pretty much agree, although....

No forced turnovers = no short fields to work with

AND

Special Teams fk-ups = too many long fields to deal with

I'm too lazy to dig up their average starting field position but I'm sure it wasn't overly favorable. They DID have some nice longer sustained drives yesterday, which was good to see
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The average starting field possession for the Gophers was their own 19 yard line. Four drives started at the 14 yard line or worse. So I don't think it as simple as "However gaudy as the stats were you would've thought we hung 40+ on these guys" as someone else said. A big reason the offense didn't put up 40 points is because there was no help from the defense or special teams in terms of starting field possession.

Not every game is the same. For example, Illinois put up 52 against Kent St. earlier this year yet had only 342 yards of offense. They scored 38 points in the first half on drives of 38, 34, 28, 11, 34, and 4 yards. Field possession is a huge factor. This was the best offensive performance of the year by a long shot in my opinion. Still work to do, no doubt about it. But just looking at the score doesn't tell the entire story.
 

Lordshawesome said:
Say what you will about ol' mitcheroo. It mat not alwats be pretty(or tightly spiraled enough for some), but he has shown time & time again, that when the game is on the line; this guy is a winner.

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How about "Clutch Leidner and the Run and Gun Gophers"? I kinda like that :)
 

GophersInIowa said:
The average starting field possession for the Gophers was their own 19 yard line. Four drives started at the 14 yard line or worse. So I don't think it as simple as "However gaudy as the stats were you would've thought we hung 40+ on these guys" as someone else said. A big reason the offense didn't put up 40 points is because there was no help from the defense or special teams in terms of starting field possession.

Not every game is the same. For example, Illinois put up 52 against Kent St. earlier this year yet had only 342 yards of offense. They scored 38 points in the first half on drives of 38, 34, 28, 11, 34, and 4 yards. Field possession is a huge factor. This was the best offensive performance of the year by a long shot in my opinion. Still work to do, no doubt about it. But just looking at the score doesn't tell the entire story.
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Thanks for doing the work for us shamelessly lazy folks. Good post.
 


short ornery norwegian said:
If the special teams would have played close to their usual level, Leidner would not have had to lead a last-minute drive.

But, he did - even with a few anxious moments. Leidner reminds me of when Eddie Guardado was the Twins' closer. He almost never had a "clean" save - usually gave up a hit or a walk - but more often than not, he survived. That's how I see Leidner. He's the guy who's standing at the end of the fight. he may have a bloody nose or a split lip, but he's the one walking away. There are worse qualities to have in a QB.

At the risk of hyperbole, Mitch Leidner encapsulates a lot of what I feel about the Gopher program as a whole. Good - not perfect - and maddeningly inconsistent at times - but the Gophers are "our" team, and Leidner is "our" QB. We have two choices - support him, or not. I choose to support him.
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+1
 

jaymil said:
KFAN is re-playing an interview with Leidner after the game. Sounds like he basically said "screw it" before the game and decided to play loose and have fun rather than worry about any criticism. I've never heard him that confident in an interview before. Hopefully it carries into big ten play.
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I'm pretty sure we've seen this ebb and flow with Mitch before. It's the standard deal you get with Mitch. Then you get another type of game a bit later and you can see the nerves get to him.
 

A_Slab_of_Bacon said:
I'm pretty sure we've seen this ebb and flow with Mitch before. It's the standard deal you get with Mitch. Then you get another type of game a bit later and you can see the nerves get to him.
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maybe so, but this aint the week for critics t chirp Mitcheroo won it.
 

A_Slab_of_Bacon said:
I'm pretty sure we've seen this ebb and flow with Mitch before. It's the standard deal you get with Mitch. Then you get another type of game a bit later and you can see the nerves get to him.
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I know what you're saying, but if you listen to the interview it's a different tone from him. I'm not saying he's going to play lights out from now on but it just sounds like something is clicking.
 

Leidner...not Likener...you don't have to like him just respect the kid. He is Minnesota's son for 2 more years and he deserves our support when things are rough and tempered enthusiasm when things are going well. Hear yourself and your comments; what kid deserves 6 days/week being told he can't throw, read defenses, etc.? No KID. A man, getting paid to take a few on the chin, but not a 18, 19, 20 year-old. Mitch deserves MN support.

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Overall, I agree that Mitch this year has come up big when needed and that he finds a way to get it done. Also thought the offensive gameplan was well-designed and simple but effective on Saturday: lots of checkdowns, slants, simple routes, etc.

Would be interesting to see what the post-game reaction and GH threads would've been had the Ohio DB come down with an interception during our game winning drive. It was definitely a tough catch for the DB, but he had it in his hands and we were very close to a Gophers loss and a potential GH melt-down.
 

Hollinsanity said:
Overall, I agree that Mitch this year has come up big when needed and that he finds a way to get it done. Also thought the offensive gameplan was well-designed and simple but effective on Saturday: lots of checkdowns, slants, simple routes, etc.

Would be interesting to see what the post-game reaction and GH threads would've been had the Ohio DB come down with an interception during our game winning drive. It was definitely a tough catch for the DB, but he had it in his hands and we were very close to a Gophers loss and a potential GH melt-down.
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There are those who really enjoy ripping on players and coaches as a form of therapy after a letdown, and there are those who love to rip on the complainers. Both are highly annoying as they filter every comment through their bias lens. The majority of posters here are pretty nuanced, IMO. Check out just about any sports board...GH is Scandinavian bliss and the rest are Mesopotamian madness by comparison.

There are always going to be agitators and company men in any organization.
 

jonnyganas said:
Let's be honest, this is the best we've seen so far of Mitch Leidner. For those that mention the four bad passes over the course of the entire game, show me elite college QBs that don't over/under throw receivers during a game. Way to go, Mitch!
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Agree, well stated. Trust me, I've had my face palm moments, like everyone else, with Mitch, but this was a good game and he deserves kudos. We know he's not an elite QB, but if Mitch can be the 6th or 7th best QB in the Big Ten, this team will win a lot of games (this assumes injuries don't sink us, and the special teams get sorted out). Mitch needs to be good enough so our opponents respect him and it loosens up our running game.

Tiny made a good point about when Mitch throws off his back foot, I'm sure the coaches are working with him on this. Solving that bad habit will go along way. Mitch seems to do better in roll outs, as well.
 

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