BleedGopher
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per ESPN:
There was a gap last season between what Mitch Leidner arm was capable of doing and how much Minnesota's coaches asked him to do.
Questions about the junior's accuracy will no doubt continue throughout the offseason until Leidner has a chance to put them to rest. Leidner's 51.9 percent completion percentage was last among Big Ten starters who attempted at least 200 passes last season. But at this point he's given no reason to doubt that he at least has every other tool needed to help the Gophers take the next step in the West Division.
There's room for improvement, which the junior quarterback is quick to point out on his own. At the same time, the coaching staff stresses that he has no reason to apologize for it as the Gophers could easily have tacked on a few pop passes or jet sweeps if they just wanted to boost his completion rate.
Both sides of the argument are strong, and the truth about Leidner's potential to stamp himself among the best quarterbacks in a bumper crop in the Big Ten surely settles somewhere in between them.
"I think completion percentage is really the only statistic that matters when you look at quarterback play, and obviously you want to get that up to the 65 percent or 70 percent range," Leidner said. "When you look at last season, a lot of throws were being made deep down the field and we're not getting the easy pitches or things like that.
"But I feel really confident in my arm, and I feel like I can make all the throws."
http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post...nal-puzzle-piece-for-minnesotas-mitch-leidner
Go Gophers!!
There was a gap last season between what Mitch Leidner arm was capable of doing and how much Minnesota's coaches asked him to do.
Questions about the junior's accuracy will no doubt continue throughout the offseason until Leidner has a chance to put them to rest. Leidner's 51.9 percent completion percentage was last among Big Ten starters who attempted at least 200 passes last season. But at this point he's given no reason to doubt that he at least has every other tool needed to help the Gophers take the next step in the West Division.
There's room for improvement, which the junior quarterback is quick to point out on his own. At the same time, the coaching staff stresses that he has no reason to apologize for it as the Gophers could easily have tacked on a few pop passes or jet sweeps if they just wanted to boost his completion rate.
Both sides of the argument are strong, and the truth about Leidner's potential to stamp himself among the best quarterbacks in a bumper crop in the Big Ten surely settles somewhere in between them.
"I think completion percentage is really the only statistic that matters when you look at quarterback play, and obviously you want to get that up to the 65 percent or 70 percent range," Leidner said. "When you look at last season, a lot of throws were being made deep down the field and we're not getting the easy pitches or things like that.
"But I feel really confident in my arm, and I feel like I can make all the throws."
http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post...nal-puzzle-piece-for-minnesotas-mitch-leidner
Go Gophers!!