Fleck: "I know we didn't throw the ball particularly a lot this year. I'm very aware of that.”

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per Randy:


That Fleck wasn't completely satisfied with a bowl win should be viewed as a positive. He knows that, yes, his 2021 Gophers had the ability to bludgeon opponents into submission behind the massive offensive line and a deep, talented group of running backs. That doesn't always work, though, as the Gophers learned in losses to Bowling Green and Illinois. He wants, expects and will demand more from the passing game in 2022.

"I know we didn't throw the ball particularly a lot this year. I'm very aware of that,'' Fleck said. "That does not mean we're not going to throw the ball next year.''

Indeed, the Gophers ran the ball 601 times this season and passed it 257 times for a run-pass split of 70% to 30%. Their passes attempted were the fewest among FBS programs, aside from the run-heavy triple-option attacks of Air Force, Army and Navy.

Remember, Fleck is former standout college wide receiver who made it to the NFL, and naturally he takes pride in the passing game. He and receivers coach Matt Simon have built a reputation for developing wideouts — see Johnson, Tyler; and Bateman, Rashod — and that is a key recruiting pitch. Problem is, though, if the wideouts aren't getting the ball, developing them becomes more difficult.

Fleck's first big step toward fixing the passing game was firing offensive coordinator Mike Sanford Jr. and bringing back Kirk Ciarrocca, who worked wonders with returning quarterback Tanner Morgan. In 2019, Morgan passed for single-season school records of 3,253 yards and 30 touchdowns. In the past two seasons without Ciarrocca, Morgan passed for a total of 17 TDs over 20 games.

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Go Gophers!!
 


It will be very interesting to see what our offense looks like next year. Hopefully we recapture that 2019 magic. We may not have a TJ/Bateman duo but CRAB/Wright/Jackson is a very solid top 3 and MBS has shown some flashes as well. The weapons are there and in addition to those receivers we also now have a TE who has shown some good receiving ability to add in.

Could be a lot of fun if KC can find a way to get Morgan back into 2019 form where he played at a really high level all season.
 




KC is back in the fold does wonder to the look of the Gopher Offense. I look forward to an improved passing game.

What is more exciting is the coming of the Athan Kaliakmanis Era.
 
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FanSinceTheFifties said:
I just wonder sometimes, though, if some posters here plead for more passing because they think the Gophers will win more or because they think passing is more entertaining.
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If a team doesn’t happened to have the largest most experienced offensive line in all of college football (something a team almost never has), running the ball 70% of the time—without a run threat QB—will make you a very mediocre team at the P5 level. Hyper-predictable and easy to defense. And your passing game won’t be there when you need it (which you will, often, if you don’t have the largest most experienced OL in college football) because your QB will be rusty and might lack confidence … and your WRs might not develop coordination with the QB and might be come disengaged. And, over time, you can simply forget recruiting good WRs if you run 70% of the time. GH Posters who wish for a more balanced offense, if they are like me, (1) want to continue winning once we don’t have the biggest most experienced OL in college football; and (2) want talented WRs and TEs to consider rather than reject out of hand the Gophers as a place to play.
 
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FanSinceTheFifties said:
I just wonder sometimes, though, if some posters here plead for more passing because they think the Gophers will win more or because they think passing is more entertaining.
Click to expand...
It's like the throwing to the TE thing. Think of how good our offense was in 2019. . .many posters on here were up in arms about not throwing to the TE enough.

It'd be nice if the real world was like a video game and we could have absolutely everything, but unfortunately it's a give and take.

You have a dominant OL, great RBs, and a very good defense . . . you'll see complaints about not passing enough.

You have two WRs who are All Big 10 . . . you'll see complaints about not throwing to a TE.

You have a dominant running game. . . you'll see complaints that occasionally our runs don't work when we RUTM.

We had posters complaining about Justin Walley being prone to flags after the WI game. He made the play that turned around everything and he was one of the best FR I've ever seen.

Tanner had a really rough stretch this year and we didn't throw the ball well. Some of this was by design and some of this was just we weren't that good, but that happens. I'm not saying people shouldn't be critical, we should be. But I think some people don't put things into the proper perspective.

Here is my prediction for next year - - we'll do a lot of things really well. The things we don't do as well will be unacceptable to some posters.
 

Gophergrandpa said:
If a team doesn’t happened to have the largest most experienced offensive line in all of college football (something a team almost never has), running the ball 70% of the time will make you a very mediocre team at the P5 level. Hyper-predictable and easy to defense. And your passing game won’t be there when you need it (which you will, often, if you don’t have the largest most experienced OL in college football) because your QB will be rusty and might lack confidence … and your WRs might not develop coordination with the QB and might be come disengaged. And, over time, you can simply forget recruiting good WRs if you run 70% of the time. GH Posters who wish for a more balanced offense, if they are like me, (1) want to continue winning once we don’t have the biggest most experienced OL in college football; and (2) want talented WRs and TEs to consider rather than reject out of hand the Gophers as a place to play.
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It was kind of the perfect storm for a ton of running.

We had a dominant OL.
We had a very good defense.
Our passing game struggled (inconsistent QB play and depth/inconsistency/health issues at WR).

We're going to have a large OL next year and it will be pretty experienced. It won't be as experienced as this year because of the anomaly that is COVID.
 





Bob_Loblaw said:
It's like the throwing to the TE thing. Think of how good our offense was in 2019. . .many posters on here were up in arms about not throwing to the TE enough.

It'd be nice if the real world was like a video game and we could have absolutely everything, but unfortunately it's a give and take.

You have a dominant OL, great RBs, and a very good defense . . . you'll see complaints about not passing enough.

You have two WRs who are All Big 10 . . . you'll see complaints about not throwing to a TE.

You have a dominant running game. . . you'll see complaints that occasionally our runs don't work when we RUTM.

We had posters complaining about Justin Walley being prone to flags after the WI game. He made the play that turned around everything and he was one of the best FR I've ever seen.

Tanner had a really rough stretch this year and we didn't throw the ball well. Some of this was by design and some of this was just we weren't that good, but that happens. I'm not saying people shouldn't be critical, we should be. But I think some people don't put things into the proper perspective.

Here is my prediction for next year - - we'll do a lot of things really well. The things we don't do as well will be unacceptable to some posters.
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So a perspective different than yours is a wrong perspective?
 

SonjayLarrick said:
So a perspective different than yours is a wrong perspective?
Click to expand...
Nope, and you'd have to really be looking for something that isn't there to even ask that question. I think reasonable people can disagree but that doesn't mean that everyone who disagrees with me is reasonable.

I'm not sure what your perspective is but the fact that you would take exception to my pretty neutral post is a good hint at where you might land.

Here are some example:
If someone thinks that we should be returning more kicks and punts than we currently do. This is a take that I think is reasonable but I actually (mostly) disagree with it. However, if someone thinks it's the lack of a return game is unique to the Gophers, that's demonstrably false and not a reasonable take.

I think it's definitely reasonable to want to pass more (and better). But I think the proper perspective (IMO) is to remember that has a ripple effect. Your defense probably won't be as dominant (a ball control type of offense helps a defense). You might not finish games as well. We had the luxury of having defenses getting pushed around by a massive OL all game going into the 4th quarter. Again, the take that you want to throw more is completely reasonable. If you don't think it will have an impact on the rest of the game, it's unreasonable.

You hate the offense looking to the sideline for last minute audibles - totally reasonable. However, most of those folks probably didn't even notice that on two of our longest plays we changed the direction at the very last minute and got the snap off with 1 second on the play clock (Bucky's run to the 1 and I believe Ky's long run). So it's reasonable to be against looking to the sideline like that, but it's unreasonable to think it's unique to us and to ignore when it absolutely helps us.
 



Bob_Loblaw said:
Nope, and you'd have to really be looking for something that isn't there to even ask that question. I think reasonable people can disagree but that doesn't mean that everyone who disagrees with me is reasonable.

I'm not sure what your perspective is but the fact that you would take exception to my pretty neutral post is a good hint at where you might land.

Here are some example:
If someone thinks that we should be returning more kicks and punts than we currently do. This is a take that I think is reasonable but I actually (mostly) disagree with it. However, if someone thinks it's the lack of a return game is unique to the Gophers, that's demonstrably false and not a reasonable take.

I think it's definitely reasonable to want to pass more (and better). But I think the proper perspective (IMO) is to remember that has a ripple effect. Your defense probably won't be as dominant (a ball control type of offense helps a defense). You might not finish games as well. We had the luxury of having defenses getting pushed around by a massive OL all game going into the 4th quarter. Again, the take that you want to throw more is completely reasonable. If you don't think it will have an impact on the rest of the game, it's unreasonable.

You hate the offense looking to the sideline for last minute audibles - totally reasonable. However, most of those folks probably didn't even notice that on two of our longest plays we changed the direction at the very last minute and got the snap off with 1 second on the play clock (Bucky's run to the 1 and I believe Ky's long run). So it's reasonable to be against looking to the sideline like that, but it's unreasonable to think it's unique to us and to ignore when it absolutely helps us.
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Justify however you may. How can you possibly judge someone's perspective without even knowing what it is? Sure sign of ignorance.
 

SonjayLarrick said:
Justify however you may. How can you possibly judge someone's perspective without even knowing what it is? Sure sign of ignorance.
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Huh? Can you read? I literally spelled out numerous scenarios where I believe people don't have proper perspective because they aren't being logical. I didn't justify anything. You judge someone's perspective by using common sense. This isn't complicated.

Again, you're really looking for something in my post that isn't there. Give your head a shake and try again.
 

I would like to see KC use Bucky and Ky in more versatile ways next year, especially with Mo and Trey back and having to split carries between the four of them. Get the ball to them in space in the flat, use them in motion and on wheel routes that force a linebacker to cover them downfield. Take advantage of their speed and give Tanner easier, higher percentage throws. It will open up the offense and force defenses to prepare for a different offensive dimension the Gophers haven't had in past years.
 
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hungan1 said:
KC is back in the fold does wonder to the look of the Gopher Offense. I look forward to an improved passing game.

What is more exciting is the coming of the Athan Kaliakmanis Era.
Click to expand...
Ditto. The one trait of Fleckball since the beginning is predictability. KC is a master at finding mismatches. I look forward to more Brevyn Spann-Ford, who is a mismatch everywhere. I look forward to KC finding ways to use Mar'Keise Irving in space. I look look forward to Dylan Wright being utilized downfield more than twice a game. Oh, and Athan Kaliakmanis.
 

FanSinceTheFifties said:
I just wonder sometimes, though, if some posters here plead for more passing because they think the Gophers will win more or because they think passing is more entertaining.
Click to expand...
Passing opens up the run game, even with a massive O-line it's hard to gash a defense if all but a CB is in the box to stop the run. Need to keep defenses off balance, constantly thinking which leads to mistakes and resulting in bigger plays and more scoring. #boom #JohnMaddencomment
 

Passing less than any teams in the top division except the service teams doesn't make any sense and it cost us at least a couple of games. One problem is that Tanner can't scramble, but he has a hot hand at times and can pull a game out. The ratio doesn't have to be 50/50, but it's encouraging that the head coach sees the lack of passing as a problem that he hopes to fix in coming seasons.
 

hungan1 said:
KC is back in the fold does wonder to the look of the Gopher Offense. I look forward to an improved passing game.

What is more exciting is the coming of the Athan Kaliakmanis Era.
Click to expand...
Totally! So, how will Ciarrocca revive Tanner Morgan and still work in some snaps for Kaliakmanis? or whoever is next man up?
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
It's like the throwing to the TE thing. Think of how good our offense was in 2019. . .many posters on here were up in arms about not throwing to the TE enough.

It'd be nice if the real world was like a video game and we could have absolutely everything, but unfortunately it's a give and take.

You have a dominant OL, great RBs, and a very good defense . . . you'll see complaints about not passing enough.

You have two WRs who are All Big 10 . . . you'll see complaints about not throwing to a TE.

You have a dominant running game. . . you'll see complaints that occasionally our runs don't work when we RUTM.

We had posters complaining about Justin Walley being prone to flags after the WI game. He made the play that turned around everything and he was one of the best FR I've ever seen.

Tanner had a really rough stretch this year and we didn't throw the ball well. Some of this was by design and some of this was just we weren't that good, but that happens. I'm not saying people shouldn't be critical, we should be. But I think some people don't put things into the proper perspective.

Here is my prediction for next year - - we'll do a lot of things really well. The things we don't do as well will be unacceptable to some posters.
Click to expand...

Yes, well said.

Sports fans have changed over the years. It used to be a simple matter of enjoying the game as a form of entertainment, and cheering for your team. But the huge proliferation of sports media and the need for 24/7 sports content has resulted in a constant bombardment of analytical and critical sports commentary. As a result, sports fans themselves have become more analytical and more critical. 'Fandom' has become all about second-guessing coaching decisions and constantly calling for benchings and/or firings.

It's like going to a movie as a movie critic, as opposed to a person who simply wants to enjoy the film.
 
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FanSinceTheFifties said:
I just wonder sometimes, though, if some posters here plead for more passing because they think the Gophers will win more or because they think passing is more entertaining.
Click to expand...
Agreed. I Much prefer a great running game, always have. Next year I'd love to see Tanner with a 20/4 TD Interception ratio and RBs score 25 TDs
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
Nope, and you'd have to really be looking for something that isn't there to even ask that question. I think reasonable people can disagree but that doesn't mean that everyone who disagrees with me is reasonable.

I'm not sure what your perspective is but the fact that you would take exception to my pretty neutral post is a good hint at where you might land.

Here are some example:
If someone thinks that we should be returning more kicks and punts than we currently do. This is a take that I think is reasonable but I actually (mostly) disagree with it. However, if someone thinks it's the lack of a return game is unique to the Gophers, that's demonstrably false and not a reasonable take.

I think it's definitely reasonable to want to pass more (and better). But I think the proper perspective (IMO) is to remember that has a ripple effect. Your defense probably won't be as dominant (a ball control type of offense helps a defense). You might not finish games as well. We had the luxury of having defenses getting pushed around by a massive OL all game going into the 4th quarter. Again, the take that you want to throw more is completely reasonable. If you don't think it will have an impact on the rest of the game, it's unreasonable.

You hate the offense looking to the sideline for last minute audibles - totally reasonable. However, most of those folks probably didn't even notice that on two of our longest plays we changed the direction at the very last minute and got the snap off with 1 second on the play clock (Bucky's run to the 1 and I believe Ky's long run). So it's reasonable to be against looking to the sideline like that, but it's unreasonable to think it's unique to us and to ignore when it absolutely helps us.
Click to expand...
Perfectly stated my friend. Couldn't have said it better. Well done
 

Gophergrandpa said:
If a team doesn’t happened to have the largest most experienced offensive line in all of college football (something a team almost never has), running the ball 70% of the time—without a run threat QB—will make you a very mediocre team at the P5 level. Hyper-predictable and easy to defense. And your passing game won’t be there when you need it (which you will, often, if you don’t have the largest most experienced OL in college football) because your QB will be rusty and might lack confidence … and your WRs might not develop coordination with the QB and might be come disengaged. And, over time, you can simply forget recruiting good WRs if you run 70% of the time. GH Posters who wish for a more balanced offense, if they are like me, (1) want to continue winning once we don’t have the biggest most experienced OL in college football; and (2) want talented WRs and TEs to consider rather than reject out of hand the Gophers as a place to play.
Click to expand...
So if the team is different the results will be different? Seems to check out...
 


I wonder what the ratio looks like if you take out 4th quarter drives when we were ahead. Those long, win-finishing drives add a lot of extra runs to the final tally.
 

DCinOK said:
I refer to him as "Criminally Underutilized" Spann-Ford. He needs to be utilized.
Click to expand...
Always like an offense that has multiple weapons that a defense has to pay attention to. Even if it's just a couple throws a game it's nice to get the TE involved so they can't just assume they're a blocker.
 

I think a lot of this gets back to the biggest question for 2022:

the offensive line.

conventional wisdom says that O line play is all about cohesion. The Gophers will have four new starters on the O-Line next year, and lose the blocking of Kieft at TE. We can debate the individual talent level of each new starter, but to me, it seems logical that no matter how talented, it will take time for the new line to mesh with each other and become a cohesive unit.

Stating the obvious - if the O-Line can't run block, it's hard to run. If the O-Line can't pass block, it's hard to pass.

So - for all the talk of Kirk C. coming back, I submit that the most important coach on the team next year is O-Line Coach Callahan.
 

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