George Thole: Kill optimistic about Minnesota's football future

[GreasyGopher]

Marqueis Gray is the best QB currently on the Gopher's roster. If a true freshman was going to beat Gray, it would have been last year when Gray was transitioning back to QB. Now that Gray has a year of experience under his belt, a true freshman isn't going to come in and beat him for the starting job. If the results of last year are any indication, Philip Nelson isn't going to know near enough of the playbook to contribute year 1. Also don't give up on Shortell, it was only last year that everyone thought he was the heir apparent.

 

[GoAUpher]

I wondered how this thread blew up. Now I know why. Sheesh.

 

[zambam]

Oh man I forgot to say this about that Decker analogy: Decker was recruited as a WR, Gray recruited as a QB.

 

[50PoundHead]

All 3 of our wins last year were about Gray making plays. He's going to be the QB this year, deal with it. Nelson will not be at Gray's level of playmaking ability.

+1. We're 0-and-whatever if Gray's not the QB last year and we wouldn't be close to .500 in 2012 with anyone else but Gray at QB (we may have trouble getting to .500 at any rate). Gray's future may be at WR in the NFL, but the B1G is not the NFL.

 

[mntwinsfreak89]

If you honestly think that Gray will not start and take every meaningful snap at QB this year (barring injury), you may as well stand out on the street corner holding a giant neon sign that reads "I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT FOOTBALL".

thank you.

 

[Killjoy]

If you honestly think that Gray will not start and take every meaningful snap at QB this year (barring injury), you may as well stand out on the street corner holding a giant neon sign that reads "I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT FOOTBALL".

Thanks dpodoll - I go on a short vacation and when I come back I find out that inmates are running the asylum. Thanks for wrestling back the keys. Now we can go back to something meaningful and real like spring football.

 

[Deleted_User]

All 3 of our wins last year were about Gray making plays. He's going to be the QB this year, deal with it. Nelson will not be at Gray's level of playmaking ability.

And the other 9? Were they on Gray not making plays? Bogus argument.

 

[Deleted_User]

A winter conditioning video sparks this debate again. Last season I was on board with moving Gray back to WR and going with another option because it made sense from a future standpoint given that the season looked like a lost cause.

Moving ahead to 2012, Gray is and should be our starting QB. The only way that would change is if Shortell were to come in and light it up during spring and fall camp to the point where the coaches felt like they just had to get him on the field. That seems very unlikely but it could happen. As for all this talk about Nelson I actually hope the kid flops some here during spring ball so that all the delusional posters who have turned this kid into the second coming of Tim Tebow will back off and realize he is a true freshman who is going to need to adjust from the level of MN high school football to D1 college football. That is a massive leap. I hope he turns out to be a great QB for us but the likely hood of him being ready to be that guy as a true freshman is slim to none.

Hoping a player flops just to make a point shows the world what a piece of work you really are. Please retract the statement and gain back the respect you lost.