I stand by my previous point

[lakesgopher]

Mitch is ok at best. I really get annoyed when he drops back to pass and there is 5-6 yards of room to step up in the pocket and he just stands there...then he gets sacked or makes a bad throw. This team is solid but qb play will kill us all year.

 

[Hates Monikers]

Mitch Leidner was not the reason we lost last night, but as a redshirt junior having played a lot of football for the Gophers he certainly did not do anything to win us the game. It is frustrating as a Gophers fan to have watched a lot of bad football growing up and to now see a team that has so much potential be one average Big 10 QB away from being a serious contender. I 100% agree red-shirting Croft is the best thing for the long-term future of the program, but does anyone else get concerned that next year say Croft is better than Leidner yet yet Kill and Co. will continue to trot out Mitch due to him coming off 2 straight seasons as the undisputed starter?

Agree with all of this. I'm no Mitch fan, but the line was in disarray and I counted six dropped passes. Mitch was not our biggest problem.

The bigger thing for me is that this is probably our life for the next two years. This year Leidner is redshirt junior, returning starter versus a redshirt freshman walkon or true freshman. Sounds like a no-brainer. Next year will be no different: a fifth-year senior, two-year starter or a redshirt freshman.

Croft probably has bigger upside, but there's no way he gives us a better chance to win now. If the coaches found a way to get him some time this year, could he give us a better chance to win next year?

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[Gopherocious]

Holy hell people. Mitch was far from the problem tonight. I can't think of a single mental error he made all night (off the top of my head anyway). Imagine what some of you would be saying had it been him that missed the two wide open WR's for TD's. Mitch is a good QB, and he will have us in contention for the B1G West title this year. Get that line healthy, and if Mitch continues to play within himself, we can win a lot of ball games this season.

 

[GophersInIowa]

My problem with Mitch is not that he misses the deep balls. He CONSTANTLY misses the easy two yards out routes that a 12 year old qb could make. It's unbelievable. He is not starting quality and needs to be sat. Give Croft the ball and lets see what he does with it.

Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't remember a ton of issues with the short throws last night. He made a very nice throw over a defender on a swing pass to Williams but it was dropped. He made a nice throw on 4th down to May over the middle. The WR screens to the outside were just fine. On the chop block play, the ball was right where it needed to be. Nothing you can do when the defender is allowed to tackle our receiver before the ball gets there.

His issue last night was the throws down field. In the few he threw to Still down field, he didn't even give him a chance to make a play. The one that was completed on the fleaflicker wasn't good either.

 

[oleboy41]

It looks like Mitch doesn't have enough protection because he's molasses slow. He looks like a good B1G QB, but he doesn't play like one. Without Cobb running the ball 30 times a game, Mitch will be even more exposed. Quality opposing teams don't have to game plan against him because he can't beat them with his feet or his arm. Watching Mitch is like being a lousy golfer(I know!). You are out there for the intermittent gratification and to be with your friends. You aren't going to win much. He'll make the occasional good throw, but there's nothing sustainable against quality competition.

This makes no sense. First Mitch, while not a blazer or a quick twitch guy, has decent speed for a QB. Second, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are slow as dirt. 3rd, speed has nothing to do with anything when it comes to standing in the pocket. He got killed twice when Lauer put up 0 resistance against a speed rush.

 

[Vandy]

Kill has not been a BSer about his expectations. Even after tonight I have more confidence in Mitch than last year. That is a hell of a D we played against last year.

The good news is that I would bet that TCU never scores fewer than 23 points the rest of the season.

Touche...

 

[oleboy41]

Holy hell people. Mitch was far from the problem tonight. I can't think of a single mental error he made all night (off the top of my head anyway). Imagine what some of you would be saying had it been him that missed the two wide open WR's for TD's. Mitch is a good QB, and he will have us in contention for the B1G West title this year. Get that line healthy, and if Mitch continues to play within himself, we can win a lot of ball games this season.

lol. Agreed. Kid was ok last night against the #2 team in the country and they're acting like he played like Nelson did against Cuse. He was fine. He's not going to go out and win us games by himself but neither will most CFB QBs. I think some folks only watch the best of the best and don't realize that the vast majority of college QBs are extremely flawed either regarding decision making, accuracy or athleticism. Mitch isn't great but if the rest of the offense does what it's supposed to do, he doesn't have to be. When the rest of the offense isn't playing well, people expect the QB to be a super hero and create plays from nothing. Boykin had more egregious misses than leidner last night

 

[dpodoll68]

And here is the problem. If the Gophers are going to be legit contenders in the West Division Leidner needs to play better than "fine". He has played enough football for the team to conclude he is what he is and that is a below average QB within the conference.

Actually, he was right at average statistically last year and is almost certain to be as good or better this year. Sorry to disappoint you.

 

[dpodoll68]

This is spot on. All we heard this summer on this board was TCU's D was not as good last year because of what they lost. That sure has changed in a hurry on this board but we need to explain away the poor offense performance by the Gophers.

Complete and utter bullsh1t. Where do you come up with this nonsense? There may have been a handful of people saying that, since there is a plurality of thought on every board, but there were plenty of people saying that TCU would have a good D like they do almost every year. Do you ever get tired of being wrong? And why do you make sh1t up to find new ways to attack the Gophers?

 

[John Galt]

lol. Agreed. Kid was ok last night against the #2 team in the country and they're acting like he played like Nelson did against Cuse. He was fine. He's not going to go out and win us games by himself but neither will most CFB QBs. I think some folks only watch the best of the best and don't realize that the vast majority of college QBs are extremely flawed either regarding decision making, accuracy or athleticism. Mitch isn't great but if the rest of the offense does what it's supposed to do, he doesn't have to be. When the rest of the offense isn't playing well, people expect the QB to be a super hero and create plays from nothing. Boykin had more egregious misses than leidner last night

Agree with all of this, but when did Philip Nelson play against Syracuse?

 

[GophersInIowa]

Agree with all of this, but when did Philip Nelson play against Syracuse?

Bowl game

 

[Maximus]

Bowl game

Yep, end of an era. 2 for 7, 18 yards, benched.

 

[John Galt]

Here are the B1G West QBs:

Mitch Leidner - Minn
CJ Beathard - Iowa
Tommy Armstrong - Nebraska
Joel Stave - Wisky
Austin Appleby - Purdue
Clayton Thorson - NW
Wes Lunt - Illinois

For those who keep saying Mitch is below average, which 4 would you take over him right now?

 

[tinyarch]

...and I found someone with the maturity of Norwood Teague.

You have just insulted Norwood...

 

[tinyarch]

I'm not going to get into the fray regarding whether Leidner is horrible or whether he's not the problem. What I will say is that every time I see a Mitch Leidner pass, I begin to think that Joe Kapp has returned to Minnesota.

 

[BleedGopher]

Complete and utter bullsh1t. Where do you come up with this nonsense? There may have been a handful of people saying that, since there is a plurality of thought on every board, but there were plenty of people saying that TCU would have a good D like they do almost every year. Do you ever get tired of being wrong? And why do you make sh1t up to find new ways to attack the Gophers?

Agreed. Most people on here recognized they lost a few players, but their D would be strong. The many TCU fans the last few weeks said the same thing. This was expected to be a good D and it is a good D.

Go Gophers!!

 

[mnsportsgeek]

Here are the B1G West QBs:

Mitch Leidner - Minn
CJ Beathard - Iowa
Tommy Armstrong - Nebraska
Joel Stave - Wisky
Austin Appleby - Purdue
Clayton Thorson - NW
Wes Lunt - Illinois

For those who keep saying Mitch is below average, which 4 would you take over him right now?

Leidner is firmly #3 and arguably #2.

 

[rkhmncfo]

All those criticizing Mitch, I counted 3 dropped balls that absolutely should have been caught. That would have put Mitch's completion percentage at over 62%.

 

[GoldenUMNGopher]

All those criticizing Mitch, I counted 3 dropped balls that absolutely should have been caught. That would have put Mitch's completion percentage at over 62%.

And....what's the significance of 62%? The obsession of the completion % is ridiculous. Could be 85% if he tosses those WR screens all day. Its the key situations where he falls short. It is a problem if he can't stretch the field and not turn the ball over.

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[station19]

After taking a night to sleep (just kidding, insomnia!) on last night's game, I was pretty happy with the overall performance. Honestly, I didn't enter the game thinking we had much of a chance and I was less than happy with Leidner on more than a few plays. Still, this looks like it could be a very good football team by the end of the year. The biggest factor, imo, is Leidner. The defense is there and the wideouts are going to have start making more plays as the season goes along. But I happen to agree with the assessment that this team will only go as far Leidner can take them.

Nevertheless, I thought for a season-opening matchup with the No. 2 team in the country, the boys acquitted themselves quite well.

Sums it up pretty well for me also.

 

[station19]

I'm not going to get into the fray regarding whether Leidner is horrible or whether he's not the problem. What I will say is that every time I see a Mitch Leidner pass, I begin to think that Joe Kapp has returned to Minnesota.

Except Joe could make plays with his feet.

 

[mcal24]

Don't really get all the hate on Leidner. I thought he played pretty well last night. Sure he missed a couple throws, but maybe you guys didn't watch when arguably the Heisman trophy front runner missed a couple wide open TD passes. It happens to every QB. As has been said before, he just needs more help from the rest of the offense. The offensive line didn't give the receivers time to get more than 15 yards down the field, and the receivers didn't get a lot of separation most of the night. A good amount of Leidner's completions were in fairly tight coverage. Also noticed a few plays where I thought Leidner looked more comfortable in the pocket than previous years.

I do think the offense will be a lot better by the time we hit B1G play. We should be in the top 5 of the B1G in offense, which I would think is enough to have a shot at winning it. Last season, we were 6th in points scored in the conference.

 

[Spoofin]

Seems to me that the folks bashing ML7 are those that want him to be something he isn't. He isn't elite. He isn't going to take the game over. He isn't going to make all out WRs look better and force the D to focus on the pass. He isn't going to complete 60% of his passes. This doesn't, however, mean he sucks. He is what he is - average. Some good, some not so good, and nothing that jumps out at you. Stop expecting more.

Mitch is the best QB on this team right now. You are delusional if you think he isn't and that the coaches aren't as smart as you to recognize it.

Mitch didn't lose last night's game for us. You are delusional if you think he did.

 

[bemidjigopher]

And....what's the significance of 62%? The obsession of the completion % is ridiculous. Could be 85% if he tosses those WR screens all day. Its the key situations where he falls short. It is a problem if he can't stretch the field and not turn the ball over.

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Last I checked he completed a 4th down pass to maybe last night came up big a few 3rd and long vs Nebraska last year. I'd say he's just fine in the crucial moments.

 

[DoubleAlum]

Seems to me that the folks bashing ML7 are those that want him to be something he isn't. He isn't elite. He isn't going to take the game over. He isn't going to make all out WRs look better and force the D to focus on the pass. He isn't going to complete 60% of his passes. This doesn't, however, mean he sucks. He is what he is - average. Some good, some not so good, and nothing that jumps out at you. Stop expecting more.

Mitch is the best QB on this team right now. You are delusional if you think he isn't and that the coaches aren't as smart as you to recognize it.

Mitch didn't lose last night's game for us. You are delusional if you think he did.

I respect you a lot, but how do you know that Mitch is the best game-time QB we have right now when you've not seen one of the other QB's getting two or three entire games to prove themselves? Things happen that we and the coaches can't anticipate. How many folks thought before the game that Nugget would be ineffective and that most folks would be calling for Smith to be the main man?

 

[CentralGopher]

I didn't think ml played terrible but his stat line stinks. He isn't pretty but for the Most part after a couple initial errant throws he gets it where it needs to be. I still think our receivers need to improve as well though.

 

[mnsportsgeek]

Seems to me that the folks bashing ML7 are those that want him to be something he isn't. He isn't elite. He isn't going to take the game over. He isn't going to make all out WRs look better and force the D to focus on the pass. He isn't going to complete 60% of his passes. This doesn't, however, mean he sucks. He is what he is - average. Some good, some not so good, and nothing that jumps out at you. Stop expecting more.

Mitch is the best QB on this team right now. You are delusional if you think he isn't and that the coaches aren't as smart as you to recognize it.

Mitch didn't lose last night's game for us. You are delusional if you think he did.

Like

 

[station19]

Seems to me that the folks bashing ML7 are those that want him to be something he isn't. He isn't elite. He isn't going to take the game over. He isn't going to make all out WRs look better and force the D to focus on the pass. He isn't going to complete 60% of his passes. This doesn't, however, mean he sucks. He is what he is - average. Some good, some not so good, and nothing that jumps out at you. Stop expecting more.

Mitch is the best QB on this team right now. You are delusional if you think he isn't and that the coaches aren't as smart as you to recognize it.

Mitch didn't lose last night's game for us. You are delusional if you think he did.

It seems to be getting to you.

Speaking only for myself; I'm sure Kill and Co. are correct in that he is our best option at qb at present time. He is very limited.....very inconsistent with passing....when his passing is good he is okay....he doesn't throw a spiral and he often misses wide open receivers that are only 10 yds away. On top of that he can't make plays with his feet. Every thing he does is extremely slow.

It's true this team could win with better all around offensive talent....and an average Mitch, but qb is so important to make plays happen. When Mitch is playing well, he is average.

I take no joy in dissing our qb.........just sharing my disappointment.

 

[Spoofin]

I respect you a lot, but how do you know that Mitch is the best game-time QB we have right now when you've not seen one of the other QB's getting two or three entire games to prove themselves? Things happen that we and the coaches can't anticipate. How many folks thought before the game that Nugget would be ineffective and that most folks would be calling for Smith to be the main man?

You're correct that I am assuming the coaches know best. I also have no interest in starting another Freshmen QB. I think Mitch is average. I think we can win the West with Mitch, or that at least he gives us the best chance to do so. I also base that on his play to date and what 98% of Freshmen look like. I have also seen enough of CS5 to know what our Offense is with him. Better off with Mitch. A round robin of trying a few guys for extended periods is not a recipe for winning the West. I am in the camp that if Mitch goes down for an extended time, we will see Croft -(over Strev), but I hope we don't.

 

[rkhmncfo]

And....what's the significance of 62%? The obsession of the completion % is ridiculous. Could be 85% if he tosses those WR screens all day. Its the key situations where he falls short. It is a problem if he can't stretch the field and not turn the ball over.

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Point being people will never be happy and you ignore the fact that it takes 2 people to complete a pass and Mitch was adequate. Our OL and receivers? Not sure about that,