Let the Seth Green Era Begin!

[hungan1]

They burned Croft's red shirt his freshman year for a few snaps in the injury ridden 2015 season. Did they red shirt him last year?

At 6-5, I hope he can be like former Vikings QB Brad Johnson where his height gave him an advantage. At 200 pounds, he is kind of lanky.

Green is 6-4 235 pounds. If he can develop accuracy or quick-release, the Gophers are in good hands. We'll have to see.

It will be a battle of leadership, wills, and determination. We'll know very soon.

 

[PitinoFan]

Croft - based on his high school tape, he was extremely raw coming in, and looked lost in the little action he got his Freshman year.

Rhoda - I was not impressed with his game against Maryland. At least 3 of his 15 pass attempts should have been picked off. He's an emergency backup at best.

Green - His high school tape is much better than anything I've seen from either of the above.

Estes - Athletic freak, but undersized and very raw. He'll probably end up switching positions.

Morgan - Has the best mechanics of the group, can seemingly make all of the throws, and according to PJ, is a "gym rat." He'll do what he needs to do to learn the system quickly. But, he's still hasn't even reached his 18th birthday. Definitely a redshirt candidate.

I'll predict either Green or Morgan starts against Buffalo.




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[salzie]

They burned Croft's red shirt his freshman year for a few snaps in the injury ridden 2015 season. Did they red shirt him last year?

At 6-5, I hope he can be like former Vikings QB Brad Johnson where his height gave him an advantage. At 200 pounds, he is kind of lanky.

Green is 6-4 235 pounds. If he can develop accuracy or quick-release, the Gophers are in good hands. We'll have to see.

It will be a battle of leadership, wills, and determination. We'll know very soon.

Yes, Croft was redshirted last year. From what I have heard, he throws nice ball and has a lot of natural talent, it's the other items needing work

 

[MNfootballfan]

Croft - based on his high school tape, he was extremely raw coming in, and looked lost in the little action he got his Freshman year.

Rhoda - I was not impressed with his game against Maryland. At least 3 of his 15 pass attempts should have been picked off. He's an emergency backup at best.

Green - His high school tape is much better than anything I've seen from either of the above.

Estes - Athletic freak, but undersized and very raw. He'll probably end up switching positions.

Morgan - Has the best mechanics of the group, can seemingly make all of the throws, and according to PJ, is a "gym rat." He'll do what he needs to do to learn the system quickly. But, he's still hasn't even reached his 18th birthday. Definitely a redshirt candidate.

I'll predict either Green or Morgan starts against Buffalo.




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Can't argue with you much on this. I agree, I think Green and Morgan are currently sitting a top the charts.

 

[BarnBoy]

Croft - based on his high school tape, he was extremely raw coming in, and looked lost in the little action he got his Freshman year.

Rhoda - I was not impressed with his game against Maryland. At least 3 of his 15 pass attempts should have been picked off. He's an emergency backup at best.

Green - His high school tape is much better than anything I've seen from either of the above.

Estes - Athletic freak, but undersized and very raw. He'll probably end up switching positions.

Morgan - Has the best mechanics of the group, can seemingly make all of the throws, and according to PJ, is a "gym rat." He'll do what he needs to do to learn the system quickly. But, he's still hasn't even reached his 18th birthday. Definitely a redshirt candidate.

I'll predict either Green or Morgan starts against Buffalo.

Good write-up. I agree with all, but think we have to give Croft the benefit of the doubt since his limited action was when we were getting thoroughly dismantled by Northwestern. Everyone looked lost that game.

 

[Zeppelin Gopher]

I still have high hopes for Croft as well. Like his athleticism, height, and release. Pretty sure he throws the best ball on the team.

Issue with him may be playbook competency / overall mastery of the offense. At least that's been the word from the Nagurski complex.

 

[die hard gopher]

I would put very little if no stock based on what Demry showed against Purdue and Northwestern, at least as a passer. He'll be two full years older and it was 17 attempts. He also had two drops in there by Holland and Wozniak if I remember correctly.

I was absolutely enamored though with how he played in the OD bowl clearly out dueling Heisman trophy winner Lamar Jackson. Take it FWIW though. I do think he throws a really pretty ball, has height and athleticism. I wish he were 20 pounds heavier though.

 

[WorkingMyTailOff]

What does "throwing a good ball mean"?
Sorry, but I'm not sure that is really something fans like us can claim player a throws a better ball than player b.
It goes back to last year's Tcu game where Leidner had something wrong with his hand or something because he was not throwing spirals. Other than that game I though he threw a good ball but it wasn't always a good choice or in the right spot

 

[FireDaveLee]

I wouldn't be surprised if we see a few different QB's in the opener. If there's any silver lining to the QB situation, it's that both Green & Croft are available & we're not in a position of attempting to protect them for a redshirt situation. The Gophers were fortunate from that aspect that Rhoda only had to fill in one game & Leidner didn't go down with a season ending injury of some sort.

I like what I'm hearing about Morgan, but I doubt he'd be starting the opener & am guessing that we'll only see him this season if Rhoda/Green/Croft all fail dramatically.

One never knows though. In '07, I would have guessed that Mortensen was going to be the opening day starter because he had at least had some D-I game action & was a little older. But if the younger kid is better, as in the case of Weber, perhaps it's best to throw him in and start now.

 

[Meyerchiro34]

What does "throwing a good ball mean"?
Sorry, but I'm not sure that is really something fans like us can claim player a throws a better ball than player b.
It goes back to last year's Tcu game where Leidner had something wrong with his hand or something because he was not throwing spirals. Other than that game I though he threw a good ball but it wasn't always a good choice or in the right spot

Leidner did not throw a good ball. Neither did Manning. A spiral is much easier to catch

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

Leidner did not throw a good ball. Neither did Manning. A spiral is much easier to catch

Can we get some "bad ball" throwing Manning types then?

 

[WorkingMyTailOff]

Leidner did not throw a good ball. Neither did Manning. A spiral is much easier to catch

Disagree and I'm not saying Leidner was a great qb. With a few exceptions the guy throws spirals.

Leidner I thought also threw very nice long passes that should have been caught more often.

Anyway sorry to side track a good conversation about the future.

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

Disagree and I'm not saying Leidner was a great qb. With a few exceptions the guy throws spirals.

Leidner I thought also threw very nice long passes that should have been caught more often.

Anyway sorry to side track a good conversation about the future.

Sorry to add on to the sidetrack, but I also thought Leidner threw a much better deep ball than it would initially seem. Our WRs were awful at making a play on a ball and even adjusting to the ball in the air.

I'm not saying Leidner was good, I thought he was bad last year, this is more of a gripe with our receivers.

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

This has to be the most wide open QB situation I can think of a least as far as what we know and have to go on (PJ and Co. might think differently).

There really is so little to go on...

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

Good write-up. I agree with all, but think we have to give Croft the benefit of the doubt since his limited action was when we were getting thoroughly dismantled by Northwestern. Everyone looked lost that game.

Yeah, I pretty much agree with this.

I agree wit PitinoFan's writeup, I just am not so sure what we have in Croft and I'm not ready to judge him at all from his FR season.

 

[Otis]

Croft - based on his high school tape, he was extremely raw coming in, and looked lost in the little action he got his Freshman year.

Rhoda - I was not impressed with his game against Maryland. At least 3 of his 15 pass attempts should have been picked off. He's an emergency backup at best.

Green - His high school tape is much better than anything I've seen from either of the above.

Estes - Athletic freak, but undersized and very raw. He'll probably end up switching positions.

Morgan - Has the best mechanics of the group, can seemingly make all of the throws, and according to PJ, is a "gym rat." He'll do what he needs to do to learn the system quickly. But, he's still hasn't even reached his 18th birthday. Definitely a redshirt candidate.

I'll predict either Green or Morgan starts against Buffalo.




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I like your assessment. Croft and Green could have rely grown in their redshirt year and not be at all like we last saw them. I'd put my money on one of these two to start the season atop the depth chart.

1. Green
1A. Croft
3. Morgan (most likely red-shirted)
4. Rhoda
5. Estes (redshirted)

Both the top 2 throw better than Mitch, but the trick is making the right decision. I'm not sure which would be the better choice there. I was at the Maryland game and there is no way Rhoda should start unless we have some serious injury problems.

 

[die hard gopher]

Pretty ball means to me means a perfect spiral with a decent throwing motion and high velocity on intermediate throws.

I don't think Mitch ever really threw perfect spirals. Some were better than others but I never once thought it was perfect. Demry can throw perfect spirals on a pretty consistent basis. Mitch also never really rifled it like a laser on intermediate throws. I think Demry does a better job of that.

Obviously there is way, way more to being a good QB than just how pretty your ball looks and I liked Mitch but I think Demry is tops in this regard.

 

[MNVCGUY]

This has to be the most wide open QB situation I can think of a least as far as what we know and have to go on (PJ and Co. might think differently).

There really is so little to go on...

I doubt the staff has made too many decisions on guys either because with recruiting and what not I highly doubt they have even had much time to look at last years practice or game film yet to start putting together opinions on the abilities of guys like Green, Croft and Rhoda. They will start that now and continue into spring. Morgan might be their handpicked guy but it is anyones guess how smoothly he will make the transition from high school to college.

Definitely should be a very wide open competition this spring, I just hope an option emerges even if the guy that starts game one isn't the long term solution. As others have said it would not be shocking to see multiple guys get a shot against Buffalo but I am sure the coaches would love to identify one guy as the primary option over the course of spring and fall camp.

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

I doubt the staff has made too many decisions on guys either because with recruiting and what not I highly doubt they have even had much time to look at last years practice or game film yet to start putting together opinions on the abilities of guys like Green, Croft and Rhoda. They will start that now and continue into spring. Morgan might be their handpicked guy but it is anyones guess how smoothly he will make the transition from high school to college.

Definitely should be a very wide open competition this spring, I just hope an option emerges even if the guy that starts game one isn't the long term solution. As others have said it would not be shocking to see multiple guys get a shot against Buffalo but I am sure the coaches would love to identify one guy as the primary option over the course of spring and fall camp.

Yeah PJ said in the conference that you just don't know about QBs until you work with them for a long time and I think he meant that applied to everyone ... very possible they are as open as anyone.

 

[salzie]

What does "throwing a good ball mean"?
Sorry, but I'm not sure that is really something fans like us can claim player a throws a better ball than player b.
It goes back to last year's Tcu game where Leidner had something wrong with his hand or something because he was not throwing spirals. Other than that game I though he threw a good ball but it wasn't always a good choice or in the right spot

Typically a tight spiral that travels quickly. Many a Qb can throw a nice looking ball, but have no accuracy

some throw wobbling balls that find their mark

ideally, looks good and finds their mark

 

[short ornery norwegian]

some coaches are comfortable rotating QB's or having a multiple QB system. Don't know about Fleck.

Based on his comments on signing day, I get the sense that Fleck sees Morgan as the QB of the future. The question is - when does the future begin. IF the Gopher offense struggles out of the gate, and IF Morgan is looking good in practice, I would not be shocked if Fleck throws Morgan into the fire to see how he handles it. Unless one of the other candidates is clearly head-and-shoulders ahead of the pack, I would not be surprised if Morgan is the starter by mid-season.

 

[Lakeville Goldy]

some coaches are comfortable rotating QB's or having a multiple QB system. Don't know about Fleck.

Based on his comments on signing day, I get the sense that Fleck sees Morgan as the QB of the future. The question is - when does the future begin. IF the Gopher offense struggles out of the gate, and IF Morgan is looking good in practice, I would not be shocked if Fleck throws Morgan into the fire to see how he handles it. Unless one of the other candidates is clearly head-and-shoulders ahead of the pack, I would not be surprised if Morgan is the starter by mid-season.

I don't disagree with your assessment. He said the comment about playing true freshmen specifically regarding offensive linemen I think (no better way to get them ready than to make them play as freshmen). He also said no better place to come in as a QB because they have no idea what they have. Of course, at that point Williams and Green didn't know their fates. But I agree that it sounded like Morgan was the future and I also wouldn't be surprised if he starts at some point. I just hope it's not a bungling of the RS like Kill did to Croft. That still ticks me off, just because it was so meaningless.

Once they start Spring practice it'll be interesting to see what happens. I still feel like McLaurin is the odd man out, but we'll see. Morgan is the only QB with a RS to potentially protect, so there's no reason not to play any of the others. The only starters that would surprise me at this point would be Estes and Rhoda. I think now that Green is in the mix I just don't see Rhoda getting playing time in front of both Green and Croft. From seeing him play at Maryland, I would be real disappointed if that's the best option this team has.

The other thing to remember, there is still a possibility Williams could be reinstated on appeal. If that happens, that could really confuse the issue. I don't know what the chances are of that happening (I'd think slim but I have no real idea), but it is possible. And if he does, I wonder if now he would switch positions to WR based on the number of QB's. Amazing how a couple weeks changes that situation so drastically.

 

[Urbandale]

I don't disagree with your assessment. He said the comment about playing true freshmen specifically regarding offensive linemen I think (no better way to get them ready than to make them play as freshmen). He also said no better place to come in as a QB because they have no idea what they have. Of course, at that point Williams and Green didn't know their fates. But I agree that it sounded like Morgan was the future and I also wouldn't be surprised if he starts at some point. I just hope it's not a bungling of the RS like Kill did to Croft. That still ticks me off, just because it was so meaningless.

Once they start Spring practice it'll be interesting to see what happens. I still feel like McLaurin is the odd man out, but we'll see. Morgan is the only QB with a RS to potentially protect, so there's no reason not to play any of the others. The only starters that would surprise me at this point would be Estes and Rhoda. I think now that Green is in the mix I just don't see Rhoda getting playing time in front of both Green and Croft. From seeing him play at Maryland, I would be real disappointed if that's the best option this team has.

The other thing to remember, there is still a possibility Williams could be reinstated on appeal. If that happens, that could really confuse the issue. I don't know what the chances are of that happening (I'd think slim but I have no real idea), but it is possible. And if he does, I wonder if now he would switch positions to WR based on the number of QB's. Amazing how a couple weeks changes that situation so drastically.

In the long run, though, Croft playing his true freshman year had no downside. If he'd redshirted that first year, then he wouldn't have redshirted last year. And the only time he possibly would have played this past year (and there's no guarantee that it still wouldn't have been Rhoda) would have been the Maryland game. So this fall he would still be entering his redshirt sophomore season with a handful of snaps under his belt.

 

[Tucker32]

I like your assessment. Croft and Green could have rely grown in their redshirt year and not be at all like we last saw them. I'd put my money on one of these two to start the season atop the depth chart.

1. Green
1A. Croft
3. Morgan (most likely red-shirted)
4. Rhoda
5. Estes (redshirted)

Both the top 2 throw better than Mitch, but the trick is making the right decision. I'm not sure which would be the better choice there. I was at the Maryland game and there is no way Rhoda should start unless we have some serious injury problems.

What do you base Green throwing a better ball than Mitch on? When I saw him play in high school he was extremely inaccurate - strong arm, but inaccurate. His time in Texas was described similarly, so hard to tell what may have changed in the past year.

 

[PitinoFan]

What do you base Green throwing a better ball than Mitch on? When I saw him play in high school he was extremely inaccurate - strong arm, but inaccurate. His time in Texas was described similarly, so hard to tell what may have changed in the past year.

That's the problem with these highlight videos. We don't get to see the bad throws.




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[Hates Monikers]

In the long run, though, Croft playing his true freshman year had no downside. If he'd redshirted that first year, then he wouldn't have redshirted last year. And the only time he possibly would have played this past year (and there's no guarantee that it still wouldn't have been Rhoda) would have been the Maryland game. So this fall he would still be entering his redshirt sophomore season with a handful of snaps under his belt.

Except that Croft would've started against Maryland last year (sorry, Rhoda fans). That would've given him at least a little more experience than he received his freshman year. And who knows -- maybe they would've found other spots to get him in last year.

I'm convinced that when they put Croft into the Northwestern game, they were ready to make a change. Leidner had been terrible for most of the season to that point. But Leidner turned it around and finished really well.

 

[Smash em Gophs!]

I agree with most that Rhoda would be very disappointing. He has almost no shot, IMO. The only reason I give him any is if Morgan isn't ready and the coaches don't want to put green or Croft out there for 1 year to pull the job away and give it Morgan in 2018. But I would sure assume the desire to win would trump the desire to not bruise egos

Morgan will obviously be the long term starter barring something weird. The only question is will it be 2017?

Croft is the complete unknown. Relatively touted ckming in. Literally got thrown on the field like a sacrificial lamb his freshman year. He looked like a fawn in the headlights. Has the kid gotten any stronger? Every time he went back to pass I was afraid he would get snapped in half.

Green is our favored local son who was undoubtedly overrated in MN. Hopefully a couple years working with different college systems has helped him a lot. One big advantage he has is having practiced and/or played in 4 different offenses in 4 years. That could give him the jump as far as picking things up quickly. I'd love to see him win the job and Morgan RS. I just wonder if the coaches would want 2 years of Green vs Morgan after that.

I'm sure there will be some loyalty with fleck. I'm also sure the guy wants to win every game and will do whatever he thinks it takes to do so.

 

[Smash em Gophs!]

Except that Croft would've started against Maryland last year (sorry, Rhoda fans). That would've given him at least a little more experience than he received his freshman year. And who knows -- maybe they would've found other spots to get him in last year.

I'm convinced that when they put Croft into the Northwestern game, they were ready to make a change. Leidner had been terrible for most of the season to that point. But Leidner turned it around and finished really well.

REALLY WELL. The high hopes we had for last year at the QB position.....

 

[hungan1]

Croft - based on his high school tape, he was extremely raw coming in, and looked lost in the little action he got his Freshman year.

Rhoda - I was not impressed with his game against Maryland. At least 3 of his 15 pass attempts should have been picked off. He's an emergency backup at best.

Green - His high school tape is much better than anything I've seen from either of the above.

Estes - Athletic freak, but undersized and very raw. He'll probably end up switching positions.

Morgan - Has the best mechanics of the group, can seemingly make all of the throws, and according to PJ, is a "gym rat." He'll do what he needs to do to learn the system quickly. But, he's still hasn't even reached his 18th birthday. Definitely a redshirt candidate.

I'll predict either Green or Morgan starts against Buffalo.




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Croft is still 200 pounds! The same weight when he reported as a freshman. At 6-5, I'd like him 30-35 pounds heavier.

 

[Smash em Gophs!]

Croft is still 200 pounds! The same weight when he reported as a freshman. At 6-5, I'd like him 30-35 pounds heavier.

If that's the case, he would be in ICU in the first couple weeks! He looked so thin his freshman year. I've never seen a QB with that build before.