Mitch Runs the 40 at the NFL Combine

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Spoofin said:
I think they get it. The problem is that the bit just isn't very good. At all, really.


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It's like having to explain a joke...if you are doing that it's just not that funny. There is nothing "to get" because it's just not that good.
 

EG#9 said:
I don't listen to the Common Man and am not a big fan of mocking, but you are crazy if you think Mitch gets it bad in the Twin Cities compared to some "college town". Mitch threw horrific INT's that were a major factor in at least two of the Gophers losses and threw just 3 touchdowns to 11 (!) interceptions in conference play. You honestly think a kid at Nebraska, Alabama, Florida State or wherever wouldn't have had it worse if they had the season Mitch had? I just can't believe you've listened to sports talk radio in any other market and then came to this conclusion.
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I have listened to sports talk radio in Alabama - which is basically college football radio. I agree that they would be very critical of someone like Mitch - see Jeremy Johnson at Auburn. There isn't the laughing and mocking, though. There may be more anger (which is a product of the fan base), but the mocking is directed more at the coaches and their recruiting. Even with the McShay thing (predicting Mitch as a 1st rounder), I feel like more of the mocking is directed at Mitch than the guy who was epically wrong. I mean statistically Mitch had a better career than almost any QB in modern Minnesota history - and dominates in winning %. Rickey Foggie being celebrated while Mitch Leidner is ridiculed is ridiculous. Leidner even threw for more yards (at an almost identical completion percentage) than Corey Sauter - who played in the pass happy Wacker days.

I'm not saying they should retire his number, but he will be honored at TCF Bank Stadium one day and should go down as one of the top 2-3 QBs in our program's history. I get the general public's hate because many are just insecure Vikings fans or badger/hawkeye transplants but he should be celebrated on this board. Without Leidner, the Kill/Claeys era would have been an EPIC failure - probably not too different from Brewster's.
 

Watching the combine this am it's pretty clear how slow Mitch's delivery and overall footwork mechanics are in comparison to some of the more polished guys, for example CJ Beathard has a nice quick delivery. Beathard getting knocked for a relatively poor Sr season but he looks better than guys like Kaaya. Mitch did fairly well on accuracy and velocity compared to higher ranked guys (like Brad Kaaya).

Kaaya is an interesting one because he looks the part, put up nice statistics at Miami, but seems like he has a weak, inaccurate arm for a guy his size. The commentators were really pumping him and Kizer but not that impressive to me. Seems like a weak crop of QBs if these are the some of the top prospects. seems like a Christian Ponder-type year. A bunch of guys will be over drafted.
 

NotAFanOfBecky said:
It's like having to explain a joke...if you are doing that it's just not that funny. There is nothing "to get" because it's just not that good.
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So true. It is like saying we don't understand Tella Tubbies.


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GopherHomer said:
I have listened to sports talk radio in Alabama - which is basically college football radio. I agree that they would be very critical of someone like Mitch - see Jeremy Johnson at Auburn. There isn't the laughing and mocking, though. There may be more anger (which is a product of the fan base), but the mocking is directed more at the coaches and their recruiting. Even with the McShay thing (predicting Mitch as a 1st rounder), I feel like more of the mocking is directed at Mitch than the guy who was epically wrong. I mean statistically Mitch had a better career than almost any QB in modern Minnesota history - and dominates in winning %. Rickey Foggie being celebrated while Mitch Leidner is ridiculed is ridiculous. Leidner even threw for more yards (at an almost identical completion percentage) than Corey Sauter - who played in the pass happy Wacker days.

I'm not saying they should retire his number, but he will be honored at TCF Bank Stadium one day and should go down as one of the top 2-3 QBs in our program's history. I get the general public's hate because many are just insecure Vikings fans or badger/hawkeye transplants but he should be celebrated on this board. Without Leidner, the Kill/Claeys era would have been an EPIC failure - probably not too different from Brewster's.
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For?
 


I understand why people don't think Mitch is an NFL QB but I don't get the level of abuse heaped on the poor kid. He is not the one pumping himself up as one. He doesn't deserve the ridicule and frankly the people who do it are really sad individuals.
 

Don't worry. In a few months, we will all have a new starting QB to hate. And a new backup QB who will become the new savior of the program.

It's a little like a soap opera. They may re-cast the actors, but the role remains the same. Just like on "Dynasty" when they brought on a new actor to play Steven. (that was a great show to watch while smoking pot - funniest show on TV when you were high.....)
 

gophmeister said:
I understand why people don't think Mitch is an NFL QB but I don't get the level of abuse heaped on the poor kid. He is not the one pumping himself up as one. He doesn't deserve the ridicule and frankly the people who do it are really sad individuals.
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I didn't read any abusive statements on this thread other than maybe one about him missing the broad side of a barn. Every year we discuss the pros and cons of the Gophers that might get drafted. I think his strengths have been well-documented and I don't see the harm in discussing the quarterbacking issues that will hold him back. If Mitch is delusional about his draft status then he's in for an awakening and he'll have to learn to deal with "failure" even though he's been more successful than 99.999% of high school QBs. He has a lot to be proud of and will be remembered as a great leader and good QB at MN.

But, there are reasons he slid down draft boards this season. He's a grown man, not a nine year old where we need to worry about crushing their spirit.
 

Pompous Elitist said:
I didn't read any abusive statements on this thread other than maybe one about him

missing the broad side of a barn.
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It was a joke. Imagine Mitch walking down University and throwing a ball at Williams Arena. I have nothing but admiration for the effort Mitch put into the Gopher football program. Mitch is not a professional quarterback, but he gave us everything he had at the U. I appreciate that.
 



MennoSota said:
It was a joke. Imagine Mitch walking down University and throwing a ball at Williams Arena. I have nothing but admiration for the effort Mitch put into the Gopher football program. Mitch is not a professional quarterback, but he gave us everything he had at the U. I appreciate that.
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I think where some people are coming from is this:

you've got people on this board that probably can't do anything more athletic than walk from the couch to the fridge for another beer - but they can sit in front of their TV and their computer and second-guess every move the Gopher QB makes and criticize every decision. If you took that same person, put them on the field with a pass rush in their face, they would crap their pants and run for their life. But they can sit there and tell everyone what the QB should have done.

I'm not saying Leidner was a great QB. But I do have appreciation for the athletic ability and the hard work it takes to play D1 FB. I do believe some of the criticism Leidner received was excessive and overly personal. It's easy to criticize. It's a lot harder to be "the man in the arena," to quote Teddy Roosevelt.

I was disappointed with Leidner's play this season. I am not disappointed with Mitch Leidner as a person. Some people have a hard time making that distinction. If he makes an NFL roster, I will be very happy for him.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
I think where some people are coming from is this:

you've got people on this board that probably can't do anything more athletic than walk from the couch to the fridge for another beer - but they can sit in front of their TV and their computer and second-guess every move the Gopher QB makes and criticize every decision. If you took that same person, put them on the field with a pass rush in their face, they would crap their pants and run for their life. But they can sit there and tell everyone what the QB should have done.

I'm not saying Leidner was a great QB. But I do have appreciation for the athletic ability and the hard work it takes to play D1 FB. I do believe some of the criticism Leidner received was excessive and overly personal. It's easy to criticize. It's a lot harder to be "the man in the arena," to quote Teddy Roosevelt.

I was disappointed with Leidner's play this season. I am not disappointed with Mitch Leidner as a person. Some people have a hard time making that distinction. If he makes an NFL roster, I will be very happy for him.
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Agreed and well-put!

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short ornery norwegian said:
I was disappointed with Leidner's play this season. I am not disappointed with Mitch Leidner as a person. Some people have a hard time making that distinction. If he makes an NFL roster, I will be very happy for him.
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This ^^^^^^^
 

I can only think of one poster that's taken it to the extreme "hate" defcon1 with Mitch and I think we all know who I'm referring to. Even then I don't think anyone has attacked his character. The only time I saw that was during the ugly aftermath of the Claeys firing when Mitch aired his grievance with the administration. We had several posters attacking Mitch with straw man assassinations that night. That had nothing to do with his play.
 



short ornery norwegian said:
I think where some people are coming from is this:

you've got people on this board that probably can't do anything more athletic than walk from the couch to the fridge for another beer - but they can sit in front of their TV and their computer and second-guess every move the Gopher QB makes and criticize every decision. If you took that same person, put them on the field with a pass rush in their face, they would crap their pants and run for their life. But they can sit there and tell everyone what the QB should have done.

I'm not saying Leidner was a great QB. But I do have appreciation for the athletic ability and the hard work it takes to play D1 FB. I do believe some of the criticism Leidner received was excessive and overly personal. It's easy to criticize. It's a lot harder to be "the man in the arena," to quote Teddy Roosevelt.

I was disappointed with Leidner's play this season. I am not disappointed with Mitch Leidner as a person. Some people have a hard time making that distinction. If he makes an NFL roster, I will be very happy for him.
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Well stated
 

Where is anyone really ripping Mitch?

Yes, Mitch got criticism here and still continues to get it. I'm sorry, that comes with the territory of being a Division 1 athlete in the Big Ten. People are going to have opinions and if you aren't doing so well, people are going to have comments. This isn't JV at some small town school in a town of 500 people. If they are going to be praised as an athlete, treated like royalty from their recruitment throughout their career, placed on a pedestal, etc., then it's going to go the other way as well.

And an early poster was correct. Just because Mitch racked up quite a few rushing yards and TD's in his career, doesn't necessarily mean he's a really gifted runner/athlete. He's a big dude that moves alright for his size but he isn't quick, he isn't fast, isn't super agile, etc. He's just a big lumbering dude.
 


Bold prediction...

Mitch makes an NFL roster somewhere as a number 3 quarterback and actually sees the field in a regular season game and scores a touchdown.

Based on a hunch that situational NFL short-yardage packages will evolve in a way that sees more and more big athletic 'specialist' backup QBs run direct from the pistol in Goaline/3rd or 4th and less than a yard. Having a guy that can pass (to some degree to keep at least a couple defenders honest) but can typically charge head-down into the pile with only a six figure salary to worry about could become a new innovation (some college teams already do this don't they?) - and Mitch is one of those guys IMHO.
 

I liked Mitch, mainly because he was tough and did not throw the ball into the ground short of the receiver as much as Philip Nelson started to his last year in Donovan McNabb fashion, and I liked his running, but if anyone thinks Mitch is ever going to take a snap in an NFL game..... no

If Mitch had shown us something this year and been lot better I 'd hold out a little hope, but his season was not so great and the 'bad" Mitch emerged a lot. No NFL coach is ever going to put Mitch on a roster or in a game, at least as QB.

Maybe Claeys should have kept Limegrover as OC, because once Claeys took over, once the super offensive coordinator Jerry Kill was out of the Picture in 2014, Mitch had a run of really good performances against tough teams in losing efforts (Michigan, at Iowa, Ohio St, ect,
 

Ski U Master said:
You don't get the bit.
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You're right...he doesn't get the bit. He just needs to listen for a little while. Or, easier yet just go out on the internet and search for some of Common's old shows and take a listen, it won't matter because it has not changed in the last 20 years. Really. Absolutely nothing has changed.
 

The important thing is that everyone is over the Mitch years now that he isn't QB anymore right?
 

New 49ers coach Shanahan was talking quarterback traits. One of the very most important to him is toughness. You can't play QB in the NFL without it. There are different kinds of toughness and he was mostly talking about standing in the pocket without flinching, the next time after you just got rocked. Mitch is tough, no doubt...I guess I'm not sure if he didn't get the yips once in awhile? Or was he just inconsistent? Anybody?
By comparison: Zimmer was also talking about how tough Bradford is. I see that more readily in my mind. Bradford was under siege constantly and stood his ground time after time and delivered the ball accurately.
 

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