GoAUpher
Section 246
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Personally, I think MV does a nice job of cutting through the spin at FBT today:
#QBGAZE2K11 is in full swing among the print media folk, with a volley of articles disseminating from the Twin Cities' beat reports around a few Kill sound-bites that honestly sound rather innocuous when centrifuged free of spin. Marcus Fuller champions his not-so-subtle Max Shortell ascension, as he scribes on the remarkable progress Shortell has made in only two and half weeks of fall camp. Do pay particular attention to how Marcus (a good dude, by the way) phrases this PiPo lede:
Marcus is using comparative conjecture here, imply that Shortell's rapid development in fall camp is somehow more impressive than Gray's equally challenging move to full time quarterback after what amounts to a four year vacation from the position. The truth is both performances are noteworthy in their own right, as unheralded true freshmen quarterback recruits are not typically the type to make a huge splash in fall camp and rise all the way to #2 on the depth chart without much resistance and a former blue-chip prospect with other-worldly athleticism making the leap back to his original position after years of mismanagement are impressive feats. I haven't read a quote from Kill in any context that suggests he feels Shortell's work in camp is somehow more impressive and if some fans and media believe he has a quarterback controversy on his hands, Kill isn't aware of it. For further evidence, look at the full quotes from Kill on his quarterbacks:
This is not some underhanded motivational technique on Kill's part to force Q into working harder, as Shortell -- the reserve QB -- has to be ready by the season opener much like any back-up player would. Moreover, Kill and the coaching staff freely admit that they've loaded a lot on Gray's mind by throwing every different type of blitz, coverage and defensive alignment at him in practice, all while the offensive staff keeps adding information for him to digest:
"He's learning all of the increments. He's learning to get the signals from the sideline. He's learning when they rock a safety down and what to do. Shoot, they can't do that in pro football in two weeks. And those guys are getting paid a million dollars, more than a million dollars. What's that guy getting paid for the Vikings? What's (rookie quarterback Christian) Ponder getting paid for the Vikings? He's getting paid a lot of money, and he can't figure out what coverage is and all that stuff that's happening."
Matt Limegrover agees and defended his starting quarterback to the media after practice, as reported by 1500ESPN's Dana Wessel:
For his part, Gray admits that his accuracy problems are the result of not getting his feet set, an issue that would require much practice time in the offseason to correct on its own, let alone on top of all the additional nuances of the position Q is attempting to learn via crash course. Still, there are several factors at play here that many are ignoring in the faux-controversy du jour. One, Shortell has struggles of his own in fall camp and makes his share of mistakes, which folks are seemingly ignoring. Two, Gray has a full six months of film and playbook preparation on Max and was the most mentally prepared quarterback coming out of spring practice. Three, and this is most critical, Gray's ability to scramble and run the zone-read are likely better than Shortell's ability to move the offense through the air, all things considered.
These are types of situations that form when the previous staff refuses to play their star quarterback recruit at the position for two years: at a spot where game experience is absolutely critical, Gray is feeling his way in the dark.
Marcus is using comparative conjecture here, imply that Shortell's rapid development in fall camp is somehow more impressive than Gray's equally challenging move to full time quarterback after what amounts to a four year vacation from the position. The truth is both performances are noteworthy in their own right, as unheralded true freshmen quarterback recruits are not typically the type to make a huge splash in fall camp and rise all the way to #2 on the depth chart without much resistance and a former blue-chip prospect with other-worldly athleticism making the leap back to his original position after years of mismanagement are impressive feats. I haven't read a quote from Kill in any context that suggests he feels Shortell's work in camp is somehow more impressive and if some fans and media believe he has a quarterback controversy on his hands, Kill isn't aware of it. For further evidence, look at the full quotes from Kill on his quarterbacks:
This is not some underhanded motivational technique on Kill's part to force Q into working harder, as Shortell -- the reserve QB -- has to be ready by the season opener much like any back-up player would. Moreover, Kill and the coaching staff freely admit that they've loaded a lot on Gray's mind by throwing every different type of blitz, coverage and defensive alignment at him in practice, all while the offensive staff keeps adding information for him to digest:
"He's learning all of the increments. He's learning to get the signals from the sideline. He's learning when they rock a safety down and what to do. Shoot, they can't do that in pro football in two weeks. And those guys are getting paid a million dollars, more than a million dollars. What's that guy getting paid for the Vikings? What's (rookie quarterback Christian) Ponder getting paid for the Vikings? He's getting paid a lot of money, and he can't figure out what coverage is and all that stuff that's happening."
Matt Limegrover agees and defended his starting quarterback to the media after practice, as reported by 1500ESPN's Dana Wessel:
For his part, Gray admits that his accuracy problems are the result of not getting his feet set, an issue that would require much practice time in the offseason to correct on its own, let alone on top of all the additional nuances of the position Q is attempting to learn via crash course. Still, there are several factors at play here that many are ignoring in the faux-controversy du jour. One, Shortell has struggles of his own in fall camp and makes his share of mistakes, which folks are seemingly ignoring. Two, Gray has a full six months of film and playbook preparation on Max and was the most mentally prepared quarterback coming out of spring practice. Three, and this is most critical, Gray's ability to scramble and run the zone-read are likely better than Shortell's ability to move the offense through the air, all things considered.
These are types of situations that form when the previous staff refuses to play their star quarterback recruit at the position for two years: at a spot where game experience is absolutely critical, Gray is feeling his way in the dark.
