Pat Forde: Fleck's passing game left town with Tyler Johnson and Rashod Bateman, and it hasn't come back

Donate To GopherHole
I'm a firm believer that you coach your players - you don't coach a system.

meaning - if the system says "we need the QB to do X" but the QB on your roster doesn't do X well, then don't ask him to do it. play to the strengths of your players and do your best to hide or minimize their weaknesses.

find the routes that AK throws well and emphasize those routes.

AK - at times - looks like he is thinking too much and not just playing naturally. I think that may be part of the reason why he is missing on passes - thinking and not reacting.
 

Go Gophs said:
He has talent that isn't TOO much further down the rung from those 2 right now. Those 2 WERE all BT players though.

There are a couple with pretty close to that talent level here now also though. But they need someone to feed them the ball.

Flat out AK has been the worst QB in the Big Ten so far. There is no way this continues. He has way too much talent. Now let's see if he has as much brains as he does talent and can figure some things out.
Click to expand...
No, he hasn’t.
 


Current B1G passing stats for comparison. This list left Nebraska off due to not meeting minimum attempts per game.
1000000358.png
Based on QB rating, this weekend the two worst QBs will be facing each other. AK versus Northwestern's Bryant.
 
Last edited:

WindyCityGopher said:

Coach Who Should Drive the Bus to Work​

P.J. Fleck (39), Minnesota. Here’s what Fleck did in the fourth quarter at North Carolina on Saturday while trailing the Tar Heels by 11 points: punted from the North Carolina 43 on fourth-and-9, then punted from the Minnesota 40 on fourth-and-3. At some point, you have to try to win the game, right? Of course, it’s understandable that Fleck had no faith in his team’s passing game, which is last in the Big Ten in efficiency by a wide margin.

That continues a trend. Minnesota threw 31 touchdown passes in 13 games in 2019. In the 36 games since then, it has thrown 32 TD passes. Fleck’s passing game left town with Tyler Johnson and Rashod Bateman, and it hasn’t come back.

Click to expand...
“At some point, you have to try to win the game, right?”

This right here.

Impacts a lot of things, including recruiting.
 


Question One: Is it realistic to expect to have two NFL-ready receivers on the roster every single season?

Question Two: How many times in the history of Golden Gopher football have we had two NFL-ready WRs on the roster at the same time?

Look at the passing stats from 2022, without Bateman, Johnson or Autman-Bell. Are they Drake Maye-like?
No.
Are they significantly better than what we've seen so far this season?
Yes.

We have a new QB, learning on the fly. He'll improve. He has to. We need him to improve.
 


I'm taking a breath a few days removed from Saturday. The total stinker performance early in the season taints the numbers and perception more than normal. Hopefully the total stinker is out of the way and doesn't pop up again against a conference rival like Illinois 2022 and Iowa 2021-20. I repressed that the passing performance against Bowling Green at home two years ago was even worse.
 

RememberMurray said:
Question One: Is it realistic to expect to have two NFL-ready receivers on the roster every single season?

Question Two: How many times in the history of Golden Gopher football have we had two NFL-ready WRs on the roster at the same time?

Look at the passing stats from 2022, without Bateman, Johnson or Autman-Bell. Are they Drake Maye-like?
No.
Are they significantly better than what we've seen so far this season?
Yes.

We have a new QB, learning on the fly. He'll improve. He has to. We need him to improve.
Click to expand...
Legitimate points, but I always thought we would land higher-level WR recruits. One doesn't necessarily need a WR room full of four-star guys to have a good passing game, but we just seem to lack a solid #1 right now.
 



hungan1 said:
AK needs seasoning and to not lose his confidence. We need a QB Whisperer.
Click to expand...
Agree. We have seen his talent and I thought he demonstrated leadership when he took responsibility for his poor play in the NC game. I am hopeful he will have a short memory for the previous game and perform well in the upcoming games.
 


RememberMurray said:
We just need Athan to step up. Period. End of story.

All during Tanner Morgan's starting years, we were told that the Gophers needed a QB who was taller, had a better arm, was a better runner, etc.

Well... okay. Here we are. The Gophers now have a guy who is taller. Stronger arm. Better runner.

And now, we're hearing "Oh, but he needs Bateman and Johnson!"

Really? Really?

What the hell is point in being taller, a better runner, and having a bigger arm, if you are dependent on having two NFL level WRs?
Click to expand...
I don't think it has anything to do with talent. His talent is there, it's much more than TM had. Problem is, Tanner Morgan was strong above the neck line. We haven't seen anything that says AK is. Hopefully it comes with more reps, etc.
IMO, he will develop into a really good QB, just not sure you are going to see it as soon as we all want it.
 





This whole thread is the reason if Fleck left, meh!

We are an embarrassment throwing the ball and have been since Tyler and Rashod.
 

The way I see it: Athan has the talent. Right now he’s the main guy and he knows it and that adds pressure to succeed. He comes out to start the game all hyped up but the game is still too fast for him so his mechanics suffer, throws off his back foot, gets happy feet and powers zingers with arm strength alone. They invariably are too high or off the mark. He probably doesn’t do much of that in practice, although it was evident in the spring game. In time, the game will slow down for him and he’ll gain confidence. I hope he is working with a quarterback guru now and in the off season to work on footwork, throwing motion, timing and touch. He’s got the skill set, just needs to execute better.
 

btowngopher said:
Actual performance has been better than at least Simms (who was benched) and Altmeyer.
Click to expand...
My point is here is a kid with real talent and he is playing like sh!t. If he doesn't play better expect this season and next to either go nowhere or rely on 40 carries a game for whoever they consider their bellcow.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom