Perra before burning Crofts shirt

[watertown 1987 guy n]

I was at an invite scrimmage a month ago at TCF before the season w a former gopher player. For the most part Strevler didn't play. It was Perra and Croft as the backups. I was impressed by Croft's athletism and passing. I could see what the coaches love about the kid, he carries himself w poise, made good passes, runs and just flat out looks like a tremendous athlete when the ball is in his hands. As for Perra, he had tremendous poise in the pocket, was a very accurate passer, and made some good scrambles that picked up some yardage. My gut feel was that Perra would be 2 on the depth chart at QB this year because of his 18 months of knowledge w the team vs just 3 months for Croft. I wasn't the only one at this scimage that thought Perra would get the nod before Croft this year. Then next year it would be a total toss up between Croft, Perra and Lieder if Lieder doesn't show improvement. Coaches know best, but from that 1x scrimmage it makes sense to me that you see if Perra can perform in a game situation before you burn Crofts shirt.

 

[Gophers4Life]

I was at an invite scrimmage a month ago at TCF before the season w a former gopher player. For the most part Strevler didn't play. It was Perra and Croft as the backups. I was impressed by Croft's athletism and passing. I could see what the coaches love about the kid, he carries himself w poise, made good passes, runs and just flat out looks like a tremendous athlete when the ball is in his hands. As for Perra, he had tremendous poise in the pocket, was a very accurate passer, and made some good scrambles that picked up some yardage. My gut feel was that Perra would be 2 on the depth chart at QB this year because of his 18 months of knowledge w the team vs just 3 months for Croft. I wasn't the only one at this scimage that thought Perra would get the nod before Croft this year. Then next year it would be a total toss up between Croft, Perra and Lieder if Lieder doesn't show improvement. Coaches know best, but from that 1x scrimmage it makes sense to me that you see if Perra can perform in a game situation before you burn Crofts shirt.

Hopefully the coaches already have a good feeling of this...

If Croft is the best option, play him. I wouldn't worry about the red-shirt since that would put two years between Croft and Poljian. Otherwise we burn 3 years of Poljian sitting behind Croft and the argument never ends.

 

[diefirma]

I have thought the same thing. Perra has looked good to me. By the way, Streveler's passing has improved. I doubt very much if they will burn Crofts red shirt.

 

[tikited]

I was at an invite scrimmage a month ago at TCF before the season w a former gopher player. For the most part Strevler didn't play. It was Perra and Croft as the backups. I was impressed by Croft's athletism and passing. I could see what the coaches love about the kid, he carries himself w poise, made good passes, runs and just flat out looks like a tremendous athlete when the ball is in his hands. As for Perra, he had tremendous poise in the pocket, was a very accurate passer, and made some good scrambles that picked up some yardage. My gut feel was that Perra would be 2 on the depth chart at QB this year because of his 18 months of knowledge w the team vs just 3 months for Croft. I wasn't the only one at this scimage that thought Perra would get the nod before Croft this year. Then next year it would be a total toss up between Croft, Perra and Lieder if Lieder doesn't show improvement. Coaches know best, but from that 1x scrimmage it makes sense to me that you see if Perra can perform in a game situation before you burn Crofts shirt.

I'm really hoping that Perra can get in the game Sat.

Best case scenario: Leidner gets the first half to get the lead where we can use Streveler and Perra in the 2nd half.

Worst case: We need Leidner to play almost the entire game with Streveler only getting a couple of predictable carries.

 

[GopherWeatherGuy]

If everything goes right on Saturday, I bet we see Perra in the second half.

 

[CWCWCW]

It seems there could be a likelihood that we'll see another quarterback besides Mitch this weekend.
It could be Streveler if the staff is truthful about aborting his hback duties. If I see #14 on the kickoff teams that would be strange.
I'm hoping for Mitch to be stellar and the Gophers take care of business.

 

[beatles]

I was at an invite scrimmage a month ago at TCF before the season w a former gopher player. For the most part Strevler didn't play. It was Perra and Croft as the backups. I was impressed by Croft's athletism and passing. I could see what the coaches love about the kid, he carries himself w poise, made good passes, runs and just flat out looks like a tremendous athlete when the ball is in his hands. As for Perra, he had tremendous poise in the pocket, was a very accurate passer, and made some good scrambles that picked up some yardage. My gut feel was that Perra would be 2 on the depth chart at QB this year because of his 18 months of knowledge w the team vs just 3 months for Croft. I wasn't the only one at this scimage that thought Perra would get the nod before Croft this year. Then next year it would be a total toss up between Croft, Perra and Lieder if Lieder doesn't show improvement. Coaches know best, but from that 1x scrimmage it makes sense to me that you see if Perra can perform in a game situation before you burn Crofts shirt.

A couple days ago I you tubed Perra's senior year HS highlights(I had never seen him in any capacity prior) and I came away very impressed but not just with his passing which was very good. He's a good athlete who to me looked like a better runner than Liedner is right now. I would LOVE to see him play in the second half tomorrow.

 

[Jaykay]

This is what I've been saying all along. I'm really hoping we get to see Perra play tomorrow.

 

[monk10]

#YOLO

 

[Some Day...Is Coming!]

I'm starting to think they pull the red shirt off Croft. Kill's comment about look at Ohio State last year, Croft running with the 2's at CSU in pregame, and Just watched the replay and saw Kill say some words to Croft on sideline right before 2nd half started.


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[jaymil]

If the staff thinks Perra is ready to play if Leidner gets injured then I'm fine going with Perra and redshirting Croft. If that's the case Perra needs to see the field soon. However, that doesn't seem to be the case with Croft taking most of the backup snaps in warmups. If Leidner goes down and the staff feels more comfortable with Croft, then Demry needs to see snaps soon.

 

[oleboy41]

Definitely a tough choice. As a coach the worst case scenario is Mitch getting hurt later in the year and your clear #2 hasn't played a snap all year. The 2nd worst scenario is to burn the kids RS only for him to play mop up duty. And lets be honest here, as a coach I'm asking myself if I think Croft will have a real shot to beat out Mitch next year. If so, and I'm thinking this kid will likely be our starter next year, it makes it easier to play him this year even with the possibility of it just being some mop up duty snaps. If I think it's unlikely he beats out Mitch next year then I definitely want to RS.

And low key the biggest issue here is that Streveler seems to have been a miss, at least at QB. When we're having this conversation largely not because Croft is soooo good but because apparently the staff doesn't really think the RS soph QB can run the offense near as well as the guy everyone wants to bench, then you have problems. And its not like its new because they didn't trust him to throw the rock at all last year either which means that by his 2nd year in the program it was clear he couldn't throw

 

[jaymil]

Definitely a tough choice. As a coach the worst case scenario is Mitch getting hurt later in the year and your clear #2 hasn't played a snap all year. The 2nd worst scenario is to burn the kids RS only for him to play mop up duty. And lets be honest here, as a coach I'm asking myself if I think Croft will have a real shot to beat out Mitch next year. If so, and I'm thinking this kid will likely be our starter next year, it makes it easier to play him this year even with the possibility of it just being some mop up duty snaps. If I think it's unlikely he beats out Mitch next year then I definitely want to RS.

And low key the biggest issue here is that Streveler seems to have been a miss, at least at QB. When we're having this conversation largely not because Croft is soooo good but because apparently the staff doesn't really think the RS soph QB can run the offense near as well as the guy everyone wants to bench, then you have problems. And its not like its new because they didn't trust him to throw the rock at all last year either which means that by his 2nd year in the program it was clear he couldn't throw

I know he had a pretty serious hand injury his freshman year, I wonder if that still affects him. It's also possible that they recruited Streveler more as an athlete. At the time, they had Nelson and Leidner in the class before him. It would've been a little short-sighted to assume both of them would work out and stay in the program, but they probably felt somewhat comfortable with the depth that taking a flyer on a QB/athlete as opposed to a better throwing QB was justified. Just some thoughts.

 

[WorkingMyTailOff]

I'm really hoping that Perra can get in the game Sat.

Best case scenario: Leidner gets the first half to get the lead where we can use Streveler and Perra in the 2nd half.

Worst case: We need Leidner to play almost the entire game with Streveler only getting a couple of predictable carries.

That's what I would like to see too. Up very big at half and Perra gets the third quarter and if he looks comfortable, he plays the 4th as well. Perra can become the number two backup with Streveler seeing time at H back and as the third string QB.

 

[gopherhoopsguy]

Parra needs to see action in these next two games. If Leidnar gets hurt in game 4 of the big ten u need to have parra ready.

 

[Costa Rican Gopher]

I would bet money with anyone that Leidner is the starter for the rest of his career. No way does Kill start a Freshman over a 5th year Sr next year. Anything less than a great season by Croft would be a huge black eye for the staff. Can you imagine them starting a 6th QB (the 5th Freshman) in 6 years and going 5-7 or 6-6 with Leidner on the bench? How would you even attempt to explain that away? Also, if you believe MV's take on the whole Nelson/Leidner scenario (which I do) then Limegrover went to bat for Leidner over Nelson. At that point he committed to Leidner & can't bail before he ever shines. Also, Kill & Limey went on and on last year in multiple articles about how Mitch could never play relaxed looking over his shoulder with Nelson on the sideline. Now that he was the unquestioned starter, he could really focus on the big picture. The team was firmly "his" team. He is the unquestioned leader. etc. etc. After preaching competition at every position for four years, I was surprised by the about face from Kill/Limey, but that's exactly what they did & they did it in a big way. I believe they've hitched their cart to his wagon and there's no chance Croft plays meaningful minutes unless Mitch in seriously injured.

 

[beavergopher]

I would bet money with anyone that Leidner is the starter for the rest of his career. No way does Kill start a Freshman over a 5th year Sr next year. Anything less than a great season by Croft would be a huge black eye for the staff. Can you imagine them starting a 6th QB (the 5th Freshman) in 6 years and going 5-7 or 6-6 with Leidner on the bench? How would you even attempt to explain that away? Also, if you believe MV's take on the whole Nelson/Leidner scenario (which I do) then Limegrover went to bat for Leidner over Nelson. At that point he committed to Leidner & can't bail before he ever shines. Also, Kill & Limey went on and on last year in multiple articles about how Mitch could never play relaxed looking over his shoulder with Nelson on the sideline. Now that he was the unquestioned starter, he could really focus on the big picture. The team was firmly "his" team. He is the unquestioned leader. etc. etc. After preaching competition at every position for four years, I was surprised by the about face from Kill/Limey, but that's exactly what they did & they did it in a big way. I believe they've hitched their cart to his wagon and there's no chance Croft plays meaningful minutes unless Mitch in seriously injured.

I unfortunately agree.

 

[WorkingMyTailOff]

CostaRica, I too think Leidner will be the QB this year and next season (barring injury), but I think Perra or whomever they feel is going to be the best #2 will see action tomorrow and hopefully next week.

 

[oleboy41]

I know he had a pretty serious hand injury his freshman year, I wonder if that still affects him. It's also possible that they recruited Streveler more as an athlete. At the time, they had Nelson and Leidner in the class before him. It would've been a little short-sighted to assume both of them would work out and stay in the program, but they probably felt somewhat comfortable with the depth that taking a flyer on a QB/athlete as opposed to a better throwing QB was justified. Just some thoughts.

IDK. I think they recruited him believing he could play elsewhere if needed but I definitely think they planned on him being a QB. Also I seriously don't think they initially thought there would be any Leidner/Nelson issues. I think they believed Nelson was the QB of the future and a 3 or 4 year starter, especially once they had to play him as a true frosh. His injury and inconsistency forced them to play Mitch earlier than expected. Of course as I type that I remember that some insiders said that the staff was truly split as some definitely thought Leidner was the better player so who knows. Either way Strevy was a QB miss at least

 

[Some Day...Is Coming!]

I'm starting to think they pull the red shirt off Croft. Kill's comment about look at Ohio State last year, Croft running with the 2's at CSU in pregame, and Just watched the replay and saw Kill say some words to Croft on sideline right before 2nd half started.

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I'm not saying Croft is going to be the starter, just kind of getting the feeling he'll see some action. Hard to say, will make it that much more interesting to watch tomorrow.

 

[oleboy41]

I would bet money with anyone that Leidner is the starter for the rest of his career. No way does Kill start a Freshman over a 5th year Sr next year. Anything less than a great season by Croft would be a huge black eye for the staff. Can you imagine them starting a 6th QB (the 5th Freshman) in 6 years and going 5-7 or 6-6 with Leidner on the bench? How would you even attempt to explain that away? Also, if you believe MV's take on the whole Nelson/Leidner scenario (which I do) then Limegrover went to bat for Leidner over Nelson. At that point he committed to Leidner & can't bail before he ever shines. Also, Kill & Limey went on and on last year in multiple articles about how Mitch could never play relaxed looking over his shoulder with Nelson on the sideline. Now that he was the unquestioned starter, he could really focus on the big picture. The team was firmly "his" team. He is the unquestioned leader. etc. etc. After preaching competition at every position for four years, I was surprised by the about face from Kill/Limey, but that's exactly what they did & they did it in a big way. I believe they've hitched their cart to his wagon and there's no chance Croft plays meaningful minutes unless Mitch in seriously injured.

I agree with you about this and previous years but I don't think it has any relevance on next year. If Mitch goes through this year without proving that he is an above average QB then no rational person could fault them for going with Croft IF he wins the job outright. Not only that but we have to remember that the team will typically know who's better and if they're playing the 2nd best guy because he's older or because of public opinion that jeopardizes one's credibility. Not to mention that A- Kill doesn't seem to care much about public perception and B- with all the media and fans that attend practices if Croft is clearly looking better people will be able to tell and if anything he'll be criticized more for that. Lastly, remember that Kill wants to win now. He burned Mayes' shirt for basically 1 game. He essentially benched Gray for Nelson even when Gray came back and played him at WR after hyping him up for an entire off season. He essentially stuck Kirkwoodland on the bench when Cobb proved better and didn't even give him a 70-30 split. He's basically doing the same thing now with Smith after talking up Nugget all offseason. All his history shows that he'll play the best player even if the 2nd guy is older or more experienced.

 

[Some Day...Is Coming!]

I would bet money with anyone that Leidner is the starter for the rest of his career. No way does Kill start a Freshman over a 5th year Sr next year. Anything less than a great season by Croft would be a huge black eye for the staff. Can you imagine them starting a 6th QB (the 5th Freshman) in 6 years and going 5-7 or 6-6 with Leidner on the bench? How would you even attempt to explain that away? Also, if you believe MV's take on the whole Nelson/Leidner scenario (which I do) then Limegrover went to bat for Leidner over Nelson. At that point he committed to Leidner & can't bail before he ever shines. Also, Kill & Limey went on and on last year in multiple articles about how Mitch could never play relaxed looking over his shoulder with Nelson on the sideline. Now that he was the unquestioned starter, he could really focus on the big picture. The team was firmly "his" team. He is the unquestioned leader. etc. etc. After preaching competition at every position for four years, I was surprised by the about face from Kill/Limey, but that's exactly what they did & they did it in a big way.
I believe they've hitched their cart to his wagon and there's no chance Croft plays meaningful minutes unless Mitch in seriously injured.

I think you're wrong and I don't know what MV said but I think Nelson leaving had more to do with Nelson (and his dad, probably more his dad) than anything else. Kill isn't the type of guy to let his pride/ego get in the way. He's always going to do what he feels is best for the team. If Croft plays and plays better than Leidner then Croft is going to play. Just like Smith is playing ahead of Williams at RB.

 

[tinyarch]

Question: Who will the team follow? If Kill switches Leidner out for Perry or Croft, how many upper classmen would Kill risk alienating? Or...does that not matter?

 

[Word]

A couple days ago I you tubed Perra's senior year HS highlights(I had never seen him in any capacity prior) and I came away very impressed but not just with his passing which was very good. He's a good athlete who to me looked like a better runner than Liedner is right now. I would LOVE to see him play in the second half tomorrow.

Look at Streveler's high school highlight reel. It's pretty impressive too.

 

[RolGnav]

Look at Streveler's high school highlight reel. It's pretty impressive too.

I'm not saying that he is great or that he isn't, but truth is that he hasn't really been given a chance yet. They basically tied both his hands behind his back in the one game he started.

My one hope is that if the game is out of hand, then to let any of the QB's get game action/experience. And I'm not talking about running 20 times.

 

[killme]

Question: Who will the team follow? If Kill switches Leidner out for Perry or Croft, how many upper classmen would Kill risk alienating? Or...does that not matter?

Have you been in a situation like this as a player? I think there have been situations each year with veterans being passed by youth. I think division can be avoided, for the most part, if the culture is solid. Have you been around the practices? I'm pretty sure the way these coaches handle those situations, it's pretty obvious they're trying to do what's best to help the team win. If there are occasional malcontents, they usually weed themselves out.

 

[DoubleAlum]

All these theories. So tell me this: why is Steveler listed as the backup QB on the 2 deeps and not Perra? Are the 2 deeps just posturing and political correctness? I thought you guys said Kill doesn't play those games. It baffles me that if Perra is the next man up why is his name not even listed? Secret weapon? Or just so Streveler won't cry? Please explain.

 

[Mulligan]

That's what I would like to see too. Up very big at half and Perra gets the third quarter and if he looks comfortable, he plays the 4th as well. Perra can become the number two backup with Streveler seeing time at H back and as the third string QB.

Yep. And same scenario happens again next week and we're more settled at QB going into the BIG season. But it's seldom so simple with our Gophers. Will be p*ssed but not surprised if we scruff around some before putting them away.

 

[Word]

I'm not saying that he is great or that he isn't, but truth is that he hasn't really been given a chance yet. They basically tied both his hands behind his back in the one game he started.

My one hope is that if the game is out of hand, then to let any of the QB's get game action/experience. And I'm not talking about running 20 times.

My line wasn't meant as a rip on Streveler. To me he should be the backup. I was mostly saying that most college athletes have impressive high school highlight reels. I would also like to see Streveler get a chance to go in and run the "normal" offense with throws mixed in.

 

[hungan1]

These next two games will reveal the trajectories of the backup QBs.

IMHO, Leidner being durable enough showing mental toughness and playing even when hurt allowed the backups time to mature and develop. JK sticks with him. This even with his well documented abilities/short comings as extensively discussed in GH land.

But, until Leidner has been injured and one or more of the backups had to step in we will never know.

It seems like Leidner has to screw up royally or get hurt seriously before we see a drastic move.

One of the backups may surprise us and knock Leidner out as a starter like Cobb did to Kirkwood. Injury is dangerous opportunity for the next man up.

Whether or not they burn Croft's red shirt I don't think it will matter a bit in the overall scheme of things. JK seems committed to whoever will get him the most wins. If Croft plays this year, he will have that much more game experience going into next year. He may knock us off our socks or be like a deer caught in the headlights. If not, he bulks up on the conditioning and plays with the practice squad.

A highly touted QB jumping from HS to college is not guaranteed a success. We don't know for sure how the kid will do until he plays. With college, they face a lot faster and tougher players they may have never seen in HS.

Another option I can envision is the Gophers playing two QBs in the same season like Jordan Lynch and Chandler Harnish at NIU.

Fans expect to see improvements on offense.