PiPress: Gophers QBs under Kill have struggled to become passing threats

[BleedGopher]

per Marcus:

The Gophers' last true passer was Adam Weber, who started every game from 2007 to 2010 and became the school's career leader in passing yards (10,917) and passing touchdowns (72).

Weber took advantage of a wide-open, spread offense in his first two seasons, and in three of his seasons, he had all-time leading receiver Eric Decker -- now a starter for the New York Jets -- to throw to.

But he also had three different offensive coordinators, no running game and inconsistent pass protection. Despite this, the Shoreview native managed to shake the tag of "athlete" to become a genuine passing threat.

"It's similar to, like, golf, in the sense that you have to have a rhythm to your throw," Weber said. "You hear commentators say all the time that a passer is getting into rhythm, or he's hot right now. That's what helps, when you can kind of get some quick throws to set you up for some play-action.

"It helps to have a run game, too, but it's hard to get into rhythm if you're not throwing the ball very much."

http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_26570075/gophers-qbs-under-kill-have-struggled-become-passing

Go Gophers!!

 

[wait!what?]

this is the worst qb situation i can recall. cmon old timers tell us about a time when it was worse.

 

[BleedGopher]

this is the worst qb situation i can recall. cmon old timers tell us about a time when it was worse.

When Cory Sauter was running the option.

Go Gophers!!

 

[station19]

this is the worst qb situation i can recall. cmon old timers tell us about a time when it was worse.

This is the worst that I can recall. To be honest, I'm very concerned.

Edit: I'm referring to this four yr stretch.

 

[MNVCGUY]

When Cory Sauter was running the option.

Go Gophers!!

Will never forget that year....take a big slow QB that is a good drop back passer and make him run the option, it was painfully bad.

The current situation at QB is as bad as any I can remember in my years following Gopher football. Only thing I can think of that might be somewhat close was back in the days when Andy Persby was in the mix a bit to be the starter but I think there was still at least one good option around at that point.

 

[Great Plains Gopher]

The real concern is that this is the fourth straight year of QB confusion and lack of a genuine B1G passing game. Leidner did not look good in the first two games and yet started with a sprained knee in the third.

 

[Gopher028]

That's what helps, when you can kind of get some quick throws to set you up for some play-action.
!

Something that a lot of gopherholers have been calling for but Kill and Limegrover are blind to. Some quick slants, outs or TE dumps, but
no....... make a DIII level QB make pro reads so he can wobble dead ducks into the DBs hands....

 

[station19]

Something that a lot of gopherholers have been calling for but Kill and Limegrover are blind to. Some quick slants, outs or TE dumps, but
no....... make a DIII level QB make pro reads so he can wobble dead ducks into the DBs hands....

Do they understand you can pitch the ball? It takes forever and a day to get the ball to someone on the outside.

 

[gopherMD]

If Streveler plays well tomorrow there is hope. if not, this will be a long season. The inability of Kill and staff to recruit a top tier QB is the achilles heel of the program. Western Illinois and Middle Tennessee St had much better QBs than Leidner. It would appear that the philosophy was that you can recruit 2 star QBs and they will turn into Chandler Harnisch or Jordan Lynch. Leidner is not anywhere near those 2 guys;he is slow footed and indecisive in the passing game. Demry Croft may be a competent QB but his throwing mechanics are suspect. Not being able to sign a solid QB will keep the program from getting to the next level.

 

[GopherinPhilly]

Time to fire them all!

 

[denguegopher]

Will never forget that year....take a big slow QB that is a good drop back passer and make him run the option, it was painfully bad.

That was bad. IIRC yesterday that was the brilliant strategy of OC Elliot Uzelac

 

[cncmin]

If Streveler plays well tomorrow there is hope. if not, this will be a long season. The inability of Kill and staff to recruit a top tier QB is the achilles heel of the program. Western Illinois and Middle Tennessee St had much better QBs than Leidner. It would appear that the philosophy was that you can recruit 2 star QBs and they will turn into Chandler Harnisch or Jordan Lynch. Leidner is not anywhere near those 2 guys;he is slow footed and indecisive in the passing game. Demry Croft may be a competent QB but his throwing mechanics are suspect. Not being able to sign a solid QB will keep the program from getting to the next level.

You imply it's all recruiting, and while the Gophers aren't exactly getting 5-star QBs coming into the program on a regular basis, they got 4-star Nelson and plenty of 3-star QB recruits. Gray, Kill's first QB, was a 4-star QB recruit (Brewster's). That none of these guys has led the Gophers to a serviceable passing game would imply failure of the coaching staff to implement a game that includes a reliable passing game rather than the complete inability of any of these fairly talented arms to carry the offense.

These things go hand-in-hand, but the offensive strategy that the Gophers employ simply makes very little effort to work on or develop the passing game against the cupcakes, and doesn't promote a short/quick/screen passing game when the QBs are struggling to gain rhythm. That the staff largely refuses to promote a passing game, in turn, doesn't help QB and WR recruiting.

I don't know if it's Limegrover or Kill, but one of these two guys better figure it out and fast, or one or both will be on the hot seat.

 

[station19]

You imply it's all recruiting, and while the Gophers aren't exactly getting 5-star QBs coming into the program on a regular basis, they got 4-star Nelson and plenty of 3-star QB recruits. Gray, Kill's first QB, was a 4-star QB recruit (Brewster's). That none of these guys has led the Gophers to a serviceable passing game would imply failure of the coaching staff to implement a game that includes a reliable passing game rather than the complete inability of any of these fairly talented arms to carry the offense.

These things go hand-in-hand, but the offensive strategy that the Gophers simply makes very little effort to work on or develop the passing game against the cupcakes, and doesn't promote a short/quick/screen passing game when the QBs are struggling to gain rhythm. That the staff largely refuses to promote a passing game, in turn, doesn't help QB and WR recruiting.

I don't know if it's Limegrover or Kill, but one of these two guys better figure it out and fast, or one or both will be on the hot seat.

You make some very good points. People can debate the reasons but the result in year four is no semblance of a passing game. If you are a fan you have to be concerned.

 

[minibeaver]

You make some very good points. People can debate the reasons but the result in year four is no semblance of a passing game. If you are a fan you have to be concerned.

Agreed. Solid argument could be made for scheme, and players. There was a time in Kill's tenure here that we were able to throw it decently, and that was when A.J was here right? Could the talent at WR position have as much if not more to do with it then QB, or even scheme? Honest question

 

[Iceland12]

When Cory Sauter was running the option.

Go Gophers!!

 

[station19]

Agreed. Solid argument could be made for scheme, and players. There was a time in Kill's tenure here that we were able to throw it decently, and that was when A.J was here right? Could the talent at WR position have as much if not more to do with it then QB, or even scheme? Honest question

Can't think of who A.J. is. Wr's will always be part of it but missing wide open receivers and floating ducks/no spirals is all on the qb.

 

[ruppertflywheel]

If we had a Mike Hoense type we would win 10 games.

 

[cncmin]

Agreed. Solid argument could be made for scheme, and players. There was a time in Kill's tenure here that we were able to throw it decently, and that was when A.J was here right? Could the talent at WR position have as much if not more to do with it then QB, or even scheme? Honest question

No doubt that the receivers aren't making plays (think of some of the great plays Decker would make on poorly-thrown Weber balls). But in fairness to them, the receivers (1) aren't getting hit on the numbers or in stride and (2) they are also (along with the QBs) not getting the receiving reps or the easy patterns needed to both develop a passing game and get it in rhythm.

One point on your observation, however. The passing game in recent years - when it actually worked - was predicated on the combination of one QB to one WR - QBs to Decker, AJ, and Engel. It is "Gopher luck" that all 3 of these WRs were hampered by rough injuries (one of them to an ego).

 

[bamor5229]

When Cory Sauter was running the option.

Go Gophers!!

I will grant you that Cory Sauter running the option was a huge mistake, but that wasn't the QB's fault. One of the worst ones I remember was Marquel Fleetwood throwing for 19 INTs vs. only 7 TDs back in 1992. I think that was the first year for Wacker.

 

[Spoofin]

If Streveler plays well tomorrow there is hope. if not, this will be a long season.

Well, at least your giving the rFR 1 game to prove himself. smh

 

[station19]

If we had a Mike Hoense type we would win 10 games.

Very possibly.

 

[Hates Monikers]

Well, at least your giving the rFR 1 game to prove himself. smh

I read that as more of a statement on Kill and Leidner than Streveler -- that it's Kill who would only give the rFR one game before going back to Leidner.

 

[GopherinPhilly]

Hard to say that Kill & Co can't develop a QB since they haven't had 3 years with any QB yet...not giving them a pass on the two starting QBs that transferred....but the idea that developing a QB is a 1 or 2 year job and they have failed at it is idiotic...much like Marcus.

 

[station19]

Hard to say that Kill & Co can't develop a QB since they haven't had 3 years with any QB yet...not giving them a pass on the two starting QBs that transferred....but the idea that developing a QB is a 1 or 2 year job and they have failed at it is idiotic...much like Marcus.

Swing and miss.

 

[gopherMD]

The fact that the passing game is so marginal 4 years into the Kill regime is disappointing. The difficulties retaining and developing WRs is part of the problem but the absence of a quality QB on the roster at this time is the the linchpin. It will be difficult to recruit and retain quality WRs if the passing game is so marginal. The team has made great progress under Kill in all other facets of the game. A good game by Streveler today could go a long ways to fixing things.

 

[e.bigelow]

I watched the KState game Thursday night, and my thinking was a guy like Jake Waters, starting QB for KState and a JUCO transfer from Iowa Western CC in Council Bluffs would be a perfect fit to run this offense. Guy is an above average runner and average/above average passer. As opposed to the QB we have now who is an average runner and a below average passer.

 

[tikited]

T A good game by Streveler today could go a long ways to fixing things.

Not sure if one good game changes anything except our win total. If Mitch is ready to go against Michigan, Streveler will sit again.

 

[station19]

You can't win in a major conference by having zero passing game. Plain and simple.

 

[GopherinPhilly]

Swing and miss.

Bite me. You can't develop QBs in 1 or 2 years. You can recruit QBs that can start as FR or SO but we don't have 5 star Johnny Football here...so we need years in the system. Again, not giving Kill & CO a pass on the transfers...but to think we can take MAC type talent and turn them into starting and effective B1G QBs as Fr or R-Fr starters is kindof idiotic...much like your post and Marcus.

 

[mcal24]

Bite me. You can't develop QBs in 1 or 2 years. You can recruit QBs that can start as FR or SO but we don't have 5 star Johnny Football here...so we need years in the system. Again, not giving Kill & CO a pass on the transfers...but to think we can take MAC type talent and turn them into starting and effective B1G QBs as Fr or R-Fr starters is kindof idiotic...much like your post and Marcus.

Johnny Football was a 3 star