Quarterback

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A_Slab_of_Bacon said:
We need better quarterback play.

We had at least two wins available with better QB play this year, and I’d argue more were possible too with nothing more than better play at QB.

Two more wins, three more …. this year looks much different.
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+o4
 

A_Slab_of_Bacon said:
We need better quarterback play.

We had at least two wins available with better QB play this year, and I’d argue more were possible with nothing more than better play at QB.

Two more wins, three more …. this year looks much different.
Click to expand...
Little to no rollouts, no creativity, RPO, which I thought meant the quarterback could actually run the ball? Totally handcuffed him to be a playmaker, but then again, he’s not that good. Had a few nice throws this year, but I think he ended up with just as many picks as he did TDs. Forcing bad throws, which is on the wideouts and their coaching and playcalling. Harbaugh needs to go and they need to revamp the play calling.
 


Tim from Rosemount said:
Little to no rollouts, no creativity, RPO, which I thought meant the quarterback could actually run the ball? Totally handcuffed him to be a playmaker, but then again, he’s not that good. Had a few nice throws this year, but I think he ended up with just as many picks as he did TDs. Forcing bad throws, which is on the wideouts and their coaching and playcalling. Harbaugh needs to go and they need to revamp the play calling.
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Today's play selection looked like plays made for a QB, who doesn't make plays... just trying to get him something he can make, sadly that's something very simple, not hitting guys on the move and so on.
 


Tim from Rosemount said:
Little to no rollouts, no creativity, RPO, which I thought meant the quarterback could actually run the ball? Totally handcuffed him to be a playmaker, but then again, he’s not that good. Had a few nice throws this year, but I think he ended up with just as many picks as he did TDs. Forcing bad throws, which is on the wideouts and their coaching and playcalling. Harbaugh needs to go and they need to revamp the play calling.
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I agree with nearly everything. Athan was not good this year but also wasn’t really ever put in a position to truly succeed. He looked nothing like the last half of last season.
 

MNfootballfan said:
I agree with nearly everything. Athan was not good this year but also wasn’t really ever put in a position to truly succeed. He looked nothing like the last half of last season.
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Illinois had a short pass to the TE to win, didn't make it. He has been in position to succeed. Hasn't :(
 

A_Slab_of_Bacon said:
Illinois had a short pass to the TE to win, didn't make it. He has been in position to succeed. Hasn't :(
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Agree with that. Overall, though, the offense is not QB friendly. I came unglued in my seat today on the 3rd down he threw to CrAB who double covered. There was only two receivers in routes. Not too many QBs at any level are going to succeed in that situation.
 

I agree. The play calling has been really bad this year. PJ went with a dual OC role and it backfired. There has been no flow at all. When they let AK throw, there’s 1-2 first downs then punt. When they don’t let AK throw, it’s most likely 0 or 1 first down then punt. Even more so, When they got into the red zone it was painful to watch. No flow at all
 



MNfootballfan said:
Agree with that. Overall, though, the offense is not QB friendly. I came unglued in my seat today on the 3rd down he threw to CrAB who double covered. There was only two receivers in routes. Not too many QBs at any level are going to succeed in that situation.
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Do you mean the 4th down low probability pass to CrAB in the 4th Q? That was not a smart play.
 

WorkingMyTailOff said:
Do you mean the 4th down low probability pass to CrAB in the 4th Q? That was not a smart play.
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Not the first pass we have seen like that.

It's frustrating sitting in the stands thinking "so he read the field and decided to throw .... to what looks like the worst possible spot... of all the possibilities".
 

Someone came at me before for a post around this, but I would say the way T Morgan debuted vs Nebraska and then played really well for 1.5 years was the exception to Gopher QB play in my lifetime.
I think the way Athan has looked this year is similar to how most first year starting Gopher QBs have looked (Nelson, Annexstad, Leidner, Gray) with some good plays but no consistency. I hope that they can fix his mechanics in the offseason because he is not consistent with his throws.
 

WorkingMyTailOff said:
Someone came at me before for a post around this, but I would say the way T Morgan debuted vs Nebraska and then played really well for 1.5 years was the exception to Gopher QB play in my lifetime.
I think the way Athan has looked this year is similar to how most first year starting Gopher QBs have looked (Nelson, Annexstad, Leidner, Gray) with some good plays but no consistency. I hope that they can fix his mechanics in the offseason because he is not consistent with his throws.
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Man I would love for him to hit the Morgan level next year ... but I don't see it. I see too many unusually poor choices, and a painfully high % of easy passes missed. Morgan could throw long too... even early on. AK on long passes is often way off, not even close enough to draw a PI.
 



A_Slab_of_Bacon said:
Illinois had a short pass to the TE to win, didn't make it. He has been in position to succeed. Hasn't :(
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And that doesn't even considering the 2nd down designed keeper the play before in which Athan decided to slow down and try to juke a defensive player rather than rumble forward for a first down.

Fleck and company needs to bring in another QB to compete. I haven't sold on Athan after one year.....but I see some big problems with his game.
 


WorkingMyTailOff said:
Do you mean the 4th down low probability pass to CrAB in the 4th Q? That was not a smart play.
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No… I thought it was CrAB but maybe it wasn’t. It was a 3rd down around midfield. Receiver ran a corner route towards Wisconsin's sideline.
 

USAF said:
Kaliakmanis.simply cannot be the 2024 QB.
He is not a B1G QB. Had high hopes, but he's not capable of doing the job.

This isn't a tough call.
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Very well could be true. The positive thing is that PJ wont have to prep for a bowl game and have a couple months to refresh and clear his mind. That qb from South Dakota may have been good but he was given no chance. How about a transfer qb from the SEC or other top tier programs?
 


WorkingMyTailOff said:
Someone came at me before for a post around this, but I would say the way T Morgan debuted vs Nebraska and then played really well for 1.5 years was the exception to Gopher QB play in my lifetime.
I think the way Athan has looked this year is similar to how most first year starting Gopher QBs have looked (Nelson, Annexstad, Leidner, Gray) with some good plays but no consistency. I hope that they can fix his mechanics in the offseason because he is not consistent with his throws.
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Those QB’s were all 1st or second year guys. Athan is a 3rd year guy and played in year 2.

Anyone else notice after the 2nd or 3rd drive where Fleck was pretty animated in talking to AK during the whole TV time out? Couple that with the post game comments, I believe AK will be challenged or walking this off season.
 

MaxyJR1 said:
Those QB’s were all 1st or second year guys. Athan is a 3rd year guy and played in year 2.

Anyone else notice after the 2nd or 3rd drive where Fleck was pretty animated in talking to AK during the whole TV time out? Couple that with the post game comments, I believe AK will be challenged or walking this off season.
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I was watching that conversation through my binoculars.

PJ was excited but the way the conversation played out I think it was more coaching than anything else. AK seemed engaged and looked like he smiled a few times.
 

A_Slab_of_Bacon said:
I was watching that conversation through my binoculars.

PJ was excited but the way the conversation played out I think it was more coaching than anything else. AK seemed engaged and looked like he smiled a few times.
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I saw Fleck point down the field and then simulate stepping up in the pocket, so maybe it was more encouragement.
 

as far as recent Gopher QB's, Adam Weber certainly had his moments. Weber to Decker was a fun passing combo when Decker was healthy.

I mean, Weber is 3rd all-time in B1G career passing yardage. He was 2nd until today when Taulia T. of Maryland moved into 1st place, bumping Weber down a notch.

as far as the current QB play - it's a chicken and egg situation.

Is it the player or the coaches? I think a fair answer is some of both. AK certainly lacks some skill, but the coaching and play design often do nothing to put him in a more advantageous situation.

So even if the Gophers bring in a portal QB, or if the Lindsay kid from Arkansas is a phenom, the new QB will likely be working with the same coaches - unless Fleck shakes up his staff. and considering that the Gopher coaching staff is one of the lower-paid in the conference, the Gophers might have to overpay to get better coaches - just as they might have to overpay in NIL to get better players.
 

Tim from Rosemount said:
Little to no rollouts, no creativity, RPO, which I thought meant the quarterback could actually run the ball? Totally handcuffed him to be a playmaker, but then again, he’s not that good. Had a few nice throws this year, but I think he ended up with just as many picks as he did TDs. Forcing bad throws, which is on the wideouts and their coaching and playcalling. Harbaugh needs to go and they need to revamp the play calling.
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RPO is a run/pass option. We ran that quite a bit today. However, we should not run the read option if we will never keep the ball.
 

A_Slab_of_Bacon said:
We need better quarterback play.

We had at least two wins available with better QB play this year, and I’d argue more were possible with nothing more than better play at QB.

Two more wins, three more …. this year looks much different.
Click to expand...
My ears perked up on the opening drive, but then the rest of the game happened. We seem to have some secret rule that transcends head coaches that says we stick with the anointed QB unless he is injured. Once you earn that starting job you can be mediocre for four years because “you put us in the best position to win.”
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
RPO is a run/pass option. We ran that quite a bit today. However, we should not run the read option if we will never keep the ball.
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I’m not sure you call an RPO when the qb keeps the ball in the gut of the rb for 3 yards until he actuall hands off. That’s an obvious run and hand off to the rb. What happened to the run pass option of a real run threat and slant? Or even better an RPO and fake to slant and hit a receiver on a post route? That was foreign to the gophers this year
 



leib0039 said:
The play calling is certainly not good. However, it's beyond clear Athan doesn't have the talent to play D1 QB. His reads are slow, his accuracy is terrible and he's terrified in the pocket.
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Terrified in the pocket: He had a play today where there was zero pressure-time to find a receiver ...like a couple rushers who just said we'll wait back here...and AK8 takes off and gets sacked in two steps for a loss ... basically tackling himself running into the defensive lineman
 

AK might be a miss in recruiting, not for sure yet. He didn’t play his JR or SR year of high school and had some pressure free games (for the exception of the Wisconsin game last year). Must have been a stud his sophomore year of high school but there’s no pressure there either. The gophers either didn’t recruit or ran some could have been better qbs off to keep AK.
 

SonoranGopher1 said:
AK might be a miss in recruiting, not for sure yet. He didn’t play his JR or SR year of high school and had some pressure free games (for the exception of the Wisconsin game last year). Must have been a stud his sophomore year of high school but there’s no pressure there either. The gophers either didn’t recruit or ran some could have been better qbs off to keep AK.
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Yeah I think that missed year, seems to factor into it. You'd think though last year it would have too.

Either way we were taking a chance on a guy who missed a year. If for some reason he turns into Steve Montana next year with the Gophers, man I'll be happy and cheer him on. It just ... some simple plays cost us games this year, those should be the easy part... seems like he is more than a little behind.
 

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