Souhan: It's still too soon to say Gophers quarterback Tanner Morgan has turned the corner

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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per Souhan:


Morgan is a charming, enthusiastic guy. He's easy to cheer for. But once the superlatives and catch phrases fade, you're left with one essential way to judge a pocket-passing senior quarterback who entered the season trying to prove he's a pro prospect: Accuracy.

Morgan is completing 52.2% of his passes this season — and that's after completing 83.3% against Nebraska.

Fleck said Morgan used the bye week to self-scout and "be real with himself." If he had "complete more passes" on that list, then his time was well-spent.

Despite the loss to Bowling Green, the Gophers could still make this a memorable season. The next three games are winnable. They could be 7-2 and 4-1 in the conference entering a Nov. 13 showdown at Iowa.

To make that game a big game, Morgan will have to reprise his play from 2019, when he burst onto the national scene, or his play from the first half on Saturday, when he picked apart Nebraska's secondary.

Morgan is capable. Now he has to prove he can be relied upon, as his strange senior season hits the home stretch.

m.startribune.com

Star Tribune

Your source for Minnesota news today. Read articles, view photos or watch videos about news in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Duluth, St. Cloud, Rochester, and beyond.
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Go Gophers!!
 



Souhan is an idiot. His wife is a principal of a school. I feel for her. She spends all day modeling respect. He does just the opposite.
 



Well given they FINALLY decided to balance the play book a little bit and use the talented receivers they have it was nice to see. About damn time we see some diversity in play calling. It was good to see Tanner play like he should. First pick was a great play, 2nd pick was ugly.
 


Lots of short routes helped the Gophers just truck down the field on their first two drives. Crab posted 9 catches for about 100 yards in the first half. This was something that has just been missing from the gameplan.

And Morgan had a pretty good game. Those two interceptions were concerning however. He was letting Nebraska get right back into the game. But we won.....and that's all that matters. Got a few more very winnable games before the end of the season crunch.
 

stocker08 said:
Lots of short routes helped the Gophers just truck down the field on their first two drives. Crab posted 9 catches for about 100 yards in the first half. This was something that has just been missing from the gameplan.

And Morgan had a pretty good game. Those two interceptions were concerning however. He was letting Nebraska get right back into the game. But we won.....and that's all that matters. Got a few more very winnable games before the end of the season crunch.
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First int I can live with, was poorly thrown and defender made nice play. Second one though, woof.

Overall good game by senior, we'll need more of that
 



salzie said:
First int I can live with, was poorly thrown and defender made nice play. Second one though, woof.

Overall good game by senior, we'll need more of that
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Yeah, not all int are created equal. The first one was a great play by an NFL level CB. Yes Morgan could have thrown it a little better but their guy made a great play.

2nd int was ugly. Either there was some miscommunication with the receiver or it was just a bad decision on his part but it was one of the few bad throws he had.
 


Ahh Souhan can be over the top but I don’t think he is way off today. Morgan played a great first half. I liked what I saw for the most part but he needs to show more. Souhan’s facts may be off but his post was fair
 

He has a tendency to under throw his deep balls. If he hit CAB in stride on the first possession of the second half we go up 28 to 9. He under throw him though and then the pick ensued. He under threw a couple of out routes also and then everyone cries for interference call when receiver comes back for the ball and there is contact. He is very accurate on short and slant routes. Overall I thought he played an excellent game but just like the rest of us there is need for improvement
 



holereader said:
He has a tendency to under throw his deep balls. If he hit CAB in stride on the first possession of the second half we go up 28 to 9. He under throw him though and then the pick ensued. He under threw a couple of out routes also and then everyone cries for interference call when receiver comes back for the ball and there is contact. He is very accurate on short and slant routes. Overall I thought he played an excellent game but just like the rest of us there is need for improvement
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Idk, I think Morgan is perhaps the most accurate passer I’ve seen in a Gopher uniform in my lifetime. He won’t hit every pass perfectly and agree he underthrew a handful yesterday. But his TD to MBS was an absolute dime that was thrown from the 35-40 yard line IIRC and caught 8 yards deep in the end zone. He deserves criticism for the underthrows, but deserves kudos for the good throws too.
 

Marooned said:
Idk, I think Morgan is perhaps the most accurate passer I’ve seen in a Gopher uniform in my lifetime. He won’t hit every pass perfectly and agree he underthrew a handful yesterday. But his TD to MBS was an absolute dime that was thrown from the 35-40 yard line IIRC and caught 8 yards deep in the end zone. He deserves criticism for the underthrows, but deserves kudos for the good throws too.
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I really hope this game gets his confidence back. There has been a swagger missing from his game, really since the end of 2019. I saw it some in the first half yesterday and I think it might have been in part due to Sanford finally giving him the chance to do something in the passing game.

I hope like hell that the coaches watch that first half offense film and build on that going forward. That was an offense that can win a ton of games in the Big Ten this year.
 

To completely blame Morgan's issues on Morgan is wrong. We saw what can happen in the first half when the OC actually has a balanced, not so predictable game plan. Also, the O-line really played well which cannot be said for some of the earlier games.

Not saying that Morgan is not without fault. That second pick yesterday was absolutely on him. But good coaches but their players, based on their individual skill-set, in positions to succeed. I think we saw what a good game plan can do for Morgan's play in the first half yesterday.
 

NotAFanOfBecky said:
Well given they FINALLY decided to balance the play book a little bit and use the talented receivers they have it was nice to see. About damn time we see some diversity in play calling. It was good to see Tanner play like he should. First pick was a great play, 2nd pick was ugly.
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Keep in mind, a substantial amount of have games have been missed by "the talented receivers" due to injuries and personal issues. This impacted Morgan's play and the game plan.

1st pick, in addition to a great play by the defender, was I think a bit under thrown due to the wind. Had Autman-Bell wide open underneath.
 

holereader said:
He has a tendency to under throw his deep balls. If he hit CAB in stride on the first possession of the second half we go up 28 to 9. He under throw him though and then the pick ensued. He under threw a couple of out routes also and then everyone cries for interference call when receiver comes back for the ball and there is contact. He is very accurate on short and slant routes. Overall I thought he played an excellent game but just like the rest of us there is need for improvement
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Maybe the reason he is under throwing deep routes...Arm strength.
 

BleedGopher said:
per Souhan:


Morgan is a charming, enthusiastic guy. He's easy to cheer for. But once the superlatives and catch phrases fade, you're left with one essential way to judge a pocket-passing senior quarterback who entered the season trying to prove he's a pro prospect: Accuracy.

Morgan is completing 52.2% of his passes this season — and that's after completing 83.3% against Nebraska.

Fleck said Morgan used the bye week to self-scout and "be real with himself." If he had "complete more passes" on that list, then his time was well-spent.

Despite the loss to Bowling Green, the Gophers could still make this a memorable season. The next three games are winnable. They could be 7-2 and 4-1 in the conference entering a Nov. 13 showdown at Iowa.

To make that game a big game, Morgan will have to reprise his play from 2019, when he burst onto the national scene, or his play from the first half on Saturday, when he picked apart Nebraska's secondary.

Morgan is capable. Now he has to prove he can be relied upon, as his strange senior season hits the home stretch.

m.startribune.com

Star Tribune

Your source for Minnesota news today. Read articles, view photos or watch videos about news in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Duluth, St. Cloud, Rochester, and beyond.
m.startribune.com m.startribune.com

Go Gophers!!
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Wouldn't Gophs be 5-1 in conference play if 7-2?
 

Ol' Soupcan Jim is just up to his normal tricks of spewing garbage and getting all his facts wrong.
 

Souhan makes some reasonable points, but then pushes the envelope a bit too far (likely as an attempt to get clicks) and doesn't really delve into the differences between 2019 and 2021. Morgan lost what was probably the best WR tandem we've ever had and Tyler Johnson was clearly Morgan's security blanket. I somehow still believe that Johnson, as many plaudits as he has received during his time here, was underrated by some. Just a great college WR.

Add to that a new OC, injuries to our RBs, and the COVID interruption last year and one can see how some issues might emerge. I somehow wonder why "game manager" is viewed as some kind of slam. I don't know if Morgan is a guy that can take over a game with either his arm or his legs, but as long as he makes good decisions and works within the structure, he's A-OK in my book.
 

Thank God for him to be here and willing to let us dolts know what we should think, and set our realities for us. His intellect has saved me from my own grounded opinion, again.


“P.J. Fleck's performance on Saturday was remarkable.

Also, his team won.

Fleck started his postgame press conference by picking up a bottle of pop from the top of the podium, taking a sip and commenting on the taste. The pop company received not just prime product placement but the first postgame comments from a Big Ten head coach. Just the way Woody and Bo used to do it.


Having complimented a sponsor, Fleck proceeded to insult everybody else.

He said the Gophers' 30-23 victory over Nebraska was a matter of "culture'' defeating "skill.''

That was an insult to Nebraska coach Scott Frost. Fleck was saying that Frost had better players but that the "culture'' Fleck built overcame a dramatic difference in talent.

Fleck probably doesn't mind insulting Frost, because Frost made the mistake of mentioning a certain coach's "sloganeering'' during the Big Ten media days before the season began.


Also, Frost isn't likely to be around much longer, not having lost three straight games to Minnesota and running his Nebraska record to 15-25.

"Stay frosty'' is a popular catch phrase in action movies.

In the Big Ten, it is a plea from opposing coaching: "Stay, Frosty. Please, stay as long as possible.''

Fleck's insult of Frost and Nebraska was also an insult to Gophers players.

Fleck is in his fifth season as the Gophers' coach. He was hired because of two primary attributes: Enthusiasm and recruiting.

His enthusiasm never wanes. He has had recruiting victories. He has handcrafted this roster. These are his players.

So why is he telling everyone that Nebraska has more "skill''? Isn't it Fleck's job to acquire more skill than faded powers like Nebraska?

To give Fleck the benefit of the doubt, one could presume that he's referring to the loss of a great running back (Mo Ibrahim) and a very good running back (Trey Potts) to injury. But no Gopher football coach can complain about running back quality or depth with a straight face.

Whether under Glen Mason, Tim Brewster, Jerry Kill or Tracy Claeys, the Gophers have had no trouble finding productive backs. Without Ibrahim and Potts, the Gophers were able to turn to Bryce Williams, who produced 127 yards and the clinching touchdown on 17 carries.

If Fleck is criticizing an overall lack of talent on his roster, who could he be blaming other than himself? Unless he is still trying to tell us that winning at Minnesota is next to impossible?

He insulted Frost. He insulted Nebraska. He insulted his own players.


He also continues to insult the intelligence of Gophers fans. He thinks you will believe whatever he has to say as long as he brackets whatever he has to say with catch phrases and imbues it with salesmanship.

Is this a winning strategy for the long haul?

Does he need to alter reality to run a good program?

Fleck's record at Minnesota is 30-21. He is 17-20 in the Big Ten. He is 12-7 in the Big Ten over his last three seasons. He produced one of the best Gopher seasons ever in 2019. He has beaten Nebraska in three straight games, a sentence that many previous Gophers coaches would not have been able to comprehend.

Overall, at Western Michigan and Minnesota, Fleck's record is 60-43.

Fleck is, objectively, a good coach. He's winning again this year, and despite a historically bad loss to Bowling Green, could build another impressive season.

If Fleck did nothing at the podium but answer questions and compliment his players, plenty of other people in Minnesota would be happy to praise him, and he might even get points for humility.

The Minnesota fan base and media are filled with people who love kissing up to the Gophers head coach. They don't even need to be asked.

Instead of concealing his ego and accepting the always-plentiful bouquets, Fleck begs for praise and insults everyone - his opponents, his players and the intelligence of the listener.

It's a self-serving strategy that doesn't serve anyone all that well. Not even Fleck himself.”
 



This is what all these guys — Barreiro, Reusse, the two clowns on SKOR North, on and on — do these days. They chase clicks by trolling and trying to drum up some phony controversy.

I guess there must be plenty of people who find this sort of shit to be amusing, because these entertainers/quasi-sports journalists all have good-paying jobs. I just can't see the appeal.
 

Who freakin' cares what Soupcan or Phat Pat say about the Gophers? Remember when Soupcan made fun of Jerry Kill's epilepsy...and no one in authority at the Minneapolis Red Star (aka "Tribune") did anything to him?

He and Phat Pat are clueless clowns who have their feet firmly planted in midair. They lose when chasing parked cars. Enough said...
 

Souhan criticizes P.J. Fleck for "insulting" Scott Frost. Later in the very same column, Souhan himself insults Scott Frost.

Amazing.
 
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Lighten up, Jose. This is a post-game coach-speak about a hard-fought Big Ten West battle.

There is nothing to complain about unless you are looking for something.

Please tell us, what do you want PJ Fleck to say and do without going through a whole litany of things that he has said and done?
 

hungan1 said:
Lighten up, Jose. This is a post-game coach-speak about a hard-fought Big Ten West battle.

There is nothing to complain about unless you are looking for something.
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He's definitely looking for something. If he can't find it, he'll invent something.
 
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