STrib: Gophers' success hinges on recharged QB Leidner's arm

[BleedGopher]

per Joe:

Mitch Leidner hit the 365 mark last winter, and if that had been his passing yardage per game the Gophers might have been Rose Bowl-bound.

For Leidner, that achievement was his bench press — 365 pounds — after years of dedicated strength training. It’s great to be strong, but Leidner realized his arm flexibility was suffering — not a good thing for a quarterback.

“You don’t want to be lifting crazy bench all the time because you’ve got to take care of the moneymaker,” Leidner said, smiling.

Leidner strategically dialed down his upper-body workouts, one of several fundamentals he scrutinized after ranking toward the bottom of the nation in completion percentage. The junior picked other quarterbacks’ brains, he worked meticulously on footwork, he examined his finger placement and analyzed his grip — all part of his mission to improve his accuracy.

http://www.startribune.com/gophers-success-hinges-on-recharged-qb-leidner-s-arm/321152881/

Go Gophers!!

 

[akgo4]

People can nitpick about Mitch, and there are QB's on the roster with more natural talent, but it come down to the fact that he works at it. He doesn't rest on what he has. For all the work he has put in, its now time to see if that will seperate us from the pack, or if he will only ever be a complementary piece of the puzzle. We need the position to make some plays.

 

[Gopher Warrior]

People can nitpick about Mitch, and there are QB's on the roster with more natural talent, but it come down to the fact that he works at it. He doesn't rest on what he has. For all the work he has put in, its now time to see if that will seperate us from the pack, or if he will only ever be a complementary piece of the puzzle. We need the position to make some plays.

Are you suggesting other players on Minnesota's roster don't work at their craft?

 

[akgo4]

Nope - Switch it around. Coaches see what Mitch puts into it. Others on the roster may have more natural talent, but work ethic (especially if improvement is shown this year) keeps him as the starter.

 

[wait!what?]

see fellas, last year i spent my summer tearing mitcheroo a new one. then he won 8 games. mitcheroo does what the coaches want when they want it. now,after 9/3 we'll see.