STrib: Kill defends decision to stick with Nelson throughout Iowa loss

[BleedGopher]

per Joe:

"Philip was our first-team quarterback, and he played well until he got hurt," Kill said. "And then we have the guy who’s his backup [Mitch Leidner] come in, and he does a good job, gets us some wins. But Philip comes back, and he’s healthy and ready to go. So we play him, and I get all these quarterback questions. That kind of amazes me.

"A guy loses his job if the other guy’s playing three times better than he was when he got hurt. And so we’ve got two good quarterbacks, and both of them have already had an impact on our season, and we’re 4-1, and they’ll continue to have an impact on our season. I guess that’s the best way I can put it."

http://www.startribune.com/sports/blogs/225717891.html

Go Gophers!!

 

[bottlebass]

As bad as I think Nelson played I still think he gave us the best chance of winning.

I don't understand everyone's calls for Leidner. He hasn't proven he can throw the ball any better than Nelson. And from what I've seen at practices and spring games Nelson is the better passer. Iowa was completely committed to stopping our run. That was their game plan. They executed it and challenged us to throw the ball. Leidner scored 4 touchdowns last week. RUSHING. He was 5/12 passing.

If Nelson hits even half the passes he was off on, I'm not saying we win that game but it is a hell of a lot closer.

Leidner running the ball would not have helped anything.

 

[Some Day...Is Coming!]

As bad as I think Nelson played I still think he gave us the best chance of winning.

I don't understand everyone's calls for Leidner. He hasn't proven he can throw the ball any better than Nelson. And from what I've seen at practices and spring games Nelson is the better passer. Iowa was completely committed to stopping our run. That was their game plan. They executed it and challenged us to throw the ball. Leidner scored 4 touchdowns last week. RUSHING. He was 5/12 passing.

If Nelson hits even half the passes he was off on, I'm not saying we win that game but it is a hell of a lot closer.

Leidner running the ball would not have helped anything.

Leidner was 7/8 in the game before that and lead the team to 3 td's in the second half compared to Nelson's 1 td in the 1st half. I'll never see the harm in throwing the other guy in there and seeing what he can do when your offense is non existent through 1 half and 1 series. Especially with the poise and performance Leidner has shown. Through 20 throws Leidner is 60%, Nelson was under 50% at 20 throws and is currently at 51%.

 

[bottlebass]

Leidner was 7/8 in the game before that and lead the team to 3 td's in the second half compared to Nelson's 1 td in the 1st half. I'll never see the harm in throwing the other guy in there and seeing what he can do when your offense is non existent through 1 half and 1 series. Especially with the poise and performance Leidner has shown. Through 20 throws Leidner is 60%, Nelson was under 50% at 20 throws and is currently at 51%.

Leidner may have been 7/8 passing but didn't score any of those touchdowns, they were all rushed in by other players in the 2nd half when the other teams defense was worn down. Leidner's arm had little to do with that, we gashed them with the run and he made some short passes that our receivers turned into yards. Nelson was 3/4 passing that game before leaving, and while Leidner was 7/8 passing he had 17 rushing attempts. My point was Leidner hasn't proven he is a quarter back that can make throws. He hasn't done it at any practice I have been to or the spring game or the San Jose State game. If the coaches think Nelson is the better passing QB (which he clearly is at this point) then he should be in there when Iowa was committed to stopping our run.

The fans booing dose little to help the team during game time. If you want to make coaching decisions then become a coach and find a team to coach. Otherwise support the team during the game.

 

[bottlebass]

Leidner was 7/8 in the game before that and lead the team to 3 td's in the second half compared to Nelson's 1 td in the 1st half. I'll never see the harm in throwing the other guy in there and seeing what he can do when your offense is non existent through 1 half and 1 series. Especially with the poise and performance Leidner has shown. Through 20 throws Leidner is 60%, Nelson was under 50% at 20 throws and is currently at 51%.

Also in the Western Illinois game Leidner only completed a 3rd and long conversion with his arm one time from what I remember (that was a long time ago now and all the beer could have made my memory hazy).

 

[imthewalrus]

The bottom line is that the Coach will call the shots and the fans, media, shakers and movers and boosters will NOT. So, you people who have picked a favorite will either be very happy or you will be very pi$$ED. What a miserable way for you to go through the football season. If you don't like it, I guess you will be out of luck. Of course, running the type of offense my Gophers run, one...or the other of the quarterbacks might get hurt and have to miss some game time. That would then make those who had been unhappy with the choice of the coach very happy. In a really bad luck situation, both qb's might have to miss some game time and that would make a few people happy, I suppose, because the 3rd qb in line MUST have some supporters...right?

But, I have got to tell those of you who have a favorite...it is a real pain to watch you try to put down the kid that you don't support. You literally end up rooting against one of the kids...you get pi$$ed at those who don't agree with you and eventually you might get pi$$ed at a coach has a contract that will keep him here a LONG time.

So, it can really get messy and disruptive and a real pain for those of us who just root for which ever young man is playing quarterback at the present time.

But you are NOT going to change the mind of the coach by what ever you argue here. I think the Coach likes to be in control even MORE than any of you posters here on GOPHERHOLE who are trying so hard to lobby for your personal favorite quarterback. But remember, it is the call of Coach Kill. And, he doesn't really have any time to worry about what anyone else is saying about him or what choices he makes.

Please do remember the main characters are a couple 19 y.o. young men and a very highly paid Coach.

So, keep it clean...stay calm...be polite...and remember, you just might not get your way on this deal. And, keep in mind that most people predicted that my Gophers would have between 5 and7 wins in 2013 and those picking 6 or more were predicting a bowl invitation. My Gophers are 4-1 with 7 Conference Games remaining.

Now, budding qb controversy candidates...shake hands and don't bother the rest of us too much. Your arguments will fall on deaf ears with the Good Coach. He will do what he will do and your arguments will NOT impact what he decides to to in any way, shape or form.

As for me: I'll just root for and cheer for which ever qb is playing. I'll have a much nicer season than you qb controversy dudes and dudettes. And that is FINE with me...

 

[maxwellsmart]

Thank you.

 

[thailleagle]

I really haven't seen anything that would make Mitch a better passer & I certainly don't think he's a better runner then Nelson...

 

[tap]

I just wish Nelson would hit a receiver in stride or not throw it behind them all the time.

 

[dboy]

The bottom line is that the Coach will call the shots and the fans, media, shakers and movers and boosters will NOT. So, you people who have picked a favorite will either be very happy or you will be very pi$$ED. What a miserable way for you to go through the football season. If you don't like it, I guess you will be out of luck. Of course, running the type of offense my Gophers run, one...or the other of the quarterbacks might get hurt and have to miss some game time. That would then make those who had been unhappy with the choice of the coach very happy. In a really bad luck situation, both qb's might have to miss some game time and that would make a few people happy, I suppose, because the 3rd qb in line MUST have some supporters...right?

But, I have got to tell those of you who have a favorite...it is a real pain to watch you try to put down the kid that you don't support. You literally end up rooting against one of the kids...you get pi$$ed at those who don't agree with you and eventually you might get pi$$ed at a coach has a contract that will keep him here a LONG time.

So, it can really get messy and disruptive and a real pain for those of us who just root for which ever young man is playing quarterback at the present time.

But you are NOT going to change the mind of the coach by what ever you argue here. I think the Coach likes to be in control even MORE than any of you posters here on GOPHERHOLE who are trying so hard to lobby for your personal favorite quarterback. But remember, it is the call of Coach Kill. And, he doesn't really have any time to worry about what anyone else is saying about him or what choices he makes.

Please do remember the main characters are a couple 19 y.o. young men and a very highly paid Coach.

So, keep it clean...stay calm...be polite...and remember, you just might not get your way on this deal. And, keep in mind that most people predicted that my Gophers would have between 5 and7 wins in 2013 and those picking 6 or more were predicting a bowl invitation. My Gophers are 4-1 with 7 Conference Games remaining.

Now, budding qb controversy candidates...shake hands and don't bother the rest of us too much. Your arguments will fall on deaf ears with the Good Coach. He will do what he will do and your arguments will NOT impact what he decides to to in any way, shape or form.

As for me: I'll just root for and cheer for which ever qb is playing. I'll have a much nicer season than you qb controversy dudes and dudettes. And that is FINE with me...

nobody has a 'favorite'... and nobody is 'putting down' Nelson.
this is the same situation when Weber struggled and Gray never got a snap.. game after game.

there are two mindset for problem solving here:
1.) find the best formula in the lab and stick to it.. you will, over the long run, obtain the best results.
2.) mix up the formula.. and field test... because there are so many variables in a real situation, it's impossible to formulate everything in a lab.

I, like many on this board, fall into category #2 and feel Mitch should have gotten a series or two... a 'field test' against a good D.
you probably fall into #1.... "no way, over the long run, can Mitch deliver better results".

Yes, kill is the boss.. and it looks like he falls into #1

 

[ruppertflywheel]

The Michigan will be a big one for him. If he plays like he did against Iowa, I believe the coach's need
to take a hard look at who starts the following two weeks at Northwestern.

 

[BleedGopher]

MN Daily: Leidner deserved a chance, ya feel me?

Kill met with reporters Sunday morning and discussed the situation some more.

“I don’t really understand all the quarterback questions,” he said.

You’re getting these questions because Leidner absolutely electrified TCF Bank Stadium a week ago.

And you benched him.

Ya feel me?

http://www.mndaily.com/news/campus/2013/09/29/leidner-deserved-chance-ya-feel-me

Go Gophers!!

 

[Former Goofer]

Ahhhh, Kill going with the "we're 4-1" card.

 

[wait!what?]

MN Daily: Leidner deserved a chance, ya feel me?

Kill met with reporters Sunday morning and discussed the situation some more.

“I don’t really understand all the quarterback questions,” he said.

You’re getting these questions because Leidner absolutely electrified TCF Bank Stadium a week ago.

And you benched him.

Ya feel me?

http://www.mndaily.com/news/campus/2013/09/29/leidner-deserved-chance-ya-feel-me

Go Gophers!!

this post could be written evey year with only the qb names switched out.

tho congrats on 19K posts that is a heck of a lot.

 

[Iceland12]

Gophers coach Jerry Kill said Sunday that he's been surprised with all the questions he's received for starting Philip Nelson at quarterback Saturday and sticking with him for the duration of the 23-7 loss to Iowa.

Kill: "A guy loses his job if the other guy’s playing three times better than he was when he got hurt. And so we’ve got two good quarterbacks, and both of them have already had an impact on our season, and we’re 4-1, and they’ll continue to have an impact on our season. I guess that’s the best way I can put it."

Nelson completed 12 of 24 passes for 135 yards, with one touchdown, two interceptions. He also rushed nine times for minus-18 yards, including four sacks. Kill said the coaches discussed inserting Leidner for a series to "change the rhythm."
"But if you just start pulling people because they're not playing well, then you've got everybody losing confidence," Kill said.

The Gophers coaches also didn't feel like the flow of Saturday's game was conducive for a quarterback switch.
"Maybe Mitch would have went in there and changed the whole game and lit it up, I don’t know," Kill said. "But that’s the decision we make. Whether it’s right or wrong, that’s what we get paid to do, and I guess it wasn’t right yesterday. And could we have changed? Should we? Yeah, you can say we could have done a lot of things because we didn’t win the game.

"So I’m OK to be questioned for that, but we don’t have a big quarterback controversy. We’ve got a darn sophomore quarterback [Nelson] and a freshman [Leidner], and they’re both good players, and they’re both learning on the job a little bit. So that’s where we’re at with all that."

 

[bleedsmaroonandgold]

per Joe:

"Philip was our first-team quarterback, and he played well until he got hurt," Kill said. "And then we have the guy who’s his backup [Mitch Leidner] come in, and he does a good job, gets us some wins. But Philip comes back, and he’s healthy and ready to go. So we play him, and I get all these quarterback questions. That kind of amazes me.

"A guy loses his job if the other guy’s playing three times better than he was when he got hurt. And so we’ve got two good quarterbacks, and both of them have already had an impact on our season, and we’re 4-1, and they’ll continue to have an impact on our season. I guess that’s the best way I can put it."

http://www.startribune.com/sports/blogs/225717891.html

Go Gophers!!

When an offense puts up 165 yards over the course of an entire football game, there will be a lot of questions regarding every part of the offense.

 

[TrueGopherFballfan#1]

I just hope it was his hamstring that was really throwing him off because those passes he missed were not the hardest passes in the world and they would have given us some yards and probably more scores. I just know even against Michigan our WR's will get open to a point where if Nelson can hit the throw we can get some scores and stay in the game. If he has the chance tobias the same exact throws against Michigan we can look like a whole different and could hopefully come out of Ann Arbor with a season turn around win. I know it sounds like a long shot but in reality Nelson starts hitting open receivers and makes better passes we can winger to a bowl this year and hopefully beat a few good big ten teams along the way.

 

[TrueGopherFballfan#1]

I just hope it was his hamstring that was really throwing him off because those passes he missed were not the hardest passes in the world and they would have given us some yards and probably more scores. I just know even against Michigan our WR's will get open to a point where if Nelson can hit the throw we can get some scores and stay in the game. If he has the chance to make the same exact throws against Michigan we can look like a whole different team and could hopefully come out of Ann Arbor with a season turn around win. I know it sounds like a long shot but in reality if Nelson starts hitting open receivers and makes better passes we can make it to a bowl game this year and hopefully beat a few good big ten teams along the way.