Tanner’s NFL Journey

There’s nothing wrong with $41 million? Good to know.
Chase Daniel has a had a great NFL career, in the grand scheme of things.

It may not be what every kid dreams "being an NFL quarterback" means. But he's gotten his shot, has a ring, isn't super beat up physically, is probably set up well if he wants to be a coach, and has made enough money that he doesn't have to be a coach or anything else ever again if he doesn't want to be.
 

Chase Daniel has a had a great NFL career, in the grand scheme of things.

It may not be what every kid dreams "being an NFL quarterback" means. But he's gotten his shot, has a ring, isn't super beat up physically, is probably set up well if he wants to be a coach, and has made enough money that he doesn't have to be a coach or anything else ever again if he doesn't want to be.
This - his health remains intact for the rest of his life.
 

Chase Daniel has a had a great NFL career, in the grand scheme of things.

It may not be what every kid dreams "being an NFL quarterback" means. But he's gotten his shot, has a ring, isn't super beat up physically, is probably set up well if he wants to be a coach, and has made enough money that he doesn't have to be a coach or anything else ever again if he doesn't want to be.

No doubt. Great career by almost all standards. Very few guys spend a decade in the NFL. Backup or otherwise.
 

Pickett is not going to be the answer for this team and the NFL has given up on Trubisky. I'm not so convinced that Tanner is only playing for a practice squad spot. I think that is the most likely outcome if he manages to impress in camp, but I also think there's a world in which Pickett gets hurt and Tanner has is number called in a throwaway game this year.

Tanner has better footwork and pocket presence than either of those guys. I also think he's a more aggressive decision maker than either of them.

Maybe Pickett takes a big step forward this offseason, but if he doesn't then this is going to be a team that searching for answers on offense. If Watson ends up re-discovering himself in Cleveland then this team could easily find itself at the bottom of the division.
 

Pittsburghese here are very high on Pickett and I believe the Steelers organization is also all in on their 1st round pick from last year. The stadium went nuts when Pickett went in the first time.

If TM can just make the 53 man roster this year, then my expectation for our old QB has already been blown🤯 Would love to see TM play some snaps on Sundays!

Just go further than a Leidner or a Weber 🙌
 



The Steelers, Tanner Morgan And The Insider Connection That Gives Him The Fast Track To QB3​


Morgan is coming into camp with some of the most playing experience of any other name on the rookie roster. He took full advantage of his extra year of eligibility (due to the COVID season’s exception rule) and logged six seasons at the University of Minnesota. While there, Morgan set a plethora of school records.

Courtesy of the University of Minnesota's Athletic Department, those records include career passing efficiency rating of 151.0, career completion percentage of 62.2 percent (661 of 1,063 attempts) and career games won as starting quarterback being 33 (47 career starts). Head Coach, Mike Tomlin expressed his appreciation of Morgan’s collegiate experience at the team’s minicamp.

“He’s a guy that’s played a lot”, Tomlin proclaimed. “He’s a sixth-year guy. He’s got some leadership and tangible qualities. He’s been highly productive in that program. His resume is pretty extensive for a guy in that position.”


Go Gophers!!
 

I still have a lot of learning to do. Bleed posts a much better presentation of the articles.
 

Johnson was pretty bad in college.
You're being kind. Northwestern under Fitzgerald always seemed to find a QB that could fit and flourish in his offensive system, but the highly-touted Johnson just stunk.

Guys like Perkins always seem to get a chance these days because of their running ability and how that could translate into some creativity/gadget plays. It's similar to why Streveler is still hanging in there.
 



I know there are a few here that have been overly harsh towards Morgan and his pro prospects.

What they fail to account for are the intangibles that Morgan brings in terms of maturity and leadership. He was basically a coach on and off the field for the Gophers and he carries himself really well.

He won't be a problem off the field, he will work his butt off, and he has a coaches mentality about him that will almost certainly lead to a career in coaching whenever his playing days end. As long as he proves to have enough ability to justify being a #3 guy those other traits make him a dream player for a coaching staff in a backup/emergency QB roll.

Remains to be seen if he can make the final roster and will be interesting to see if he can find a way to stay in the league for multiple years...but I wouldn't bet against him pulling it off.
 

I know there are a few here that have been overly harsh towards Morgan and his pro prospects.

What they fail to account for are the intangibles that Morgan brings in terms of maturity and leadership. He was basically a coach on and off the field for the Gophers and he carries himself really well.

He won't be a problem off the field, he will work his butt off, and he has a coaches mentality about him that will almost certainly lead to a career in coaching whenever his playing days end. As long as he proves to have enough ability to justify being a #3 guy those other traits make him a dream player for a coaching staff in a backup/emergency QB roll.

Remains to be seen if he can make the final roster and will be interesting to see if he can find a way to stay in the league for multiple years...but I wouldn't bet against him pulling it off.
Well said. You don't pay back-up QBs to win games. They are generally expected not to lose games.

I think Morgan's chances are similar to former Badger Scott Tolzien's. Heady guy who plays well within a system. Tolzien hung around for four years, getting a few starts, and is now the QB coach for the Dallas Cowboys. I actually think Morgan is more pro-ready than Tolzien was because he played in a more diversified offense, but the main job for both these guys was to hand off to the tailback.
 

Well said. You don't pay back-up QBs to win games. They are generally expected not to lose games.

I think Morgan's chances are similar to former Badger Scott Tolzien's. Heady guy who plays well within a system. Tolzien hung around for four years, getting a few starts, and is now the QB coach for the Dallas Cowboys. I actually think Morgan is more pro-ready than Tolzien was because he played in a more diversified offense, but the main job for both these guys was to hand off to the tailback.
That is probably a very solid comp. Fans tend to focus on the starting spots and forget about the role players.

Morgan's odds of being a regular starter in the NFL are not great.....but that doesn't mean he can't carve out a role for himself in the league and make a lot of money while preparing himself for a long career in coaching.
 



Morgan hopes the intelligence and leadership qualities that Tomlin thinks so highly of shine through during minicamp. He fancies himself the football version of a point guard - smart, protective of the ball and efficient in getting his playmakers in position to do what they do best.

I couldn’t be less familiar with the Pittsburgh organization, system, personnel but we saw what Morgan could do with a strong supporting cast, but we also saw struggles at times. I’ve seen far worse QBs play in the NFL. Not a profound statement, sure.
 



Morgan hopes the intelligence and leadership qualities that Tomlin thinks so highly of shine through during minicamp. He fancies himself the football version of a point guard - smart, protective of the ball and efficient in getting his playmakers in position to do what they do best.

I couldn’t be less familiar with the Pittsburgh organization, system, personnel but we saw what Morgan could do with a strong supporting cast, but we also saw struggles at times. I’ve seen far worse QBs play in the NFL. Not a profound statement, sure.
Morgan can be extremely accurate when given time to throw. I have no idea how good the Pittsburgh OL is though.
 

Morgan can be extremely accurate when given time to throw. I have no idea how good the Pittsburgh OL is though.

Easily NFL-caliber accuracy, touch, timing/anticipation. Arm strength is fine. Not athletic. Looking around college football the extent to which elite receivers go up and make plays for their (often well-protected) QBs and make them look better than they are is probably underrated. Predicting who will succeed in the NFL based on physical traits, statistics, and output is notoriously hard to do. Best of luck to him as he tries to prove he belongs.
 


Easily NFL-caliber accuracy, touch, timing/anticipation. Arm strength is fine. Not athletic. Looking around college football the extent to which elite receivers go up and make plays for their (often well-protected) QBs and make them look better than they are is probably underrated. Predicting who will succeed in the NFL based on physical traits, statistics, and output is notoriously hard to do. Best of luck to him as he tries to prove he belongs.
Thank you for saying this. Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one that sees this. He's not the full package but he is elite at a few things.

Pickett last year struggled with footwork, stepping up into the pocket, and RPO reads.

Tanner struggles with exactly none of those things and if it weren't for pedigree (first round vs UDFA) I wouldn't be willing to write Tannner off to win that job.

As it is, there's no way in hell that happens but if this team ends up with 10 losses and an injury, I think Tanner could see the field.
 

Despite his lack of hair and athletic ability, there is a reason he is one of the most decorated Gopher QBs of all time. Would love to see him have a long career, even as a journeyman backup. Go TM!
 


Who hates Pittsburg?
Pittsburg, Caifornia? I wouldn't say I hated it, but travelled there a lot for one of my jobs. It's close to the delta, but I wouldn't live there, and my company wouldn't let me stay in hotels there either.
 


Where’s Waldo, I mean TM? 😄
 

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I realize people are going to jump down my throat for saying this but Tanner can absolutely develop into a better NFL QB than Pickett and I have no doubt about that.
Based on what? Being a fan of Minnesota??
 

Easily NFL-caliber accuracy, touch, timing/anticipation. Arm strength is fine. Not athletic. Looking around college football the extent to which elite receivers go up and make plays for their (often well-protected) QBs and make them look better than they are is probably underrated. Predicting who will succeed in the NFL based on physical traits, statistics, and output is notoriously hard to do. Best of luck to him as he tries to prove he belongs.
You don't know how to watch film, if he had NFL caliber accuracy , touch, timing, anticipation he would have been drafted those r literally the most important attributes to playing QB in the NFL. He's a project guy who has high character and is a good locker room guy.
 



You don't know how to watch film, if he had NFL caliber accuracy , touch, timing, anticipation he would have been drafted those r literally the most important attributes to playing QB in the NFL. He's a project guy who has high character and is a good locker room guy.

I’ve been asking you to explain this for some time now. Nobody thinks Morgan has top level physical attributes, and lack of mobility is a problem. He is above average at some things, which is very obvious. You have always seemed to be having a different argument. Not sure what your problem is with Morgan? Maybe you should call up Matt Canada and ask him why he’s wasting everyone’s time.
 


Pickett is not going to be the answer for this team and the NFL has given up on Trubisky. I'm not so convinced that Tanner is only playing for a practice squad spot. I think that is the most likely outcome if he manages to impress in camp, but I also think there's a world in which Pickett gets hurt and Tanner has is number called in a throwaway game this year.

Tanner has better footwork and pocket presence than either of those guys. I also think he's a more aggressive decision maker than either of them.

Maybe Pickett takes a big step forward this offseason, but if he doesn't then this is going to be a team that searching for answers on offense. If Watson ends up re-discovering himself in Cleveland then this team could easily find itself at the bottom of the division.
Pickett was their 1st round draft choice last year and he was their starter the last half of the season. They do like him a lot.I really hope Tanner can make their roster or practice squad. He is an impressive young man.
 

The problem for Morgan is that his best year is already 4 years into the past now - and with the volume of work, it is pretty obvious our WR core had way more to do with that than Morgan. I don't think Morgan is renowned for his arm strength and he does not have giant size or great speed. Lastly, the dude is pushing 30 so it is hard to bank on a high upside as he matures.

That said, he is a mature and smart so he could probably effectively run the practice team with changing looks each week - that, and he is unlikely to cause embarrassment to the team. I think the 'smart' part, so he can quickly adopt his style to mimic the upcoming opponent is highly underrated. You take a guy that is as dumb as a box of rocks with some potential upside and it probably is not really worth your time and effort if he is 3rd string still after a year or 2. He can't give you the effective practice team looks and will probably do something off the field eventually to damage the team image.

I never though Morgan would cash an NFL paycheck so I am very happy for him if we can hang in the league.
 




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