Tanner Morgan has never looked like this.

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BilldGopher said:
The biggest jump to me is the WRs caught what came to them...practically every time. Although Tanner was doing his part a niumber of those catches would have been drops in the past.

Not yesterday.

Bodes very well for the future if that holds.
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The ball Wright caught off his shoe tops was a good example. One of Tanner's rare non-perfect throws.
 

RememberMurray said:
I agree. Tanner was throwing the ball really well, but some passes were slightly high, or behind the receiver, or both — yet our receivers made the play anyway. That is so, so crucial; pass catchers have to make big plays at key moments.
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The TD catch made by Kallerup was a contortionist act. Tanner put it in a tight window, between two defenders, and the big man somehow twisted himself to catch it.
 

touchdownvikings said:
23 of 26 for 268 yds, and 3 TDs? He's had a top-line stat like that before. Several times, actually. That's not what I'm referring to.

Distributing the ball to TEN different receivers? 6 balls to Brown-Stevens; 3 to Wright; 3 to Jackson; 3 to Spann-Ford; and so on.

Today Tanner showed us something different. He read the field POST-SNAP. And oh did he!

Yeah, I get it, Spartans generated no pressure and their secondary is suspect, to say the least. But Tanner makes the PRE-SNAP reads required to "take what the defensive alignment is giving" - he's been doing that for years now; and today he made the POST-SNAP reads required adapt to player-on-player action.

The reality is, that if he keeps this up, just from a systematic point of view, this will be a very difficult offense to stop. Because it operates so as to take what the defense gives - and it gives something on every play.
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It's the system he's in. Sets him up for pretty easy pre-snap reads so he knows who will be open or to hand it off.
 


in a weird way, having CrAB out may prove to be a benefit, because it forces Tanner to look for other receivers.

In the past, he has shown a tendency to rely very heavily on his top target. but with CrAB out, he has no choice - he has to spread the ball around.

that, in turn, makes the passing game less predictable and forces defenses to cover everybody instead of concentrating their coverage on one guy.

It will be interesting to see if any of the WR's or TE's evolve into the 'new' favorite target.
 

Agree with those that said Tanner was this level of good in 2019.

Tanner and Kirk - I just wonder if it's some magical match, they just get each other or something? In other words, will Kirk be able to work this kind of magic with the next QB's? Obviously I hope so!


But for Tanner to be so good with Kirk in 2019, then so meh in 2020 and 2021 with Sanford, and then suddenly so good again with Kirk in 2022 ... obviously some of that is just on how poorly Sanford is as an OC and QB question. But clearly Tanner and Kirk have a special connection.
 


Another very encouraging aspect about Tanner's development is what it demonstrates to the other QBs on the roster about the value and effectiveness of study and hard work in developing as a QB. Hopefully they adopt a similar approach and it pays of in great QB development going forward. It would also be great if KC sticks around as the OC.
 



hello-world said:
I wouldn't be so quick to assume this. Nobody was talking about Bateman and Johnson as NFL draft prospects four weeks into 2019.
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I said that we "may not" have two NFL wide receivers. I didn't say that we would not. I suspect that Johnson and Bateman were already being discussed by NFL scouts by this time in 2019. They already had started a full year together in 2018. I certainly don't think Bateman was drafted in the first round based on what he did in the short COVID year. They may not have been sure things at that point but they likely were viewed as possible prospects.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
in a weird way, having CrAB out may prove to be a benefit, because it forces Tanner to look for other receivers.

In the past, he has shown a tendency to rely very heavily on his top target. but with CrAB out, he has no choice - he has to spread the ball around.

that, in turn, makes the passing game less predictable and forces defenses to cover everybody instead of concentrating their coverage on one guy.

It will be interesting to see if any of the WR's or TE's evolve into the 'new' favorite target.
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I hope not. I like it this way better.
 

Marooned said:
Someone here was adamant he was a “below average” B1G QB though. I’m so confused.
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TBF - this year has been the first time he has looked above average w/o NFL WRs to throw to. He has looked great thru 4 games (3 against bad teams) for sure - but The Wolf may have some advice for you before posting this.
 




Spoofin said:
You are joking, right? Bateman was an obvious NFL WR from day 1. I think it was discussed a lot on here.
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No, I'm not joking. I had a conversation with a Wisconsin fan after the 2019 season in which they were convinced Johnson was the best receiver on Minnesota's roster and that they wouldn't be able to replace him.

What we talk about and national perception are not the same thing. People on this forum have talked about Jackson the same way that they talked about Bateman. You don't think there's a chance that he's an NFL guy once we start seeing him more? What about Wright? He's as athletic as Johnson was.

Didn't PJ say he saw four or five NFL receivers on this roster? You don't think that comment holds any water? I don't remember him saying something like that in the past. I doubt he was just blowing smoke.
 

Gophers_4life said:
Agree with those that said Tanner was this level of good in 2019.

Tanner and Kirk - I just wonder if it's some magical match, they just get each other or something? In other words, will Kirk be able to work this kind of magic with the next QB's? Obviously I hope so!


But for Tanner to be so good with Kirk in 2019, then so meh in 2020 and 2021 with Sanford, and then suddenly so good again with Kirk in 2022 ... obviously some of that is just on how poorly Sanford is as an OC and QB question. But clearly Tanner and Kirk have a special connection.
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Ciraccas's system is the magic. Set up running game with tha pass, RPO, and make the defense cover the field. It will work next year and beyond.
 

BilldGopher said:
The biggest jump to me is the WRs caught what came to them...practically every time. Although Tanner was doing his part a niumber of those catches would have been drops in the past.

Not yesterday.

Bodes very well for the future if that holds.
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For me that may have been the most impressive part of the complete game the Gophers played. The receiving corps played crazy well and I'm sure that gave Tanner more confidence. He was locked in as well.
Daniel Jackson's two touchdowns were beautiful in different ways. On the first one he adjusted and caught a well placed but difficult ball. On the second his route was a thing of beauty and it was an easy pitch and catch.
 

hello-world said:
No, I'm not joking. I had a conversation with a Wisconsin fan after the 2019 season in which they were convinced Johnson was the best receiver on Minnesota's roster and that they wouldn't be able to replace him.

What we talk about and national perception are not the same thing. People on this forum have talked about Jackson the same way that they talked about Bateman. You don't think there's a chance that he's an NFL guy once we start seeing him more? What about Wright? He's as athletic as Johnson was.

Didn't PJ say he saw four or five NFL receivers on this roster? You don't think that comment holds any water? I don't remember him saying something like that in the past. I doubt he was just blowing smoke.
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This is an odd response. I didn’t say anything about any other receivers or what PJ said. Quite the tangent. I said your statement that no one knew Bateman was an NFL WR 4-games into 2019 was wrong, because…. well…. it was wrong 🤷‍♂️. The Wisky fan you spoke to was wrong too. Speed alone separated the 2 of them when looking to the next level.
 

Spoofin said:
This is an odd response. I didn’t say anything about any other receivers or what PJ said. Quite the tangent. I said your statement that no one knew Bateman was an NFL WR 4-games into 2019 was wrong, because…. well…. it was wrong 🤷‍♂️. The Wisky fan you spoke to was wrong too. Speed alone separated the 2 of them when looking to the next level.
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In what world is that an odd response? You argued with a comment I made saying that there may be NFL receivers on Minnesota's current roster.
 

Dakota2 said:
Ciraccas's system is the magic. Set up running game with tha pass, RPO, and make the defense cover the field. It will work next year and beyond.
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Agree that KC's system is the key but he and Morgan also have a special connection that just works. The two are definitely in sync as that is the only real explanation for Morgan reverting back to the form he showed in 2019 when he was last paired with KC.

Good lord you would think someone at Colorado would look at what happened here and just fire Sandford now on principal before he has time to make their terrible offense even worse.
 

hello-world said:
In what world is that an odd response? You argued with a comment I made saying that there may be NFL receivers on Minnesota's current roster.
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In an odd a World where you actually read the post I made and you responded to. Maybe you didn’t.🤷‍♂️
hello-world said:
I wouldn't be so quick to assume this. Nobody was talking about Bateman and Johnson as NFL draft prospects four weeks into 2019.
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Spoofin said:
You are joking, right? Bateman was an obvious NFL WR from day 1. I think it was discussed a lot on here.
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Spoofin said:
In an odd a World where you actually read the post I made and you responded to. Maybe you didn’t.🤷‍♂️
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Okay, updated my original post to be more accurate.
I wouldn't be so quick to assume this. Only the brightest football minds, such as Spoofin, were talking about Bateman and Johnson as NFL draft prospects four weeks into 2019.
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He sure looks like he has command of the offense that’s for sure. Super fortunate to have all that time in and obviously he works well with the current coordinator. I think they will be a tough out for anyone with the exception of Ohio state and I would love to see them whoop that ass also if they get a chance. I mean who names there team after a tree and the mascot is a nut. As a certified arborist I find that offensive!
 


hello-world said:
No, I'm not joking. I had a conversation with a Wisconsin fan after the 2019 season in which they were convinced Johnson was the best receiver on Minnesota's roster and that they wouldn't be able to replace him.

What we talk about and national perception are not the same thing. People on this forum have talked about Jackson the same way that they talked about Bateman. You don't think there's a chance that he's an NFL guy once we start seeing him more? What about Wright? He's as athletic as Johnson was.

Didn't PJ say he saw four or five NFL receivers on this roster? You don't think that comment holds any water? I don't remember him saying something like that in the past. I doubt he was just blowing smoke.
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You had me until Wisconsin fan...
 

Gophers_4life said:
Tanner and Kirk - I just wonder if it's some magical match, they just get each other or something? In other words, will Kirk be able to work this kind of magic with the next QB's? Obviously I hope so!
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Kirk runs a system that plays to Tanner's strengths. Establish a strong running game, RPO, quick slants to the middle of the field.
 

Spoofin said:
Here is a thread from Oct, 2019 (about 4-games into the 2019 season) when Bateman was added to the watch list for Biletnikoff award for the Nation’s top WR. He was named one of the finalists about 1-month later.

@hello-world

https://gopherhole.com/boards/threads/biletnikoff-award-adds-bateman-to-watch-list.90447/
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Okay, yup you got me, Rashod Bateman's name was added to a list of 73 other receivers after he caught 6 passes for 177 yards and 2 TDs against Purdue. That did in fact happen after week four.

That doesn't mean that the Gophers don't have NFL-caliber receivers on the roster right now, which was, and still is, the point of my post. Just because it isn't obvious who they are right now, doesn't mean that the Gophers won't finish with a draft prospect or two at receiver by the end of the year.

I didn't think it was obvious, before the 2019 season started, that Bateman was going to do what he did. It wasn't until after he had three hundred yard games including one of the best receiving games I've ever witnessed, that he was added to that list.

There hasn't been as much opportunity for them this year as there was in 2019 (which is a good thing), and CRAB had the Gopher's only 100-yard game so far, but there is now a vacuum that I'm willing to bet someone will fill.
 

Spoofin said:
This is an odd response. I didn’t say anything about any other receivers or what PJ said. Quite the tangent. I said your statement that no one knew Bateman was an NFL WR 4-games into 2019 was wrong, because…. well…. it was wrong 🤷‍♂️. The Wisky fan you spoke to was wrong too. Speed alone separated the 2 of them when looking to the next level.
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Speed STILL separates them. One of them hasn’t caught a pass this season. Or even played a down. The other has 8 catches for over 220 yards and 2 TDs in 3 games.

Anyone who didn’t think Bateman was special in 2019 is nuts.
 

hello-world said:
Okay, yup you got me, Rashod Bateman's name was added to a list of 73 other receivers after he caught 6 passes for 177 yards and 2 TDs against Purdue. That did in fact happen after week four.

That doesn't mean that the Gophers don't have NFL-caliber receivers on the roster right now, which was, and still is, the point of my post. Just because it isn't obvious who they are right now, doesn't mean that the Gophers won't finish with a draft prospect or two at receiver by the end of the year.

There hasn't been as much opportunity for them this year as there was in 2019 (which is a good thing), and CRAB had the Gopher's only 100-yard game so far, but there is no a vacuum that I'm willing to bet someone will fille.
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The original post you’re referencing said “we may not” it didn’t say there wasn’t or wouldn’t be or no one has potential to be.
 


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