Tanner Morgan thoughts

Donate To GopherHole

Hatsofftothee said:
My favorite Leidner stat is the 33 touchdowns. That's rushing touchdowns (he passed for 36 more). He's tied for 3rd on the rushing TD list.

My saddest Leidner moment, of course, is the failed QB sneak at the end of the Michigan game. That one left a mark.
Click to expand...
or the 2nd half of the badger game in 2016. Yer stats are right tho and that's why Leidballs is still above Tanballs.
 

Gophersince72 said:
A lot of people seem to assume Kramer is buried on the depth chart and destined to transfer. I'm not so sure about that. The times that I've watched him in scrimmages and drills, he consistently outperformed Clark. Has a super-tight throwing motion, quickest release on the team to my eyes. Also easily the best runner of the bunch. If the mental aspect comes along (a giant if, of course), I wouldn't be at all surprised if he replaced Morgan someday. Will be interesting to see how spring ball shakes out with 4 (hopefully) healthy QBs who now know the playbook.
Click to expand...

We had an alleged passing coach from TX on here last summer arguing Clark would be the starter in 2019 as his mechanics were superior and Morgan and Annexstad were subpar.

There’s really no point to my post other than to observe we’ve had at times people here (or Burnsie at GI) arguing for their favorite QB based on mechanics or arm strength or non-contact practice performance while we already have a guy that is consistently blowing it out of the water in games vs a real pass rush and novel defensive schemes. The real question is who’s the backup until 2022?
 

Unfortunately, I think of the second half at Wisconsin as a series of moments (4 of them, to be precise), rather than a single moment. I still can't decide which was worse, the first INT (from the WI 14-yard line) or the second (from the WI 47).
 

Pompous Elitist said:
We had an alleged passing coach from TX on here last summer arguing Clark would be the starter in 2019 as his mechanics were superior and Morgan and Annexstad were subpar.

There’s really no point to my post other than to observe we’ve had at times people here (or Burnsie at GI) arguing for their favorite QB based on mechanics or arm strength or non-contact practice performance while we already have a guy that is consistently blowing it out of the water in games vs a real pass rush and novel defensive schemes. The real question is who’s the backup until 2022?
Click to expand...

That alleged passing coach must be heavily biased in favor of Clark, because we all saw the camp videos of Morgan, Clark and Kramer throwing side by side. Clark was the clear #3 in that regard. Hopefully, he can clean that up.
 


MNVCGUY said:
Was always a big fan of Asad and yeah he gets kind of lost in the shuffle when discussion QBs that played here. He was a solid passer and could run some too. I also really enjoyed watching Bryan Cupito play.

If I was going to rank QBs from the last 20-25 years or so in terms of favorites, would probably go:

1. Morgan
2. Weber
3. Asad
4. Cupito
5. Cockerham (just outside 20 years at this point)
Click to expand...

I'd drop Weber to either before or after Cockerham on that list. Ahead of Asad? No way (IMO).
 

LakevilleBro said:
The MN QB that I liked, and no one really talks about is Asad Abdul-Khaliq. The ranked Gophers were 10-3 his Senior year, he led the Big Ten in Passing %, passing yards per attempt, and efficiency %. Beat Oregon in the Sun Bowl, 17 TD's vs 5 Int's as a Senior, 55 TD's vs 25 Int's for his 4 year career. He had a very nice MN career. GO GOPHERS!
Click to expand...
AAK was fun to watch. Had a great senior season.
 

Gophersince72 said:
A lot of people seem to assume Kramer is buried on the depth chart and destined to transfer. I'm not so sure about that. The times that I've watched him in scrimmages and drills, he consistently outperformed Clark. Has a super-tight throwing motion, quickest release on the team to my eyes. Also easily the best runner of the bunch. If the mental aspect comes along (a giant if, of course), I wouldn't be at all surprised if he replaced Morgan someday. Will be interesting to see how spring ball shakes out with 4 (hopefully) healthy QBs who now know the playbook.
Click to expand...
Went to all the open practices and a couple closed ones last year. Kramer was 4th just behind Clark, from what I saw. Really lost in the Spring compared to Clark. Very large noticeable gap between Morgan/Annexstad and Clark/Kramer in the Fall.
 

Spoofin said:
I'd drop Weber to either before or after Cockerham on that list. Ahead of Asad? No way (IMO).
Click to expand...

Weber got a raw deal here and never had a chance to really settle in with the musical chairs that took place on the coaching staff during his time here. For me there is very little separation between Cupito, AAK, and Weber, really liked all 3 of them and was fortunate enough to get to know them all some during their time at the U.
 



Pompous Elitist said:
We had an alleged passing coach from TX on here last summer arguing Clark would be the starter in 2019 as his mechanics were superior and Morgan and Annexstad were subpar.

There’s really no point to my post other than to observe we’ve had at times people here (or Burnsie at GI) arguing for their favorite QB based on mechanics or arm strength or non-contact practice performance while we already have a guy that is consistently blowing it out of the water in games vs a real pass rush and novel defensive schemes. The real question is who’s the backup until 2022?
Click to expand...
You are misquoting. I stated, based on what I have seen, that Clark had a better arm (meaning strength, accuracy, mechanics) than the others. I also said there is a lot more to being a QB than throwing the ball and I still stand by that.

Morgan improved his mechanics considerably between the 2018 and 2019 seasons. He also had the benefit of being in his 3rd spring practice versus Clark and Kramer's 1st. I would expect the competition to be closer this spring/fall but I also can't see Morgan being unseated going into the 2020 season.

We still have a relatively small sample size for what anyone outside of Morgan does in real action. Annexsted was somewhat limited by a less than stellar O-Line in 2018, while Clark and Kramer saw very limited action in 2019. I know it was only one pass, but the dime Clark dropped to HVD was the best non-Morgan throw I saw all season, and one of the best of the year. Obviously, it was a play designed specifically for that pass so there wasn't a bunch of reads or check-downs needed, but the execution was near perfect.

It will be interesting to see how the backup-battle pans out this spring and fall.
 
Last edited:

PitinoFan said:
That alleged passing coach must be heavily biased in favor of Clark, because we all saw the camp videos of Morgan, Clark and Kramer throwing side by side. Clark was the clear #3 in that regard. Hopefully, he can clean that up.
Click to expand...
"alleged". Whatever.
 


What’s your angle here GoGo? A feather in your hat if a client starts for a power 5?

Better accuracy and mechanics? I observed a fall practice and that wasn’t at all apparent. I doubt there are any current QBs in the Big Ten as accurate as Morgan much less on the team. If we are talking muzzle velocity there’s an argument to be had.
 



Pompous Elitist said:
What’s your angle here GoGo? A feather in your hat if a client starts for a power 5?

Better accuracy and mechanics? I observed a fall practice and that wasn’t at all apparent. I doubt there are any current QBs in the Big Ten as accurate as Morgan much less on the team. If we are talking muzzle velocity there’s an argument to be had.
Click to expand...
Angle? Do I need to have some angle if my professional opinion differs from yours? Relax, man. I'm not accusing you of having some predisposed aversion to Clark, am I? I didn't even train Clark so there is nothing in it for me. Sorry, next time I'll ask your permission to have an opinion that differs from yours.

With that said, let's go back to after the 2018 season and before the 2019 season. The Tanner Morgan then wasn't the Tanner Morgan we got for 2019. I stand by everything I said at the time. Morgan's throws weren't accurate and often floated on attempts over 30 yards. The mechanics and arm strength weren't there from what I saw.

It was noted during this last season Morgan worked with a couple of trainers to improve his mechanics which helped improve his accuracy and velocity. Maybe I was on to something after all?

You are welcome to agree or disagree. I really don't need your approval either way.
 
Last edited:

GoGoGopher12 said:
Angle? Do I need to have some angle if my professional opinion differs from yours? Relax, man. I'm not accusing you of having some predisposed aversion to Clark, am I? I didn't even train Clark so there is nothing in it for me. Sorry, next time I'll ask your permission to have an opinion that differs from yours.

With that said, let's go back to after the 2018 season and before the 2019 season. The Tanner Morgan then wasn't the Tanner Morgan we got for 2019. I stand by everything I said at the time. Morgan's throws weren't accurate and often floated on attempts over 30 yards. The mechanics and arm strength weren't there from what I saw.

It was noted during this last season Morgan worked with a couple of trainers to improve his mechanics which helped improve his accuracy and velocity. Maybe I was on to something after all?

You are welcome to agree or disagree. I really don't need your approval either way.
Click to expand...

 




Love Tanner Morgan! I haven't read through the entire thread, but I know this --- I'm 47 and for the 1st time in my lifetime we're heading into a season where I believe our QB is good enough to win every game on the schedule.

Not that we will win every one by any means, or that he won't have a bad game... but at that position we're good enough. I've never thought that before - and I think he'll keep getting better.
 

Two comments:
1) The wide receivers must have really enjoyed playing with Morgan as they know for the most part the ball is going to be right on the money.

2) Weber I agree got a raw deal. With all the offensive coordinators that he had, his team had trouble jelling. Must have been a dismal feeling each year knowing that a different coordinator was coming in and they had to learn a new system all over again.
 


#2Gopher said:
Two comments:
1) The wide receivers must have really enjoyed playing with Morgan as they know for the most part the ball is going to be right on the money.

2) Weber I agree got a raw deal. With all the offensive coordinators that he had, his team had trouble jelling. Must have been a dismal feeling each year knowing that a different coordinator was coming in and they had to learn a new system all over again.
Click to expand...
Tennis balls with Jedd Fisch between that off season note and the annual leidner is confident quote every july. Goph season ticket holders knew we were toast
 

Spoofin said:
I will never understand the hate for ML7. Sure, he was only average, but was the best option we had, bled maroon and gold, fought through a ton of injuries for the team, and won a lot of games.
Click to expand...
He was below average at best. Along with pretty much everyone else on offense. It was like watching high school football play in the Big Ten
 

NewJerseyGopher said:
He was below average at best. Along with pretty much everyone else on offense. It was like watching high school football play in the Big Ten
Click to expand...
While I think your take is laughable, I'm surprised your are no longer being so blatantly antagonistic (regardless if you only talk to Spoofin)
 


NewJerseyGopher said:
He was below average at best. Along with pretty much everyone else on offense. It was like watching high school football play in the Big Ten
Click to expand...

Below Average at best....
36 TD passes, 33 TD Runs
Career 121.2 QB Rating
24-17 as a starter

But we all know you aren’t actually interested in having a debate about this. You likely have someone’s family members to go insult.
 

Spoofin said:
Below Average at best....
36 TD passes, 33 TD Runs
Career 121.2 QB Rating
24-17 as a starter

But we all know you aren’t actually interested in having a debate about this. You likely have someone’s family members to go insult.
Click to expand...
32 INT’s
56.4 Comp %
stats decreasing every year...so yeah below average at best.
 

GoGoGopher12 said:
Angle? Do I need to have some angle if my professional opinion differs from yours? Relax, man. I'm not accusing you of having some predisposed aversion to Clark, am I? I didn't even train Clark so there is nothing in it for me. Sorry, next time I'll ask your permission to have an opinion that differs from yours.

With that said, let's go back to after the 2018 season and before the 2019 season. The Tanner Morgan then wasn't the Tanner Morgan we got for 2019. I stand by everything I said at the time. Morgan's throws weren't accurate and often floated on attempts over 30 yards. The mechanics and arm strength weren't there from what I saw.

It was noted during this last season Morgan worked with a couple of trainers to improve his mechanics which helped improve his accuracy and velocity. Maybe I was on to something after all?

You are welcome to agree or disagree. I really don't need your approval either way.
Click to expand...

OK, fine. I found it odd you seemed down on the incumbents and high on the new kid and assumed you must be in that sphere down in TX. My mistake.

It‘s the subject of a whole ‘mother thread but the arguments on changing a 20+ year old college starter or potential pro (famously Tebow and Rodgers) throwing mechanics is debatable to me. Maybe in a controlled environment things can be consciously tweaked but for an established, experienced athlete to make significant changes to their throw particularly under mental and physical time pressures is a bit far fetched and I suspect muscle memory kicks in, but certainly not out of the realm of possibility. Mental adjustments and adaptation to prevent fundamental breakdowns seems like it might be more important for an experienced athlete. Morgan, for example had much better stats in the second halves of games. Why? Situation, mental state, play calling, defensive fatigue? That’s not always the norm but I found it endearing.

For newbies (to any sport) the potential gain of mechanics coaching seems much higher. I bet some folks who would never believe they’re capable to throw a football 40 yards could do it with a little coaching... Get the kinetic chain going from the feet to the hips to the abdomen to the shoulder to the wrist and fingertips and even a 50+ year old might be able to torque that sucker down the field without shredding ligaments (too much).
 

PMWinSTP said:
AAK was fun to watch. Had a great senior season.
Click to expand...
Will always remember AAK's first series against the Ohio Bobcats at the Dome in 2000. Billy Cockerham had graduated and Asad was next in line.

Anywho can't remember if it was the first or second snap but the entire Bobcat defensive front broke through and destroyed Khaliq. He literally had to be scraped off the Metrodome turf. He continued to play but I think by today's rules he would have been under concussion protocol for a while.

Of course he went on to be a "good" quarterback by Minnesota standards. But I always believed that one play was one he was not able to completely forget. I certainly didn't.

Being able to move on to the next play is one of Tanner's greatest assets. He exudes confidence that infects the entire offense. This is a QB character element that can't be faked. Very glad he is a Gopher.

Progress.
 

Anywho can't remember if it was the first or second snap but the entire Bobcat defensive front broke through and destroyed Khaliq. He literally had to be scraped off the Metrodome turf. He continued to play but I think by today's rules he would have been under concussion protocol for a while.

I remember the same thing! I thought it was obvious that AAK was shaky after that hit and it carried over to the next week as I recall. He had terrible happy feet that next game and just danced around in the pocket, appeared to be terrified to me. I was amazed Mason continued to play him. Would never happen today (thankfully).
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom