What are our options at QB?

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A_Slab_of_Bacon

A_Slab_of_Bacon

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Is AK the best choice right now?

I’m usually very hesitant to change QBs but right now I don’t see AK getting better. He is staring down his receivers, even then he is at best a second or two late to choose to throw, and he is constantly inaccurate.

I can see at the games that there are WRs open at times, ball just isn’t getting to them.

Considering our secondary I’m guessing he looks ok in practices, but in gameday… I’m not even sure he is getting anything out of being out there.


How are Cole and the other guys? That inaccurate too?
 

Fleck played Annexstad until his limbs were dangling (slight exaggeration bitty get the point).

If you think there’s more than zero chance someone other than AK starts, assuming he’s healthy, then you’re nuts.
 



GopherRob said:
AK will not be replaced. He has time to improve. Cole is not a starting QB.
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I don’t really see improvement occurring is my concern… and honestly little upside to playing him too.

If he was a run and gun guy who you accept throws some picks in exchange for some other good play, I’d be ok with it.

But man I don’t see much benefit in exchange for the problems. Especially if you’re going to stare at your receiver forever and still miss them. That doesn’t bode well for improving.

Some passes he gets are the easy passes to build confidence, still not good.

I hope he blossoms into a great QB but at this point I’m not even seeing much upside.
 


Kramer did outplay AK in the spring game, that’s a real small sample size though. I keep thinking they will need to hit the portal this offseason as a stop gap until Drake Lindsey is ready, but what portal QB is going to want to play in this offense?
 


mkAz said:
Kramer did outplay AK in the spring game, that’s a real small sample size though. I keep thinking they will need to hit the portal this offseason as a stop gap until Drake Lindsey is ready, but what portal QB is going to want to play in this offense?
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Any portal QBs will have to be pretty speculative. Back up guys with potential.

But short term, just not seeing much point in playing AK.
 
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mkAz said:
Kramer did outplay AK in the spring game, that’s a real small sample size though. I keep thinking they will need to hit the portal this offseason as a stop gap until Drake Lindsey is ready, but what portal QB is going to want to play in this offense?
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I think the offense would look a lot better with a competent QB though. It's not like we don't throw at all.
 



Combination of 2 things going there - QB who looks like he spent a secret coaching session with Jedd Fisch over the summer and didn't tell anyone and an Offense that wants him to be both a game manager (based on poor play) and a play maker (because of his skill set). We will always be a running team under PJ, but if you want to move beyond Tanner 2.0, we will need to live through some bad strectches to let him grow. That said, didn't he throw for a ton of yards last year vs. the skunks? Where is that offense for him?
 


well, AK looked good against Wisconsin and in the Bowl game until he was injured.

what has changed this year?
- rebuilt OL allowing more pressure
-new OC and QB Coach
-loss of Mo means teams are defending MN differently

in the end, evaluating HS players is not an exact science. just like drafting in pro sports. you get some right and you get some wrong.

the question is - if the Gopher coaches got this one wrong - if AK is not the long-term answer - then what do they do? for this season, I'm afraid they don't have much choice. options are limited.

but for next year, the choices are: stay with AK; throw the true FR Lindsey in there; or try to get a QB in the portal. I would be in favor of getting an older QB in the portal or as a grad transfer.

wild prediction: AK winds up at an FCS school just as Annexstad did.
 

A_Slab_of_Bacon said:
Is AK the best choice right now?

I’m usually very hesitant to change QBs but right now I don’t see AK getting better. He is staring down his receivers, even then he is at best a second or two late to choose to throw, and he is constantly inaccurate.

I can see at the games that there are WRs open at times, ball just isn’t getting to them.

Considering our secondary I’m guessing he looks ok in practices, but in gameday… I’m not even sure he is getting anything out of being out there.


How are Cole and the other guys? That inaccurate too?
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zero. fleck ran off the 2 qbs in teh system last year cause im guessing never played them. just like evans he will probably leave to.
 



How did he do so well against Wisconsin last season??????????

All I can possibly think is that he had good relationship/“vibes”/whatever tf you want to call it, with Ciarrocca.

And whatever it is, he does not have it with Harbaugh.

Just like Tanner did not have it with Sanford.
 

It's not a response you want to read, but AK will be given time to improve over these next few games.

He has been bad in two games, good in the two games in between.

There is nothing gained by going away from AK over the next 6 games. Nothing.

Zero.
 

Pretty evident why PJ wants to run the ball 70% of the plays. He sees in practice, what we see in games.
 

A_Slab_of_Bacon said:
Is AK the best choice right now?

I’m usually very hesitant to change QBs but right now I don’t see AK getting better. He is staring down his receivers, even then he is at best a second or two late to choose to throw, and he is constantly inaccurate.

I can see at the games that there are WRs open at times, ball just isn’t getting to them.

Considering our secondary I’m guessing he looks ok in practices, but in gameday… I’m not even sure he is getting anything out of being out there.


How are Cole and the other guys? That inaccurate too?
Click to expand...
The problems on offense are much bigger than the QB.
 

A_Slab_of_Bacon said:
I don’t really see improvement occurring is my concern… and honestly little upside to playing him too.

If he was a run and gun guy who you accept throws some picks in exchange for some other good play, I’d be ok with it.

But man I don’t see much benefit in exchange for the problems. Especially if you’re going to stare at your receiver forever and still miss them. That doesn’t bode well for improving.

Some passes he gets are the easy passes to build confidence, still not good.

I hope he blossoms into a great QB but at this point I’m not even seeing much upside.
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The 2 previous games he was 28/35 299 yards, 4TD’s and 1 int. You could have had Tom Brady playing QB for the Gophers last night and we’d still have lost by 30.
 

A_Slab_of_Bacon said:
Is AK the best choice right now?

I’m usually very hesitant to change QBs but right now I don’t see AK getting better. He is staring down his receivers, even then he is at best a second or two late to choose to throw, and he is constantly inaccurate.

I can see at the games that there are WRs open at times, ball just isn’t getting to them.

Considering our secondary I’m guessing he looks ok in practices, but in gameday… I’m not even sure he is getting anything out of being out there.


How are Cole and the other guys? That inaccurate too?
Click to expand...
How is he staring down receivers with three or four guys in his face? He had one throw without pressure—because Michigan and everyone else in the house knew Fleck was running out the clock at halftime and they played run — and he threw a perfect ball to Jackson in the end zone.

Without pass protection there is no QB on this roster who can help.
 

mkAz said:
Kramer did outplay AK in the spring game, that’s a real small sample size though. I keep thinking they will need to hit the portal this offseason as a stop gap until Drake Lindsey is ready, but what portal QB is going to want to play in this offense?
Click to expand...
None.
 

akgo4 said:
Combination of 2 things going there - QB who looks like he spent a secret coaching session with Jedd Fisch over the summer and didn't tell anyone and an Offense that wants him to be both a game manager (based on poor play) and a play maker (because of his skill set). We will always be a running team under PJ, but if you want to move beyond Tanner 2.0, we will need to live through some bad strectches to let him grow. That said, didn't he throw for a ton of yards last year vs. the skunks? Where is that offense for him?
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Compare last year’s OL with this one. Start at center.
 

Boe was the reason we lost last night?? Please.

The Center often doesn’t actually block someone directly/one-on-one. Unless it’s a true nose in a 30 front. Usually is double-team blocking with a guard.
 


short ornery norwegian said:
well, AK looked good against Wisconsin and in the Bowl game until he was injured.

what has changed this year?
- rebuilt OL allowing more pressure
-new OC and QB Coach
-loss of Mo means teams are defending MN differently

in the end, evaluating HS players is not an exact science. just like drafting in pro sports. you get some right and you get some wrong.

the question is - if the Gopher coaches got this one wrong - if AK is not the long-term answer - then what do they do? for this season, I'm afraid they don't have much choice. options are limited.

but for next year, the choices are: stay with AK; throw the true FR Lindsey in there; or try to get a QB in the portal. I would be in favor of getting an older QB in the portal or as a grad transfer.

wild prediction: AK winds up at an FCS school just as Annexstad did.
Click to expand...
I actually think our o-line has been better in pass protection this year than last. It was pretty bad last year.
 
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MplsGopher said:
How did he do so well against Wisconsin last season??????????

All I can possibly think is that he had good relationship/“vibes”/whatever tf you want to call it, with Ciarrocca.

And whatever it is, he does not have it with Harbaugh.

Just like Tanner did not have it with Sanford.
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He may well have had a better relationship with the OC last year but KC threw nary a block all season. Any passing game is built from the offensive line unless you you have a pure scrambler at QB.

Nobody knows how good or bad AK is based on the protection he had last night. A better gauge is NC game where he was bad.
 




short ornery norwegian said:
ahh - good teams have good QB's?

but is the team good because of the QB, or is the QB good because of the team? that is the question.
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All of the Big 10 is struggling to throw the ball outside of 4 teams. Three of them being OSU, Michigan, and PSU.

It's a problem all over the Big 10.

I will maintain that it's due to a complete lack of talent on the outside. Receivers in the big 10 are slow and average at best.
 

I think our only real option is to ride it out with AK. He hasn't been good but he has not been put into the best position to succeed. The only way I make a move to Cole is if it starts to become apparent AK is losing all confidence.

The way that PJ and staff called the game yesterday, that isn't outside of the real of possibilities. I strongly dislike our offense. It feels like a hodge podge of different formations and play calls that don't have a lot of synchronicity. I hate our offense under center, we have about three different plays out of that set.
 

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