What If Just 1/2 The Drops, Or 1/2 Of AKs 1-hops Were Successful?

Donate To GopherHole
spermophilus

spermophilus

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 20, 2008
Messages
2,508
Reaction score
1,207
Points
113
I don’t know if I’m depressed that it won’t improve (leaning this way), or dreaming that we’re close to figuring it out.
 

spermophilus said:
I don’t know if I’m depressed that it won’t improve (leaning this way), or dreaming that we’re close to figuring it out.
Click to expand...

Well, look at it this way. We don't have anyone else this season so we have to just stick with him and hope for improvement. It helps that hardly any QBs in the Big Ten West are truly good. Our beatable East opponent (MSU) doesn't have a very good QB either.
 
Last edited:





mngg11 said:
I support the kid and I won't disparage him as a human but someone needs to help him with his mechanics and reads and footwork and the list goes on.
Click to expand...

Spot on. Kaliakmanis needs to play much, much better and the coaches need to help him figure it out. That's what coaches are for.

It's on #8, and it's on the staff too.
 

mngg11 said:
I support the kid and I won't disparage him as a human but someone needs to help him with his mechanics and reads and footwork and the list goes on.
Click to expand...
I am not disparaging - I want, and root hard, for him to succeed. Must be hard to gain confidence with the drops, meaning I wonder if he’s trying to be too fine, and squeezing as a result.
 

Here's the thing: we've all seen what he's capable of (Wisconsin game last season).

We need that on a consistent basis. that's what great ones do.
 

mngg11 said:
I support the kid and I won't disparage him as a human but someone needs to help him with his mechanics and reads and footwork and the list goes on.
Click to expand...

Mechanics are terrible. Throws off his back foot and sidearms every pass which leads to major distance issues as well as easy bat downs because of the low release.
 



spermophilus said:
I am not disparaging - I want, and root hard, for him to succeed. Must be hard to gain confidence with the drops, meaning I wonder if he’s trying to be too fine, and squeezing as a result.
Click to expand...

How many dropped passes were there?

I clearly remember the one, by Spann-Ford.
 

I hear you.

This and other games would have been won / more secure.
 


stocker08 said:
Mechanics are terrible. Throws off his back foot and sidearms every pass which leads to major distance issues as well as easy bat downs because of the low release.
Click to expand...

I agree. This is baffling to me. Coach this stuff, please!
 



He has the worst arm I've seen from a QB since Mitch Leidner was MN's QB. I get that the coaching staff is all-in on him and I hope they're right, but he is not good.
 


Bob_Loblaw said:
Crooms has like 7
Click to expand...

Really?

I remember a couple that he got both hands on but the ones I remember were thrown behind him.

With the prevalence of analytics, is there any stat kept on dropped passes?
 


Better too low than too high I guess. Also gotta be depressing for QB when everyone except Jackson has granite hands.
Fleck’s never been big on throwing to RBs but maybe they need to try it more, they can’t be any worse at catching the football than the WR/TEs.
 

hello-world said:
He has the worst arm I've seen from a QB since Mitch Leidner was MN's QB. I get that the coaching staff is all-in on him and I hope they're right, but he is not good.
Click to expand...
They have to be “all in on him” because they’ve put themselves in this situation. Knuth left because they pushed their chips in on AK8. So now all they have is Kramer and freshman Viotto. Kramer is not likely winning any more games than AK8, and there is virtually zero chance of hyper conservative PJ playing Viotto over AK8 even if he looks good in practice. Unless they have a ton of confidence in Viotto, it seems inevitable they go after a transfer QB this offseason. If they don’t, it could cost PJ his job if they have another year offensively next year as they did this year while also having to play a more balanced B1G schedule.
 

Add in the number of passes that have required the receiver to dive for the ball, thereby decreasing the likelihood of a catch and eliminating any chance for YAC. The number of diving receptions by Jackson and the rest of the receivers this year on pretty standard 10 yard throws seems extremely high (although I have no stats to call this up).
 

He’s a 3rd year Sophomore. He’s won at IA and WI. He doesn’t have anywhere near the WR talent that we had 4 years ago when Morgan was a 3rd year Sophomore. The defense was a little better that year IMO as well.

I would like some insurance at QB, but I think he can still be the guy.

Ask me again next week.
 

forever a gopher said:
They have to be “all in on him” because they’ve put themselves in this situation. Knuth left because they pushed their chips in on AK8. So now all they have is Kramer and freshman Viotto. Kramer is not likely winning any more games than AK8, and there is virtually zero chance of hyper conservative PJ playing Viotto over AK8 even if he looks good in practice. Unless they have a ton of confidence in Viotto, it seems inevitable they go after a transfer QB this offseason. If they don’t, it could cost PJ his job if they have another year offensively next year as they did this year while also having to play a more balanced B1G schedule.
Click to expand...
PJ in no danger of losing his job
 

Mick Turition said:
PJ in no danger of losing his job
Click to expand...
Not necessarily. He has a pretty long leash with Coyle. However, if the offense looks as abysmal next year as it does this year, his seat will certainly get warm.

For reference, before the game today, the offense was 108th in scoring offense and 119th in total offense. Those rankings will get worse after today. Is that enough alone to justify a move? No. However, it’s not sustainable to have those rankings and win a bunch of games. Add in the fact that it’s only going to get harder when they play a more “balanced” schedule with no divisions plus the added teams, and it means that either AK8 is going to have to take a big step forward, Viotto/Lindsey is going to have to look way more impressive, or they will need to go portal fishing.
 

Panthadad2 said:
I thought Crooms had at least 4 drops. Weird, as he's had the best hands this year.
Click to expand...
He did have 4. One was the diving "catch" that was reviewed and one was slightly behind him, but he adjusted and it hit him in the hands. Tough day for him.
 

hello-world said:
He has the worst arm I've seen from a QB since Mitch Leidner was MN's QB. I get that the coaching staff is all-in on him and I hope they're right, but he is not good.
Click to expand...

I think on the whole Leidner was better than Athan has been this year. Demry Croft was much worse than Leidner and worse than Athan this season as I remember.
 

The loss of Brockington and the fact that Crab is most certainly not the same player he was before certainly isn’t helping the situation. Where would this passing offense be without Jackson?
 

There was a slo-mo on the TV broadcast that showed exactly why his passes are hitting the dirt halfway to the receiver: the nose of the ball is pointed like 45 degrees downward as it's leaving his hand.

That's never going to fly right.

I don't know how that happens, in terms of throwing mechanics. I don't know if it's a thin of his hand, or his wrist, or his sidearm motion, or his footwork ... all of the above. Or what.

But that is the simply physics reason why his balls are going into the dirt. The nose of the ball is pointed down as it's coming out of his hand. That's what they have to fix ... however you fix that.
 

Danny Jackson is a friggin dude. As much as we can throw to that guy ... that's our guy.

Crooms ... woof. What a bad game for him. That first really bad drop the TV shot cut to Fleck and you could read his lips saying "G-D Corey!!!!"

Then like two more bad drops. Then that really long pass that looked like an amazing catch, but they reviewed and called it back.
 

Spann-Ford ... I mean, what tf happened to you???

I think he was targeted one time, the entire game?? And what do you thing happened? Drop. Awful drop.

Jeez dude ...
 

TwistingMyMelon said:
I think on the whole Leidner was better than Athan has been this year. Demry Croft was much worse than Leidner and worse than Athan this season as I remember.
Click to expand...
Yeah but Demry could run (and Rhoda had a better arm). If Fleck had been able to combine them into one QB then they easily would have dusted Athan.

But… you are right. Demry could not throw the ball.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom