Who is QB #2?

Who is QB2?

  • Mitch Leidner – “The Sleeper”

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Dexter Foreman – “Shadow of Gray”

    Votes: 2 2.5%
  • Philip Nelson – “Local Favorite”

    Votes: 1 1.3%
  • Max Shortell – “Battle Tested"

    Votes: 76 96.2%

  • Total voters
    79
  • Poll closed .

Rescooter

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It's almost a certainty that Marquis Gray will be our starting Quarterback, but who is #2. Gray cannot play 100% of the time and while very durable, could get dinged up. These group of guys are one play away from having to step in. Who will it be?

Mitch Leidner – “The Sleeper”. Untested, but also un-scouted. A wild card, but Kill has been known to shake things up a bit.

Dexter Foreman – “Shadow of Gray”. Likes to run and is a prototypical dual threat Quarterback. Offense would not have to change much to accommodate his presence.

Philip Nelson – “Local Favorite”. This guy has BIG potential written all over him. Has shown some ability to be a game changer, but is still getting used to the speed of college ball.

Max Shortell – “Battle Tested”. He has QB “Moxy” as he stepped up as a freshman in several important situations. Will he have the fortitude to get past the sophomore slump of his predicessors?
 



Why can't Gray play 100% of the time?

I hate to answer a question with a question, but how many D1 Qbs have played every down in every game over a season? Sure it's possible he could play every down of every game, but I could also win the lottery. It's interesting to speculate anyway.
 

I hate to answer a question with a question, but how many D1 Qbs have played every down in every game over a season? Sure it's possible he could play every down of every game, but I could also win the lottery. It's interesting to speculate anyway.

+1
 


Why can't Gray play 100% of the time?
I think I know the answer to this but I'll ask it anyway. Just assume that Gray takes 100% of the snaps and Shortell never sees the field. Does that get him an extra year of eligibility?
 

I think I know the answer to this but I'll ask it anyway. Just assume that Gray takes 100% of the snaps and Shortell never sees the field. Does that get him an extra year of eligibility?

Yes. He would be a redshirt for this season.
 





After the 2011 Spring Game I would have bet that Alipate would have challenged Gray to start in Fall. Obviously that was way off, but I won't let that stop me from drawing a conclusion from this year's Spring Game.

I honestly thought Shortell looked the best of all the QB's with Gray as a very close second (a little hard to judge between them due to squads, play calls, etc). I actually think Foreman or Leidner might have been a very distant third, then Nelson. I've talked to a few people who went to practices this spring and saw similar performances (maybe Gray and Shortell flip-flopped, but the other players in similar order). Based on that small data size and the ability to RS Leidner and Nelson, I think it's pretty clear that it should be Gray then Shortell then Foreman.
 

After the 2011 Spring Game I would have bet that Alipate would have challenged Gray to start in Fall. Obviously that was way off, but I won't let that stop me from drawing a conclusion from this year's Spring Game.

I honestly thought Shortell looked the best of all the QB's with Gray as a very close second (a little hard to judge between them due to squads, play calls, etc). I actually think Foreman or Leidner might have been a very distant third, then Nelson. I've talked to a few people who went to practices this spring and saw similar performances (maybe Gray and Shortell flip-flopped, but the other players in similar order). Based on that small data size and the ability to RS Leidner and Nelson, I think it's pretty clear that it should be Gray then Shortell then Foreman.

This is the type of conversation I was hoping for when I posted. I will say this, if we were deep in the receiver position, I would say 100% Shortell. My issue is we have a receiving corps that is mostly untested and very thin. Does this play into a "pocket passer" (no matter how good he is), or would a better back-up be a very good dual threat QB in Foreman?
 

This is the type of conversation I was hoping for when I posted. I will say this, if we were deep in the receiver position, I would say 100% Shortell. My issue is we have a receiving corps that is mostly untested and very thin. Does this play into a "pocket passer" (no matter how good he is), or would a better back-up be a very good dual threat QB in Foreman?
Didn't Shortell have a good run at the Spring Game? From what I understand he has improved his quickness and mobility quite a bit. It might be better with this WR corps do have a balanced QB (one who can run well and pass well) than one who is better at running. Better throws would make it easier for the WRs.
 

Didn't Shortell have a good run at the Spring Game? From what I understand he has improved his quickness and mobility quite a bit. It might be better with this WR corps do have a balanced QB (one who can run well and pass well) than one who is better at running. Better throws would make it easier for the WRs.

Shortell ran the ball quite well in the Spring Game, but you could see the D-linemen's collective jaws drop when he actually ran. I could have made yards through some of those holes, and believe me that's saying something!

Also, I've heard that Foreman actually passes quite well in practice. So Shortell probably runs better than you'd expect for a passer and Foreman passes better than you'd expect for a runner. Overall I think Shortell could be like Adam Weber with more accuracy. Runs good enough to keep the defense honest, but not good enough to justify concentrating the defense on stopping it.
 




IMO Shortell is a future NFL qb--perhaps a good one. That makes him #2.

What leads you to believe this? He almost mounted a come back against.......NDSU! Please.

Having said that, Shortell is #2, if only to preserve Nelson's red shirt. Would be great to see what Nelson can do as a 4 year starter.
 




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