TDG-Minnesota Football: Can the Gophers Improve in 2014 if the Passing Game Doesn't?

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The INT was a pass where he had sophomore Drew Wolitarksy wide open on a deep post, but the ball was underthrown so badly DB Jalen Myrick had time to recover and pick off the pass.
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Maybe I saw something different, but wasn't the pass just thrown slightly behind Wolitarsky? And if anything, a little overthrown instead of underthrown? Plus, Myrick made a great catch on the play, not exactly a simple "recovery."
 


Okie said:
Maybe I saw something different, but wasn't the pass just thrown slightly behind Wolitarsky? And if anything, a little overthrown instead of underthrown? Plus, Myrick made a great catch on the play, not exactly a simple "recovery."
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That's how I remember it too. Wolitarsky had a few steps on Myrick and if Leidner had led him with the ball it would have been good. But it was definitely an overthrow and behind him. Myrick closed on it quick though.
 

The running game will be better with Jeff and Berkley and a better O-line so yes the O will be better even without an improved passing game however it will be improved with Melvin Holland and Eric Carter coming in and our top 3 receivers in Williams, Wolitarsky and Jones won't be freshman anymore along with year of experience under Mitch's belt. If you're going to make a judgement on how far Mitch has progressed then please compare where he is now to how he looked during last years spring practices and judge by the full body of work, not just a few throws in a spring "game" and by all reports he is superior to where he was last spring.

The O will be better any way you slice it.
 


The 3 freshmen wide receivers can't makeup for bad throws. Mitch had a horrible Spring Game throwing the leather
down field. If he can't correct that in fall practice you know teams are going too load up against the run.
 

Okie said:
Maybe I saw something different, but wasn't the pass just thrown slightly behind Wolitarsky? And if anything, a little overthrown instead of underthrown? Plus, Myrick made a great catch on the play, not exactly a simple "recovery."
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All correct except for the "slightly" part. Should have been 6 pts, but the pass was bad.
 

Spoofin said:
All correct except for the "slightly" part. Should have been 6 pts, but the pass was bad.
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Leidner will be gone by the 3rd game in 2014. coach will play up some injury to keep him on the bench. then it'll other qbs and wildcat stuff just to do anything to not go 3 and out. Juco qb next yr
 




The demise of this staff will be the QB position; can't recruit one and/or develop one. There isn't a good QB on the roster right now, so it will be years before we can see improvement at the position. They keep recruiting "athletic" QBs, I'd like to see us bring one in that is actually known for passing the ball. This is big boy football, you have to be able to do it all at the position; the coaches have yet to realize this.
 

stcgopher said:
The demise of this staff will be the QB position; can't recruit one and/or develop one. There isn't a good QB on the roster right now, so it will be years before we can see improvement at the position. They keep recruiting "athletic" QBs, I'd like to see us bring one in that is actually known for passing the ball. This is big boy football, you have to be able to do it all at the position; the coaches have yet to realize this.
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Shortell could yet he transferred and didn't fit the system.
 

Dean S said:
It all starts with the offensive line.
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which will be better with 5 returning starters if you count Lauer a starter ahead of Ed Olson. Hopefully Pirsig realizes his potential this year and locks down starting RT which will allow us to put Campion into his natural guard position.
 




Was the board this negative last offseason after Nelson's mediocre first season?

Give the kid a chance. We're barely into the 2014 training season! He could be very good if he continues to develop. If he's a 50% with a a 1:1 td/int ratio this season then we can wail and gnash our teeth. I think he will be better than nelson was. We've argue this to death..

Maybe Streveler is the better QB. He will probably get some chances to light it up this year.

There is a reason nelson left. He was losing his spot to a more complete player and a better leader. Read between the lines of what the coaches leak out.
 

Why do you guys post on here?

stcgopher said:
The demise of this staff will be the QB position; can't recruit one and/or develop one. There isn't a good QB on the roster right now, so it will be years before we can see improvement at the position. They keep recruiting "athletic" QBs, I'd like to see us bring one in that is actually known for passing the ball. This is big boy football, you have to be able to do it all at the position; the coaches have yet to realize this.
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If you all think the Gophers suck, then root for somebody else or stop posting. You got a guy writing an article who admits to not attending even one practice or the spring game itself but feels qualified to judge, condemn, rip away and speculate to what degree the Gophers will fail. It would be fine if this were a Wisconsin forum. But the writer and you guys say you are Gopher fans. It's disgusting to read all the sky is falling swill you guys put out there.

I take Leidner's answer to say, yes he was open but he ran the wrong route...or it's not how we practiced it. I expected him to be somewhere else etc.,but I'm not selling out my teammate.
I believe if it was a bad pass, he'd just say so. This flippin' play ain't nuthin'. It's THE lone interception in the spring game and everybody thinks we will assuredly be horrible.

I could be wrong but I also believe it was the first day outside since 2013. That makes a difference as well. And to some more than others.

Just shut up. If Leidner is healthy we'll be good. If he's not I'll be less confident too. Did you read the article on Coach Z and his accomplishments? Did you read the quotes from quarterbacks he has coached? How can you bash the guy? Kill has not proven to you he has this going in the right direction? Stop with all the negative crap!!! Go to some practices. Root for the Gophers versus against them. Stop searching for all the negative garbage.

Bridgewater, supposedly had a pretty nice season for Louisville. Lots of impressive highlights on file. Some had him as the #1 pick overall. He sucked on his pro day. Now he may go in the
third round according to some. I don't know anything about Bridgewater other than nobody is good everyday. Nobody. Mitch didn't light it up at the spring game...oh no.
 

I agree 60's, people are making a 3 game swing on their pre spring game win total predictions based on one freaking throw.
 

60's Guy said:
Mitch didn't light it up at the spring game...oh no.
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Agree with everything but might suggest hardly a game and more of a somewhat meaningless controlled scrimmage. Anyway if Mitch had thrown a few touchdown passes, the naysayers would be bitching about the defense. You can't win with these the sky is falling types.
 

MNGoldenGophers1 said:
Agree with everything but might suggest hardly a game and more of a somewhat meaningless controlled scrimmage. Anyway if Mitch had thrown a few touchdown passes, the naysayers would be bitching about the defense. You can't win with these the sky is falling types.
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Agreed, if the qb can't run, how do we judge????
 

We are going to be fine this upcoming season. In fact, this will be by far the best passing attack that we've had since Adam Weber was tossing the pigskin around. No worries.
 

I like Jeffrick's writing but he said it himself, he didn't go to a single spring practice and only watched the spring game on tv. The majority of reviews I've seen of Leidner from people who actually went to spring practice have been pretty positive and have said he looks sharp. The spring "game" was one day, one scrimmage. IMO, the pass protection was just as liable for the mediocre performance from our passing attack during the spring game. Other than the Wolitarsky play, I don't remember a pass from Leidner that was bad even though he had a clean pocket. I said it last year and I'll say it again now, the QB position is not the only reason our passing game has struggled. The O-Line and WR's need to improve too, the QB position has taken way too much of the blame.
 

jaymil said:
I like Jeffrick's writing but he said it himself, he didn't go to a single spring practice and only watched the spring game on tv. The majority of reviews I've seen of Leidner from people who actually went to spring practice have been pretty positive and have said he looks sharp. The spring "game" was one day, one scrimmage. IMO, the pass protection was just as liable for the mediocre performance from our passing attack during the spring game. Other than the Wolitarsky play, I don't remember a pass from Leidner that was bad even though he had a clean pocket. I said it last year and I'll say it again now, the QB position is not the only reason our passing game has struggled. The O-Line and WR's need to improve too, the QB position has taken way too much of the blame.
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I was at the Spring game and watched the Spring Game back last night. Gaard and Fuller both commented how much better Leidner looked in practice versus last year. I said this in another thread, but I'd love to see how expectations would be different had Wolitarsky caught the ball against Syracuse rather than letting it slip through his hands. If you're looking for Peyton Manning throwing the ball all over the field, you're going to be S.O.L. A QB's best friends are a solid running game and reliable safety valves. The TEs on this roster are going to make Mitch look really good by the end of the season.
 

Breakin' The Plane said:
I was at the Spring game and watched the Spring Game back last night. Gaard and Fuller both commented how much better Leidner looked in practice versus last year. I said this in another thread, but I'd love to see how expectations would be different had Wolitarsky caught the ball against Syracuse rather than letting it slip through his hands. If you're looking for Peyton Manning throwing the ball all over the field, you're going to be S.O.L. A QB's best friends are a solid running game and reliable safety valves. The TEs on this roster are going to make Mitch look really good by the end of the season.
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You "broken" foolish, opinionated jokers are just going to have to yell and scream at each other until the 2014 season has been completed. The number of Conference wins my Golden Gophers achieve during the 2014 season will provide ALL of the answers about how good Leidner was...or wasn't, how good the offensive line was...or wasn't, how good the defense was...or wasn't AND how good the Coach and his staff was ...or wasn't during the 2014 season. IF my Gophers lose ANY of the four scheduled games against the cupcakes in the ooc portion of the schedule: you will know that things were not all right with the qb, the receivers, the defense, the offensive line, the running backs AND with the coaches. Then, the magic number in the Conference portion of the schedule will be FOUR. If my Gophers are coached well enough to win over four conference games, most everything will be improved over the 2013 season. If they win four conference games plus the ooc games, the season will be about equal with the season last year. Then, the bowl game results would be the tie breaker. If the conference win total is three or less, once again, the bowl results will be critical.

The one WILD CARD indicator that would trump all else will be the outcome of the game with the stinking badgers. A note to the Coach and his staff: you have GOT to beat the stinking badgers in 2014! It is time for this madness to end. BEAT the stinking badgers! That one game is going to define the fourth year of the Kill Era more than ANY quarterback situation, wide receiver, offensive line, defense or overall record. Quit fighting about Leidner. He will have the kind of season that he will have regardless of your like or dislike of him. He will either stay healthy or he will not stay healthy. The games will be played no matter how he does...no matter how the offensive line does...no matter how the defense does and no matter what, how and why the coach and his staff do what ever they will do.


It is time for my Gophers to beat the stinking badgers.
 

I can't believe you left out about how the kickers and special teams perform. It is interesting that you always pick out the most difficult game on the schedule to be the "must win" to determine whether or not the whole season was a success. LOL! Let the Mason thing go. You are just hurting yourself.
 

You know everything is not an anecdote. You have to discriminate. You choose things that are funny or mildly amusing or interesting. You're a miracle! Your stories have NONE of that. They're not even amusing ACCIDENTALLY! "Honey, I'd like you to meet wren/imawalrus, he's got some amusing anecodotes for you. Oh and here's a gun so you can blow your brains out. You'll thank me for it." I could tolerate any insurance seminar. For days I could sit there and listen to them go on and on with a big smile on my face. They'd say, "How can you stand it?" I'd say, "'Cause I've been with wren/imawalrus. I can take ANYTHING." You know what they'd say? They'd say, "I know what you mean. The shower curtain ring guy. Woah." It's like going on a date with a Chatty Cathy doll. I expect you have a little string on your chest, you know, that I pull out and have to snap back. Except I wouldn't pull it out and snap it back - you would. Agh! Agh! Agh! Agh! And by the way, you know, when you're telling these little stories? Here's a good idea - have a POINT. It makes it SO much more interesting for the listener!
 

Breakin' The Plane said:
You know everything is not an anecdote. You have to discriminate. You choose things that are funny or mildly amusing or interesting. You're a miracle! Your stories have NONE of that. They're not even amusing ACCIDENTALLY! "Honey, I'd like you to meet wren/imawalrus, he's got some amusing anecodotes for you. Oh and here's a gun so you can blow your brains out. You'll thank me for it." I could tolerate any insurance seminar. For days I could sit there and listen to them go on and on with a big smile on my face. They'd say, "How can you stand it?" I'd say, "'Cause I've been with wren/imawalrus. I can take ANYTHING." You know what they'd say? They'd say, "I know what you mean. The shower curtain ring guy. Woah." It's like going on a date with a Chatty Cathy doll. I expect you have a little string on your chest, you know, that I pull out and have to snap back. Except I wouldn't pull it out and snap it back - you would. Agh! Agh! Agh! Agh! And by the way, you know, when you're telling these little stories? Here's a good idea - have a POINT. It makes it SO much more interesting for the listener!
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Thanks for your insight! You have given me new hope that it is possible to survive his posts.
 

It would be pretty surprising if the passing game doesn't improve regardless of our QB play. Our QBs were not very good last year and lets assume that they won't be very good this year (for the sake of an argument).

Wouldn't you guess that Maxx Williams, Drew Wolitarsky and Jones would all improve?
 



dieguy: you can't even read, can you? I said NOTHING about the person you constantly bring up. NOTHING. And, aren't you getting kind of damn sick and tired of my Gophers losing to the stinking badgers? Since when is the game with the stinking badgers even going to be the most difficult game of the season dieguy? I think I could make a great case that the Ohio State game most likely will be the most difficult game of the 2014 season for my Gophers. Or, at Nebraska. How often can my Gophers win at Ann Arbor? That sure as heck is going to be a damn tough game. The stinking badgers game won't be the toughest game of the season dieguy...and IF you weren't trying to trash me and my post so much, I think even someone like you would have to admit that playing in Lincoln, or Ann Arbor or anywhere against the Ohio State machine is typically tougher than playing the stinking badgers.

After losing all these games in succession against the stinking badgers any time and EVERY time my Gophers line up against the stinking darn badgers it IS a "must win" situation. Enough is ENOUGH, dieguy, don't you think? Or, what kind of a Gopher fan are you?
 


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