2019 QB Poll

Which QB will start or finish the season

  • Clark will start game 1 and remain starter

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Kramer will start game 1 and remain starter

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Clark won't start game 1 but take the most snaps at end of season

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Kramer won't start game 1 but take the most snaps at end of season

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    99
Did you see him in spring practices? he is truly improved he looked way better than TM in my eyes this spring. We will see what fall camp bring us.

Better in what way? This needs to be explained. Is this more talk about being smitten with his ideal frame, muscular biceps and thighs, and glinty smile? He didn't look way better during the spring game in fact they were both a little disappointing.


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He is handsome, and there’s no question he has better calves. And 6 foot thighs, I mean five.

Seriously, this is all in fun. Those brave enough to vote seem split right down the middle at this point. Ultimately we all want wins, will rally around the team, and the knives will only come out if PJ makes a poor decision in hindsight.
 

I thought Morgan was definitely better than Annexstad last year but trust Burns with his sources so I voted Annexstad.
 

Feel pretty confident it will be one of the Morgan/Annexstad choices but honestly have no clue which one it will be. Could go many different ways.
 


I was very high on ZA last year, but loved the job TM did the second half of the season. At this point, I don't care who starts.

I think it would be difficult not to start TM, but it wouldn't surprise me to see ZA as QB1.

No vote.

JTG
 

I voted TM. Based on last year I think it would be hard not to start him. If ZA starts I won’t give it a second thought tho.


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Could be the future, yep. Ability to throw it 60+ yards is a nice bonus but as you know so many important facets to being a good QB. Is it more important, for example, to hit an occasional 50 yard throw or the ability to consistently drop 10-15 yard throws into a bread basket with occasional touch and impeccable timing. Obviously the correct answer is both....(eg Drew Brees)
 




The most likely thing to happen is multiple people get snaps but Morgan gets he most snaps...but that isn’t an option unless you think Morgan doesn’t start game one.
Bad poll


Seth green
 


It's a good problem to have. Neither are superstars at this point but both have shown they're talented enough to play in the Big Ten. I believe many feel ZA has the higher ceiling but TM is probably a little more polished right now which isn't surprising considering he had a redshirt year.

I'm fine with whatever the coaches decide. I said TM will start the year but ZA will end up with more snaps. Total guess on my part but I do think both guys will end up playing a significant amount of time.
 



I ran across this article, and I remember Fleck saying something about Zack Terrell not initially buying into his RTB stuff. It’s also mentioned in the article that Fleck thought Terrell was too quiet and not energetic enough. Obviously, they were able to work out their differences, but it took awhile for Fleck to settle on him as his starting QB. The bottom line is he looks for qualities that have very little to do with their ability to throw a pass or run the offense. ZA’s personality most likely fits the mold of what he’s looking for in a starting QB, more so than TM’s. Whether he can raise his level of play to where it needs to be to win in the Big Ten remains to be seen.

https://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/2016/12/31/western-michigan-fleck-terrell/96022636/


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I really hope PJ isn't that stubborn and hard headed

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Listened to Burn’s podcast last night and he seems convinced the staff has already decided on ZA. His reasoning seemed to revolve around ZAs apparent higher ability to hit deep balls in practice and the “natural leader” factor which supports the Terrell article angle. Fascinating, if true. Obviously there is a lot riding on the decision so PJ must be 100% convinced.






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Listened to Burn’s podcast last night and he seems convinced the staff has already decided on ZA. His reasoning seemed to revolve around ZAs apparent higher ability to hit deep balls in practice and the “natural leader” factor which supports the Terrell article angle. Fascinating, if true. Obviously there is a lot riding on the decision so PJ must be 100% convinced.






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So, it’s not really an “open competition?”




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So, it’s not really an “open competition?”




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The coaches will always say it’s a competition for every job because complacency is deadly to getting better...

I’m not sure what the ratio of Burns opinion : Unnamed Source opinion Re: assessment ZA is ahead. Part of me finds that so nuts it “has to be” a psychological lever to both push TM and keep ZA in the fold but per the poll roughly 50% of fans here thought ZA was better last year so I’m forced to consider maybe we’re missing something. Time will tell what is real, what’s false, who is better in the Big Ten, who got better, and the overall direction of the offense. If arm talent is a heavy proportion of the decision then maybe Jacob Clark improves enough to get the nod by the end of August. Who knows? Have to trust the coaches. ZA could absolutely make the second year jump and become a good or great QB.




 
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The coaches will always say it’s a competition for every job because complacency is deadly to getting better...

I’m not sure what the ratio of Burns opinion : Unnamed Source opinion Re: assessment ZA is ahead. Part of me finds that so nuts it “has to be” a psychological lever to both push TM and keep ZA in the fold but per the poll roughly 50% of fans here thought ZA was better last year so I’m forced to consider maybe we’re missing something. Time will tell what is real, what’s false, who is better in the Big Ten, who got better, and the overall direction of the offense. If arm talent is a heavy proportion of the decision then maybe Jacob Clark improves enough to get the nod by the end of August. Who knows? Have to trust the coaches. ZA could absolutely make the second year jump and become a good or great QB.





I think the fact that ZA got Faalele and Dunlap to come here has always given him the advantage.

How they look in practice doesn’t interest me unless they can carry it over to real live games. I hope ZA can do it, or it will be another mediocre season.


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Another factor mentioned on the podcast was ZA’s “more aggressive mindset” as far as pushing the ball downfield. I’m skeptical that’s really a plus since our WRs performed admirably as defensive backs in knocking down passes that probably should have been intercepted on way too many occasions last year... I think a more judicious, and/or accurate passer can be an advantage at times (Favre is maybe the most notorious example of a gunslinger, although in his case it worked out more often than not...with the exception of a notorious throw in New Orleans).
 

Another factor mentioned on the podcast was ZA’s “more aggressive mindset” as far as pushing the ball downfield. I’m skeptical that’s really a plus since our WRs performed admirably as defensive backs in knocking down passes that probably should have been intercepted on way too many occasions last year... I think a more judicious, and/or accurate passer can be an advantage at times (Favre is maybe the most notorious example of a gunslinger, although in his case it worked out more often than not...with the exception of a notorious throw in New Orleans).

That just seems odd, considering how much PJ likes to control the clock and keep the defense off the field, but Burns is more plugged into the program than we are, so it’s probably true.

Who’s feeding Burns this information? It’s probably not a good idea for an assistant coach or player to be leaking this stuff, unless it was done intentionally to light a fire under Morgan.

All I know is Morgan led his team to a 4-2 record in games he started...all games against P5 competition, and got the axe back after 15 years. In doing so, he put up really strong numbers and looked like he was in command of the team. Maybe he doesn’t say “Row The Boat” and the other Fleck slogans often enough. Who knows? If he gets passed over, I won’t be shocked if he transfers after the season. I have a feeling Clark will be next in line.


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Ryan Burns wrote about the Gopher depth chart a couple days ago. Here’s what he had to say about QB. This is apparently a free article, because I don’t have a subscription.

Quarterback

Starter: Zack Annexstad, sophomore

Second string: Tanner Morgan, redshirt sophomore

Backups: Jacob Clark, freshman; Cole Kramer, freshman

Comment: Welcome to ambiguity for arguably the most important position in football, and for Kirk Ciarrocca and this offense, there's going to a competition that'll continue into fall camp.

The reality is for whomever the signal caller is in 2019, they really don't need to be more than a game-manager. Rodney Smith and Shannon Brooks return as 22 and 23-year-old Big Ten running backs, of which nearly have 5,000 rushing yards between them in their Minnesota careers. Yes, they'll both be coming off major knee surgeries, but they'll both have nearly a year to get back to 100% for fall camp. You also have Mo Ibrahim who rushed for over 1,000 yards in his 10 games, plus future top-100 NFL draft pick Tyler Johnson at wide receiver, Rashod Bateman looks to have taken another step forward this spring, Demetrius Douglas and Chris Autman-Bell are another year older, and Brevyn Spann-Ford / Seth Green / Jake Paulson will factor more into the passing game as well.

Throughout the spring, I held the opinion that Annexstad is slightly ahead of Morgan going into the summer, and I'll still stand by that opinion being accurate today.

Sources indicate that Zack and Tanner improved on their biggest weaknesses, as Tanner became more consistent from rep to rep this spring, and Zack got "smarter" within Ciarrocca's offense. Both improved with going through their reads, but I will say that sources are in agreement with me that the ceiling between the two quarterbacks is higher with Annexstad. His physical attributes with his arm and aggressive mindset being the separator. Bottom line is Minnesota's offense will be designed around whichever wins the job. Again, by no means is this race settled, as it'll go into fall camp, but I do believe Annexstad to be ahead right now.

As far as Jacob Clark and Cole Kramer, I don't foresee either really factoring into the picture for 2019. Both made strides this spring, but sources indicate that Clark has to keep adjusting to the speed of Big Ten Football, as windows close much faster here than in high school, and with Kramer, it's all about learning a 21st century offense. By no means does Minnesota think they missed on either, but unless they come along quickly over the summer, I foresee redshirt years for both.



https://247sports.com/college/minne...s-football-depth-chart-131634243/#131634243_1



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I like how he takes a shot at the offense Kramer came from. His high school play caller is only the most successful coach in Minnesota HS football history
 

I like how he takes a shot at the offense Kramer came from. His high school play caller is only the most successful coach in Minnesota HS football history

I hardly would consider that a shot. Are you expecting Kramer to step into the starting QB role?
 

I hardly would consider that a shot. Are you expecting Kramer to step into the starting QB role?

He said mike grant’s offense is from last century.


Which I tend to agree with.
I don’t expect Kramer to start a game in his gopher career
 

I like how he takes a shot at the offense Kramer came from. His high school play caller is only the most successful coach in Minnesota HS football history

You are acting like a millennial.

Comment made about an offense he played in high school.
You infer it as a shot against the offense, not just a "difference" in offense.
You interpret that as a shot against the head coach for the team who has been very successful.

Millennial do this often.

1. Listen to something said or read.
2. Find something to disagree with.
3. Interpret what was said to be the most inflammable as possible said with the most intention and strongest voices possible.
4. Take liberty to broaden the scope of what was said, or turn it more extreme and re-state what the original person said as if what you are saying is what was said.
5. Speak outrage about it and broaden the scope of those who should be offended to include others besides yourself.
 

He said mike grant’s offense is from last century.


Which I tend to agree with.
I don’t expect Kramer to start a game in his gopher career

So what was the point of the "I like how he takes a shot at the offense Kramer came from. His high school play caller is only the most successful coach in Minnesota HS football history" comment if you tend to agree with it?
 

Morgan. He’s more consistent, a better leader, a better decision maker, and more clutch. Has more poise.


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I see Tanner was named Nekton of the Week. ;)

(I don’t even know what it means, to be honest, but it’s a Fleck thing, so good for Tanner)


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Tanner for 1 reason - That Deep ball vs Indiana to Bateman
 

Tanner for 1 reason - That Deep ball vs Indiana to Bateman

Yeah, that was cold-blooded. The thing is, that’s not out of the ordinary for him. His high school highlights are filled with bombs like that. That’s why I’m surprised about Burns’ source claiming the coaches don’t think he has an aggressive enough mindset in the deep passing game. I suppose it’s possible he passed up a couple deep shots to wide open receivers for the safer throws. We don’t know the context, but I’d rather have him err on the side of caution when the opponent can’t stop the running game.


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