MN Daily: Morgan becoming more than just a “game manager”

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BleedGopher

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per the Daily:

Gophers fans are all too familiar with inconsistent quarterback play.

With quarterbacks like Max Shortell, Conor Rhoda, MarQueis Gray, Mitch Leidner and Philip Nelson, the list can go on for a while. And while it seems the program hasn’t had a productive quarterback in quite some time, it may have stumbled upon one in redshirt sophomore Tanner Morgan.

Morgan, who might be the best quarterback since Asad Abdul-Khaliq in 2003, has had his share of doubters. Morgan, standing at 6'2" and 215 pounds, isn't the biggest body. His arm lacks elite strength, and coaches often referred to him as a "game manager." No matter the label he is given, or what people say about him, he is proving that he is a winner.

Since taking over for injured Zack Annexstad midway through last season, then winning the job this year, Morgan is 6-2 as a starter. After the win against Fresno, Head Coach P.J. Fleck highlighted Morgan's play.

“Something bad could happen, the next play he's going to make it good,” Fleck told the media. “He's got a short memory. He's going to forget it and move on. That's what he does. He's a tremendous leader, and he's tough.”

After a solid finish to his redshirt freshman season, Morgan has only continued to improve. Through two games this year, he is completing 70.7% of his passes to go along with 410 yards passing and three touchdown passes.

“He’s progressing,” Offensive Coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca said. “It’s part of the maturation process of a quarterback, and you never know how good somebody can be, but you usually can tell once they’ve reached their ceiling. As long as he keeps improving, we’re excited.”

https://www.mndaily.com/article/2019/09/s-morgan-becoming-more-than-just-a-game-manager

Go Gophers!!
 

I feel like "game manager" gets thought of the wrong way. People use it to describe a certain type of QB, usually a euphemism for "not very talented or athletical, but at least not recklessly stupid." I think "game manager" should be thought of as a specific skillset. Game managing is something a good QB needs to be capable of doing by being aware of the situation, and being able to consider things like score, time left, and field position when making risk/reward decisions in the pocket. Being good at that shouldn't imply you aren't good at the other things good QBs also need to be able to do. I think it's clear that Tanner does have good game managing skills. And that is not a knock on any of his other QB skills.
 

Have we ever had a QB considered a dynamic passer?

Caputo? I don't think so.

Weber? He was my favorite.

Abdul-Khaliq? I never thought of him as a passer. More like Rickey.

Sauter? He looked like an NFL guy. Until he played.

Foggie? His best passes were low and outside.

Face it. We've never had an "Elite" QB. Morgan could turn out to be the best despite his limitations. I'd say he's playing better than game manager because he is carrying the offense along with Bateman. Rushing offense needs to get on track and soon.
 

Otis said:
Have we ever had a QB considered a dynamic passer?

Caputo? I don't think so.

Weber? He was my favorite.

Abdul-Khaliq? I never thought of him as a passer. More like Rickey.

Sauter? He looked like an NFL guy. Until he played.

Foggie? His best passes were low and outside.

Face it. We've never had an "Elite" QB. Morgan could turn out to be the best despite his limitations. I'd say he's playing better than game manager because he is carrying the offense along with Bateman. Rushing offense needs to get on track and soon.
Click to expand...

I would consider AAK pretty close to a dynamic passer in 2003. Cupito had great Jr and Sr years.
 

Morgan's best, most accurate passes seem to come when the team needs them most. I normally sort of dislike the term "intangibles" because it becomes a catch area for a bunch of gray areas or can sometimes be described with another word: "luck". In Morgan's case however, I think I get it. The longer I see him in action, the more comfortable I am with how he plays. Some guys have that knack of taking a slight step sideways to avoid a rush. He is like that.

I'm not comparing him to Tom Brady in terms of anticipated end game or skill level, but he is an example of a guy that didn't win the job right away or has been thought of as a prototypical great talent. But then one day, given a chance, you see him throwing dimes like that 3rd-and-forever first down to Bateman or of course the perfect corner pass at do-or-die time to Autman-Bell. I'm feeling better about Morgan than ever. He will likely be 7-2 as a starter after Saturday, with his best football still out in front of him.
 


Otis said:
Have we ever had a QB considered a dynamic passer?

Caputo? I don't think so.

Weber? He was my favorite.

Abdul-Khaliq? I never thought of him as a passer. More like Rickey.

Sauter? He looked like an NFL guy. Until he played.

Foggie? His best passes were low and outside.

Face it. We've never had an "Elite" QB. Morgan could turn out to be the best despite his limitations. I'd say he's playing better than game manager because he is carrying the offense along with Bateman. Rushing offense needs to get on track and soon.
Click to expand...

Agree we haven't had the truly elite guy but we have had some very good QBs in guys like Asad and Weber. Cupito was also a very solid QB during his time here but he would definitely have not been considered elite. Cory Sauter was a really good passer until his senior year when they tried to make a big slow QB run the option as opposed to doing what he was good at which was dropping back and slinging it.

Tough to say what Morgan's ceiling is. Don't think he will ever be a great runner but he can move some and make things happen with his feet when he needs to. His accuracy is really good and he seems to make smart decisions with his passes for the most part, two awesome traits to have. Gone are the days of Mitch bouncing the ball at the feet of his receivers.
 

MNVCGUY said:
..... Gone are the days of Mitch bouncing the ball at the feet of his receivers.
Click to expand...

This was a popular drinking game during Mitch's tenure. Only the most seasoned drinkers could make it through a game.
 

BleedGopher said:
per the Daily:

Gophers fans are all too familiar with inconsistent quarterback play.

With quarterbacks like Max Shortell, Conor Rhoda, MarQueis Gray, Mitch Leidner and Philip Nelson, the list can go on for a while. And while it seems the program hasn’t had a productive quarterback in quite some time, it may have stumbled upon one in redshirt sophomore Tanner Morgan.

Morgan, who might be the best quarterback since Asad Abdul-Khaliq in 2003, has had his share of doubters. Morgan, standing at 6'2" and 215 pounds, isn't the biggest body. His arm lacks elite strength, and coaches often referred to him as a "game manager." No matter the label he is given, or what people say about him, he is proving that he is a winner.

Since taking over for injured Zack Annexstad midway through last season, then winning the job this year, Morgan is 6-2 as a starter. After the win against Fresno, Head Coach P.J. Fleck highlighted Morgan's play.

“Something bad could happen, the next play he's going to make it good,” Fleck told the media. “He's got a short memory. He's going to forget it and move on. That's what he does. He's a tremendous leader, and he's tough.”

After a solid finish to his redshirt freshman season, Morgan has only continued to improve. Through two games this year, he is completing 70.7% of his passes to go along with 410 yards passing and three touchdown passes.

“He’s progressing,” Offensive Coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca said. “It’s part of the maturation process of a quarterback, and you never know how good somebody can be, but you usually can tell once they’ve reached their ceiling. As long as he keeps improving, we’re excited.”

https://www.mndaily.com/article/2019/09/s-morgan-becoming-more-than-just-a-game-manager

Go Gophers!!
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tenor.gif
 
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Rescooter said:
This was a popular drinking game during Mitch's tenure. Only the most seasoned drinkers could make it through a game.
Click to expand...

My God, are we still dogging Mitch? In 2019?!

Sigh.

One more time:

Most TDs (passing and rushing) for a QB in Minnesota history: Mitch Leidner

Most WINS for a starting QB in Minnesota history: Mitch Leidner.

Can we, please, just give... it... a... rest!?

Unless, of corse, you just really aren't into the whole... you know... 'touchdowns' and 'wins' thing. In that case, by all means... carry on.
 
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MNVCGUY said:
Gone are the days of Mitch bouncing the ball at the feet of his receivers.
Click to expand...

Not casting an opinion on ML7, but I find it amusing to attribute that tendency to Mitch on a site that talks about AW8 like he was some superstar.


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RememberMurray said:
My God, are we still dogging Mitch? In 2019?!

Sigh.

One more time:

Most TDs (passing and rushing) for a QB in Minnesota history: Mitch Leidner

Most WINS for a starting QB in Minnesota history: Mitch Leidner.

Can we, please, just give... it... a... rest!?

Unless, of corse, you just really aren't into the whole... you know... 'touchdowns' and 'wins' thing. In that case, by all means... carry on.
Click to expand...

Touchdowns and wins are ok, but they dont mean a thing if you dont have a quality spiral.
 

bleedsmaroonandgold said:
I feel like "game manager" gets thought of the wrong way. People use it to describe a certain type of QB, usually a euphemism for "not very talented or athletical, but at least not recklessly stupid." I think "game manager" should be thought of as a specific skillset. Game managing is something a good QB needs to be capable of doing by being aware of the situation, and being able to consider things like score, time left, and field position when making risk/reward decisions in the pocket. Being good at that shouldn't imply you aren't good at the other things good QBs also need to be able to do. I think it's clear that Tanner does have good game managing skills. And that is not a knock on any of his other QB skills.
Click to expand...

I feel very comfortable about the status of the QB situation for the program at the current moment. The current situation may not be good enough for where the team SHOULD be in a few years, but it is right now.

The worst case scenario or "floor" for Morgan (and/or Annexstad really) is that they are solid placeholders for the position as the program progresses enough to bring in more talented QB recruits.

The ceiling? Who really knows. I think Morgan is certainly capable of steering the team to 8 and 9-win seasons, maybe even 10? The team is going to have to be deeper and more talented at a number of other positions, most notably the OL and DL, in order for Morgan to have the team challenging for the B1G title.
 

Ogee Oglethorpe said:
I feel very comfortable about the status of the QB situation for the program at the current moment. The current situation may not be good enough for where the team SHOULD be in a few years, but it is right now.

The worst case scenario or "floor" for Morgan (and/or Annexstad really) is that they are solid placeholders for the position as the program progresses enough to bring in more talented QB recruits.

The ceiling? Who really knows. I think Morgan is certainly capable of steering the team to 8 and 9-win seasons, maybe even 10? The team is going to have to be deeper and more talented at a number of other positions, most notably the OL and DL, in order for Morgan to have the team challenging for the B1G title.
Click to expand...

I think Morgan's ceiling could be similar to the type of season Nate Stanley or Shea Patterson had last year. Definitely not a first team All Big Ten QB of Big Ten POY but I think he could maybe be a third team all big ten or honorable mention guy by the time he's a senior. I don't know if he'll ever him throwing for over 3,000 yards but he could definitely throw for 2,600-2,800 yards, have a completion percentage between 60-70% and have a 2.5:1 TD-interception ratio. I would be very pleased by that as long as the rest of the talent on the team continues to improve.
 



Ogee Oglethorpe said:
I feel very comfortable about the status of the QB situation for the program at the current moment. The current situation may not be good enough for where the team SHOULD be in a few years, but it is right now.

The worst case scenario or "floor" for Morgan (and/or Annexstad really) is that they are solid placeholders for the position as the program progresses enough to bring in more talented QB recruits.

The ceiling? Who really knows. I think Morgan is certainly capable of steering the team to 8 and 9-win seasons, maybe even 10? The team is going to have to be deeper and more talented at a number of other positions, most notably the OL and DL, in order for Morgan to have the team challenging for the B1G title.
Click to expand...

One of the reasons PJ Fleck is good for the program is that he can recruit. Tanner Morgan was recruited by PJF at WMU and followed him to MN.

Team depth has always plagued the Gophers. They seem to be missing players here and there that can have an impact after starters are injured.

Hopefully, recruiting will change that. Be patient. Minnesota will have to continue winning more games to attract more recruits. Progress will come brick by brick.

Tanner Morgan has the supporting cast to make some noise in the B1G. I hope PJ Fleck continues to methodically build the team into a contender.

It is not an easy task. The opponents in the B1G West are also improving. Lowly Illinois has a 5 Star transfer and suddenly 11 4 Star players on their roster. Five of them were transfers in the off season.
 

die hard gopher said:
I think Morgan's ceiling could be similar to the type of season Nate Stanley or Shea Patterson had last year. Definitely not a first team All Big Ten QB of Big Ten POY but I think he could maybe be a third team all big ten or honorable mention guy by the time he's a senior. I don't know if he'll ever him throwing for over 3,000 yards but he could definitely throw for 2,600-2,800 yards, have a completion percentage between 60-70% and have a 2.5:1 TD-interception ratio. I would be very pleased by that as long as the rest of the talent on the team continues to improve.
Click to expand...

The yardage totals are more of a function of the offense the team runs than his abilities.

3000 yards over a 13 game season is 230 yards per game. If he averages 9 yards per attempt (below his current career mark of 9.4), over a 13 game season, that’s only 25.6 attempts per game. In his 8 career starts, he’s averaged 21.38 attempts. I don’t expect this to ever be an air raid offense, but increasing that by 4 attempts per game doesn’t seem outlandish to me. Even if his y/a takes a dip down to 8, he would need 28.75 attempts per game over a 13 game season to reach 3000 yards. I’d like to see better pass protection before they open it up to that degree. We certainly have the receivers needed to reach those levels.

Putting it another way...he’s averaged 195 yards per game in his 8 starts, so he only needs another 35 yards per game over a 13 game season to reach 3000.

Leidner managed to throw for 2701 yards in 2015, averaging only 6.6 yards per attempt. If he had a y/a similar to Morgan’s, he would have thrown for over 3800 yards.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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PitinoFan said:
The yardage totals are more of a function of the offense the team runs than his abilities.

3000 yards over a 13 game season is 230 yards per game. If he averages 9 yards per attempt (below his current career mark of 9.4), over a 13 game season, that’s only 25.6 attempts per game. In his 8 career starts, he’s averaged 21.38 attempts. I don’t expect this to ever be an air raid offense, but increasing that by 4 attempts per game doesn’t seem outlandish to me. Even if his y/a takes a dip down to 8, he would need 28.75 attempts per game over a 13 game season to reach 3000 yards. I’d like to see better pass protection before they open it up to that degree. We certainly have the receivers needed to reach those levels.

Putting it another way...he’s averaged 195 yards per game in his 8 starts, so he only needs another 35 yards per game over a 13 game season to reach 3000.
Click to expand...

Great post.
 

I'm never here fore the Leidner bashing. Reason being because he was what he was from the jump and the staff is who screwed that up. It was clear from the beginning that Phil Nelson was far more talented but they never handled that situation well or helped him get comfortable until he essentially developed the yips. Then of course committed a despicable act and got the boot, but then we never recruited someone better than Mitch. Mitch was clearly a backup QB from the jump. A high energy guy who was tough, a good leader, but never an accurate passer and never a dynamic runner, just a battering ram who wasn't as good at being a battering ram as guys who got a rep for that like Tebow or Klein at KSU. He would've been just fine as a backup that comes in for a change of pace or a guy to hold down the fort for a game or 2 but was very limited as a full time starter
 

oleboy41 said:
I'm never here fore the Leidner bashing. Reason being because he was what he was from the jump and the staff is who screwed that up. It was clear from the beginning that Phil Nelson was far more talented but they never handled that situation well or helped him get comfortable until he essentially developed the yips. Then of course committed a despicable act and got the boot, but then we never recruited someone better than Mitch. Mitch was clearly a backup QB from the jump. A high energy guy who was tough, a good leader, but never an accurate passer and never a dynamic runner, just a battering ram who wasn't as good at being a battering ram as guys who got a rep for that like Tebow or Klein at KSU. He would've been just fine as a backup that comes in for a change of pace or a guy to hold down the fort for a game or 2 but was very limited as a full time starter
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I'm not going to call him "limited as a full time starter" until this program finds a few quarterbacks who win more career games as a starter than he did.
 

oleboy41 said:
I'm never here fore the Leidner bashing. Reason being because he was what he was from the jump and the staff is who screwed that up. It was clear from the beginning that Phil Nelson was far more talented but they never handled that situation well or helped him get comfortable until he essentially developed the yips. Then of course committed a despicable act and got the boot, but then we never recruited someone better than Mitch. Mitch was clearly a backup QB from the jump. A high energy guy who was tough, a good leader, but never an accurate passer and never a dynamic runner, just a battering ram who wasn't as good at being a battering ram as guys who got a rep for that like Tebow or Klein at KSU. He would've been just fine as a backup that comes in for a change of pace or a guy to hold down the fort for a game or 2 but was very limited as a full time starter
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I think the distinction matters that Nelson left prior to committing his despicable act.... Everything else you said I agree with 100%

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
 

RememberMurray said:
My God, are we still dogging Mitch? In 2019?!

Sigh.

One more time:

Most TDs (passing and rushing) for a QB in Minnesota history: Mitch Leidner

Most WINS for a starting QB in Minnesota history: Mitch Leidner.

Can we, please, just give... it... a... rest!?

Unless, of corse, you just really aren't into the whole... you know... 'touchdowns' and 'wins' thing. In that case, by all means... carry on.
Click to expand...

I understand what you are saying and I truly appreciate your sentiment. However, we can all laugh about these sorts of things and I was only interjecting some humor.

He was a far from perfect QB but (I agree) compared to recent quarterbacks, a standout. We can all laugh at the lighter Leidner moments.
 

bleedsmaroonandgold said:
I'm not going to call him "limited as a full time starter" until this program finds a few quarterbacks who win more career games as a starter than he did.
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I will take the blame for bring up Mitch's name in my throw away line at the end of my post. I never got as into the Mitch bashing either because it wasn't his fault the team couldn't recruit receivers or find a QB better then him. He did the best he could with the skill set he had. Heck, Mitch was the ultimate game manager. He rarely did anything spectacular but he also tended not to kill you.

But a completion rate hovering around 50% and 10 passing TDs a season is not the mark of a top flight QB. With ZA healthy, on this roster I feel very confident in saying Mitch would be at best #3 behind Morgan and Annexstad. And again, none of that is Mitch's fault, he did the best he could which was good enough to help the team post solid seasons during most of his time here.
 

PitinoFan said:
The yardage totals are more of a function of the offense the team runs than his abilities.

3000 yards over a 13 game season is 230 yards per game. If he averages 9 yards per attempt (below his current career mark of 9.4), over a 13 game season, that’s only 25.6 attempts per game. In his 8 career starts, he’s averaged 21.38 attempts. I don’t expect this to ever be an air raid offense, but increasing that by 4 attempts per game doesn’t seem outlandish to me. Even if his y/a takes a dip down to 8, he would need 28.75 attempts per game over a 13 game season to reach 3000 yards. I’d like to see better pass protection before they open it up to that degree. We certainly have the receivers needed to reach those levels.

Putting it another way...he’s averaged 195 yards per game in his 8 starts, so he only needs another 35 yards per game over a 13 game season to reach 3000.

Leidner managed to throw for 2701 yards in 2015, averaging only 6.6 yards per attempt. If he had a y/a similar to Morgan’s, he would have thrown for over 3800 yards.


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Click to expand...

^^^

If all goes well I don’t think the coaches seem to want to pass more than about a third of the time for ball control reasons/spotty defense. If we can’t run the ball come league play we’re going to be dead in the water. That’s by far the biggest concern on offense right now. Maybe they need to trust the pass game a little more to help open things up. The yardage totals are irrelevant - some winning teams run more, some pass more. Most losing teams pass a lot. What are the team strengths?
 

Bottom line on the current assessment of Morgan.

1. He hasn't shown that the game is too big for him. Solid performances at Whisky and stepping up and painting the end zone corner last week show he doesn't get the jitters in big moments.
2. Makes good decisions. His turnover rate is more than acceptable and he doesn't try to overthrow his arm.
3. He seems to be able to make all the throw our offense requires.
4. He has some great teammates to help make him look good and catch those not nearly perfect moments.

He could QB this team to a B1G West title, definitely!
 

Otis said:
Bottom line on the current assessment of Morgan.

1. He hasn't shown that the game is too big for him. Solid performances at Whisky and stepping up and painting the end zone corner last week show he doesn't get the jitters in big moments.
2. Makes good decisions. His turnover rate is more than acceptable and he doesn't try to overthrow his arm.
3. He seems to be able to make all the throw our offense requires.
4. He has some great teammates to help make him look good and catch those not nearly perfect moments.

He could QB this team to a B1G West title, definitely!
Click to expand...

Well said.
 

Pompous Elitist said:
^^^

If all goes well I don’t think the coaches seem to want to pass more than about a third of the time for ball control reasons/spotty defense. If we can’t run the ball come league play we’re going to be dead in the water. That’s by far the biggest concern on offense right now. Maybe they need to trust the pass game a little more to help open things up. The yardage totals are irrelevant - some winning teams run more, some pass more. Most losing teams pass a lot. What are the team strengths?
Click to expand...

A few days ago, Fleck did say they’ll do whatever they need to do, including throwing it 50+ times. He said he’s confident his QB is capable of that. Obviously, that’s not his preference.


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PitinoFan said:
The yardage totals are more of a function of the offense the team runs than his abilities.

3000 yards over a 13 game season is 230 yards per game. If he averages 9 yards per attempt (below his current career mark of 9.4), over a 13 game season, that’s only 25.6 attempts per game. In his 8 career starts, he’s averaged 21.38 attempts. I don’t expect this to ever be an air raid offense, but increasing that by 4 attempts per game doesn’t seem outlandish to me. Even if his y/a takes a dip down to 8, he would need 28.75 attempts per game over a 13 game season to reach 3000 yards. I’d like to see better pass protection before they open it up to that degree. We certainly have the receivers needed to reach those levels.

Putting it another way...he’s averaged 195 yards per game in his 8 starts, so he only needs another 35 yards per game over a 13 game season to reach 3000.

Leidner managed to throw for 2701 yards in 2015, averaging only 6.6 yards per attempt. If he had a y/a similar to Morgan’s, he would have thrown for over 3800 yards.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Yeah and that is part of the reason why I don't see him being a 3,000 yard passer. I know it's just been two non conference games but Minnesota is 8th in the country so far in the percentage of times we've ran the ball on first down. Maybe we'll open it up a bit but It's been pretty clear that we want to establish the run first.
 

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