Poll: Who should be QB1 vs Northwestern?

[Live in the now]

Love that AK's first bigtime action was in pretty hostile environments.

Agreed. Looks like a player. However I can’t see how you don’t let your 6th year senior finish if he is healthy

You thank Tanner Morgan for all he has done and meant to the program then you name AK the starting QB for the reminder of the season.

I get that point. Personally I think the gophers beat nw but lose to Wisconsin and Iowa so if Morgan is heathy let him finish his 6th year. Everyone is beating up on everyone this year. Gophers smoke msu, msu beats wisconsin, msu beats Illinois, Purdue beats Minnesota, badgers smoke Purdue. It looks like Iowa and Wisconsin are getting a little better but who knows.

 

[STPGopher]

Nine defensive guys in his face is a bigger reason.

Yes. It is kind of Chicken vs Egg isn't it...

 

[PMWinSTP]

I would never be in favor of platooning QBs

Agree. Also don't see why you would in this situation.

 

[STPGopher]

In no way do we want an opponent's fans have anything to do with such a decision...and fortunately they won't.

However, the Nebraska fans around us immediately recognized that Athan brought something different to the table. I mean...immediately. They already knew their offense was going to stall but thought their D would hold the line on the 10 points they had. AK shut them down and shut them up pretty quick.

If they can see it probably Coach and staff can see it too, especially regarding receiver separation. Haven't watch the game on DVR yet but it looked like they were actually more open in the 2nd half than the first. Only conjecture but if true, that alone is enough to tip the scales for me.

Could it be that the team is also playing a little harder for whatever reason. There was one long pass that stood out to me. #9 Jackson was wide open and had to wait on the ball. Was the Receiver running with adrenaline? Was the pass slowed up because of wind? Is Kaliakmanis still learning that in some cases you can throw your receiver (more) open? If in stride, it may have been a touchdown pass? Yes, I realize I am nitpicking.

11:00

 

[Panthadad2]

Could it be that the team is also playing a little harder for whatever reason. There was one long pass that stood out to me. #9 Jackson was wide open and had to wait on the ball. Was the Receiver running with adrenaline? Was the pass slowed up because of wind? Is Kaliakmanis still learning that in some cases you can throw your receiver (more) open? If in stride, it may have been a touchdown pass? Yes, I realize I am nitpicking.

11:00

AK was throwing into a nasty wind according to the radio guys. It's also possible he was a little late on the throw. Regardless, the ball carried almost 50 yards in the air.

On a side note, at least one if not both of Tricketts' long field goals were into the wind. Stellar day for him.

 

[Dakota2]

AK was throwing into a nasty wind according to the radio guys. It's also possible he was a little late on the throw. Regardless, the ball carried almost 50 yards in the air.

On a side note, at least one if not both of Tricketts' long field goals were into the wind. Stellar day for him.

Yes, he under threw Jackson on that one and, yes he threw it about 50 yards in some windy conditions. But what we really should be talking about is the fact our receiver HAD TIME TO RUN 50 yards deep to catch a ball.

That is the big difference with Kaliakmanis on the field. Receivers have time to run deeper routes and get the separation we have desperately craved. AK can buy time moving and extending the play.

 

[60's Guy]

But - let's not ignore the elephant in the room.

It's not about what you or I think. it's not about what the media thinks.

It's about what Fleck thinks.

Until I see evidence to the contrary, I believe that Fleck will not bench a starter for reasons of poor performance.

ergo, if the medical staff says Morgan is cleared to play, he will play.

That's NOT what I would do, but I'm not the one making the decision. Fleck is making the decision.
and Morgan is Fleck's #1 guy. I just don't believe that Fleck would bench a healthy Morgan.

I could be wrong. we shall see.

Ya, 90% voted AK8 but PJ will play Tanner depending on his health. In 2022, do you risk a third concussion in a month, even if he is cleared? And did he really have a concussion or was it precautionary? Is he in protocol?
Tough decision as a coach. Is it really about the program or is it about the player?

 

[Gopher028]

Offer Tanner the QB coaching position for Kirk and roll with Athan.

 

[MNVCGUY]

Of all the tough situations and decisions Fleck has been faced with as a coach, if Morgan is cleared to play this may well turn out to be his toughest.

The easy assumption is that he will go back to Tanner if he is cleared. My gut says he will want to do what he can to have Tanner go out on his terms and on a high note. Where it gets really tricky though is if he goes back to Morgan and the offense once again sputters or he struggles, then Fleck will have no choice but to bench him in favor of Athan.

The second half comeback against Nebraska made this all a 1000 times tougher from a coaching standpoint.

Athan may not truly be ready to be the guy, but there is zero doubt that he was the difference on Saturday. Things just clicked on offense as soon as he got in there.

Fleck and Morgan share a link that goes beyond the typical coach/player relationship. It will be very interesting to see how this plays out over the remainder of the season.

 

[STPGopher]

AK was throwing into a nasty wind according to the radio guys. It's also possible he was a little late on the throw. Regardless, the ball carried almost 50 yards in the air.

On a side note, at least one if not both of Tricketts' long field goals were into the wind. Stellar day for him.

Thanks for confirming! That was my first thought.

 

[hungan1]

It is a tough call to consider Tanner Morgan's long-term health versus letting him finish his playing career if he can. Maybe PJ Fleck should consider playing both Tanner and Athan in the season's remaining games.

 

[STPGopher]

Of all the tough situations and decisions Fleck has been faced with as a coach, if Morgan is cleared to play this may well turn out to be his toughest.

The easy assumption is that he will go back to Tanner if he is cleared. My gut says he will want to do what he can to have Tanner go out on his terms and on a high note. Where it gets really tricky though is if he goes back to Morgan and the offense once again sputters or he struggles, then Fleck will have no choice but to bench him in favor of Athan.

The second half comeback against Nebraska made this all a 1000 times tougher from a coaching standpoint.

Athan may not truly be ready to be the guy, but there is zero doubt that he was the difference on Saturday. Things just clicked on offense as soon as he got in there.

Fleck and Morgan share a link that goes beyond the typical coach/player relationship. It will be very interesting to see how this plays out over the remainder of the season.

The whole system values living the Row the Boat culture. Tough call indeed.

 

[STPGopher]

Ya, 90% voted AK8 but PJ will play Tanner depending on his health. In 2022, do you risk a third concussion in a month, even if he is cleared? And did he really have a concussion or was it precautionary? Is he in protocol?
Tough decision as a coach. Is it really about the program or is it about the player?

It would be really tough to have to look him in the eyes and tell him I know you've done everything right, but I have to take the keys from you.

 

[Gopherchase]

Of all the tough situations and decisions Fleck has been faced with as a coach, if Morgan is cleared to play this may well turn out to be his toughest.

The easy assumption is that he will go back to Tanner if he is cleared. My gut says he will want to do what he can to have Tanner go out on his terms and on a high note. Where it gets really tricky though is if he goes back to Morgan and the offense once again sputters or he struggles, then Fleck will have no choice but to bench him in favor of Athan.

The second half comeback against Nebraska made this all a 1000 times tougher from a coaching standpoint.

Athan may not truly be ready to be the guy, but there is zero doubt that he was the difference on Saturday. Things just clicked on offense as soon as he got in there.

Fleck and Morgan share a link that goes beyond the typical coach/player relationship. It will be very interesting to see how this plays out over the remainder of the season.

It’s about the program, not Morgan. PJ needs to eat that conversation with himself at breakfast.

 

[Polski]

This is ridiculous. PJ is paid millions to be a Big 10 head football coach. With that comes the responsibility to put the product on the field that gives you the best chance to win.

Tanner's skill set (including lack of arm strength and lack of mobility) completely limits the playbook. It has been that way for several years now. I give credit where credit is due. He is a system QB, and worked magic with the RPO & throwing slants system in 2019. Having two NFL caliber receivers was a huge part of that. That season will go down as one of the best in team history. Great memories.

Getting to the point.... If you watched AK's HS highlight films you could see the arm talent and foot speed/mobility. When he signed you knew good things could be on the horizon if he continued to develop within our program. Now to the task at hand PJ. Thank Tanner for what he has done. It's already beyond time to hand the keys to player with the better skills (AK), and let's roll. I've watched this pass game struggle for the past 2 1/2 seasons. It's been more than long enough.

I'm going off tangent now....... PJ has strengths and weaknesses. I'm proud when he's at the mic, and representing our program. I'd like to see our recruiting reach a bit higher, but it's serviceable for now. Like many others, I'm completely frustrated by his love affair with time of possession, and conservative nature within games. I've also been completely frustrated the philosophy of not giving other players a chance on the field. Morgan playing almost every single snap over the years, all the way through blowouts. Giving Mo large numbers of carries at the end of games when we were up big. And what also comes with that philosophy... You have two QB's transfer out of your system and have two RB's transfer out (yeah, I know Bucky was bought). But it's really hard to get buy-in from players under #1 on the depth chart when you handle things that way.

It's hard to measure it, but it sure felt like something was suddenly jolted when Athan started making plays with his arm and feet in that 2nd half. Loved Nubin's postgame quote. All in all....It's time for AK to play QB for our football team. Beat Northwestern, and then it's time to bring home some W's in the rivalry games.

 

[Donovan]

I'm a fan of Tanner. He gets far too much blame for offensive miscues and it's time to give him a huge thank you and ask him to be another coach on sideline for Athan.

Agree. If we had an o-Line better in pass protection, I may vote for Tanner. Unfortunately, with our problems in pass pro, Tanner isn’t effective against better quality opponents.

 

[Goldmember]

Maybe, but not going to sweat it. I've been around long enough to know how popular back up is.


AK won't solve all our issues, but for 30 minutes shows he can help

Gophers took full advantage of the change of pace AK brought to the offense. It will be a totally different story when the opponent is prepared for it.

 

[kg21]

Gophers took full advantage of the change of pace AK brought to the offense. It will be a totally different story when the opponent is prepared for it.

Totally different?..........let's file that one.

 

[MGGopher]

This is ridiculous. PJ is paid millions to be a Big 10 head football coach. With that comes the responsibility to put the product on the field that gives you the best chance to win.

Tanner's skill set (including lack of arm strength and lack of mobility) completely limits the playbook. It has been that way for several years now. I give credit where credit is due. He is a system QB, and worked magic with the RPO & throwing slants system in 2019. Having two NFL caliber receivers was a huge part of that. That season will go down as one of the best in team history. Great memories.

Getting to the point.... If you watched AK's HS highlight films you could see the arm talent and foot speed/mobility. When he signed you knew good things could be on the horizon if he continued to develop within our program. Now to the task at hand PJ. Thank Tanner for what he has done. It's already beyond time to hand the keys to player with the better skills (AK), and let's roll. I've watched this pass game struggle for the past 2 1/2 seasons. It's been more than long enough.

I'm going off tangent now....... PJ has strengths and weaknesses. I'm proud when he's at the mic, and representing our program. I'd like to see our recruiting reach a bit higher, but it's serviceable for now. Like many others, I'm completely frustrated by his love affair with time of possession, and conservative nature within games. I've also been completely frustrated the philosophy of not giving other players a chance on the field. Morgan playing almost every single snap over the years, all the way through blowouts. Giving Mo large numbers of carries at the end of games when we were up big. And what also comes with that philosophy... You have two QB's transfer out of your system and have two RB's transfer out (yeah, I know Bucky was bought). But it's really hard to get buy-in from players under #1 on the depth chart when you handle things that way.

It's hard to measure it, but it sure felt like something was suddenly jolted when Athan started making plays with his arm and feet in that 2nd half. Loved Nubin's postgame quote. All in all....It's time for AK to play QB for our football team. Beat Northwestern, and then it's time to bring home some W's in the rivalry games.

I mostly agree with your post, including the fact it's time for AK to take over. With this specific team it seems like he gives them the best chance to win. I was personally 100% wrong about not making the switch, and I see a lot of people with similar opinions owning that now.

I just wanted to say that while I know you weren't bashing Morgan, he's been a LOT more than a system guy who throws RPO slants. The kid showed legit, major conference talent at many points in his career when protected by a good OL, solid running game, and talent at WR. Just check out some of his highlights on YouTube and you'll see a kid who can throw a nice deep ball, wasn't afraid to take chances in 1:1 coverage, and could fit it into very tight windows when protected. Something happened to him (perhaps all the hits he's taken over the years -- and certainly a huge downgrade in WR talent), but he was a legitimately GREAT QB for much of his time starting here:

 

[Gophers_4life]

Tanner needs to think long term. Talking life after football.

If indeed he has suffered multiple concussions this season, already, and whatever may have happened in the past.

Wife, kids, career outside football ... a passionate and gifted individual that many companies will want on their team. Or who knows, maybe he wants to go into coaching? He'll have plenty of opportunity to do that, if that's his choice. Etc.


Fleck won't be able to pull the trigger. We all know he can't do it. Tanner likely knows that Fleck can't do it.

I'm not making any kind of premature judgement. But if it comes down to it ...... Tanner could help take away that burden for Fleck .... by doing what needs to be done, and sacrificing for the sake of the team.

 

[DarthGopher]

Tanner needs to think long term. Talking life after football.

If indeed he has suffered multiple concussions this season, already, and whatever may have happened in the past.

Wife, kids, career outside football ... a passionate and gifted individual that many companies will want on their team. Or who knows, maybe he wants to go into coaching? He'll have plenty of opportunity to do that, if that's his choice. Etc.


Fleck won't be able to pull the trigger. We all know he can't do it. Tanner likely knows that Fleck can't do it.

I'm not making any kind of premature judgement. But if it comes down to it ...... Tanner could help take away that burden for Fleck .... by doing what needs to be done, and sacrificing for the sake of the team.

At $5.1M dollars a year, if he can't make tough decisions, we've got bigger issues. With the kind of money big time college athletics commands nowadays, Fleck is not running a charity. He is running a multi-million dollar business, he is the CEO of that business and sometimes that requires hard decisions to be made.

If he is going to toss around the word "elite", then that comes with a certain level of performance expectations. Elite can function in a variety of operating conditions, not just thrive when things are ideal. If one QB is more capable of overcoming deficiencies in the OL and WR corp because they have a hand cannon and the ability to run, and that is the current reality of the situation, then it only makes sense to use the tool that isn't as finicky when things aren't perfect.

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

its NW so who cares. start whoever needs more practice and rest whoever needs to rest up for the last two games

Dude… don’t jinx us!

 

[MaxyJR1]

I simply put Athan as I believe it's Tanner's second concussion of the season. If he's had others in the past he should consider shutting it down. I believe the training staff will make the call.

 

[Gophers_4life]

Gophers took full advantage of the change of pace AK brought to the offense. It will be a totally different story when the opponent is prepared for it.

Sure, you can try to prepare for a very athletic/mobile QB bringing that extra dimension.

But you can only do that if you take away from other areas you're trying to defend.

 

[GophersInIowa]

Up to this point a lot of the argument for AK has been about playing for the future. Which I still completely disagree with. We play the guy that gives this team the best chance to win right now. And I think AK is that guy right now. He adds a few other dimensions Morgan can't. And with a bad WR group, I think that's extremely important. It also seems to be important to the play-calling as it was night and day different from 1st half to 2nd half.

 

[MNVCGUY]

Gophers took full advantage of the change of pace AK brought to the offense. It will be a totally different story when the opponent is prepared for it.

That is a factor. Right now there is very little film on AK out there and clearly Nebraska had a tough time adjusting to the way the offense changed once he went in there.

Opposing defensive coordinators now have a full game and a half of real film to study on him (not just mop up duty). They will start to diagnose how he does things and will be more prepared to deal with the prospect of him pulling it and running.

He was the key to the offense on Saturday and a strong case can be made that it is time to hand him the keys and let him be the guy.

But it isn't a complete slam dunk. He has a completion percentage under 50% and he may not be fully ready to lead the offense.

There is no denying what we all saw on the field against Nebraska but if Morgan is cleared to play this is still a really tough call. Iowa and Wisconsin have quality defenses that will be able to throw things at an inexperienced QB that they have not seen before.

 

[Wally]

I believe that Fleck will not bench a starter for reasons of poor performance.

Any other position he definitely would or he would allow their coordinator to.

 

[Wally]

However I can’t see how you don’t let your 6th year senior finish if he is healthy

Are about participation trophies now?

PJ is making men, men can handle being beat out.

 

[Wally]

That is a factor. Right now there is very little film on AK out there and clearly Nebraska had a tough time adjusting to the way the offense changed once he went in there.

Opposing defensive coordinators now have a full game and a half of real film to study on him (not just mop up duty). They will start to diagnose how he does things and will be more prepared to deal with the prospect of him pulling it and running.

He was the key to the offense on Saturday and a strong case can be made that it is time to hand him the keys and let him be the guy.

But it isn't a complete slam dunk. He has a completion percentage under 50% and he may not be fully ready to lead the offense.

There is no denying what we all saw on the field against Nebraska but if Morgan is cleared to play this is still a really tough call. Iowa and Wisconsin have quality defenses that will be able to throw things at an inexperienced QB that they have not seen before.

AK will open up the game for Mo.
Even if he isn't as polished or as good a decision maker as Tanner. His skill set alone will do that.

 

[MNVCGUY]

AK will open up the game for Mo.
Even if he isn't as polished or as good a decision maker as Tanner. His skill set alone will do that.

I don't necessarily disagree but I also don't think it is as cut and dried as some want to make it out to be.

Will be interesting to see how it plays out.