I'm still kind of numb about the loss of Phillips, I can't recall seeing an injury like that at home to such a vital leader and key part of the offense. And now for his third straight season Bob Stitt will have to rely on his once backup QB to take the helm and lead the team for the foreseeable future.
Based on what we're hearing Gresch is now the guy for 2017 and I'm reading some doom and gloom from posters here about it. Without a doubt this transition will have it's bumps and challenges, however I'm confident in him to be able to still help this team accomplish everything they hope to.
Watching Gresch and Reese in scrimmages and camps through the last two years as an observer, and especially this year, the talent and ability is there for Gresch. Jensen is probably a little bit better of a natural athlete/runner, as possibly evidenced with his option TD run yesterday. His arm strength is great, that's not an issue, and his accuracy isn't that much more different than Phillips. Pocket presence, Phillips is better now but that comes with more experience and confidence in his play. The biggest difference between the two (as I see it) is Phillips' leadership he built this year and the confidence in play that Phillips has shown. From most of us that have watched the three main Griz QBs this year it was generally agreed that Jensen has the highest ceiling of all three. Additionally it's been made aware to me many times that Jensen could be the best QB on the team when it comes to reading defenses after the snap and going through passing progressions.
Obviously being a younger guy with skills just about on par with the senior starter lead a lot of us to have great optimism for Jensen and his Griz career. And while it's starting a little earlier than some predicted, I believe we're in good hands with an incredibly talented (but young) QB. If you talk to Andrew Selle about Jensen he'll tell you about what a fast and adaptive learner Gresch is and how he's one of the most competitive guys on the team.
One story I heard from Selle last fall camp, when Gresch was brand new, was that even though Jensen wasn't getting reps for the backup job in full team drills he would pay careful attention each day. Then after most every practice Jensen would have a list of questions about the offense, audibles, reads, etc for Selle. It got to the point they'd set up times to review Jensen's observations and questions. Selle was blown away that a true frosh was working so hard to fully understand the complexity of the entire offense, where usually brand new guys are just trying to adapt and adjust to college/fall camp life.
The odds of a successful season have reduced, a team doesn't just rebound and excel when they lose the centerpiece of their offense, however I'm confident that Gresch can do some great things with this team. He's got a corps of incredibly talented WRs. A running game that appears to have two emerging threats with the stepped up play of Lee. And a senior-heavy offensive line that's probably the best group we've had in Stitt's era here.
As for the loss of leadership, Phillips will be with this team the whole way but in a new fashion. Additionally with the culture Stitt and his staff have built these guys all rely on each other and support each other. There is great leadership all through the ranks and this group is as close to a total family as I've ever seen. They'll rally around each other and use this adversity to drive them.
Based on what we're hearing Gresch is now the guy for 2017 and I'm reading some doom and gloom from posters here about it. Without a doubt this transition will have it's bumps and challenges, however I'm confident in him to be able to still help this team accomplish everything they hope to.
Watching Gresch and Reese in scrimmages and camps through the last two years as an observer, and especially this year, the talent and ability is there for Gresch. Jensen is probably a little bit better of a natural athlete/runner, as possibly evidenced with his option TD run yesterday. His arm strength is great, that's not an issue, and his accuracy isn't that much more different than Phillips. Pocket presence, Phillips is better now but that comes with more experience and confidence in his play. The biggest difference between the two (as I see it) is Phillips' leadership he built this year and the confidence in play that Phillips has shown. From most of us that have watched the three main Griz QBs this year it was generally agreed that Jensen has the highest ceiling of all three. Additionally it's been made aware to me many times that Jensen could be the best QB on the team when it comes to reading defenses after the snap and going through passing progressions.
Obviously being a younger guy with skills just about on par with the senior starter lead a lot of us to have great optimism for Jensen and his Griz career. And while it's starting a little earlier than some predicted, I believe we're in good hands with an incredibly talented (but young) QB. If you talk to Andrew Selle about Jensen he'll tell you about what a fast and adaptive learner Gresch is and how he's one of the most competitive guys on the team.
One story I heard from Selle last fall camp, when Gresch was brand new, was that even though Jensen wasn't getting reps for the backup job in full team drills he would pay careful attention each day. Then after most every practice Jensen would have a list of questions about the offense, audibles, reads, etc for Selle. It got to the point they'd set up times to review Jensen's observations and questions. Selle was blown away that a true frosh was working so hard to fully understand the complexity of the entire offense, where usually brand new guys are just trying to adapt and adjust to college/fall camp life.
The odds of a successful season have reduced, a team doesn't just rebound and excel when they lose the centerpiece of their offense, however I'm confident that Gresch can do some great things with this team. He's got a corps of incredibly talented WRs. A running game that appears to have two emerging threats with the stepped up play of Lee. And a senior-heavy offensive line that's probably the best group we've had in Stitt's era here.
As for the loss of leadership, Phillips will be with this team the whole way but in a new fashion. Additionally with the culture Stitt and his staff have built these guys all rely on each other and support each other. There is great leadership all through the ranks and this group is as close to a total family as I've ever seen. They'll rally around each other and use this adversity to drive them.