Mitch Griebel led the Cats in catches and yards in 2014
Photo by: Kelly Gorham
'Savvy' Mitch Griebel Paces Receivers, Brings Versatility to Bobcats
4/2/2015 1:46:00 PM | Football
After difficult transition, MSU senior is right at home catching passes
August of 2013 wasn't a fun time for Mitch Griebel.
"It was hard," Montana State's top 2014 pass-catcher said of his transition from quarterback to receiver. "Absolutely."
Griebel was a highly-decorated quarterback at Littleton, Colo., Heritage High. He was a finalist for Colorado's most prestigious player of the year awards, earned Class 4A All-State and All-Colorado honors, and his statistics read like something out of a video game. He led Air Force Prep to an 8-3 record, and attended the Air Force Academy in 2011.
When he made the decision to leave Service Academy life behind, though, and land at a school that recruited him diligently out of high school, it came with the caveat that he would spend a season as a quarterback before evaluating his role. That evaluation led him to a meeting with MSU coaches, his entire football life changed.
"I played quarterback since eighth grade, obviously I went to camps, I took all my (recruiting) visits as a quarterback, I developed my quarterback skills," he said. "I never worked on any receiver stuff. Some schools were recruiting me as a DB and I kind of worked on DB stuff, but it was a tough transition. It was hard for me to give up being the number one guy, being THE QB as opposed to stepping into a role where you're not (the focus of the offense)."
His background playing the position that is every offense's primary focus, however, has allowed him to evolve into a player about which that can accurately be said. In his two seasons on the Bobcat varsity, Griebel has filled nearly every role that an offensive skill-position player can fill.
"Mitch is extremely versatile," says Bobcat receivers coach Cody Kempt. "We're able to put him in any situation and he'll execute at a high level. We can play him anywhere we want – in the slot, outside, in the backfield as a quarterback, in the backfield as a running back. We can create packages to use him anywhere. It's pretty impressive."
MSU offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey appreciates the wide range of roles Griebel can fill. "We can put him in a lot of different places. He's a great receiver. I call him the Wes Welker of the Big Sky, he just finds a hole. As you saw last year we can put him at quarterback, we actually might play him at some quarterback (in this Friday's scrimmage), he's on every special team. He's always in the right spot."
One word always surfaces when MSU's offensive coaches discuss Griebel. "Savviness," says Cramsey.
Special teams coordinator Daniel DaPrato, who may find more uses for Griebel's wide-ranging skills than anyone else, concurs. "The number one word that comes to mind is savvy. He's savvy in everything that he does. He's savvy in the way he catches the ball, the way he moves with the ball, the way he holds PATs, the way he makes plays on swinging gate, the way he returns kicks."
In addition to leading the Bobcats with 45 catches and 445 receiving yards in 2014, Griebel has earned a starting role on every special team except field goal block – "And I might try him there, just to see what he can do," DaPrato said with a laugh. But his appreciation for the 5-11 senior is no joking matter, citing his knack for "stealing yards" by understanding where the ball will land and where defending players will be. That knowledge, DaPrato says, is fortified by both physical and intangible attributes. "He's incredibly competitive with that savviness, and he's incredibly fluid. But the number one word for me is savvy."
Griebel finds such comments flattering, and agrees that the comprehensive knowledge accrued from playing quarterback has honed his football intellect. "I would say (being called savvy) compliments my knowledge of the game, and I use that to my advantage," he says. "It's fun to hear coaches say that about me. Knowing coverages, knowing different things defenses are doing, helps me a lot playing receiver. I think that was the biggest factor and helper for me switching from quarterback to receiver, knowledge of defenses even more than (understanding) the offense."
As is the case with high-volume receivers lacking an eye-popping yards-per-catch rate, Griebel bristles when the 'possession receiver' label is lazily applied – "I wouldn't call myself a possession receiver, I'd call myself a playmaker," he says with a smile – but there is no question he's fine with Cramsey's Wes Welker comparison. "I think it's a huge compliment," the die-hard Denver Broncos fan says, lighting up. "Wes Welker's an awesome player, he's a role model for me. We watch film on him all the time. I use a lot of techniques that he uses. That's pretty cool for Coach Cramsey to say, it's cool to hear."
While the application of the knowledge Griebel gained as a quarterback is obvious, use of skills such as communication and leadership, also central to the signal caller role, has followed Griebel to the line of scrimmage. "Mitch Griebel is one of the players in our room that other players look to for leadership, that other players look up to," Kempt said. "He does everything the right way."
Griebel's leadership helped a young, inexperienced and injury-plagued receivers corps in 2014 morph into a productive and formidable group by season's end. The role was one he came to naturally, he said. "That's what I try to do. I don't try to get out of my comfort level, I just try to help the team however I can."
One of the on-field skills Griebel developed quickly after moving to receiver may be little appreciated outside the Bobcat Football offices. "When I first started it was (August), and my coaches told me that the fastest way to get on the field is blocking, not by making big plays or catching unbelievable balls, but by doing the little things right first. So I really focused my blocking technique. I'd never blocked before I switched, so that was a culture shock for me, getting physical every single play. I think playing DB helped me a lot with the physical part of it, being hard-nosed and sticking my face in the fan."
While Griebel continues to make plays with his hands and his feet – "It doesn't look like he's moving fast, but no one catches him," Cramsey says – his strongest contributions come because of his abilities from the shoulders up.
"To me it goes back to his savviness, his ability to get open," Cramsey says. "He's seen it from our side, the quarterback's side, so he just does everything well."
"It was hard," Montana State's top 2014 pass-catcher said of his transition from quarterback to receiver. "Absolutely."
Griebel was a highly-decorated quarterback at Littleton, Colo., Heritage High. He was a finalist for Colorado's most prestigious player of the year awards, earned Class 4A All-State and All-Colorado honors, and his statistics read like something out of a video game. He led Air Force Prep to an 8-3 record, and attended the Air Force Academy in 2011.
When he made the decision to leave Service Academy life behind, though, and land at a school that recruited him diligently out of high school, it came with the caveat that he would spend a season as a quarterback before evaluating his role. That evaluation led him to a meeting with MSU coaches, his entire football life changed.
"I played quarterback since eighth grade, obviously I went to camps, I took all my (recruiting) visits as a quarterback, I developed my quarterback skills," he said. "I never worked on any receiver stuff. Some schools were recruiting me as a DB and I kind of worked on DB stuff, but it was a tough transition. It was hard for me to give up being the number one guy, being THE QB as opposed to stepping into a role where you're not (the focus of the offense)."
His background playing the position that is every offense's primary focus, however, has allowed him to evolve into a player about which that can accurately be said. In his two seasons on the Bobcat varsity, Griebel has filled nearly every role that an offensive skill-position player can fill.
"Mitch is extremely versatile," says Bobcat receivers coach Cody Kempt. "We're able to put him in any situation and he'll execute at a high level. We can play him anywhere we want – in the slot, outside, in the backfield as a quarterback, in the backfield as a running back. We can create packages to use him anywhere. It's pretty impressive."
MSU offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey appreciates the wide range of roles Griebel can fill. "We can put him in a lot of different places. He's a great receiver. I call him the Wes Welker of the Big Sky, he just finds a hole. As you saw last year we can put him at quarterback, we actually might play him at some quarterback (in this Friday's scrimmage), he's on every special team. He's always in the right spot."
One word always surfaces when MSU's offensive coaches discuss Griebel. "Savviness," says Cramsey.
Special teams coordinator Daniel DaPrato, who may find more uses for Griebel's wide-ranging skills than anyone else, concurs. "The number one word that comes to mind is savvy. He's savvy in everything that he does. He's savvy in the way he catches the ball, the way he moves with the ball, the way he holds PATs, the way he makes plays on swinging gate, the way he returns kicks."
In addition to leading the Bobcats with 45 catches and 445 receiving yards in 2014, Griebel has earned a starting role on every special team except field goal block – "And I might try him there, just to see what he can do," DaPrato said with a laugh. But his appreciation for the 5-11 senior is no joking matter, citing his knack for "stealing yards" by understanding where the ball will land and where defending players will be. That knowledge, DaPrato says, is fortified by both physical and intangible attributes. "He's incredibly competitive with that savviness, and he's incredibly fluid. But the number one word for me is savvy."
Griebel finds such comments flattering, and agrees that the comprehensive knowledge accrued from playing quarterback has honed his football intellect. "I would say (being called savvy) compliments my knowledge of the game, and I use that to my advantage," he says. "It's fun to hear coaches say that about me. Knowing coverages, knowing different things defenses are doing, helps me a lot playing receiver. I think that was the biggest factor and helper for me switching from quarterback to receiver, knowledge of defenses even more than (understanding) the offense."
As is the case with high-volume receivers lacking an eye-popping yards-per-catch rate, Griebel bristles when the 'possession receiver' label is lazily applied – "I wouldn't call myself a possession receiver, I'd call myself a playmaker," he says with a smile – but there is no question he's fine with Cramsey's Wes Welker comparison. "I think it's a huge compliment," the die-hard Denver Broncos fan says, lighting up. "Wes Welker's an awesome player, he's a role model for me. We watch film on him all the time. I use a lot of techniques that he uses. That's pretty cool for Coach Cramsey to say, it's cool to hear."
While the application of the knowledge Griebel gained as a quarterback is obvious, use of skills such as communication and leadership, also central to the signal caller role, has followed Griebel to the line of scrimmage. "Mitch Griebel is one of the players in our room that other players look to for leadership, that other players look up to," Kempt said. "He does everything the right way."
Griebel's leadership helped a young, inexperienced and injury-plagued receivers corps in 2014 morph into a productive and formidable group by season's end. The role was one he came to naturally, he said. "That's what I try to do. I don't try to get out of my comfort level, I just try to help the team however I can."
One of the on-field skills Griebel developed quickly after moving to receiver may be little appreciated outside the Bobcat Football offices. "When I first started it was (August), and my coaches told me that the fastest way to get on the field is blocking, not by making big plays or catching unbelievable balls, but by doing the little things right first. So I really focused my blocking technique. I'd never blocked before I switched, so that was a culture shock for me, getting physical every single play. I think playing DB helped me a lot with the physical part of it, being hard-nosed and sticking my face in the fan."
While Griebel continues to make plays with his hands and his feet – "It doesn't look like he's moving fast, but no one catches him," Cramsey says – his strongest contributions come because of his abilities from the shoulders up.
"To me it goes back to his savviness, his ability to get open," Cramsey says. "He's seen it from our side, the quarterback's side, so he just does everything well."
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