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Ahh! It is nice to be back home and in front of a keyboard again. Corresponding with the board via cellphone is OK but I am dissuaded from making any significant posts due to the inefficiency of it all. I was going to post this segment later, but given the events of recent days, now seems like an especially good time, especially considering the other QB related threads have flown off the rails and become more coaching related.
Gone: is Vad Lee. I wasn't really expecting to have write this in this year's edition, but it is what it is. Vad arrived to the flats amid legendary type expectations, and why not. He is a tall, sturdy, and physical athlete with good speed, and a very strong arm capable of flinging the ball 20 yards past any of Tevin Washington's longest completions. In his RS freshman campaign Vad played about a quarter of the snaps and produced respectable numbers with a combination of electricity and unbridled risk taking that had the fan base salivating for the 2013 season. He was never able to unseat TW but showed flashes of brilliance none the less. The 2014 season had a beginning that, frankly, most of the members of this board expected. There was a lopsided win against an FCS opponent and a well executed (from the QB standpoint) victory against, what would be, a peach bowl bound Duke team, followed by a gut wrenching character win against UNC. Things weren't perfect, but they were looking up. Then Vad seemed to hit a wall and never really recovered. Some have speculated that the whack that sent him out of the UNC game for a few plays was the genesis of his troubles. That may or may not be true, but since that game, the confident fiery leadership gave way to timid running, unsuredness, and sloppy execution. Instead of carrying his team to victory on his shoulders, Vad was making the critical turnovers and bad reads that stalled his team's momentum. In both the VT and Miami losses his careless fumbles led to the critical momentum changes that initiated GT's demise. As the season wore on, it became clear that Vad was having trouble executing the offense. His option reads were not reliable and he wasn't forcing defensive players to commit, but rather, stringing plays out into oblivion. Time and time again, positive drives were stalled by negative plays. Clearly, by his body language, Vad was giving signals that he wasn't comfortable. CPJ was able to cobb together enough play calls to garner some offense using Vad's talents, combined with those around him, but the offense started to resemble a boxer who lost his jab. Without the base offense execution (the effective jab), the TECH offense had to rely on landing the big punch. Sadly, we weren't able to do consistently enough to have the kind of season we were all hoping for. Vad was struggling. He knew it. We knew it. He decided to call it quits and make a change. At this point, I don't blame him. He followed his heart, and hopefully his head, and decided that he was better off with a different program in a different system. I would like to take the time now to thank VL for all his contributions to TECH. He is a character individual who represented the institution well. He honored his original commitment, despite recruiting pressures, and gave us his best shot. I wish him nothing but the best and I am sure he will have a positive, productive, and happy life. Good luck young man. I am proud of you.
Returning with playing time: are Justin Thomas and Tim Byerly. Justin is a bit undersized, but an extremely quick and elusive player with a surprisingly strong arm. During his limited playing time, Justin has shown both the explosive capability and the maddening carelessness that characterize many young, inexperienced play callers. Early in the season, I had an inkling that JT was actually going to overtake Vad on the depth chart. That never materialized, although the option part of the offense seemed to be progressing for him at a faster rate than the incumbent. Sadly, Justin hurt himself, by trying to force every play and taking too many chances. Obviously, CPJ felt it was too risky to hand him the reigns. Tim is a surprisingly physical and decisive runner who has an obvious grasp of option concepts, both under center and from the pistol. Truthfully, he looks the most comfortable of the three that received playing time this year, despite the small sample size and the lack of leverage situations. For me, his throwing abilities remain a question. I simply haven't seen him do it much, so I don't have a strong opinion.
New to the program are Ty Griffin, R-FR, and Matthew Jordan, current commit and early enrollee. I really don't have much to say about either as they have not taken a live snap. I have seen both of their HS films, however, fwiw. Griffin is very athletic, agile and elusive. I don't know if he destined for QB or not, but I am glad he is giving it a shot. Jordan has the size, speed, toughness, and throwing ability to be a contender. However, getting it done at the college level is always an uncertainty. I look forward to watching him toss his hat in the ring.
Added note in terms of recruiting: although the Vad Lee experiment did not work out in the long run, I think that targeting athletic HS QBs who can pass, whether or not they have run TO from under center is still a good plan. Just because Vad never gained any traction with the option doesn't mean that future recruits won't. I think it is far more likely that we will be able to teach a throwing guy the option than suddenly make him a good passer in college when he couldn't get it 30 yards down field in HS. In my sport, you can teach guys to throw curves and change ups with control and deception, but you can't can't teach them to throw gas. We still need the passing element to become an elite offense, but, lets admit it, we are a run based unit who needs the option executed at a high level first and foremost. We just need to plan on having our QB recruits (with good and accurate arms) take a couple of years to learn the system if they haven't run TO from under center before. It is OK if they have to grow a little first and are not oven ready. Matt Jordan seems to fit that mold.
In Summary: I think the chances we see the QB position take a major step forward are still fairly strong. JT is a better thrower than most anybody on this board have given him credit for. I think he sees the field better than Vad, keeps plays alive better, and can throw on the run. When he gets his body aligned, he can fling it a good ways and he has touch. Don't sell him short. If you are one of those worried about his size, don't be. JN was easily the most physically imposing and sizable QB we have had to date, and ironically, we couldn't keep him on the field. In the end, it is more about avoiding the big hits than sustaining them. TW is evidence of this. JT will be just fine in this department. It is pretty hard to get a hat on him squarely. At this point I actually feel relaxed because we have have TB as a contender and insurance policy. He CAN run the option. There is no doubt in my mind. If nothing else, he will help us find our jab again and tap into the talents of those around him to set up the big punch. He will move the sticks and reduce the number of negative plays by a large percentage. He may WIN THE JOB. Truthfully, what has happened in the last few days was destined to happen, whether Vad went to the bench or another team. Most likely, this is a win win for everybody. I am not worried about Vad's transfer hurting recruiting. Look at it this way: is MJ more or less likely to sign based on VL's departure? Obviously, with the incumbent leaving, there is a better chance of winning the job.
Gone: is Vad Lee. I wasn't really expecting to have write this in this year's edition, but it is what it is. Vad arrived to the flats amid legendary type expectations, and why not. He is a tall, sturdy, and physical athlete with good speed, and a very strong arm capable of flinging the ball 20 yards past any of Tevin Washington's longest completions. In his RS freshman campaign Vad played about a quarter of the snaps and produced respectable numbers with a combination of electricity and unbridled risk taking that had the fan base salivating for the 2013 season. He was never able to unseat TW but showed flashes of brilliance none the less. The 2014 season had a beginning that, frankly, most of the members of this board expected. There was a lopsided win against an FCS opponent and a well executed (from the QB standpoint) victory against, what would be, a peach bowl bound Duke team, followed by a gut wrenching character win against UNC. Things weren't perfect, but they were looking up. Then Vad seemed to hit a wall and never really recovered. Some have speculated that the whack that sent him out of the UNC game for a few plays was the genesis of his troubles. That may or may not be true, but since that game, the confident fiery leadership gave way to timid running, unsuredness, and sloppy execution. Instead of carrying his team to victory on his shoulders, Vad was making the critical turnovers and bad reads that stalled his team's momentum. In both the VT and Miami losses his careless fumbles led to the critical momentum changes that initiated GT's demise. As the season wore on, it became clear that Vad was having trouble executing the offense. His option reads were not reliable and he wasn't forcing defensive players to commit, but rather, stringing plays out into oblivion. Time and time again, positive drives were stalled by negative plays. Clearly, by his body language, Vad was giving signals that he wasn't comfortable. CPJ was able to cobb together enough play calls to garner some offense using Vad's talents, combined with those around him, but the offense started to resemble a boxer who lost his jab. Without the base offense execution (the effective jab), the TECH offense had to rely on landing the big punch. Sadly, we weren't able to do consistently enough to have the kind of season we were all hoping for. Vad was struggling. He knew it. We knew it. He decided to call it quits and make a change. At this point, I don't blame him. He followed his heart, and hopefully his head, and decided that he was better off with a different program in a different system. I would like to take the time now to thank VL for all his contributions to TECH. He is a character individual who represented the institution well. He honored his original commitment, despite recruiting pressures, and gave us his best shot. I wish him nothing but the best and I am sure he will have a positive, productive, and happy life. Good luck young man. I am proud of you.
Returning with playing time: are Justin Thomas and Tim Byerly. Justin is a bit undersized, but an extremely quick and elusive player with a surprisingly strong arm. During his limited playing time, Justin has shown both the explosive capability and the maddening carelessness that characterize many young, inexperienced play callers. Early in the season, I had an inkling that JT was actually going to overtake Vad on the depth chart. That never materialized, although the option part of the offense seemed to be progressing for him at a faster rate than the incumbent. Sadly, Justin hurt himself, by trying to force every play and taking too many chances. Obviously, CPJ felt it was too risky to hand him the reigns. Tim is a surprisingly physical and decisive runner who has an obvious grasp of option concepts, both under center and from the pistol. Truthfully, he looks the most comfortable of the three that received playing time this year, despite the small sample size and the lack of leverage situations. For me, his throwing abilities remain a question. I simply haven't seen him do it much, so I don't have a strong opinion.
New to the program are Ty Griffin, R-FR, and Matthew Jordan, current commit and early enrollee. I really don't have much to say about either as they have not taken a live snap. I have seen both of their HS films, however, fwiw. Griffin is very athletic, agile and elusive. I don't know if he destined for QB or not, but I am glad he is giving it a shot. Jordan has the size, speed, toughness, and throwing ability to be a contender. However, getting it done at the college level is always an uncertainty. I look forward to watching him toss his hat in the ring.
Added note in terms of recruiting: although the Vad Lee experiment did not work out in the long run, I think that targeting athletic HS QBs who can pass, whether or not they have run TO from under center is still a good plan. Just because Vad never gained any traction with the option doesn't mean that future recruits won't. I think it is far more likely that we will be able to teach a throwing guy the option than suddenly make him a good passer in college when he couldn't get it 30 yards down field in HS. In my sport, you can teach guys to throw curves and change ups with control and deception, but you can't can't teach them to throw gas. We still need the passing element to become an elite offense, but, lets admit it, we are a run based unit who needs the option executed at a high level first and foremost. We just need to plan on having our QB recruits (with good and accurate arms) take a couple of years to learn the system if they haven't run TO from under center before. It is OK if they have to grow a little first and are not oven ready. Matt Jordan seems to fit that mold.
In Summary: I think the chances we see the QB position take a major step forward are still fairly strong. JT is a better thrower than most anybody on this board have given him credit for. I think he sees the field better than Vad, keeps plays alive better, and can throw on the run. When he gets his body aligned, he can fling it a good ways and he has touch. Don't sell him short. If you are one of those worried about his size, don't be. JN was easily the most physically imposing and sizable QB we have had to date, and ironically, we couldn't keep him on the field. In the end, it is more about avoiding the big hits than sustaining them. TW is evidence of this. JT will be just fine in this department. It is pretty hard to get a hat on him squarely. At this point I actually feel relaxed because we have have TB as a contender and insurance policy. He CAN run the option. There is no doubt in my mind. If nothing else, he will help us find our jab again and tap into the talents of those around him to set up the big punch. He will move the sticks and reduce the number of negative plays by a large percentage. He may WIN THE JOB. Truthfully, what has happened in the last few days was destined to happen, whether Vad went to the bench or another team. Most likely, this is a win win for everybody. I am not worried about Vad's transfer hurting recruiting. Look at it this way: is MJ more or less likely to sign based on VL's departure? Obviously, with the incumbent leaving, there is a better chance of winning the job.
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