I am not concerned. OL will take the presser off of a year older Sims. . . and they remind me a lot of us. Just seem to beat themselves with mistakes and just a plain inability to rise to the occassion. I know they have a proud program and must be to the point of exhaustion with Coach Frost and his inability to get the program moving in the right direction. It should be working for them but it's not. Their biggest problem is they have a quarterback who looks the part but when you have to have it, he just does not get it done. We are in a similar predicament. Jeff is a great athlete and capable of breaking a big play anytime but in reality he has not demonstrated he can consistently be effective as a passer and a playmaker. I am hoping he makes a big leap this season for he is clearly the best option we have right now. The bottomline is, we can not build around him until he proves he is a winner and a difference maker. The Nebraska QB, Martinez, is what I call a Coach killer. I hope Sims doesn't prove to be the same.
Yeah, kind of stunned by the post and even a few responses. For a freshman with not a lot of college level preparation, and an offensive line that gave him no time, I was really pleased with his play.As a fan I usually just ignore posts like this. Martinez did not have a bad game and Nebraska is not likely to be in the top half of the B1G this year. Also, this may be one of the best Illinois teams in a while. I am not defending Frost, but why attach Sims name to the post?
But, as a mod, I was tempted to flag this as a troll. As soon as it's posted you know the debate will become intense unless someone tamps it down (Thanks to @CuseJacket for supplying actual data). Did anyone expect us to be consistent last year? That is, unless it was consistently bad? Sims played pretty well in spite of his mistakes. He's 18 years old. Give the kid a break!
I'm sorry but this statement makes no sense. The coaches need to build the best team they can, period. You have to build around your qb to give him and the team the best chance at winning. You have to get much better oline play and receiver play. The coaches need to make sure he can execute what they are asking him to do. Football is the ultimate team sport. You cannot ask your qb to be great without giving him the tools to do so.The bottomline is, we can not build around him until he proves he is a winner and a difference maker.
Correct me if I am wrong, but haven't they largely lost the recruiting wars? Aren't most talented recruits opting for warmer climes to play? It's not just Nebraska, there are others too but there was a big question mark on Frost simply because this isn't the Nebraska of the glory years. They may never come back to that level.I know they have a proud program and must be to the point of exhaustion with Coach Frost and his inability to get the program moving in the right direction.
I guess we'll see how successful we are with our true freshman QB this year.I think the original post is a unfair. But seeing the success our main rivals (UGA, Clemson, UNC) have had with their true freshman QBs makes it seem that’s the norm when it’s not. Sam Howell was probably one of the best true freshman QBs in college football history. Then you look at Lawrence and Fromm, and I understand why some would want more out of Sims (obviously situation matters i.e. team talent and Covid year). But Jeff made way more freshman mistakes than our rivals’ true freshman QBs did recently.
While I am on the side of let’s see what Sims can do with a year of experience and a better OL, there are plenty of true freshmen QBs who perform well and don’t have turnover issues.The list of true freshman QB who don’t struggle with consistency/turnovers is very very short. I would also say almost all of them step into situations that make success easier. The list that does struggle is basically 99% of true freshman quarterbacks. Add a non-standard preseason camp, season with covid, and a spotty o line at best, I have no idea why anyone expected anything other than what Sims did.
But are these other quarterbacks being asked to carry the whole team on their backs?While I am on the side of let’s see what Sims can do with a year of experience and a better OL, there are plenty of true freshmen QBs who perform well and don’t have turnover issues.
I might just think Fromm, Lawrence and Howell had a tad better offensive line.I think the original post is a unfair. But seeing the success our main rivals (UGA, Clemson, UNC) have had with their true freshman QBs makes it seem that’s the norm when it’s not. Sam Howell was probably one of the best true freshman QBs in college football history. Then you look at Lawrence and Fromm, and I understand why some would want more out of Sims (obviously situation matters i.e. team talent and Covid year). But Jeff made way more freshman mistakes than our rivals’ true freshman QBs did recently.
Those QBs had summer camp and I think one had Spring training. Sims had neither.I think the original post is a unfair. But seeing the success our main rivals (UGA, Clemson, UNC) have had with their true freshman QBs makes it seem that’s the norm when it’s not. Sam Howell was probably one of the best true freshman QBs in college football history. Then you look at Lawrence and Fromm, and I understand why some would want more out of Sims (obviously situation matters i.e. team talent and Covid year). But Jeff made way more freshman mistakes than our rivals’ true freshman QBs did recently.
It would appear that pics were a problem in the first 3 games and not as much in the last 7 games.While I am on the side of let’s see what Sims can do with a year of experience and a better OL, there are plenty of true freshmen QBs who perform well and don’t have turnover issues.
I mentioned that in the post and said they were in better situations. But let’s not pretend Sims didn’t make numerous unforced errors, most notably the ball slipping out of his hand. And I’m a big Jeff Sims fan.Those QBs had summer camp and I think one had Spring training. Sims had neither.