Justin Thomas 2013 highlights

[AE 87]

Since we're watching films today, let's try this one:



That's Keenan Reynolds. He's about the same size as JT (5' 11", 185). JT may have a half step of speed on him, but they're close. This is what we have to hope we see at Grant Field next year. If JT is 80% of this guy – and I think he very well might be – we will crush some people. I mean, crush them.

Here's hoping I'm right.

ps: You will notice that Reynolds has no problems with the midline. Too fast for the D to get a bead on him.

I hope Justin watches this primarily to see how to hold the ball high and tight.

 

[Eric]

Since we're watching films today, let's try this one:



That's Keenan Reynolds. He's about the same size as JT (5' 11", 185). JT may have a half step of speed on him, but they're close. This is what we have to hope we see at Grant Field next year. If JT is 80% of this guy – and I think he very well might be – we will crush some people. I mean, crush them.

Here's hoping I'm right.

ps: You will notice that Reynolds has no problems with the midline. Too fast for the D to get a bead on him.

Thanks for the film.

This is someone that I feel is a good comparison for him although I would wager that Thomas is faster.

 

[Whiskey_Clear]

The biggest problem that Vad had was he got very timid. He started getting timid incrementally after the UNC game in 2012 where he took a massive hit that wasn't "needed".

I don't know if CPJ selects QBs who are timid*; players became timid because of CPJ's coaching / play calling; or that is just how it has turned out. You have to go back to CPJ's Southern days to find fire eaters who played QB (Tracy Ham). I have missed the excitement that JN brought to the game -- and the big wins.

*(JN doesn't count in my mind since CPJ had NO choice with JN as he was the only reasonable candidate for QB. JN remains my favorite recent GT QB.)

Vad is the only QB we have had that was timid. Trevino couldn't lay lumber like Nesbit could but the kid was tough and not afraid of taking a lick. If you mean conservative...that might make for a different discussion.

 

[Whiskey_Clear]

Auto correct turned tevin into Trevino :/

 

[GTonTop88]

Thanks for the film.

This is someone that I feel is a good comparison for him although I would wager that Thomas is faster.

There isnt very many people that he isnt faster than. Lol I would be willing to bet he would break the 4.4 mark

 

[GT Tennessee]

^^^This..Great post (takethepoints) you beat me to it. JT in my opinion is about to put a huge injection of energy and electricity into this team and fan base. Before everyone else torpedoes this idea I honestly haven't seen speed like this from an option QB since Nebraska's Eric Crouch.

 

[ATL1]

I don't expect nor do I have the desire to watch JT take the beating that Reynolds takes. He won't last the season.

 

[Squints]

I don't know if CPJ selects QBs who are timid*; players became timid because of CPJ's coaching / play calling; or that is just how it has turned out. You have to go back to CPJ's Southern days to find fire eaters who played QB (Tracy Ham). I have missed the excitement that JN brought to the game -- and the big wins.

I'm not sure we watched the same Tevin Washington if you think he was timid.

 

[takethepoints]

I don't expect nor do I have the desire to watch JT take the beating that Reynolds takes. He won't last the season.

Yet Reynolds has never missed a snap and almost exactly the same size as Thomas. And they are running the same offense.

This is an old conversation. Watch the film. Almost no one ever gets a full shot at Reynolds. I think it'll probably be the same with JT next year. When our QBs actually run the O as planned they seldom miss a snap due to injury, unless its something really catastrophic like Nesbitt's leg. The O actually makes it much, much harder to line up a shot at a QB. And, as with Reynolds, there's always a flak jacket to absorb the punishment.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

Yet Reynolds has never missed a snap and almost exactly the same size as Thomas. And they are running the same offense.

This is an old conversation. Watch the film. Almost no one ever gets a full shot at Reynolds. I think it'll probably be the same with JT next year. When our QBs actually run the O as planned they seldom miss a snap due to injury, unless its something really catastrophic like Nesbitt's leg. The O actually makes it much, much harder to line up a shot at a QB. And, as with Reynolds, there's always a flak jacket to absorb the punishment.

You're wrong. Teams will get an occasional clean shot on JT. It just wont have anything to do with the option. It will be on a drop back pass play where the blind side tackle gets beat like a rented mule.

 

[jayparr]

You're wrong. Teams will get an occasional clean shot on JT. It just wont have anything to do with the option. It will be on a drop back pass play where the blind side tackle gets beat like a rented mule.

That is so right! And that is a shame!

 

[GTNavyNuke]

I'm not sure we watched the same Tevin Washington if you think he was timid.

Fair enough. I can't know TW's state of mind so I can't say he was timid. What I can say is that TW would take the ground or go out of bounds rather than take a hit. It was a big change from JN.

I saw TW a few times up close in person. Once at the UVa game in 2011; where standing next to Vad, Vad like an oak tree. Another time in 2012 when I saw TW getting on the team bus and had a picture taken. My thought was that if I saw TW in the airport, I would never guess he played D1 football since he was so slightly built.

I will agree that TW did more with less than the vast majority of QBs would do in the spread option / TO heavy. But he just wasn't big enough for the blasting for a yard after substantial contact, didn't have the speed to elude people and didn't have a strong or accurate arm. He was very slippery, and every time I see the QB go over the right tackle for a short gain / TD, I call it the Tevin.

I **hope** JT has the speed and arm accuracy to make us successful. But I don't expect JT to blast for tough yards. Byerly is better at blasting for a yard, runs a pretty TO but doesn't have JT's speed. So I hope to see a lot of each this year. Let the man that plays the best that day play the most.

 

[GT Man]

I believe having command of the option (like TW did) empowers a QB. When you can read a defense, you start playing in attack mode

 

[CornerBlitz]

I'm not sure if he has been specifically coached to do this at Tech. If you look at his HS tape he also does the loop thing to extend plays. Maybe the coaches are like "You already do it and you're really fast, so what the hell, just keep doing it if it works."

I would be surprised if this was coached. When you loop, you take the pressure off the defensive end and allow the LB more time to scrape and string the play out ( which is the best way to consistently beat the option). My guess is its a byproduct of having been significantly more athletic than the competition and it didn't really matter what he did.

None of our other QBs ran this way.

 

[Squints]

Fair enough. I can't know TW's state of mind so I can't say he was timid. What I can say is that TW would take the ground or go out of bounds rather than take a hit. It was a big change from JN.

I saw TW a few times up close in person. Once at the UVa game in 2011; where standing next to Vad, Vad like an oak tree. Another time in 2012 when I saw TW getting on the team bus and had a picture taken. My thought was that if I saw TW in the airport, I would never guess he played D1 football since he was so slightly built.

I will agree that TW did more with less than the vast majority of QBs would do in the spread option / TO heavy. But he just wasn't big enough for the blasting for a yard after substantial contact, didn't have the speed to elude people and didn't have a strong or accurate arm. He was very slippery, and every time I see the QB go over the right tackle for a short gain / TD, I call it the Tevin.

I **hope** JT has the speed and arm accuracy to make us successful. But I don't expect JT to blast for tough yards. Byerly is better at blasting for a yard, runs a pretty TO but doesn't have JT's speed. So I hope to see a lot of each this year. Let the man that plays the best that day play the most.

Yea I ran into him a couple times on campus and he was not that much bigger than I am and I'm about 5'11'' 180 so he definitely didn't scream starting D1 QB. But when you say timid I interpret it as playing scared and I definitely don't think that was the case. The going to the ground or going out of bounds I saw as more living to fight another day because he knew he couldn't take that pounding. If he needed to fight for the yard I remember him doing so, effectiveness notwithstanding. You don't get as many short yardage TD's as he did when you're playing timid.

 

[augustabuzz]

I **hope** JT has the speed and arm accuracy to make us successful. But I don't expect JT to blast for tough yards. Byerly is better at blasting for a yard, runs a pretty TO but doesn't have JT's speed. So I hope to see a lot of each this year. Let the man that plays the best that day play the most.

Or, if we don't want a change in defensive personnel, we could lineup with JT at wr, Smelter at ab, and Days at qb.

 

[takethepoints]

I would be surprised if this was coached. When you loop, you take the pressure off the defensive end and allow the LB more time to scrape and string the play out ( which is the best way to consistently beat the option). My guess is its a byproduct of having been significantly more athletic than the competition and it didn't really matter what he did.

None of our other QBs ran this way.

I think this is probably right and is a by-product of being faster then his pitch men. One way to keep the pitch relationship in tact when you have a tendency to overrun the play would be to belly out so that your pitch back wouldn't find himself out of position.

I'm not sure that this isn't still the case. I would suppose that Coach and co. would have really gotten on his case about bellying out if he wasn't running away from his pitch back. But … we'll see in spring. I agree that the whole idea is wrong; JT needs to keep closer to the LOS, a la Reynolds. His highlight film doesn't show him making this mistake.

 

[biggtfan]

It looks like JT also has much better form (right shoulder back) when he drops back to pass than our last 2 qb's.

That td run against Virginia was pretty sick. He is sooooo much faster than anyone we've had at qb in Johnson's tenure. He also has a very quick release on his throws.

Looking forward to seeing him play full time.

He's a lot like mariota at Oregon. We've been needing the pat white type qb to really open up and spread the defenders. I think we'll be gashing people again this year.

 

[awbuzz]

Back to the JT video...
The two plays that bug me still are the loaf of bread carry - around the 1:00 mark - and the pitch while in the grasp - around the 1:23 mark. While both went well in the highlights, I hope those are "cleaned up" to reduce catastrophic errors.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

Back to the JT video...
The two plays that bug me still are the loaf of bread carry - around the 1:00 mark - and the pitch while in the grasp - around the 1:23 mark. While both went well in the highlights, I hope those are "cleaned up" to reduce catastrophic errors.

The "loaf of bread" worries me more. I noticed that all the way back in his high school video and he's still doing it! The pitch is not that big a deal to me. Actually, it shows good awareness of his immediate surroundings. To be honest, there's no defender near the pitch back, in fact, there's no defender within 5 yards of him. The only way that play blows up is if the guy at his feet somehow knocks his arm which is highly unlikely. I say good play.