Justin Thomas projected starter heading into Fall camp

GT_Inta-neer

Georgia Tech Fan
Messages
31
I find this QB situation to be very interesting. Two years ago many were calling for vad to replace Tevin because vad had so much more athletic upside and was thought to be the more exciting option. The coaches went with Tevin over vad because they thought he had a better grasp of the offense and ran the option better. Fast forward two years and the coaches want Justin to start because he is the more athletic player with more upside and they eschew starting Tim even though he has the better grasp of the offense and makes the better reads. It seems like the exact opposite of two years ago. ???
 

dressedcheeseside

Helluva Engineer
Messages
14,220
I find this QB situation to be very interesting. Two years ago many were calling for vad to replace Tevin because vad had so much more athletic upside and was thought to be the more exciting option. The coaches went with Tevin over vad because they thought he had a better grasp of the offense and ran the option better. Fast forward two years and the coaches want Justin to start because he is the more athletic player with more upside and they eschew starting Tim even though he has the better grasp of the offense and makes the better reads. It seems like the exact opposite of two years ago. ???
It's not quite as simple as you suggest. Both qb's have strengths and weaknesses, all of which factor into who gives us the best chance to win. In CPJ's mind, apparently, JT's aggregate score edges out TB's right now.
 

GTNavyNuke

Helluva Engineer
Featured Member
Messages
10,066
Location
Williamsburg Virginia
CPJ must not want JT to follow Vad out of town ...... :blackalien:

We have plenty of QB talent and it will work out. Obviously JT is perceived by CPJ to be the better QB despite being hurt / nicked up at the end of Spring training.
 

dressedcheeseside

Helluva Engineer
Messages
14,220
CPJ must not want JT to follow Vad out of town ...... :blackalien:

We have plenty of QB talent and it will work out. Obviously JT is perceived by CPJ to be the better QB despite being hurt / nicked up at the end of Spring training.
Nuke, you say that in every. single. post. about JT. You know, a lot of guys got banged up in Spring, it wasn't just him. Are all of those guys too little to play for GT?
 

takethepoints

Helluva Engineer
Messages
6,096
Well, we'll know soon enough. I don't know who'll end up with the job. I will say this, however.

I think if Byerly gets it Thomas will never get it back. Byerly won't exactly thrill the fans, but he'll win and, if he does, Thomas will have a time getting back on the field.

I end, as usual, by saying that I hope Thomas gets the job and keeps it. He does have a higher ceiling then Tim. But if he does get it, he'd be well advised to hold it 'til the eagle grins.
 

GTNavyNuke

Helluva Engineer
Featured Member
Messages
10,066
Location
Williamsburg Virginia
Nuke, you say that in every. single. post. about JT. You know, a lot of guys got banged up in Spring, it wasn't just him. Are all of those guys too little to play for GT?

Just the facts. Like Shaw always hurt. TW usually nicked up too. So was Nesbitt. Vad had a lot of small problems too. JT isn't too small to play for GT. He was a backup last year to Vad. Vad was a lot beefier and could take the hits (but apparently didn't want to after the 2012 UNC game). Our QBs get nicked up and slowed down all the time. Then it becomes the warrior (JN) in them that makes the difference. But they have to have the beef to make it work.

We should be glad we play our weak schedule and not UGAg where the big SEC teams beat the crap out of each other for most of the season. We'd need 4 QBs to make it through that schedule.
 

dressedcheeseside

Helluva Engineer
Messages
14,220
Just the facts. Like Shaw always hurt. TW usually nicked up too. So was Nesbitt. Vad had a lot of small problems too. JT isn't too small to play for GT. He was a backup last year to Vad. Vad was a lot beefier and could take the hits (but apparently didn't want to after the 2012 UNC game). Our QBs get nicked up and slowed down all the time. Then it becomes the warrior (JN) in them that makes the difference. But they have to have the beef to make it work.

We should be glad we play our weak schedule and not UGAg where the big SEC teams beat the crap out of each other for most of the season. We'd need 4 QBs to make it through that schedule.
Have you been paying attn to Uga's schedule in recent years?
 

ATL1

Helluva Engineer
Messages
7,377
I say we start Ty Griffin .. Why not ? It's been said he's the most talented of them all right?
 

Eric

Retired Co-Founder
Messages
12,734
I say we start Ty Griffin .. Why not ? It's been said he's the most talented of them all right?

Maybe long term but not right now...He doesn't give us the best chance to win as of now. If you watched the Spring game you can see the skill set he brings to the table...but he isn't ready to run the offense yet in my mind.

I hope to see him get some snaps the first few games!
 

Techster

Helluva Engineer
Messages
18,237
The coaches still WANT Justin to be the starter. They like the speed and athleticism he brings to the position.
The coaches like Byerly and think he's a good #2 option because he knows the offense and runs the offense well. This guy said "Truth be told, we knew he was the best decision maker at QB on the team last year. The problem is that he has a talent and athleticism ceiling that would likely hurt the team against the better defenses." Went on to say, "Great kid. Tough kid. Gives you everything he's got."


Finally, said they think TB will end up taking quite a few snaps by necessity next year because JT is still very "fragile" due to his size. They're hoping he can bulk up and and add 5 pounds of muscle over the summer.

I remember saying that Byerly looked smoother and seemed to have a better grasp of the offense last season and the few times we got to see him during spring 2013 and a few people seemed pretty perturbed by that. Glad to see your source validate that. To me, Byerly does the little things that don't show up in the stat sheets like making the pitch at the right time, or bowling ahead for 2-3 yards to keep the chains moving. The offense just tends to stay on the field longer when he's behind center. It's the same thing we got from Nesbitt. Look at Nesbitt's stats for the 2009 VT game...terrible. Somehow we won because our offense limited VT from getting the ball and Nesbitt was a large part in that he kept the chains moving when the ball was in his hands. If your QB has that stat line in any other offense, the team probably loses that game easily.

On the second point, I think most fans WANT JT to be QB1 because of his ceiling and dynamic ability, but anyone that understands the physicality of football on this level combined with the improvement of size and speed of players on this level understands that keeping JT healthy is going to be a struggle. The guy missed time due to injury twice...and that's just Spring Training. The blame isn't on JT for getting hurt against Miami, but the fact is he got hurt. In the few times he got extensive time (2013 and Spring 2014) he missed action due to injury 3 times. You don't blame a player for injuries, but it's going to happen to some players more than others due to size, the system they play in, and their playing style. If fans are objective about it, to think JT is going to stay in offense is hoping against hope. JT will be great for GT WHEN he's on the field, the hope is that we can keep him healthy enough to stay on the field.
 

dressedcheeseside

Helluva Engineer
Messages
14,220
I remember saying that Byerly looked smoother and seemed to have a better grasp of the offense last season and the few times we got to see him during spring 2013 and a few people seemed pretty perturbed by that. Glad to see your source validate that. To me, Byerly does the little things that don't show up in the stat sheets like making the pitch at the right time, or bowling ahead for 2-3 yards to keep the chains moving. The offense just tends to stay on the field longer when he's behind center. It's the same thing we got from Nesbitt. Look at Nesbitt's stats for the 2009 VT game...terrible. Somehow we won because our offense limited VT from getting the ball and Nesbitt was a large part in that he kept the chains moving when the ball was in his hands. If your QB has that stat line in any other offense, the team probably loses that game easily.

On the second point, I think most fans WANT JT to be QB1 because of his ceiling and dynamic ability, but anyone that understands the physicality of football on this level combined with the improvement of size and speed of players on this level understands that keeping JT healthy is going to be a struggle. The guy missed time due to injury twice...and that's just Spring Training. The blame isn't on JT for getting hurt against Miami, but the fact is he got hurt. In the few times he got extensive time (2013 and Spring 2014) he missed action due to injury 3 times. You don't blame a player for injuries, but it's going to happen to some players more than others due to size, the system they play in, and their playing style. If fans are objective about it, to think JT is going to stay in offense is hoping against hope. JT will be great for GT WHEN he's on the field, the hope is that we can keep him healthy enough to stay on the field.
I agree that Nesbitt willed us on many a drive, but you are completely overlooking the fact he had 3 future NFL players, one a pro bowler, surrounding him. Don't ya think those guys helped extend drives a little bit? Even if they never touched the ball, they kept the D honest so Nesbitt could do his thing.
 

franklinjacket

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
297
I agree that Nesbitt willed us on many a drive, but you are completely overlooking the fact he had 3 future NFL players, one a pro bowler, surrounding him. Don't ya think those guys helped extend drives a little bit? Even if they never touched the ball, they kept the D honest so Nesbitt could do his thing.
Which is why we need one of Laskey or Custis to become a stud sooner rather than later. Smelter should hopefully develop even more, and if a couple more players step up, we could be on to something.
 
Top