Looking Ahead - QB

gtg936g

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Does anyone think Snoddy gets in the game more often just because of JT's speed? I realize JT doesn't have to run the option at his top speed and will run with what is given to him, but if we don't play to his speed we are doing him a disservice. Our A-backs are fast but milliseconds matter in the option and I bet if he tried to JT could outrun almost everyone on the team to his pitch point. I've been wanting to see more B-back option ala Nesbit and Dwyer, but we might be to a point where we have to run it to have our fastest guys with the ball in their hands. This is also why we need someone like Miles Autry.


I do, but I think it will be more from the pistol/diamond. If (which as we saw with Vad is a big IF) JT can do well at reads, I think there is a lot of hay to make with the speed option. I have not seen Snoddy be a great runner between the tackles, but in space would be a different story. If those two can charge the line fast enough, it will be hard for a DE/LB to attack with the proper angle. Most teams do not run the speed option really well IMO. To run it correctly you need a QB that is really fast and not afraid to keep it. Some may disagree, but back in the day, I could usually find an answer for a player with superior size. Superior speed is much harder to scheme for in the option game IMO. It is harder for players to stay disciplined if they are concerned about getting out run. They tend to play softer to make sure they have the correct angle on their man rather than charge their assignment. This usually translates into yardage.

Watch Nick Marshall tonight, I think you will see what I mean. The option package they run works in part to his speed, and ability to make you look silly when he gets a lane.
 

CobbTech

Jolly Good Fellow
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286
I think Vad leaving is better for our team right now. IMO, you could tell PJ was more comfortable running the TO with JT than Vad. I know Vad was the one out there but if you watched the playcalling I thought it was pretty clear. What I mean by that is Vad didn't get a ton of opportunities to run the true TO. Stick it in the BB's belly, read the DE and pull it out. A lot of times, you could tell when he would hand it off to the BB, it was a called dive, no read. I thought it was odd that you would also see more pistol and diamond formation with JT. I think it was the BYU and Clemson game that we saw that.

The players liked Vad but they also like JT and I think they'll rally around him. The good thing is there will not be a QB controversy. There would have been one next year with Vad coming back as the starter.
 

Oldgoldandwhite

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The players liked Vad but they also like JT and I think they'll rally around him. The good thing is there will not be a QB controversy. There would have been one next year with Vad coming back as the starter.[/quote]

I agree. Good point.
 

ATL1

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The players liked Vad but they also like JT and I think they'll rally around him. The good thing is there will not be a QB controversy. There would have been one next year with Vad coming back as the starter.

I agree. Good point.[/quote]

What about Tim and Ty
What if MJ comes n and stills the show.
 

Boomergump

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Byerly is kind of a quiet dark horse. He may just sneak up on everybody. I am comfortable either way. TB is one of those guys that would typically play at an academy and that is OK with me. Surround a guy like that with talent and you have something. I like his reads and toughness. JT looks to have a ton of potential to me. I am talking Pat White here. The tools are all there. He just needs to protect the ball and get a lot of snaps. I project a ton of growth out of him now that he will be the focal point with all of the pressure and all of the reps. He may never develop like that, but it won't be the physical side that holds him back.
 

GTDawgWrecker

Georgia Tech Fan
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3
bke - watch MJ's senior highlights. He doesn't shy away from lowering his head if necessary. I think he brings the right attitude for this offense.

Not only that but he also played both ways and laid wood from the defensive side of the ball!
 

wuzjrbuzz

Jolly Good Fellow
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169
Have always thought Byerly is by far the smoothest at running the option. Also brings that Nesbitt toughness to running the ball. Decent passer, Georgia all classification player of the year in HS. My son covered his high school games, among others, for the Marietta Journal neighborhood papers. We both thought he was a fit for what PJ wants to do, but with Vad coming to Tech, no offer at the time.
 

gtg936g

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Either QB is good with me. As much as I dislike 2 QB systems, I think JT and TB may be the type of 1-2 punch that will benefit us. Is TB going to be a junior?
 

wuzjrbuzz

Jolly Good Fellow
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169
Either QB is good with me. As much as I dislike 2 QB systems, I think JT and TB may be the type of 1-2 punch that will benefit us. Is TB going to be a junior?

Yep RS Junior in 2014. From rr.com bio "led Chattahoochee to the 2010 Class AAAA state championship and a 15-0 record after completing 170 of 249 passes for 2,664 yards and 30 touchdowns (only two interceptions)... rushed for 1,509 yards (6.7 yds/carry) and 21 touchdowns to become first player in school history to pass and rush for more than 1,000 yards in the same season..." ----- Excellent stats throwing the ball as HS senior.
 

Rodney Kent

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I already know that many are not going to like my assessment of the downturn game of the year, but it has never bothered me when someone disagrees with me, and it never will. However, this is my view and I stick to it.

The season changer was the Virginia Tech game. I think that was the game changer for Vad Lee and Tech, but it was not all his doing, he had help and plenty of it. I turned to my son during the game and told him the team was not playing, nor trying for Vad Lee. I also told him that Lee was not the QB for the option and the coach should be able to see this and bring in Thomas at that time.

There were way to many offensive penalties that is not ordinary in that game (like many appeared to be on purpose-offensive movement peanlties) and too many missed blocks allowing the tacklers to get to Vad Lee (I have seen this happen many times over the years, it is not that hard to detect). It was obvious Vad Lee was too tentative and, at the same time, the team was not playing for him. I feel sure all the offensive players were not at fault, but it appeared some did not care. Maybe the players thought they could intimidate the coach into bringing in Thomas for the remainder of the game. Maybe they thought they could still win the game and force Thomas into the game at the same time. The game was close.

At that time, I told my son that Tech's season would go downhill if the coach did not correct the problem. Sometimes, the coach does know the problem, but refuses to make a change because he feels he cannot give in to player intimidation, so a stalemate is reached which affects everyone.

Since then, we have the facts that some players realized that Thomas should have been the option quarterback and have since indicated that openly. They also have stated that they like Vad Lee, but indicated Thomas made the better decisions. One player in particular on the defense has stated that there was not enough substitution on defense, and that is the reason we lost games in the latter part of the games. I completely agree with his assessment, even though some think it was sour grapes. I believe he is 100% correct, and it probably had a lot to do with his brother turning down offers to Tech.

Then we had several others on offense who indicated they were thinking of transferring due to lack of playing time. From all of this and watching the actions myself in the games, I have no doubt in my mind that part of the team's problem this past year was disunity on the team.

I still think Vad Lee has the potential to be a good quarterback in the right system, but it was evident his decision making was slow and tentative in the present system. Personally, I think it was best for him and Tech that he made the decision to try another approach. This is really his best choice if he wants to have a shot at showing off his passing ability in a new system where he passes more in a game and can get in a rhythm. Anyone who has played sports knows that you perform best when you are in a rhythm, it is vcry important. Ask any shooter on a basketball team. Some of the greatest shooters must be in a rhythm; when they are not, they could not throw the ball in the ocean standing in front of it. Vad Lee will do better in system with a lot of passing.

Since the pass is a small part of the TO, there are always other candidates who could produce better in these systems. Vad Lee's decision may well be a win-win decision for him and Tech.
 

Rodney Kent

Ramblin' Wreck
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On Snoddy: It is a waste of talent to neglect to make Snoddy the kickoff return man. Also, the next fastest man on the team should be back there with him. No, he will not succeed if he is made to follow the blockers in a coach developed scheme. His speed is the one most important ingredient for kickoff returns. All the blockers shouild be told to go upfield, find someone to block, and leave the rest to Snoddy. He is to be told to catch the ball, look upfield, find the most open space, light the after-burners and head in that direction. He is to never slow or stop to sidestep anyone, but keep it at full speed the entire time.

Speed alone will produce more yardage. If the runner has 4.2 speed, and the defenders have 4.5 speed, that is only three-tenths of a second difference. If he slows for three-tenths of a second for any reason, he has lost the speed advantage and the defenders will catch up to him. lf he continues with the burners on full blast, there is always the chance of the defender falling down, missing his angle, or any number of mistakes by the defender. If Snoddy decides to change his direction, he should do so at maximum speed, never slowing down. This is called using the speed talent of the runner and not trying to adjust the runner to a particular blocking scheme, or the so-called wedge.
 

Eric

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On Snoddy: It is a waste of talent to neglect to make Snoddy the kickoff return man. Also, the next fastest man on the team should be back there with him. No, he will not succeed if he is made to follow the blockers in a coach developed scheme. His speed is the one most important ingredient for kickoff returns. All the blockers shouild be told to go upfield, find someone to block, and leave the rest to Snoddy. He is to be told to catch the ball, look upfield, find the most open space, light the after-burners and head in that direction. He is to never slow or stop to sidestep anyone, but keep it at full speed the entire time.

Speed alone will produce more yardage. If the runner has 4.2 speed, and the defenders have 4.5 speed, that is only three-tenths of a second difference. If he slows for three-tenths of a second for any reason, he has lost the speed advantage and the defenders will catch up to him. lf he continues with the burners on full blast, there is always the chance of the defender falling down, missing his angle, or any number of mistakes by the defender. If Snoddy decides to change his direction, he should do so at maximum speed, never slowing down. This is called using the speed talent of the runner and not trying to adjust the runner to a particular blocking scheme, or the so-called wedge.

Snoddy has returned kicks before and he isnt very good at it...You cant just say someone can change direction and never slow down, not everyone has that abilty and that is not a strong suit for Snoddy.
 

gtg936g

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Snoddy also has trouble fielding kicks from what I have seen. For some reason he has trouble judging the ball and is usually back peddling when he attempts a catch.

I think you may see Paul read option this year with a motion man if JT is the QB. I think that would be better for Snoddy IMO because he could be in motion prior to the mesh. Snoddy has a lot of speed, but does not run as well in trash. If he has a lane on the edge he will be hard to catch.

I doubt we will see a starting QB from CPJ that is not good at making reads. I think that boat sailed.

If there is a knock on the coaching from CPJ, it was all the false start penalties. Stupid penalties are something poorly coached teams all have in common. Was it CPJ or player focus? I don't know, but you cannot win games against good opponents when you make mental errors.
 

Rodney Kent

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Eric: Yes, but does the system he is forced to use on returning kickoffs have an effect on his returns? I say many times a fast returner is forced into a system by a coach of kickoff returns, and his speed becomes neutralized. Many times the speedster has to slow to let the blockers set up the prer-programed return, only to lose the speed advantage. Next seasonn, watch all the great returners with speed. Most of them turn on the speed from the beginning and look for holes or space. They seldom stop or slow to change directions. Occasionally, you will find a jitterbug who is hard to hem up who is effective, but most of the kickoff returners are speedsters who just turn on the after-burners.
 

Techster

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RE Snoddy: sometimes, speed just doesn't translate into football success. Snoddy absolutely blew JT off the field when they raced. Yet in more extensive time on the field than JT, he hasn't shown the ability to take advantage of his speed like JT has.

He's got another 2 years. Maybe the football switch will turn on.
 

Longestday

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Snoddy has gotten better with his vision, full speed cuts, and not going down on first contact.

JT has a "matrix" type cut ability and a mesh that is hard for the D and the camera man to read. I would rather him be on the aggressive side than timid.
 

kg01

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Snoddy isn't good (enough) in space. He's a great straightline runner (track guy as I've stated ad nauseum). The staff isn't dumb. They want to get speed on the field, but if a guy isn't good in space (Bostic, Snoddy, Zenon, etc.) then their speed means very little.
 

Rodney Kent

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kg01: Your statement backs my view of why Snoddy should be on the field for kickoffs. Kickoffs are basically straight ahead runners with their speed. They can get to an open space much quicker than someone running slower behind a mass of blockers in their way. That is the reason I gave for the blockers to go up field and block someone leaving Snoddy (or someone similar) on their own to choose an open space and turn on the burners.
 
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