Three years of running our offense is something most people take for granted. I don't think anyone was beating out MJ
I value his time with the program. And yes, he is most likely going to start. It just bugs me that so many people want to give it to him without seeing any of the other kids work in the offense.
- MJ being in the offense 3 years and having 2 games with significant playing time does not automatically make him the best at ball security or running the offense. Does it give him an advantage? Yes. Is his experience good enough to deem him as a starter or even a capable enough ball handler? No, not yet. He has been solid, tough runner, but fumble prone in his limited action. Of course we expect him to improve in this area, but it should not be assumed.
- Passing game is live action has not been tested/proven. People seem to take the passing game for granted. Whether the stats show it or not, our passing game demanded much more respect under JT than it did when Tevin was here. Much of it was due to JT's arm strength and ability to hit the comeback routes, wheel routes, etc. Some due to improved WR and AB pass-catching ability. Regardless, the QB has got to be able to get him the ball. MJ could be the best passer of the group or the worst passer of the group for all we know. We will see very quickly-probably in the Tennessee game- that we have to have a capable passer. 3rd and longs will come regardless of how great of a "reader" our QB is. We've got to hit a few. JT was good enough of a passer to punish a cheating defense. WR play a big part too. The bottom line is, until MJ proves he can hurt teams through the air, we should not anoint him the starting job.
- People seem to assume that he will be the best at making reads. I am by no means convinced that this will for sure be the case. He should be ahead of the others, but I am not counting out anyone. A good portion of learning to make reads comes with reps, but another good portion of it is natural processing and decision making ability. Some people learn much more quickly than others.
I too feel that CPJ will heir on the side of safety and start MJ vs UT. I just wouldn't put it at 100%. I will at least wait until we see the others in 2 weeks to even begin assuming MJ is starter.