Ok, so here is what 2018 looks like to me. We start with a an easy game, good. USF will be down because they lost 90% of their offense. Well I could go on about schedule etc but here is what I see in our team.
1. TM is now a second year starter and he is explosive
2. Benson is a second year starter and look for Howard to add more
3. We are very good at A back with three returning.
4. O line might be a bit thin but the guys we have are good. If the guy from Ole Miss can play it helps.
5. Our kickers are now older and stronger
6. we may have the best punter in the nation.
7. Get ready for a Defense that may give up a big play or two but look for them to create havoc and give CPJ 2 extra possessions per game.
We are so loaded at QB, if TQM struggles we have plenty of other guys.
We were loaded at QB last year according to CPJ. In the rain and in games late in the year when we were behind and needed to pass TQM struggled mightily but he stayed in the game anyway. I am a big CPJ supporter but I have little confidence that he will play backups as I think he should, including QB, OL, and WR.
I think it's often due to CPJ's dual role as head coach and offensive coordinator. That's a lot to deal with in real time during a game. I think he is so involved "in the moment" with the offense that he doesn't get a good "macro" view sometimes of how to shake things up, and substitutions suffer as a result.
I think the answer is arrogant and stubborn his way or no way same as CCGJaybo played exclusively because of injury to Nesbitt (broken arm at VT). JT hardly played the year Vad started. JT had 17 pass attempts and 33 rush attempts that year...hardly a two qb rotation. Bottom line, CPJ is reluctant to play the backup qb. Whether that is smart or arrogant is up for debate.
I think the answer is arrogant and stubborn his way or no way same as CCG
We will never know how good or bad our other QB's are unless he plays them. I have been totally disappointed by how PJ has handled his QB situation. He's the guy that heading into the season said that all 4 were starters. He had opportunities last year to play LJ - duke game - and didn't. He has created his own catch 22. TQ will be the starter unless hurt and we will struggle against the better teams unless he really improves his passing this year. I hope to see a big improvement.
Correct but IMO the bigger point is that CPJ has not played backup QBs in situations where he had an obvious opportunity to do so, if he was so inclined which he does not seem to be.
I think like you do. Joe Paterno at PSU was the same way. A perfect game to him was to grind it out on the ground with superior play calling and technique. If a QB was not a superior passer ( NFL quality ) , he gave them the " Joe Message " which was : you better not ever throw an interception. Their offense got so predictable at a time when others were going to the shotgun and spread that he couldn't adjust to the times. Players ( especially QBs, IMO ) get a lot of sometimes not so subtle messaging , especially when the HC and Offensive coordinator are the same guy.My one criticism of CPJ re QB play is her seems to value running over passing. Period. If you are more effective as a runner, then you get the nod no matter how ineffective you are as a passer. Hard to know this for certain, but a lot of signs point to this (one glaring one was that supposedly decent backups never got a shot last year even with TQM being terrible in the passing game).
Vad Lee might not have been all that, but because he wasn't interested in running he wound up not seeing the field and transferring. That might have been the right answer in that particular situation, but it further reflects CPJ's bias.
Please watch - every gt offensive play - duke 2017 and let me us know what u think.Just because we don’t know / see doesn’t mean he doesn’t know.
Chances are TQM was the best overall QB last year. Looks like he enters the spring as the starter kinda like MJ did last year. Time will tell how it all plays out.
He has to improve in the passing game if he wants to succeed in a big way though.
Please watch - every gt offensive play - duke 2017 and let me us know what u think.
Its undeniably obvious he has little passing accuracy w balls going high, way long , 3 yds out of bounds.
The second issue to see is at the end of the year we are not running the triple option. Count the plays and see if u agree.
That said the dumbed down offense that worked in first half but was shut out in the second half ( they adjusted and we didnt). MOST of the plays are called and once snapped do not require any reading by the qb. With tq have we really pro progressed?
Imo this set of plays are not that complicated - so the play book is not open at end of season.
On the good side for tq - he is a warrior. Looking at pic below - coach has called his absolute favorite play - counter option. On this play and several early others in the game tq failed to run at the defender and cut inside into multiple defenders=: ok to good gain. Later in first half he did pitch for big gains which opened up gains by himself. In second half they figured out that play is never lead by rg 71 (too slow) and almost always goes w lg 75 (all world), tq went back to keeping the ball.
Going off scheduled game 11, the qb who got all the snaps, shows he is a warrior athlete who can't pass accurately , runs a offense that doesn't require reads, and keeps the ball cutting upfield into obvious mismatches instead of pitching.
Please add 2 things to tq s "passing must improve == "masters full offense" and sacrficially runs at defenders to "set up pitches for ab or bb". If he does , we are going to be very good,; but thats a lot to expect.
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My one criticism of CPJ re QB play is her seems to value running over passing. Period. If you are more effective as a runner, then you get the nod no matter how ineffective you are as a passer. Hard to know this for certain, but a lot of signs point to this (one glaring one was that supposedly decent backups never got a shot last year even with TQM being terrible in the passing game).
Vad Lee might not have been all that, but because he wasn't interested in running he wound up not seeing the field and transferring. That might have been the right answer in that particular situation, but it further reflects CPJ's bias.
I'm not a big fan of playing 2 QB's in every game. I agree there are times we can play a 2nd QB to get more experience in case we need them. As for the WR's if they block I would think they would play. On the OL I'm not sure after the first few games we had an backups I seem to remember on having 5 or 6 at the most in some games.We were loaded at QB last year according to CPJ. In the rain and in games late in the year when we were behind and needed to pass TQM struggled mightily but he stayed in the game anyway. I am a big CPJ supporter but I have little confidence that he will play backups as I think he should, including QB, OL, and WR.
Backup QBs win what percentage of games?
Tm- i am just posting my thoughts.I wonder if CPJ evaluates these things the same way...
We've got to be able to run the Triple Freakin' Option. And, for me that starts with the OL, the BB, and a QB who can make that read. If we can do that, we'll do well on offense. If we can't, it doesn't matter which QB we choose and how nice he looks throwing in warm-ups. Last year, we had problems running the triple. To me, again, that started with the BB - losing Mills. Mills style was made for our offense. He was going to make a successful play 75% of the time, just by handing off to him with halfway decent blocking. We're looking at 2nd and 4 or 2nd and 5 all day instead of 2nd and 8 or 9. I like Benson, he's an intriguing player with some flashy tools. But, he didn't kill it hitting the hole.
It's like 2014, we got back to success with the triple and had a great year. It helped having JT and Smelter and others, but we had JT in 2015 and Smelter in 2013 and didn't have great years. Running the triple gives everything else a chance to be very successful. It's those consistent 5-6 yard gains that make the 20-40 yard plays possible. They make the defense have to pick their poison instead of dictating to us how we're going to lose. I look forward to seeing a Benson who is more trained to kill the hole for at least a 4 yard gain and often 5-6 as a priority over breaking the 60 yard TD, but still hitting those too because they will come. I also look forward to Howard making me totally forget about Mills. And, I look forward to TQM (probably) being a better operator and distributor of this offense, being more comfortable, and looking better in all facets because the BB and OL are working and he is reading it better. Of course, if we can't block then none of it matters. So, I hope we stay healthy and ball out on the OL and blocking at AB (which is a whole 'nother, no less important conversation, AB blocking wasn't top-shelf last year).
Vad Lee might not have been all that, but because he wasn't interested in running he wound up not seeing the field and transferring. That might have been the right answer in that particular situation, but it further reflects CPJ's bias.