Starting QB speculation

Which QB will take the first snap for GT in Tallahassee?

  • Graham

    Votes: 87 26.9%
  • Yates

    Votes: 79 24.5%
  • Gleason

    Votes: 66 20.4%
  • Sims

    Votes: 91 28.2%

  • Total voters
    323
  • Poll closed .

TruckStick

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From the current stats with Jeff at 55%.. I think he can improve on that.. add the running ability and you have something close to Godsey and Hamilton which he haven't seen the likes of in 20 years. That is a long time to not see a consistent 55-65% passer.
 

gt02

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Sims is averaging more touchdowns per game than Graham, 2x the yards (285 vs 145), significantly more yards per play, and so on. The only stat he is underwater in compared to Graham is turnovers per game - Sims is averaging 3, and Graham averaged 1. Graham had trouble hitting open throws while not under pressure last year.
While I recall the offense struggling the last year, I’d like to see some data on Graham allegedly missing open WRs consistently. I don’t recall it being markedly worse than Sims. Most of his problems were due to him scrambling for his life or questionable playcalling given our personnel. And even if it was Graham sitting back in a perfectly formed pocket missing open WRs, I would take 3-4 more incompletions per game in exchange for 3-4 less interceptions per game. Having said that, I can’t get behind Graham yet because he seemed unwilling to put in work, whereas Sims was willing to come in early and work all summer.
 

Deleted member 2897

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While I recall the offense struggling the last year, I’d like to see some data on Graham allegedly missing open WRs consistently. I don’t recall it being markedly worse than Sims. Most of his problems were due to him scrambling for his life or questionable playcalling given our personnel. And even if it was Graham sitting back in a perfectly formed pocket missing open WRs, I would take 3-4 more incompletions per game in exchange for 3-4 less interceptions per game. Having said that, I can’t get behind Graham yet because he seemed unwilling to put in work, whereas Sims was willing to come in early and work all summer.

Well you could watch the games or look at his stats. It won’t be hard to find. Sims averages 18 completions a game, Graham averaged under 8.
 

stech81

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, I can’t get behind Graham yet because he seemed unwilling to put in work, whereas Sims was willing to come in early and work all summer.
This is the part I agree with the QB is the leader and if you say you didn't put the effort in at practice the players and coaches see that , actually he should have been on the bench after he did that at practice. I would imagine that is still in the back of the coaches mind.
 
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orientalnc

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This is the part I agree with the QB is the leader and if you say you didn't put the effort in at practice the players and coaches see that , actually he should have been on the bench after he did that at practice. I would imagine that is still in the back of the coaches mind.
Did I miss something? It was my impression, based on a press conference about a week prior to the FSU game that Graham had made tremendous improvement over the off season and was making throws now that he could not make in 2019. Where did you hear that he did not put in the work?
 

slugboy

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If you look at the survey results, I thought Graham was the most likely QB to start the season.

When I look back at last season, I see
  • Graham has a lot of raw potential, and can connect really well on a deep ball, but even those throws were often not so good
  • He made a lot of bad reads and didn’t go through his progressions
  • Yes, he was on the move a lot because of blocking. I think he also likes being out of the pocket
  • There were problems with his throwing mechanics, and he missed a bunch of short throws
  • He was missing screens that should have been easy passes.
  • We were horrible at moving the chains
  • He made a ton of turnovers
When I look at this season, I see
  • We have multiple QBs with a lot of raw potential. Sims does well on short and intermediate passes, but some of the deep balls just don’t have enough power
  • He moves the chains
  • He also makes bad reads, but is ahead of where Graham was last season.
  • He makes a ton of turnovers. Some either aren’t his fault or aren’t entirely his fault, but he’s made a ton in his first three games.
  • His work ethic is getting a lot of positive call outs
Both of them have about the same passer rating, for different reasons. It’s just one number, but overall, with all the mistakes Sims has made, Graham would really need to be playing better than last year to justify a swap back. Coming into the season, I thought the job was Graham’s to lose. If you’re a starting quarterback with experience, almost any coach is reluctant to swap you out. My bet is that Sims didn’t just look better in practice—he’d have had to look a LOT better in practice to get the job from Graham.

Frankly, after most of a year of seasoning at QB at this level, it shouldn’t have been close between Graham and anyone else in terms of how they look in practice.
 

GCdaJuiceMan

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This is the part I agree with the QB is the leader and if you say you didn't put the effort in at practice the players and coaches see that , actually he should have been on the bench after he did that at practice. I would imagine that is still in the back of the coaches mind.

If I recall correctly, they are referencing the VT postgame interview or an interview the week after where he mentioned he didn't prepare as much as he should have.
 

D-man44

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For those who are all moonbeams and unicorns,

Statistically, the offense is better than last year, considering Tech finished dead last in total offense (in the ACC). There was only one direction to go.

Defense this year, just looking at total defense, is currently ranked 12th out of 15, (in the ACC) just like where Tech finished last year.


Since this is a thread on starting quarterbacks, my missive is that whoever was the starting quarterback this year, would have a better offense around them than last year. The offensive line is improved, especially in pass protection. So Grahams 45.1% completion percentage would be improved upon no matter who the starter. Sims is currently at 54%. But has 8 interceptions to 3 TDs. Graham only had 7 ints all season. Is Sims an improvement over Graham?

As has been pointed out, we are not at practice or team rooms, so we, as a internet board have no clue how the quarterback competition is going. We can only speculate. And look at stats. I am not convinced after the first three games that Sims is that big an improvement. Nor has he improved over the last 3 games.

Versus:
FSU 23/34 with 277 yards. 1 TD, 2 interceptions
UCF 18/36 with 244 yards. 1 TD, 2 interceptions
Syracuse 13/28 with 174 yards. 1 TD, 4 interceptions

After a bye week, I would not be overly shocked to see a new starter at QB. (Last time I looked there were 4 QBs ATL) Nor would I be shocked to see Sims come back and have an impressive game.
To be fair to the defense UCF is a lot better than Texas State, Austin Peay, etc team that other schools played and if the offense isn’t turning the ball over 3+ times a game it looks a lot better
 

stech81

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Did I miss something? It was my impression, based on a press conference about a week prior to the FSU game that Graham had made tremendous improvement over the off season and was making throws now that he could not make in 2019. Where did you hear that he did not put in the work?
That was last year after one of the games ( and he was one the that said it not the coaches )
 

Techster

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Graham has the talent to play on this level. He made some NFL level throws last year where you were like "WOW".

Graham's biggest issue has been anticipation and seeing open receivers. He hasn't played this year so I don't know if he's made strides with those two. I did a video breakdown of some throws Sims made, and those were type of throws Graham either didn't anticipate or see last year. Again, like I said, he may have improved in those areas, but he has not played yet.

As good a runner as Sims is, I think Graham is more talented in that department. The physical tools are there for Graham to be a good P5 QB, but it's the nuances of the position he needs to work on.
 

Jacketman99

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While I recall the offense struggling the last year, I’d like to see some data on Graham allegedly missing open WRs consistently. I don’t recall it being markedly worse than Sims. Most of his problems were due to him scrambling for his life or questionable playcalling given our personnel. And even if it was Graham sitting back in a perfectly formed pocket missing open WRs, I would take 3-4 more incompletions per game in exchange for 3-4 less interceptions per game. Having said that, I can’t get behind Graham yet because he seemed unwilling to put in work, whereas Sims was willing to come in early and work all summer.
One key thing to remember here is that Sims basically did not have a spring and most of summer. I believe he would be further along if he had a normal spring and summer and we would not be having this conversation. Sims is still getting used to the size of players and the speed of the game. I am hoping he can eliminate the turnovers because I truly believe he has the highest ceiling of all the qb's.
It is obvious Graham did not take the reins of the starting job like you would have hoped for a returning starter. If he had, Sims would not be starting. From what I understand he got to camp late which may have put him behind. Graham needs to continue to work hard and improve so that he will be ready when his number is called.
 

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One key thing to remember here is that Sims basically did not have a spring and most of summer. I believe he would be further along if he had a normal spring and summer and we would not be having this conversation. Sims is still getting used to the size of players and the speed of the game. I am hoping he can eliminate the turnovers because I truly believe he has the highest ceiling of all the qb's.
It is obvious Graham did not take the reins of the starting job like you would have hoped for a returning starter. If he had, Sims would not be starting. From what I understand he got to camp late which may have put him behind. Graham needs to continue to work hard and improve so that he will be ready when his number is called.

To that end, look at Chase Brice. He was a strong 4-star QB who was Clemson’s #2 for a long time. He transferred to Duke and also had the same lack of practice this spring and summer. Duke is 0-3 and Chases numbers are in fact worse than Sims...and this is a guy who’s been in college systems for 3 years and who Dabo said would get drafted pretty high even as a backup.
 

forensicbuzz

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One key thing to remember here is that Sims basically did not have a spring and most of summer. I believe he would be further along if he had a normal spring and summer and we would not be having this conversation. Sims is still getting used to the size of players and the speed of the game. I am hoping he can eliminate the turnovers because I truly believe he has the highest ceiling of all the qb's.
It is obvious Graham did not take the reins of the starting job like you would have hoped for a returning starter. If he had, Sims would not be starting. From what I understand he got to camp late which may have put him behind. Graham needs to continue to work hard and improve so that he will be ready when his number is called.
The irony is Graham and Sims both have the same amount of Spring Practice experience.
 

gt02

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Well you could watch the games or look at his stats. It won’t be hard to find. Sims averages 18 completions a game, Graham averaged under 8.
I did watch the games. It may be that I am forgetting, I just don't have any memory of Graham sitting in a clean pocket missing WRs. Sims also throws the ball more than 30 times a game. Graham did not.
 

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Sims also throws the ball more than 30 times a game. Graham did not.

There are reasons for that. He can hit more throws, so more throws are called. He converts more 1st downs, so he has longer drives to get more attempts.

Graham averaged about 21 attempts a game. His completion rate and low average yards per rush both contributed to the inability to sustain drives and get more attempts.

It’s kind of a self fulfilling prophecy
 

orientalnc

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There are reasons for that. He can hit more throws, so more throws are called. He converts more 1st downs, so he has longer drives to get more attempts.

Graham averaged about 21 attempts a game. His completion rate and low average yards per rush both contributed to the inability to sustain drives and get more attempts.

It’s kind of a self fulfilling prophecy
I like Graham and hope that he gets to play, but comparing what he did last year with what Sims has done this year is just not fair. He was just trying to survive a good bit of the time. Personally, I think Sims is a far better qb that needs time to develop his understanding of the offense and learn to read coverages much more quickly.
 

bos

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After seeing Yates play against Syracuse, I've tempered my expectations and appreciated Sims a lot more. I hope to see Gleason at some point as well, but Sims is most likely the best we have on the roster right now. You all just have to be patient with him right now.
 

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I like Graham and hope that he gets to play, but comparing what he did last year with what Sims has done this year is just not fair. He was just trying to survive a good bit of the time. Personally, I think Sims is a far better qb that needs time to develop his understanding of the offense and learn to read coverages much more quickly.

Its a valid point. As a reminder, just a few weeks into last season, on the offensive line, we had already lost Parker Braun to transfer, and our injuries were Scott Morgan (season), Kenny Cooper (season), Jahaziel Lee (season), Mikey Minihan, and Charlie Clark. We at times were playing not 1 but 2 walk-ons (William Lay and Hamp Gibbs).
 

dmel25

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After seeing Yates play against Syracuse, I've tempered my expectations
Agreed, was not impressed with Yates. I get that it is hard to judge a guy off that little bit of experience, he has never got to start a game, but the few times we have seen Yates have not been impressive.

Anyways, I would not be shocked if we saw Graham against Louisville next Friday, just to give Sims time to sit and chill, maybe the coaches will let him sit and watch the defense from the sideline to take notes on stuff. I think it would do Sims good as he won't have to worry about "having the game on his shoulders" so to speak since he isn't the one playing, it gives him time to relax and calm down so he can come back the following week.
 
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