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Was it just me, . . . . ?

by mcgregor · 10/26/2009

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M
mcgregor
Or did the offense seem to gain a spark with Riley Nelson in?



Sure, TCU had their seconds in the game. But there seemed to be a different feel on offense with Riley in there. Additionally, it is interesting to see the value of a kid that can genuinely scramble.
M
Mars


Wasn't the first TCU defensive call with Nelson in the game a corner blitz?



I don't remember seeing many TCU backups playing. They had Dalton still in late in the 4th.
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mcgregor
Mars wrote:


Wasn't the first TCU defensive call with Nelson in the game a corner blitz?



I don't remember seeing many TCU backups playing. They had Dalton still in late in the 4th.


To answer this question I'd have to go back and watch the game. That's not something I'm willing to do.
G
Guest
Riley's first snap was a corner blitz, and I think resulted in a sack, or at least a very short gain on what was a QB draw up the middle.



If I recall, it seemed they put some pressure on Riley the first two snaps, and then backed off a little to see what he would do.
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CougarClaw
Anytime you put in someone who's trying to prove himself, he'll definitely bring a spark. Nelson's done that every game he's been in this year.



My issue though is that he seems to be a much better runner/wildcat option than a passer. His throws...have been pretty unimpressive. But perhaps that's because I've been watching Max too long.
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cachevalleycougar
No - he didn't bring a spark. Yes, he ran it up the middle a couple times for some decent yardage, but Unga was already doing that. On a couple of his throws he showed why he won't be starting at the Y at any time.
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Cougarpoke
I kind of thought something similar, that Nelson brought a little fire into the game. It very easily could be attributed to the fact that he was trying to prove himself...but a mobile QB is something no team in the conference prepares for when they play BYU. I would advocate putting Nelson in more frequently for change up plays. That being said, as for next year, I have no idea if Nelson can beat our the other stud QB recruits that are coming in. In my opinion it looks like Nelson kind of lobs the ball and doesn't have a lot of zip. But, then again, Doman was a very similar player. Who knows...all I know is that I put a lot of fan power into Max Hall's ability and have been greatly disappointed. The defense is always expected to be bad and lose games for us, so I am not nearly as dissappointed as when the QB should have gone to shorter pass patterns...or maybe my frustrations are misplaced and I should be upset with the play calling, which I didn't think was very good. Oh, my cup runneth over...
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Lawboy
It was just you. Nelson did nothing of note. Unless you call having happy feet, and pulling it down after 1.3 seconds of note. His pocket presence still needs work. Wish we could combine Max and Riley. Max hangs too long, Riley not long enough.
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ABYUFAN
If he brought a spark, I didn't see it. And I was unimpressed with his throws. It's funny because after Max Hall was gone, I watched Riley and thought, we'd have been even worse with this guy in there (And I like Riley, I had some missionaries that served with him in Spain over for the game - they have nothing but good things to say about him)



PS My friends told me that Riley said that his family has a saying: "A quarterback can have a bad game, he just can't have a bad game in a BIG game."



I like that saying...
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mcgregor
Lawboy wrote:
It was just you. Nelson did nothing of note. Unless you call having happy feet, and pulling it down after 1.3 seconds of note. His pocket presence still needs work. Wish we could combine Max and Riley. Max hangs too long, Riley not long enough.


I don't mean this personally, but "happy feet" is typically a false criticism. We can talk about it if you'd like.
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M
Mars
cachevalleycougar wrote:
Yes, he ran it up the middle a couple times for some decent yardage, but Unga was already doing that.

Unga can't also throw it if there's a man wide open.

Nelson's 11 yard run was pretty sweet. I also thought he was shifty in the pocket while avoiding the rush and buying time for a receiver to get open.

I think Heaps will be the starter next year.
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Cougarfan87
Mars wrote:
Yes, he ran it up the middle a couple times for some decent yardage, but Unga was already doing that.

Unga can't also throw it if there's a man wide open.

Nelson's 11 yard run was pretty sweet. I also thought he was shifty in the pocket while avoiding the rush and buying time for a receiver to get open.

I think Heaps will be the starter next year.




I don't know. Maybe he can. Has anyone tried the half back pass with Unga in practice? :D Tahi had a decent long ball.
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Sammich
mcgregor wrote:

I don't mean this personally, but "happy feet" is typically a false criticism. We can talk about it if you'd like.


I'm curious to hear about this---I've never known what people are talking about when they say happy feet, although it brings up some funny imagery. I remember John Beck used to shuffle around more than seemed necessary, even when nobody was pressuring him, then it seemed like he calmed down his Senior year and instead moved around the pocket like a snake getting ready to strike. I have no idea why one is better than the other, but it definitely made Beck seem more deadly when he moved with that kind of confidence.
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mcgregor
Sammich wrote:

I don't mean this personally, but "happy feet" is typically a false criticism. We can talk about it if you'd like.


I'm curious to hear about this---I've never known what people are talking about when they say happy feet, although it brings up some funny imagery. I remember John Beck used to shuffle around more than seemed necessary, even when nobody was pressuring him, then it seemed like he calmed down his Senior year and instead moved around the pocket like a snake getting ready to strike. I have no idea why one is better than the other, but it definitely made Beck seem more deadly when he moved with that kind of confidence.


A good QB makes progressions not just with his eyes, not just with his shoulders, and not just with his hips. And good QB makes progressions with his feet.



A great QB makes his reads quickly.



Thus, sometimes what we claim is "happy feet" is in fact a really good QB making his reads quickly and in the manner he has been coached. The appearance is exacerbated when you have an EXCELLENT QB that can go through his reads, and start working working his way back if need be.



That being said, there is a such thing as "happy feet."
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Sammich
mcgregor wrote:
mcgregor wrote:

I don't mean this personally, but "happy feet" is typically a false criticism. We can talk about it if you'd like.


I'm curious to hear about this---I've never known what people are talking about when they say happy feet, although it brings up some funny imagery. I remember John Beck used to shuffle around more than seemed necessary, even when nobody was pressuring him, then it seemed like he calmed down his Senior year and instead moved around the pocket like a snake getting ready to strike. I have no idea why one is better than the other, but it definitely made Beck seem more deadly when he moved with that kind of confidence.


A good QB makes progressions not just with his eyes, not just with his shoulders, and not just with his hips. And good QB makes progressions with his feet.



A great QB makes his reads quickly.



Thus, sometimes what we claim is "happy feet" is in fact a really good QB making his reads quickly and in the manner he has been coached. The appearance is exacerbated when you have an EXCELLENT QB that can go through his reads, and start working working his way back if need be.



That being said, there is a such thing as "happy feet."

Thanks for the info!
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jonnylingo
CougarClaw wrote:
Anytime you put in someone who's trying to prove himself, he'll definitely bring a spark. Nelson's done that every game he's been in this year.



My issue though is that he seems to be a much better runner/wildcat option than a passer. His throws...have been pretty unimpressive. But perhaps that's because I've been watching Max too long.


Bingo, why we haven't seen the wildcat with him for a while is beyond me? Good thing we brought it out against Utah State but didn't use it against TCU.



He is a horrible passer from what i have seen in gametime situations this year.
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jonnylingo
mcgregor wrote:
Or did the offense seem to gain a spark with Riley Nelson in?



Sure, TCU had their seconds in the game. But there seemed to be a different feel on offense with Riley in there. Additionally, it is interesting to see the value of a kid that can genuinely scramble.


It was just you. Riley missed everything he threw at. He can run of course. why we don't see the wildcat with him more often, I don't know. But it worked against Utah State and then we never saw it again. Sure glad we used it there but not against TCU???



Riley missed pitta wide open. he missed a running back wide open an dhe missed another receiver I can't remember wide open. He had some zip on the ball on one of his throws but the accuracy was no good. he can run, but as far as passing the ball, he looks horrible.



if max went down, we would be in serious trouble.



i would be shocked if he won the starting job next year. even a freshman in heaps shouldn't have much of a problem beating him out.
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mcgregor
jonnylingo wrote:

It was just you. Riley missed everything he threw at. He can run of course. why we don't see the wildcat with him more often, I don't know. But it worked against Utah State and then we never saw it again. Sure glad we used it there but not against TCU???



Riley missed pitta wide open. he missed a running back wide open an dhe missed another receiver I can't remember wide open. He had some zip on the ball on one of his throws but the accuracy was no good. he can run, but as far as passing the ball, he looks horrible.



if max went down, we would be in serious trouble.



i would be shocked if he won the starting job next year. even a freshman in heaps shouldn't have much of a problem beating him out.


Two minor things:



I think you've misunderstood my original post. I'm sure you didn't do it on purpose.



My point was that to me, I felt he brought in a "spark." I spoke nothing of his talent.



Also, correct me if I'm wrong--I am no expert on football--but the Wildcat formation is employed by splitting your QB out, and having another player take the shotgun snap. Thus, Riley did not in fact run a "wildcat" formation. He's simply a running QB.
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Mars
mcgregor wrote:
...That being said, there is a such thing as "happy feet."

I always thought of "happy feet" as beginning to scramble to avoid a sack too quickly, while your O-Line is still in control of the rushing defenders... Playing scared.
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Mars
jonnylingo wrote:
It was just you. Riley missed everything he threw at.

5 passes. 2 completions. 26 yards. 13 yards per completions. 5.2 yards per pass.

I'm not sure how much you can take from that, in such limited playing time.



Max Hall had 9 yards per completions, 5.8 yards per pass.
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