Worried about QB play?

This isn't an attempt to troll/stir the pot, I'm just curious. Heaps in particular looked nigh-industructable about a week ago, but the numbers really haven't been there for the last week.



Granted, it's our offense playing against our defense, so having one side dominate the other is generally a bad sign. Having said that, I'd feel a little more comfortable if they alternated dominating each other, and not having one side gradually overtake the other.



What do you think? Too early to read anything into it?

If anything, this encourages me about our secondary. The offense is basically a known quantity that should be improving, and was very good in the last half of the season last year. The fact that our inexperienced players back there have been able to produce bad results for the offensive unit is very encouraging to me.

Some stats from today's practice:

Offense converted 13/18 on 3rd & 5, that's 72%.

Heaps had a TD pass today, although he was just 1-5.



The offense will be solid. They're starting to figure out what the defense is throwing at them.

SpiffCoug wrote:
Some stats from today's practice:

Offense converted 13/18 on 3rd & 5, that's 72%.

Heaps had a TD pass today, although he was just 1-5.



The offense will be solid. They're starting to figure out what the defense is throwing at them.

Agreed. And I wonder how many "new plays" they have really introduced to the offense to this point. So the defense has been able to adjust and succeed. I wouldnt be surprised to see the offense unleash the next round of plays and start to improve their numbers--although 72% conversion on 3rd downs is pretty darn good.

Apparently I am the first who is worried by it.



I understand that camp has its ebbs and flows, but the last few days have not been good at all. I'm not calling for a change, I think Heaps is the guy, but the phrase "over throw" has been appearing too often for my liking in practice summaries.



There are still a few more weeks though so hopefully they regain their rhythm.

The good thing is that we have heard that the last few days have been the days that the defense has been putting in new and more complex defenses. This means for the first time our offense is seeing complex and new defenses. Now, if the offense can't adjust to this there is matter for concern, but the time for that is still down the road.

redneckjedi wrote:
The offense is basically a known quantity

Please tell me this was TIC. Either that or send me some of that kool-aid you're drinking.



A brand new offensive scheme, a first-time OC with a first-time run game coordinator calling the shots for the first time in their young careers, and you are calling that a "known quantity"?



I don't have QB question marks, but I have some serious trepidation about how good this offense is going to be early on, especially given their recent struggles against a defense that is playing with more and more of its own playbook. Our QBs have been getting sacked more than a russian hooker in the Bronx as well.



The last few days have made me pretty uneasy about Ole Miss given how most seem to think we are just going to waltz in and hang 50 on the Rebels by halftime.



Nothing on this team is a known quantity. Offense is completely unknowable, and the defense is returning minimal starters from last season. Question marks abound.

I'm worried about QBs...the other teams' getting hurt, that is.

Isola wrote:
Apparently I am the first who is worried by it.



I understand that camp has its ebbs and flows, but the last few days have not been good at all. I'm not calling for a change, I think Heaps is the guy, but the phrase "over throw" has been appearing too often for my liking in practice summaries.



There are still a few more weeks though so hopefully they regain their rhythm.

Then I thinkn we could say we're in an ebb period. I think we'll a flow period again before camp is done.

I would not judge anything by public practice sessions. And private ones do not really give enough detail to help gauge anything. I think things are just now getting serious on both sides of the ball. Enough time to get guys back used to contact, enough time for units to become cohesive, enough time now to throw in some wrinkles. Up to this point, was just player evals. Now I suspect the depth charts are being set, and it is about to get real.



I will say this though: Bronco has seemed peeved with the O the last couple of days. Ended practice early, and cut short some reps. Perhaps he is challenging them because they need it. If so, I like it.

This is common. One side will dominate for a bit. Then the other side will throw in some kinks where they'll dominate for a bit. We've only practiced for a week or so. Plenty of time, and I specifically remember reading Doman's comments on his play book, how he has some new cool stuff.



We can't start with the new shiz until we're all clicking together.



We'll be fine.



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I understand that adding complexity to the offense could lead to them not clicking.



But the rash of overthrows worries me because a route is a route, and a new play will typically use the same collection of routes. I keep telling myself that the first few practices were in just helmets or shells, and that the full pads are affecting Heaps passing, because he hasn't practiced in them all summer...



But I am concerned.



Things are not right, but there is time to get them right.

DP

dmcougar wrote:

Some stats from today's practice:

Offense converted 13/18 on 3rd & 5, that's 72%.

Heaps had a TD pass today, although he was just 1-5.



The offense will be solid. They're starting to figure out what the defense is throwing at them.

Agreed. And I wonder how many "new plays" they have really introduced to the offense to this point. So the defense has been able to adjust and succeed. I wouldnt be surprised to see the offense unleash the next round of plays and start to improve their numbers--although 72% conversion on 3rd downs is pretty darn good.

If only they let us play 3rd downs with skelly squads in games like the drill today....



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Those of you worried crack me up. We don't have enough information to know if we should be worried. Nature abhors a vacuum and obviously college football fans do too. We take what little info we get and extrapolate that to be some "facts" on what we think we know.



Let see:



1. Practices are very controlled environments. The O has been put in some very difficult situations the past few days.

2. We are supposed to have a very good D. Maybe it really is as good as advertised this year.

3. Bronco is using whistle sacks and who knows how conservative he is on that.

4. Jake's best WR has been held out of practice for a couple of days. No chance this could have some impact.



Who knows, maybe the O will suck this year and Jake's best days are behind him. Or maybe, just maybe, some are putting WAY TOO MUCH stock into what we are hearing out of camp.



You guys crack me up.

At the scrimmage, if the rusher was near the QB, he blew the whistle.

northerncougar wrote:
2. We are supposed to have a very good D. Maybe it really is as good as advertised this year.

Based on what? The same controlled environment practices that you discount for interpreting the offense?



I think anyone who is "not worried" about the offense at all after the past three days and after Bronco himself saying "I don't think (the offense) responded that well today" is willfully blind.



Practices Spring and Fall are mixed bags--anything that can be interpreted as a positive can be interpreted as a negative (e.g. "Our running game is still lighting it up" can also be summed up as "Our run defense has not impressed").



Any perspective taken from camp reports should be preceded by "cautiously"--I am "cautiously optimistic" or "cautiously worried." I don't think anyone has given up on the offense after their recent struggles and I haven't heard anyone predict the end of the world--the question is "Are you worried," not "Are you throwing in the towel on the offense?"



To pretend there is no reason to be worried when an offense under a first year OC struggles to move the ball in 11-on-11 situations (the 3rd down conversion drills were skelly drills--6 v. 8 with no down linemen) right when the defense stops being conservative and opens the playbook is to drink deeply from the fountain of willful suspension of disbelief. I guess we can just assume that every defense we face will run vanilla schemes to let us get comfortable in our offense before they open up their full playbook as well. Yes, you can choose to say "Hey! Our defense is just awesome!" based on the same controlled environment practices you discount for the offense (and despite the fact that the offense is still racking up some nice yards on the ground when the run D is supposed to be that defense's strength), or you can take the just as plausible explanation that "Our first year OC is having some growing pains in putting together his offense" and hope that he gets beyond that before Ole Miss.

Yes and No. I like our QBs and can't think of too many, if any, schools for which I would trade (perhaps Stanford? ;) ) but I DO worry about expectations and managing them. We have a sophomore QB and a totally brand new OC; our receivers and tight ends are largely freshmen and sophs...I know we have JJ, Jacobson and Kariya and probably some others I'm forgetting, but still we are young...Remember Anae's first game against BC? We scored 3 at home is my memory...It just might take some time for things to start clicking. You all who think things got going midway through last year need to remember that by midway through last year we were not playing too many good teams...The one good team--Utah--we only scored 16 on. So keep the faith and pass the patience!

snoscythe wrote:

2. We are supposed to have a very good D. Maybe it really is as good as advertised this year.

Based on what? The same controlled environment practices that you discount for interpreting the offense?

Based on: returning 9 starters on the defense.



Based on: Pendleton being the healthiest he's been in years.



Based on: KVN is an absolute monster, and now will see full time reps.



Based on: We have more size and speed at the CB position than we have ever had at BYU, going a couple groups deep.



Based on: Eason was hands down our best cb last year, and he will now see fulltime reps.



Based on: USC transfers, one of which has had an entire year+ to learn schemes and bulk up more for football.



Based on: Guys that are second teaming (or red-shirting) at the LB crew would have been starters here and there in the last 6 years.



Based on: Guys that are in our 3 deep at the CB position would be starting for us as little as 3 years ago.



Based on: Bronco started throwing the book at Doman. I imagine the D is going pretty close to full speed now, where they weren't before.



Based on: exciting levels of talent and potential almost at every position, from excellent recruiting classes the past few years.



Based on: Bronco is fully behind the defense again, and he has been much more lax the past few years. I have never seen a bad defense from him (with much less talent on the field.)





The sky is NOT falling. It is appropriate to have a healthy amount of skepticism, as well as a healthy dose of optimism. We have a great offense and a great defense. It should be a push almost every day of the week, and i am glad to see that Bronco is finally letting the D turn up the heat on the offense.

BlueIsBetter wrote:



Based on: returning 9 starters on the defense.



Based on: Pendleton being the healthiest he's been in years.



Based on: KVN is an absolute monster, and now will see full time reps.



Based on: We have more size and speed at the CB position than we have ever had at BYU, going a couple groups deep.



Based on: Eason was hands down our best cb last year, and he will now see fulltime reps.



Based on: USC transfers, one of which has had an entire year+ to learn schemes and bulk up more for football.



Based on: Guys that are second teaming (or red-shirting) at the LB crew would have been starters here and there in the last 6 years.



Based on: Guys that are in our 3 deep at the CB position would be starting for us as little as 3 years ago.



Based on: Bronco started throwing the book at Doman. I imagine the D is going pretty close to full speed now, where they weren't before.



Based on: exciting levels of talent and potential almost at every position, from excellent recruiting classes the past few years.



Based on: Bronco is fully behind the defense again, and he has been much more lax the past few years. I have never seen a bad defense from him (with much less talent on the field.)





The sky is NOT falling. It is appropriate to have a healthy amount of skepticism, as well as a healthy dose of optimism. We have a great offense and a great defense. It should be a push almost every day of the week, and i am glad to see that Bronco is finally letting the D turn up the heat on the offense.

Well stated. +1