Post spring game QB depth chart

1995 Redux said:
Darlington

Armstrong

Stanton

Brockmeier

Fyfe

Bush
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What exactly did you see out of Stanton to put him 3rd? He is a very very distant 5/6 right now. Not only could he not hit the broad side of a barn in the Spring Game, the fact that he was the 5th QB off of the bench to play in the game should tell you volumes about his level of accuracy/play in the other 14 spring practices. IMO I think he will transfer as the writing is on the wall for him.
 
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They must have really seen something in Bush during practice... because he got way too much playing time. It looks like about half of the folks here are seeing the same thing I'm seeing... Armstrong has absolutely no head for this offense. Let's face it... he's peaked, at a level.. only slightly better than Martinez.

 
If safety was a huge concern with Darlington then he wouldn't be on the field, especially in a spring game where they are actually allowing the QB's to be hit.

Our QB's took some pretty big hits yesterday. Everybody was hitting matter of fact, didn't seem to be any holding back.

My depth chart:

Armstrong- based on experience alone. I did not see a guy that looks much improved yesterday. I know he has time, its only spring, but I want to see less heat and more touch passes when the situation calls for it. Also saw Tommy throw into double and triple coverage again while the HB was standing all alone. The kid has got to stop this.

Darlington- made the most plays, the best decisions, footwork is excellent, stood in the pocket and also extended plays with his feet. Darlington went through his reads and took the dump pass to the HB multiple times. It was fun to watch this kid execute and he did very well. Looked very competitve and rallied the guys a few times. I believe I even saw him call a perfect audible and hit a WR in one on one coverage, the ball was placed perfectly. I think almost all of his throws were brilliant save for a few. By the way, the guy executes the zone read as good or better than anyone from what little we got to see yesterday.

Bush- good and bad here. Missed quite few easy throws but also made some nice ones. The guy can run and even lowered his shoulder on one of our defensive players, who took awhile to get up. I'd like to see this guy move around a bit more or extend the pass play with his feet when hes feeling pressure. He had a pretty decent day really for being his first live action in front of that crowd.

IMO (i know it's just spring) but I fully expect to hear Darlington pushing Tommy for that starting job and if Darlingtons decision making maintains this level and Tommy doesn't improve, then there's no reason Darlington shouldn't at least be given a shot.

 
Or are we being those horrible fans you hear about on the radio that just need to shut up and stop proclaiming 'this or that' based on a simple Spring practice?

I don't know about that in this case. If it was a close call I would say maybe we're being those fans, but I don't think it was close. Darlington was clearly the best performer out there yesterday. Take the stats out of it. One guy made the offense look very efficient an effective, that was Darlington.

Either way, if I am saying anything, it's not that I'm proclaiming Darlington as the new starter, but I'm saying he easily deserves to be in the conversation heading into the fall.

 
True2tRA said:
Or are we being those horrible fans you hear about on the radio that just need to shut up and stop proclaiming 'this or that' based on a simple Spring practice?

I don't know about that in this case. If it was a close call I would say maybe we're being those fans, but I don't think it was close. Darlington was clearly the best performer out there yesterday. Take the stats out of it. One guy made the offense look very efficient an effective, that was Darlington.

Either way, if I am saying anything, it's not that I'm proclaiming Darlington as the new starter, but I'm saying he easily deserves to be in the conversation heading into the fall.
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To play a bit of devil's advocate, the offense actually looked the best on the first two drives led by TA when they mostly ran the ball.

As fun as it is to critique the QB's and talk about how they'll move the offense, the play of the offensive line is really what will make the offense go (or not).

 
True2tRA said:
Or are we being those horrible fans you hear about on the radio that just need to shut up and stop proclaiming 'this or that' based on a simple Spring practice?
Click to expand...
Hey, we're the fans. We buy the tickets and the gear. We can be excited or concerned however we want.

But there's every indication that the coaches are noticing the same things we are, and will hitch their wagon to the QB who delivers the goods.

Or to look at it another way, they won't stay loyal to a quarterback out of stubborn pride.

You could question Mike Riley's recruiting prowess, knowing that he was hot on Johnny Stanton while at Oregon State. But the fact that Riley dropped him nearly off the chart when he watched Stanton here at Nebraska suggests Riley can admit making a mistake and move quickly forward. That's a sign of progress itself.

There's also a long history of quarterbacks who look great in practice and not in game situations. It takes a few high pressure games to realize that gameday quarterback might never come around. Apparently Zac Lee was one of those great-in-practice QBs.

Armstrong has the starting quarterback mentality but needs some technique. At least that part is teachable.

I'd say competition and indecision at QB is working in our favor right now.

 
Darlington, Bush, TA in that order. Would've liked to see Darlington against the top D, like Bush though. Bush looked terrible but avoided numerous sacks.

 
Armstrong stays at my number one even though Darlington had a good looking spring. The experience plays a big factor, but, Tommy also led three scoring drives yesterday for the red. Darlington had one. They had the same number of TD passes but leading the offense to a score, even if it's on the ground, is still something worth taking into account.

Darlington is then number 2. He showed he has talent, can make smart throws and he's passionate. He got fired up yesterday at some points. The only downside with him of course is I feel he's one decent hit away from suffering another concussion and being out for extended periods of time. That worry comes from two places - one, I just don't like seeing players get hurt, and two, I want a QB who can be here for the long haul. But, based purely on his skill, I like him in this spot.

The rest is a hodgepodge but Bush would be at the head of it. He showed playmaking ability, but he almost threw four or five picks yesterday. He got lucky only throwing two. He's got a lot of raw talent but I feel he's probably some ways away at this point.

 
I agree with what most everyone is saying on here. Darlington had the best day, clearly.

What I don't understand is this accepted notion that Darlington is simply not the athlete that those other two guys are. Of the QBs, who has the fastest 40? Anyone want to guess where Darlington falls on that list? Who benches the most? Wanna guess?

In this system, the QB doesn't need Crouch or Martinez speed. They need to be fleet of foot and get out of pressure. And, a way to avoid pressure is to be a good, quick decision maker.

I think TA will be the starter because it will feel much safer to the staff. He's been in the wars and BYU has a good defense. It'll be a lot easier to start the incumbent and replace him than to start a frosh and then put in a guy that has a lot of question marks.

Based on performance:

Darlington

Armstrong

Bush

Brockmeier

Prediction:

Armstrong

Darlington

Bush

Brockmeier

 
Guy Chamberlin said:
You could question Mike Riley's recruiting prowess, knowing that he was hot on Johnny Stanton while at Oregon State. But the fact that Riley dropped him nearly off the chart when he watched Stanton here at Nebraska suggests Riley can admit making a mistake and move quickly forward.
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Just because Stanton isn't playing well now doesn't mean recruiting him was a mistake. He was great in H.S. and then had a bad knee injury. Maybe the knee injury destroyed his confidence and he's never gotten it back. It also might have affected his mechanics.

 
caveman99 said:
1995 Redux said:
Darlington

Armstrong

Stanton

Brockmeier

Fyfe

Bush
Click to expand...
What exactly did you see out of Stanton to put him 3rd? He is a very very distant 5/6 right now. Not only could he not hit the broad side of a barn in the Spring Game, the fact that he was the 5th QB off of the bench to play in the game should tell you volumes about his level of accuracy/play in the other 14 spring practices. IMO I think he will transfer as the writing is on the wall for him.
Click to expand...
I was just not impressed with Bush at all and Fyfe is decent at best. I dont know, something about Stantons field presence. Honestly he has a long way to go but I still think he could move up the ranks after watching him yesterday. He was off on alot of passes, but the motion and the throws were there.

 
gorp512 said:
I'm just watching the spring game now. Couple things:

Can't wait to go to my first game this fall!

Tommy Armstrong looks awful. System or no system, I hope the staff doesn't feel an allegiance to him. He doesn't look like a quarterback
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I agree. I don't understand why the experience factor would play to TA's odds of being the starter this fall. If anything, with his experience he should have been far ahead of all the other QBs yesterday. Instead, after starting over 20 games, he looked like the 3rd best QB out there, and I don't see much upside for him.

 
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