Tommy's picks-Are they as bad as they look?

[gbr93]

Actually two of his picks in the NW game were tipped. The one on third and long was tipped (still a bad throw but I could live with it) and his last one I believe the blitzer tipped it right out of his hand or hit his hand while he was throwing it.

Um. No. The first INT was into double coverage. The one on third and long was where he scrambled out to the left then threw into a crowd of four NW players (two of which were in front of the closest receiver) and two receivers. There was a clear replay from directly behind at field level and it was not tipped. The third was was the second straight play where he felt pressure and tried to duck out as he threw so there wasn't much zip on the ball. Again, there is a clear replay from behind at field level and the ball was not tipped.

One of his INTs was tipped, but it was a throw into triple coverage--so he should still be at fault for that.

Maybe we're talking different things. I was saying it wasn't tipped at the line, such that the trajectory was thrown off. Yes, the second one was tipped downfield. There were two defenders in front of the receiver. One of them tipped it and a third defender behind intercepted it. But it just as easily could have been picked off by either of the guys in front.

I haven't seen any replays since the game happened but lm not defending him. The last one just looked like it was tipped from the angle I had at the game so it obviously wasn't the best look. Regardless, they were all bad decisions.

[kchusker_chris]

Big difference between Taylor and Tommy as freshmen is that Taylor had very little experience playing the position period, didn't run either the read or the shotgun option proficiently, had bad form and was very inconsistent with making the throws, and poor feeling pressure / moving in the pocket, on top of struggles making reads.

 

Way more athleticism to burn defenders with when we could get it, but also way more of a project, QB wise.

 

Also Taylor coming in and getting the nod over an experienced senior quarterback who didn't have those issues, on a veteran team poised to make a run of things, while at this point we don't have much other choice. Taylor has every injury known to man except for turf toe. Anyway, Tommy's picks are as bad as they look.

Ya, the team was in a different place. The entire state of Husker football was at a point in time where we were patiently waiting to see the outcome. We had a solid defense so most deficiencies were squarely placed on the offense.

 

I see arguments for both sides. The competition is weak, so freshman Tommy should be playing at a higher level than freshman Taylor. However, the defense is terrible, so much so that the offense is the least of our worries and so tommy is getting a little break there. All-in-all, I'd say the opinion of Tommy is as much determined by the state of the program, and the state of the B1G as it is his play on the field. We aren't winning a bunch of games with this team, so we might as well give Tommy some time to work his sh1t out. That 10' team Taylor led had the potential to be good, after we just came off one of the highest points in the programs recent history in how we finished 09'. And don't forget, there was a QB controversy back then with Lee capable of playing, and many still thinking Cody was the better QB. Tommy doesn't have to worry about that for the most part.

[da skers]

I just cant get over 6 in two games with the las one coming realy late and deep in our territory. Haunting. Hes gotta be losing sleep over that last one. I think hes gonna be a smooth operatoe next uear now that he has a better understanding of in game intangibles. But man oh man are the Wolverines gonna be looking for INTs.

I would guess he might not even be the starter next year. I think the comment was made "better hope like hell Stanton doesn't get hurt".

[ADS]

I just cant get over 6 in two games with the las one coming realy late and deep in our territory. Haunting. Hes gotta be losing sleep over that last one. I think hes gonna be a smooth operatoe next uear now that he has a better understanding of in game intangibles. But man oh man are the Wolverines gonna be looking for INTs.

I would guess he might not even be the starter next year. I think the comment was made "better hope like hell Stanton doesn't get hurt".

That makes my pants tight in the front.

[Warrior10]

Yes, they are as bad as they look. But they are freshman mistakes that he can grow from. Thankfully they haven't cost us....YET. Against Mich it could hurt big time.

[The Dude]

I just cant get over 6 in two games with the las one coming realy late and deep in our territory. Haunting. Hes gotta be losing sleep over that last one. I think hes gonna be a smooth operatoe next uear now that he has a better understanding of in game intangibles. But man oh man are the Wolverines gonna be looking for INTs.

I would guess he might not even be the starter next year. I think the comment was made "better hope like hell Stanton doesn't get hurt".

So it begins. . .

[HuskerShark]

I just cant get over 6 in two games with the las one coming realy late and deep in our territory. Haunting. Hes gotta be losing sleep over that last one. I think hes gonna be a smooth operatoe next uear now that he has a better understanding of in game intangibles. But man oh man are the Wolverines gonna be looking for INTs.

I would guess he might not even be the starter next year. I think the comment was made "better hope like hell Stanton doesn't get hurt".

 

If Tommy can get the intermediate throws better and learn to read defenses, I think the ceiling is high for him. So like ADS said, if Stanton takes the starting job next year, you have to feel good about him.

[Bigred_inSD]

I didn't read this whole thread so here is my take. The 2nd pick was as good a a punt, he needs to run the option read more but watch the fakes teams will key on it and tee off on him. The last pick was on beck should of pounded the rock with ameer and tried for a field goal. The kid does have moxy though

[Shockley03]

I think the fans are way too critical here on this message board regarding Tommy Armstrong's play this season. I'll quote the wonderful Beano Cook here: "A win is a win...and a loss is a loss."

 

After those facts, you move on. We won the Purdue and Northwestern games with a freshman starter at quarterback. Let's don't harass "Touchdown Tommy" Armstrong for having bad games with picks. "Touchdown Tommie" Frazier was very, very blessed to start off his career as a solid game manager by having only one pick in 100 throws for the entire 1992 season as a true freshman. Tommie Fraziers are rare by the way.

 

Most young quarterbacks aren't so fortunate. In fact, Touchdown Tommy fits the norm. Georgia's D.J. Shockley's freshman year began with INTs. Still, he settled down and managed to drop his INT% down to 4% by season's end (2002) as he got a better feel for the game. It's tough on freshman QBs.

 

I say just allow Touchdown Tommy to simply manage his own game versus Michigan. He's got to accomplish this part of his game anyway. D.J. Shockley sure handled his career well as a game manager while being the same QB that ran away from trouble with excellent 4.41 (40 yd. dash) speed. Shockley threw the ball out of bounds a lot his senior year. That's all Touchdown Tommy has to do...is just throw it away in the stands with no apology. Shockley's grand 2005 senior season had him throwing 310 passes with only 5 of them being picked off (1.6%). Shockley had a nice 24-5 TD-INT ratio with 2,600 yards passing and an SEC Championship. He wasn't the most accurate passer (56%), but he managed the game better than anyone I've seen do at my alma mater in the last 20 years.

 

Touchdown Tommie managed the game. His INT% during each regular season was 1%, 2%, 4½%, and 2% from 1992 to 1995 which helped establish Frazier as a great game manager. Again, I just think Armstrong needs to calm down and just send some of his passes to the sidelines in the stands while making sure he's past the hash mark of the middle of the field. I saw Shockley do this a lot enroute to leading Georgia to a 7-0 start in 2005 before he suffered a grade 1½ MCL sprain in Georgia's matchup with Arkansas on Oct. 22, 2005. He still limped back into the lineup 3 weeks later to guide the Dogs to their last SEC title.

 

Again, all Touchdown Tommy needs to do to complete his game is zero-in on the game manager aspects of it all. Keep up with what he's doing with the football -- particularly on passing downs. Again, Tommy needs to not allow a bad play to turn into a catastrophe. He's got to think upon the concept of living to play for another down. (additionally, a failure to make 3rd down [incomplete pass] also alerts the defense that their time is coming)

 

Tommy Armstrong is explosive (6-1, 220-pounds, 4.53 40 yard dash), so he just needs to slow the game down -- and just take his chances with his feet.

 

It will be huge in my mind to see Armstrong's stats after the Michigan game is over and to see Armstrong with zero interceptions when the final horn is sounded with the matchup at Michigan. I think he'll get it done. In fact, I'm expecting it. 20 attempts, zero interceptions against Michigan -- that's my call.

[zoogs]

I think a lot of us are pretty excited about Tommy's upside, Shockley, but Tommy right now is a liability in more than a few ways. Not really a knock against his skillset. And as to his development, it's going to be all about the between the ears and how fast / if it ever clicks. Again, that's pretty good...but a total unknown and a ?, as with most promising freshman quarterbacks. We can always hope

 

I think Tommy's getting hardly any flak so far.

 

Also going to nitpick a little. I don't think Tommy's that explosive with his legs. Just a smooth, polished runner with good size and physicality.

[Mavric]

I think a lot of us are pretty excited about Tommy's upside, Shockley, but Tommy right now is a liability in more than a few ways. Not really a knock against his skillset. And as to his development, it's going to be all about the between the ears and how fast / if it ever clicks. Again, that's pretty good...but a total unknown and a ?, as with most promising freshman quarterbacks. We can always hope

 

I think Tommy's getting hardly any flak so far.

 

Also going to nitpick a little. I don't think Tommy's that explosive with his legs. Just a smooth, polished runner with good size and physicality.

Truth.

[TheSker]

I think it's more than just focusing on Armstrong. Having Kellogg share reps in games is beneficial to be able to pull Armstrong at times and give him the in game coaching that will aid in his development. The way I put it is Martinez is 2-2 on the year as a starter and the combo of Armstrong/Kellogg is 4-0. It's not just about Armstrong.

[Shockley03]

Spot on, "TheSker." I agree completely. I had tried to add earlier that Ron Kellogg's help was an invaluable service to what Nebraska has going right now at the quarterback's position. Please forgive me if I failed to give credence to RK3's effort with assisting in the development of Armstrong's play plus in providing great play himself in road games with Purdue and Illinois -- he's been a coach on the field. Also, Kellogg III won that most recent matchup with Northwestern with fine execution of the 2-minute offense plus the final heave of a Hail Mary.

 

They are definitely an exciting tandem to see out there on the field. They have a tough task coming up. I have faith that they'll be fine though.