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

[Mavric]

But I do like the option as an offense. It's not as pretty as the spread but it was pretty cool watching the O line back in the day imposing its will on teams and running them over.

I like the option as well and would love to see it work for us consistently. However, part of me wonders if it can really be the basis for an offense anymore. Defenses are much faster now and probably a big advantage that the zone read has over the option is how the defenders react. With the option, the defense can pretty much start flowing toward the play immediately as both backs are going the same direction. With the zone read, the back are going different directions so the pursuit basically has to freeze until they figure out where the ball is going.

Perhaps I'm wrong but there is probably a good reason why so few teams run the true option anymore. (That and the pitch relationship has to be worked on so much more that it leaves less time for the rest of your offense).

 

[BRV920]

The deep pass is great when you complete them but in this specific situation we were gaining chunks of yards on the ground. Right now our offense isn't good enough to get off schedule. We can keep a defense honest with a short passing game and play action which are much higher percentage throws.

 

[mel4red]

I just hope he doesn't make all the mistakes TM has made. I would have hate to see him start racking up all those gaudy TD and passing yards stats.

 

[iowahuskers]

The deep pass is great when you complete them but in this specific situation we were gaining chunks of yards on the ground. Right now our offense isn't good enough to get off schedule. We can keep a defense honest with a short passing game and play action which are much higher percentage throws.

Tommy looked great his first couple games when we called a conservative game for him now as he gets more comfortable we are taking more and more shots down the field, I do agree that we need to run more which sets up PA pass and pass short to set up the deep passes but I love him going deep and think he has a good deep ball. Tommy is a baller that will make our offense more successful once he fully grasps how to read a defense.

 

[zoogs]

Tommy throws Very well on the run though. Weren't a couple of those picks deflected up in the air?

Not in the NW game.

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.

Oh. Hm.

All three were throws that were simply not there though. A tip isn't on the QB as much if it's fluky (...think back to about everything that happened in 2009 ISU, especially whatever that McNeil endzone thing was) but Tommy threw those balls when the window on that option had already closed. Those are the types of decisions that result in disaster, tip or not.

So it's not a question of throw quality, just decision making, which is good, in a way. He tucks the ball down and two of those picks don't happen. I don't remember if the blitzer got a piece of the ball on the last one, but the problem with that was again, throwing it when he didn't account for the DE dropping into coverage.

 

[Shuck U]

We so badly need a QB coach. Elite programs have them. Why does Bo not see the value?

You mean like having our OC as a QB coach plus a GA who works mostly with the QBs?

Not at all. I mean like a real, dedicated, paid to coach quarterbacks. not call plays.

 

[knapplc]

Tommy throws Very well on the run though. Weren't a couple of those picks deflected up in the air?

Not in the NW game.

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.

Oh. Hm.

All three were throws that were simply not there though. A tip isn't on the QB as much if it's fluky (...think back to about everything that happened in 2009 ISU, especially whatever that McNeil endzone thing was) but Tommy threw those balls when the window on that option had already closed. Those are the types of decisions that result in disaster, tip or not.

So it's not a question of throw quality, just decision making, which is good, in a way. He tucks the ball down and two of those picks don't happen. I don't remember if the blitzer got a piece of the ball on the last one, but the problem with that was again, throwing it when he didn't account for the DE dropping into coverage.

I'll go back and look again, but I'm not remembering those throws being tipped. They were just bad decisions, as I recall.

Agree that if it's "just" decision-making that's good. I think the kid has a really high ceiling.

 

[Shuck U]

We so badly need a QB coach. Elite programs have them. Why does Bo not see the value?

You mean like having our OC as a QB coach plus a GA who works mostly with the QBs?

Not at all. I mean like a real, dedicated, paid to coach quarterbacks. not call plays.

I looked around, seems I was wrong, dedicated QB coaches mostly exist in the NFL. Just wonder why Taylor had to go to California to change anything about his game.

 

[PaulCrewe]

Is it just me, or is this kind of thing going on here:
The people who were roasting Taylor over his freshman and sophomore year are the same people willing to give Tommy the benefit of the doubt for his mistakes

-AND-

The people who were giving Taylor the benefit of the doubt for his freshman and sophomore mistakes are now the ones not give the same leeway to Tommy

This is what I was alluding to on the first page. And I agree. +1

 

[zoogs]

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.

 

[Goal-line]

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

Simple answer: YES!

 

[Mavric]

I'll go back and look again, but I'm not remembering those throws being tipped. They were just bad decisions, as I recall.

Agree that if it's "just" decision-making that's good. I think the kid has a really high ceiling.

I don't think any of them were tipped either. I'll have to check for sure.

 

[Mavric]

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.

 

[It'sNotAFakeID]

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.

 

[Mavric]

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.