What's Your Midseason Grade for Tommy?

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We're now seven games into Tommy's sophomore year being the unquestioned guy. Career he's 13-2 as our starter, and this season so far 6-1. So what's your halfway point grade out of his performance?

I teeter between C+/B-. He's a difficult read for me. He isn't unlike a past Tommie with his confidence and mojo, which anyone that has played sports knows definitely matters in a leader. He looks the part to anyone that watches.

The Good

- Those deep balls. I'd love to see a scientific study on what actually makes a quarterback able to throw deep balls so great, and think Tommy could be a good candidate for research because he puts them absolutely on the money. Even if you negate the actual benefits to our offensive production, you can't deny that the offense has been a lot of fun to watch because of those beauties.

- Lack of turnovers. He's still got some room for good growth in this area, but overall Tommy is taking care of the ball well, and whether or not it's related to him being the quarterback, the team is taking care of the ball pretty well also. The Michigan State game is an outlier, but two of his turnovers are as understandable as turnovers can be, one being a fumble due to poor protection (that I don't think should have been ruled a fumble), and the other an interception trying to cap off a furious and near-miraculous comeback.

- Running ability. Tommy isn't a blazer, but I think the greatest mental part of his game thus far is his ability to pick his spots and know when to keep the ball. He doesn't make the explosive running plays (at least not AS explosive as we're used to), but he sure makes incredibly efficient ones. Most of his runs seem to go for 8-15 yards, but every one of them seems like he's running wide open because he or the coaches picked the perfect time to keep the ball in his hands when the defense started keying on Abdullah.

- The wins. We're winning, and at the end of the day I don't care how ugly or pretty it is.

The Bad

- Headscratcher throws. He still hasn't shaken the "let's just chuck one down field under pressure for fun" throws that are 30 yards away from any player and seem to pop up at least once per game. Seems like a few times per game he makes throws that just don't seem to be to anyone or don't seem to be executed the way they were drawn up. Likely blame that on not being on the same page with his receivers in reading defenders and adjusting, but hopefully that will improve with time.

- Short throw accuracy. For as good as Tommy is at drilling the ball as a laser at times, especially deep, it baffles the mind how much he can struggle with the elementary throws sometimes. Ameer likely would have gone for a touchdown if Tommy gets him the ball on that RB screen Saturday, and there were a number of bubble screens to Westerkamp and the receivers that would have gotten yards but he missed the throws. I think he's capable of more and fully expect him to shore this up, and while it's understandable in some respects, it's definitely frustrating as well.

- Passing efficiency. I go back and forth on this one. On one hand, he seems to be lights out on 3rd down, and somehow even on 3rd and long, and on the other it seems like he is contributing just as much as anyone else to the reasons why we find ourselves in 3rd and long. What's interesting to me is that a large number of us are defending his numbers with the idea that completion percentage doesn't matter. I get the reasoning, but in the four years before he started, I can't recall ever hearing that argument one time, but hearing a lot of excitement over improved completion percentage. Anecdotal evidence to be sure, but I find it interesting and I'm also one that thinks completion percentage does matter, insofar as it reveals how efficient a quarterback is at what he's being asked to do. This might fall partially on the coaches, this might fall on youth which is an excuse that is running out of time, or it might just be a shortcoming in a human that isn't perfect. I don't think he has performed badly, but I think he still has a lot of room for potential.

Your turn.

 
D+/C-.

Pros: running the ball better than last year. Sometimes throws a good deep ball.

Cons: doesn't have the speed to make a difference against stout defenses,,see MSU. Has difficulty with his reads both in the passing game and the zone read game. Doesn't go through progressions well if at all. Poor completion percentage, not very accurate. Forgets his mechanics at times. Chucks up terrible deep balls at times. If it weren't for all the drops and WR break ups, would have more INTs than TDs this year. Doesn't have great pocket presence and takes bad sacks at times.

 
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yeah what i meant in the thread title was actually

whats your midseason grade for tommy unless you are 74hunter in which case we really do not care at all please go away

 
His running speed is relative to the defense's speed and the blocking with regard to yards gained. I think his real problem at this time is he does not set his feet many times before throwing resulting in throws off target.

I think he probably going to be a good one for us. It will be interesting to see if Stanton really develops what Bo will do with Tommy.

 
URSS said:
His running speed is relative to the defense's speed and the blocking with regard to yards gained. I think his real problem at this time is he does not set his feet many times before throwing resulting in throws off target.

I think he probably going to be a good one for us. It will be interesting to see if Stanton really develops what Bo will do with Tommy.
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Shoot that was actually another point I was thinking of before making the thread that I forgot to mention.

Tommy hasn't yet learned to stand tall in the pocket with pressure. When he feels someone about to hit him he throws falling away trying to absorb the contact.

 
Run game: B+. He's been effective in the run game when he decides to keep the ball, and has made pretty solid reads for most of the year. There are bad reads here and there, but his running game has improved significantly from last season. He's lost one fumble this year by my count, which isn't terrible, considering how often we've fumbled the ball in the past.

Passing game: C-. His deep ball has been pretty good for the most part, sadly, the deep ball by design is a low percentage play to begin with. It's a good weapon to have, but chucking the ball 35 yards down field isn't a passing offense you want to make a living on. His short routes are inconsistent, and his swing passes are very poor. He also doesn't read defenses well and tends to lock into a guy without surveying the whole field. His mechanics are inconsistent, but fixable. His INTs are down this season, but he's been on the good side of some drops by DBs and LBs.

Overall, I'd give TA a B- on the year so far. He's got to get better at throwing the ball for Nebraska to truly compete with Michigan State or Ohio State in Indy though, otherwise I don't know if you can win the conference with our passing attack at this point.

 
I give him a b. He has done a lot of things us from a qb position that has been lacking the last 4 years. He is tough as nails and like stated above throws a pretty deepball. He is only a sophomore and big red has lost 2 games with him under center. He improved and will continue to, I trust him, I never trusted tmagic. He does baffling things but most quarterbacks do, he is getting better

 
74Hunter said:
D+/C-.

Pros: running the ball better than last year. Sometimes throws a good deep ball.

Cons: doesn't have the speed to make a difference against stout defenses,,see MSU. Has difficulty with his reads both in the passing game and the zone read game. Doesn't go through progressions well if at all. Poor completion percentage, not very accurate. Forgets his mechanics at times. Chucks up terrible deep balls at times. If it weren't for all the drops and WR break ups, would have more INTs than TDs this year. Doesn't have great pocket presence and takes bad sacks at times.
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That is pretty harsh, his TD/INT ratio is 2-1 way better than last year. He is running the ball with authority and is slowly getting better at his reads. He has had several drops by his own receivers or his percentage would be about 4-5% higher than it is.

B-

I would hate to see what you would give Payton Manning. Payton runs the ball terribly.
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I'd say B+. The Stats don't tell the whole story with this kid. Our team has played better from the moment he became the top of two choices between himself and Kellog. Why do these kids play so hard and care so much? Is it because Bo really is that great to play for? Is it because team chemistry is off the charts?

There is no question that Armstrong, his will to win and personal connection to our playmakers and this team is a real asset. He was lying flat on a table after taking some hard hits in the MSU game and just would not accept being out of the game, much like Gregory. He doesn't have the freakish talent of Ameer or Randy, but he plays as hard and is certainly one of the most valuable quarterbacks in the B1G right now.

 
Leadership: A. Tommy seems to have taken charge of the team. Runs an organized huddle, and hasn't had to burn many timeouts. (Has he burned any?) I think he's way ahead of the curve in leadership for a sophomore.

Passing: B-/C+. He doesn't throw too many picks. Some, but not many. He could improve on his touch and accuracy for short passes. Seems like he misses more short passes than long to mid-range. But maybe that's just his receivers adjusting to them. I can't tell. My biggest dig, besides the short passes, is his inability to check down to his second and third receivers. But that'll come. I hope.

Running: A. I can't figure out why people are criticizing Tommy's running. There are not a whole lot of better running QBs around than Tommy right now. A handful, but not many. He runs tough, and is hard to bring down. And he's fast a QB. (I don't care what 74 says above. Tommy is fast damnit!) Sure he doesn't have the quickness that T-Mart had in those first three or four steps. But what QB does? (Answer: Nobody. Ever.)

Decision making: B. I think Tommy makes pretty good option decisions. Both in the read option and the triple option. His decision making in the passing dept is a little bit more suspect. Okay, a lot more suspect if you consider his inability to check down to his second and third receivers.

Overall: B to B+. He's a sophomore guys. It's only going to get better from here on out. Barring injury, that is.

 
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Probably a C+.

His running game and decision-making is probably a B - lets not act like he's Tommie Frazier back there. But he gets the job done (and gets a lot of help from Abdullah making his decision-making process easy). Passing...he has gotten away with a lot and has absolutely got to figure out how to hit those little dump-off passes. There is zero touch there, and really, touch is not something you'll find in Tommy's passing game. The good news is that this is easily improvable. As of right now though, it's a big problem. Setting up those screen passes is huge for getting pressure off the run game, and hitting your back as an outlet is important because it turns a neutral/loss play into a positive and is incredibly simple. His mechanics are suspect, but not nearly Taylor Martinez suspect. Again, he's a sophomore, he'll improve. One thing I'd say to others itt is to not let his potential cloud how you'd grade him so far this season against mediocre competition.

I will say I was impressed with his toughness in how he bounced back in that MSU game after getting dinged (and dominated really). Hopefully he'll carry that experience with him.

 
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NUance said:
Leadership: A. Tommy seems to have taken charge of the team. Runs an organized huddle, and hasn't had to burn many timeouts. (Has he burned any?) I think he's way ahead of the curve in leadership for a sophomore.

Passing: B-/C+. He doesn't throw too many picks. Some, but not many. He could improve on his touch and accuracy for short passes. Seems like he misses more short passes than long to mid-range. But maybe that's just his receivers adjusting to them. I can't tell. My biggest dig, besides the short passes, is his inability to check down to his second and third receivers. But that'll come. I hope.

Running: A. I can't figure out why people are criticizing Tommy's running. There are not a whole lot of better running QBs around than Tommy right now. A handful, but not many. He runs tough, and is hard to bring down. And he's fast a QB. (I don't care what 74 says above. Tommy is fast damnit!) Sure he doesn't have the quickness that T-Mart had in those first three or four steps. But what QB does? (Answer: Nobody. Ever.)

Decision making: B. I think Tommy makes pretty good option decisions. Both in the read option and the triple option. His decision making in the passing dept is a little bit more suspect. Okay, a lot more suspect if you consider his inability to check down to his second and third receivers.

Overall: B to B+. He's a sophomore guys. It's only going to get better from here on out. Barring injury, that is.
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Can't argue with any of this. I'd give him a B/B+ also.

 
I don't think hes shown his full potential, but he has had lots of bright spots this year.

I'd say C+/B- range. Maybe I grade him a touch lower than some because I believe we are only seeing the beginning of what this guy can do.

I give him a lot of credit for limiting his turnovers.

With the shakeup and inconsistency at offensive line, I don't blame him for being somewhat panicked out there at times, but I would like to see him look a bit more comfortable out there in the pocket.

The injuries at WR can't be easy to deal with, especially in Becks system, so I also credit Tommy for doing well for the most part even without some of his better targets.

I would like to see Tommy develop a touch pass a bit. If he puts a bit more touch on the majority of his incompletions, they would easily have been completed.

Tommy does have tendency to stare down his primary target. We've seen this in our QB's here in the past. I'd like to see him be coached up away from this a bit, but it really hasn't resulted in an absurd amount of turnovers. No doubt it could in the future though.

I give Tommy an A for his leadership and resiliency. Bouncing back up after some tough hits. Holding his teammates accountable. Being "the guy" and it's what we've needed. It's clear his teammates respect him. Its also clear in games like Miami and Northwestern that this team seems to rally and fight. It shows me they believe they are never out of the game. Tommy brings that ability to spark the entire team with one big play.

Fun to watch so far. I expect more and I expect better in the future. This guy is a special player. I've said it all along, and I still believe it.

 
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