Baby Jesus comin

[Consigliere]

So here is what could happen (let's ignore Kaaya, Rosier and Crow for now):

Williams v. Olsen

1. Williams could be the better QB and he gives us the best chance to win in 2014,

2. Olsen could be the the better QB and he gives us the best chance to win in 2014,

or

3. The competition is dead even.

I am going to assume that the competition won't be DEAD even. I am going to assume that if the QB competition is ACTUALLY CLOSE that a starter will be named and that starer will be on an incredibly short leash. If the competition is ACTUALLY CLOSE than one can make an argument for EITHER player and they would have sound reasoning:

A. Go with Williams, he is a 5th Year Senior. He has SOME experience, he is more mature (i.e. on and off the field) and possibly a better leader.

B. Go with Olsen, he is young and possibly the future. Let him get snaps now and possibly he makes the most of this situation and runs with the opportunity.

Both have drawbacks as well.

My guess is either (1) or (2) is going to happen. My guess is that it isn't going to be that close either and the starter named will have an incredibly short leash come September. Go with the guy that gives you the best chance to win in 2014, we need every advantage possible.

 

[CANE4LIFE]

I have to admit Im a bit mystified by some of the opinions in here. If the competition is close, then RW should absolutely get the nod. For one thing, he is unquestionably more experienced, and from all accounts knows the entire offense up and down. That is something we have NOT had in a QB here in years. He may not have the talent or potential of Olsen, but he probably gives us the best chance to win. I understand the thinking of "let the younger guy get the reps", but why give up on the whole season already? Butch didnt start Kenny Kelly over Covington. There is a LOT to be said for what a mature, experienced, SENIOR QB who knows the offense well can do for your team.
We went with talent over brains this past season, and we saw how that worked out. To me, if its close in terms of their performance, than you go with the guy who can run the offense the best, and has the most experience. Your QB HAS to be the leader of your offense. Morris was NOT a leader, and the team suffered for it. I feel like RW would be a leader of that offense, and from all accounts, he knows the playbook up and down. Ill take the smart, efficient QB who doesnt make mistakes, ANYDAY over the gun slinger. Guys like Vinny, Walsh, Dorsey, vs guys like Costa, Kenny Kelly, KW or Morris.

Coker and Winston comp was close... You gotta put the BS aside, stop over analyzing and go with whoever gives u the best chance to win and whomever reacts better in real game situations

Well that's obvious. LOL. Im not saying we should start RW if Olsen clearly gives us the best chance to win. But my guess is, that all things being relatively comparable, the more experienced, mature, QB who KNOWS the offense and can run it efficiently, is usually going to be the guy who will give you the best chance to win. Olsen may throw a few pretty balls at Greentree, but how's he going to react to complex defenses he's never seen. HOw's he going to react to different disguised blitzes, to getting rocked in the pocket over and over, after he throws a few pics? Its the MENTAL part of the game where QBs really can excel or fall apart. That is what held Morris back from being a great QB, to being the epitome of mediocre. My sense is that RW will give us the better chance to win, at least initially, until Olsen shows he has command of the offense enough to lead the team. We've seen this movie too many times with KW, Marve, Jacory, etc. Young QB looks all that in practice, and when the bullets start flying, they cant get it done.

 

[Fountain of Canes]

Honestly i was pulling for Williams to win but now i really want Olsen to win. He has an attitude i like and we need someone who has that potential to ball out not just a game manager

 

[Gamineal]

listen to golden....thats all you need to know....Williams is number 1 Olsen is closing fast..WIN WIN for us..

 

[bathtubgin]

I've never gotten the "Golden favors seniors, and plays them over clearly better underclassmen" narrative. Take a look at the roster, a large portion of those guys have either been starters, or have seen ample playing time as underclassmen.

 

[valid]

MattyPorts
Al Golden likes how Kevin Olsen's come along ("It was never a question of his talent") but says Ryan Williams is #Canes' QB-1. For now.
1:46pm - 18 Mar 14

Sounds like Golden has bypassed the idea of a 'QB competition' and has flat out given it to Williams on a silver platter. smh

A real coach would have waited until the QB competition was over before leaning one way or another.

 

[NVA CANE]

My guy tells me that RW is CLEARLY the #1 right now. Says RW is throwing at almost 80% comp. in practice.

Says that Olsen is still learning.

Don't know to be nervous about that or excited. Nervous cause the defense may end up being terrible again. Excited that we may have a legit QB.

 

[NorthFlaCane]

MattyPorts
Al Golden likes how Kevin Olsen's come along ("It was never a question of his talent") but says Ryan Williams is #Canes' QB-1. For now.
1:46pm - 18 Mar 14

Sounds like Golden has bypassed the idea of a 'QB competition' and has flat out given it to Williams on a silver platter. smh

A real coach would have waited until the QB competition was over before leaning one way or another.

We've had 2 practices in pads, of course the senior is ahead right now. Did Porter add in the "for now" or did Golden say that?

 

[BWCD]

Honestly i was pulling for Williams to win but now i really want Olsen to win. He has an attitude i like and we need someone who has that potential to ball out not just a game manager

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: If we needed a guy with a game-changing arm, then Morris would have won the Heisman last year. With all of the talent we have on offense, all we need is a guy to deliver the mail on time and in stride to the likes of Coley, Dorsett, Waters, Berrios, Duke, Walford, Yearby, etc...if we have someone who can distribute the football to them in positions where they can make plays, then we don't need the 40+ yard bomb, or even a scrambler to extend plays. Our biggest need at QB? Pick the open guy, and throw it on time to him. It's that simple. Call that "game manager" if you want, but I'd be happy with managing the game if it means giving all of those guys I just named a chance to take it to the house or at least move the chains on a consistent basis.

It's like people forget how explosive our skill players can be. They just need the ball in the right spot to make a huge play...Coley, in particular. Just get the ball in their hands, keep the chains moving, possess the football...and the entire team will be a lot better off for it.

If Olsen can do that, great. If it's Williams...that's great too. IDGAF, Senior/RS Freshman, ***** the Golden Senior bias conspiracy theory. Just put a guy out there that can accomplish what I lined out, and we're a ******* dangerous football team, period.

 

[252cane]

How does williams have more experince in the offense when coley just came last year?

 

[theibisrules]

Golden has to play the better one, his job on the line

He has 2 more years left so NOT true

 

[RiDLer80]

MattyPorts
Al Golden likes how Kevin Olsen's come along ("It was never a question of his talent") but says Ryan Williams is #Canes' QB-1. For now.
1:46pm - 18 Mar 14

Sounds like Golden has bypassed the idea of a 'QB competition' and has flat out given it to Williams on a silver platter. smh

A real coach would have waited until the QB competition was over before leaning one way or another.

Is this Golden's call to make or Coley's?

Golden needs to not worry about the offense and fix that abortion of a defense.

 

[TedHendricksOffspring]

Golden has to play the better one, his job on the line

He has 2 more years left so NOT true

Meh. Really depends on the quality of this year.

 

[hcanes100]

My understanding is that Baby Jesus makes Marve's partying look like child play.

 

[M3N]

he threw a nice corner ball to Coley today. Was pure money. I think KO will lock up the spot

 

[Tad Footeball]

My understanding is that Baby Jesus makes Marve's partying look like child play.

Where is he partying? Bed Bath & Beyond or Pier 1? I thought the general concensus around here was that he's basically married.

 

[luke137]

Golden has to play the better one, his job on the line

No it isn't unless I somehow slept thorough the 2015 and 2016 seasons. Golden's seat is so not warm with this administration that your a$$ might actually get frostbite if you decided to sit on it.

Agreed! Tad Foote approves this post!

 

[rudebuddha]

I have to admit Im a bit mystified by some of the opinions in here. If the competition is close, then RW should absolutely get the nod. For one thing, he is unquestionably more experienced, and from all accounts knows the entire offense up and down. That is something we have NOT had in a QB here in years. He may not have the talent or potential of Olsen, but he probably gives us the best chance to win. I understand the thinking of "let the younger guy get the reps", but why give up on the whole season already? Butch didnt start Kenny Kelly over Covington. There is a LOT to be said for what a mature, experienced, SENIOR QB who knows the offense well can do for your team.
We went with talent over brains this past season, and we saw how that worked out. To me, if its close in terms of their performance, than you go with the guy who can run the offense the best, and has the most experience. Your QB HAS to be the leader of your offense. Morris was NOT a leader, and the team suffered for it. I feel like RW would be a leader of that offense, and from all accounts, he knows the playbook up and down. Ill take the smart, efficient QB who doesnt make mistakes, ANYDAY over the gun slinger. Guys like Vinny, Walsh, Dorsey, vs guys like Costa, Kenny Kelly, KW or Morris.

Coker and Winston comp was close... You gotta put the BS aside, stop over analyzing and go with whoever gives u the best chance to win and whomever reacts better in real game situations

Well that's obvious. LOL. Im not saying we should start RW if Olsen clearly gives us the best chance to win. But my guess is, that all things being relatively comparable, the more experienced, mature, QB who KNOWS the offense and can run it efficiently, is usually going to be the guy who will give you the best chance to win. Olsen may throw a few pretty balls at Greentree, but how's he going to react to complex defenses he's never seen. HOw's he going to react to different disguised blitzes, to getting rocked in the pocket over and over, after he throws a few pics? Its the MENTAL part of the game where QBs really can excel or fall apart. That is what held Morris back from being a great QB, to being the epitome of mediocre. My sense is that RW will give us the better chance to win, at least initially, until Olsen shows he has command of the offense enough to lead the team. We've seen this movie too many times with KW, Marve, Jacory, etc. Young QB looks all that in practice, and when the bullets start flying, they cant get it done.

Your argument for Williams is also the argument to start Olsen if they are even.
We don't know how Olsen will react when the bullets fly, but we also don't know how Williams will react to live fire also.

I don't consider playing a quarter or two against the likes of Savannah State, FAU or USF as a valuable judgement towards a qb's future prospects.

We did see Williams in a pressure situation 2 years ago, when Morris went down late in a close conference game, and Williams folded.
Yes, RW started 4 years ago as a freshman for Memphis, but that was 4 years ago for a different team running a different offense. From his freshman stats he didn't exactly light the world on fire.

Trying to glean anything from the coaches and players is next to impossible, as nobody is going to throw either qb under the bus, but if you try to read between the lines, you can glean a lot.

RW knows the offense, is accurate and has senior maturity. Olsen is much more talented, can make all the throws, is more mobile and is almost to the point of complete comfort with the offense.

Every coach and player says RW is having a great spring, but they also say Olsen is having a great spring, and from the interviews you can see the coaches and players forcibly restraining their giddiness about Olsen's progress.

IMO, and from hearing Williams speak in interviews, he doesn't seem to have the mojo of a true leader.
He might just be a quiet, unassuming guy and there's nothing wrong with that.
Morris was like that. So was Jacory.

I'd like to see somebody with the mojo of a Kosar, Kelly, Walsh, Dorsey or even a Brock Berlin.

From the few interviews we've seen of Olsen you can see the charisma of a natural leader.
Just seems like he has the right stuff.

 

[Gamineal]

We did see Williams in a pressure situation 2 years ago, when Morris went down late in a close conference game, and Williams folded


Not sure he folded....kinda got thrown under some pressure and did move us in a position to win the game...took a bad sack and threw the ball poorly at the last play...

His play was poor he did not fold....Crow at USF last year that was folding

 

[dycane]

Confidence is very important for RW. No reason to suggest that his status is up in the air right now. Golden, I think rightfully so, believes that RW will be the best man for the job at the beginning of the season. If that changes over camp, then he can make the call then. Keep Olsen grinding and make him develop a chip on his shoulder while creating confidence in the likely starter. Seems like a reasonable approach.