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Carson Beck vs Alabama

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sfcane2

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I follow college football but I don’t really watch any team closely except Miami so I don’t really have a deep understanding of other teams. So my opinion on Beck was just what I’d read.

After watching Beck vs Alabama last year I came away thinking a lot of the criticism was completely unwarranted. You can just watch the first few series and see the drops on perfectly placed balls. He did have one awful pick- that gave me TVD ptsd but otherwise he was putting the ball in a place his WRs could make a play. It surprised me how often his receivers were covered and he had to put it into really tight windows. It’s so different than our offense last year where everyone was running wide open and you just had to find them.

Given the lack of open WRs he had to make a lot of back shoulder and contested catch throws. He also threw to the TEs a decent amount. I guess the question is how will it look in our offense where someone always seems open. Will he still go for the big play and throw into tighter coverage and expect the WR to make a play. If he does Id expect Jojo and Moore will end up having big years. If the reports of his processing abilities are true Malachi and the slots will eat. I’d expect Lofton and Bauman to have a huge year in either scenario.

Final thought is that his game really translates well to the NFL where the windows are tight. The biggest tell to see if someone knows what they’re talking about is if they say Allar is a better prospect.
 
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He's a very, very, very good college QB. D said it on a pod this week and I agree with him, if it wasn't for just being blessed with Cam, what he's doing at practice would be blowing people's weaves back. From everything I've heard and been told, he has been nothing short of sensational for the vast majority of camp. It's just that, everyone there just saw 1.1 for a whole year. So this is nothing new. But if Cam wasn't here last year, what he's doing on Greentree would have the building ready to burst at the seams.

I'm very, very excited and incredibly confident that this dude is going to play well enough to make the playoffs. He's got an elite arm and it's accurate as ****. However, it's not all pie in the sky. If he has some issues, here's where I have my concerns. Again, not enough to feel like he can't lead the team to the playoffs (if the rest of the dudes pull their weight too), but kind of where I think the dropoff from Cam might show up:

1. The OL will be fantastic, but when there are breakdowns and/or when defenses send a free rusher, Beck doesn't have near the escapability or pocket presence of Ward. There were a lot of times last year where Ward made things happen *in the pocket*, only to then make an insane play down the field. Shining example #1 is the play to George in the gator game. Beck can't make that play. To be fair, very, very few college QBs can. So it's not a knock on Beck, that's otherworldly talent. But those types of plays are probably going be few and far between this year, whereas Cam seemed to do that a couple times a game. He had one against Duke for a TD to X, he had one against Louisville for a long gain to X, etc. Now, this was sometimes detrimental. He held onto the ball too long at times looking for massive plays and either took sacks or turned it over. So there was a boom/bust situation there. I expect Beck to play a lot more "in structure" and not have those plays where he's evading guys in the pocket.

2. Along those same lines, his accuracy dips when he has to throw off-platform, whereas Cam's really did not. So in those times he is pressured, will he be able to evade in the pocket, and will he be able to deliver accurately? I think this will be a downgrade from what we saw last year.

3. Will the receivers be able to get open? A lot of us are thinking the ball will come out quicker, on average, versus Cam. For the reasons I said above. But for the ball to come out quick, a receiver has to be open quickly. Do we have kids who can win off the line consistently? X was elite in this area. Horton was, too. How many passes did he catch at a less than 10 yard aDOT? He used that big body well (pause), and Cam peppered him. A lot of it is Dawson, but think back to last year. We had a LOT of guys open by a considerable margin. Can this group follow suit?

4. Can we catch the football as well as we did last year? I said it time and time again, the collective group had VERY few drops. Guys made sensational catches all year, but just as importantly, they made routine catches consistently. The UGA WR struggles are well-documented. Those clowns couldn't have caught COVID in a Cuomo nursing home. The ball is going to be accurate most of the time, can the kids get open, and more importantly, can they catch the football time and time again?

These are my overall concerns for Beck and the passing game. It's almost certainly not going to be what we saw last year. We all know that. But it doesn't have to be. If the defense can be Top 25-30 (or god forbid better), and the offense can just stay in the Top 20 this year, that's one of the ~5 best teams in the country. I hope Dawson is preaching over and over, just be yourself, you don't need to do too much on this team. Make your pre-snap and post-snap reads, hit your back foot, hit MFs in the chest with footballs. If he doesn't turn the ball over, we're going to win a ton of games.

He threw 6 INTs on 417 attempts in 2023. Yes, he had McConkey and Bowers. But those dudes weren't stealing INTs from DBs. They were open, and he was hitting them, and he wasn't putting the ball in harm's way. Of the kids that year with as many attempts as Beck or more (and there were 21 such players), only 4 threw six or fewer picks. Bo Nix (3), Shedeur Sanders (3), Chandler Rogers (5), and Gunnar Watson (6).
 
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OrangeBowlMagic said:
He's a very, very, very good college QB. D said it on a pod this week and I agree with him, if it wasn't for just being blessed with Cam, what he's doing at practice would be blowing people's weaves back. From everything I've heard and been told, he has been nothing short of sensational for the vast majority of camp. It's just that, everyone there just saw 1.1 for a whole year. So this is nothing new. But if Cam wasn't here last year, what he's doing on Greentree would have the building ready to burst at the seams.

I'm very, very excited and incredibly confident that this dude is going to play well enough to make the playoffs. He's got an elite arm and it's accurate as ****. However, it's not all pie in the sky. If he has some issues, here's where I have my concerns. Again, not enough to feel like he can't lead the team to the playoffs (if the rest of the dudes pull their weight too), but kind of where I think the dropoff from Cam might show up:

1. The OL will be fantastic, but when there are breakdowns and/or when defenses send a free rusher, Beck doesn't have near the escapability or pocket presence of Ward. There were a lot of times last year where Ward made things happen *in the pocket*, only to then make an insane play down the field. Shining example #1 is the play to George in the gator game. Beck can't make that play. To be fair, very, very few college QBs can. So it's not a knock on Beck, that's otherworldly talent. But those types of plays are probably going be few and far between this year, whereas Cam seemed to do that a couple times a game. He had one against Duke for a TD to X, he had one against Louisville for a long gain to X, etc. Now, this was sometimes detrimental. He held onto the ball too long at times looking for massive plays and either took sacks or turned it over. So there was a boom/bust situation there. I expect Beck to play a lot more "in structure" and not have those plays where he's evading guys in the pocket.

2. Along those same lines, his accuracy dips when he has to throw off-platform, whereas Cam's really did not. So in those times he is pressured, will he be able to evade in the pocket, and will he be able to deliver accurately? I think this will be a downgrade from what we saw last year.

3. Will the receivers be able to get open? A lot of us are thinking the ball will come out quicker, on average, versus Cam. For the reasons I said above. But for the ball to come out quick, a receiver has to be open quickly. Do we have kids who can win off the line consistently? X was elite in this area. Horton was, too. How many passes did he catch at a less than 10 yard aDOT? He used that big body well (pause), and Cam peppered him. A lot of it is Dawson, but think back to last year. We had a LOT of guys open by a considerable margin. Can this group follow suit?

4. Can we catch the football as well as we did last year? I said it time and time again, the collective group had VERY few drops. Guys made sensational catches all year, but just as importantly, they made routine catches consistently. The UGA WR struggles are well-documented. Those clowns couldn't have caught COVID in a Cuomo nursing home. The ball is going to be accurate most of the time, can the kids get open, and more importantly, can they catch the football time and time again?

These are my overall concerns for Beck and the passing game. It's almost certainly not going to be what we saw last year. We all know that. But it doesn't have to be. If the defense can be Top 25-30 (or god forbid better), and the offense can just stay in the Top 20 this year, that's one of the ~5 best teams in the country. I hope Dawson is preaching over and over, just be yourself, you don't need to do too much on this team. Make your pre-snap and post-snap reads, hit your back foot, hit MFs in the chest with footballs. If he doesn't turn the ball over, we're going to win a ton of games.

He threw 6 INTs on 417 attempts in 2023. Yes, he had McConkey and Bowers. But those dudes weren't stealing INTs from DBs. They were open, and he was hitting them, and he wasn't putting the ball in harm's way. Of the kids that year with as many attempts as Beck or more (and there were 21 such players), only 4 threw six or fewer picks. Bo Nix (3), Shedeur Sanders (3), Chandler Rogers (5), and Gunnar Watson (6).
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Very accurate assessment. Biggest issues may be inexperienced WR group. If they’re as good as camp reviews, offense & Beck should roll.
 
His WR's didn't just let him down with drops. One of the INT's in the Alabama game was a timing throw on what should have been a short screen, judging by the blocking by the OL and other WR's. He had no running game, and UGA had lost Moncken as the OC. I live in Georgia and don't know anyone that wanted Bobo as OC. Even with the improvements in talent UGA made, I still think he's in a better situation at Miami with Dawson as the OC.
 
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Cam was phenomenal but there were a half dozen times every game where he tried to do too much and more than not, it ended in a really bad decision/loss/turnover. Beck strikes me as a guy who is more than happy to take what's given to him. He's not going to look as impressive as Cam or have anywhere close to his numbers, but I have a feeling this team may be better served with his type of play.
 
OrangeBowlMagic said:
He's a very, very, very good college QB. D said it on a pod this week and I agree with him, if it wasn't for just being blessed with Cam, what he's doing at practice would be blowing people's weaves back. From everything I've heard and been told, he has been nothing short of sensational for the vast majority of camp. It's just that, everyone there just saw 1.1 for a whole year. So this is nothing new. But if Cam wasn't here last year, what he's doing on Greentree would have the building ready to burst at the seams.

I'm very, very excited and incredibly confident that this dude is going to play well enough to make the playoffs. He's got an elite arm and it's accurate as ****. However, it's not all pie in the sky. If he has some issues, here's where I have my concerns. Again, not enough to feel like he can't lead the team to the playoffs (if the rest of the dudes pull their weight too), but kind of where I think the dropoff from Cam might show up:

1. The OL will be fantastic, but when there are breakdowns and/or when defenses send a free rusher, Beck doesn't have near the escapability or pocket presence of Ward. There were a lot of times last year where Ward made things happen *in the pocket*, only to then make an insane play down the field. Shining example #1 is the play to George in the gator game. Beck can't make that play. To be fair, very, very few college QBs can. So it's not a knock on Beck, that's otherworldly talent. But those types of plays are probably going be few and far between this year, whereas Cam seemed to do that a couple times a game. He had one against Duke for a TD to X, he had one against Louisville for a long gain to X, etc. Now, this was sometimes detrimental. He held onto the ball too long at times looking for massive plays and either took sacks or turned it over. So there was a boom/bust situation there. I expect Beck to play a lot more "in structure" and not have those plays where he's evading guys in the pocket.

2. Along those same lines, his accuracy dips when he has to throw off-platform, whereas Cam's really did not. So in those times he is pressured, will he be able to evade in the pocket, and will he be able to deliver accurately? I think this will be a downgrade from what we saw last year.

3. Will the receivers be able to get open? A lot of us are thinking the ball will come out quicker, on average, versus Cam. For the reasons I said above. But for the ball to come out quick, a receiver has to be open quickly. Do we have kids who can win off the line consistently? X was elite in this area. Horton was, too. How many passes did he catch at a less than 10 yard aDOT? He used that big body well (pause), and Cam peppered him. A lot of it is Dawson, but think back to last year. We had a LOT of guys open by a considerable margin. Can this group follow suit?

4. Can we catch the football as well as we did last year? I said it time and time again, the collective group had VERY few drops. Guys made sensational catches all year, but just as importantly, they made routine catches consistently. The UGA WR struggles are well-documented. Those clowns couldn't have caught COVID in a Cuomo nursing home. The ball is going to be accurate most of the time, can the kids get open, and more importantly, can they catch the football time and time again?

These are my overall concerns for Beck and the passing game. It's almost certainly not going to be what we saw last year. We all know that. But it doesn't have to be. If the defense can be Top 25-30 (or god forbid better), and the offense can just stay in the Top 20 this year, that's one of the ~5 best teams in the country. I hope Dawson is preaching over and over, just be yourself, you don't need to do too much on this team. Make your pre-snap and post-snap reads, hit your back foot, hit MFs in the chest with footballs. If he doesn't turn the ball over, we're going to win a ton of games.

He threw 6 INTs on 417 attempts in 2023. Yes, he had McConkey and Bowers. But those dudes weren't stealing INTs from DBs. They were open, and he was hitting them, and he wasn't putting the ball in harm's way. Of the kids that year with as many attempts as Beck or more (and there were 21 such players), only 4 threw six or fewer picks. Bo Nix (3), Shedeur Sanders (3), Chandler Rogers (5), and Gunnar Watson (6).
Click to expand...

Love this write up. One thing Beck will do that Cam “struggled” with was taking the easy yards en lieu of a potential big play. As you mentioned, because Beck doesn’t have the athleticism to escape pockets and sacks like Cam, he will be able to process and take the check downs that Cam didn’t want to.
 
HurricanePhilly said:
Thankfully he doesnt have to make the walk from the locker room at Duke. So one bullet dodged.

Can he handle the Pitt crowd is the other concern. That stadium is referred to as the Death Valley of Western PA.
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Funny. Having been there for many games, I've never understood why the Canes or any visiting team doesn't just sit in position groups on their sideline and not walk a mile. By the time you get to the locker room it's time to go back for the kickoff.
 
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Sorry, who's the last QB Mike BOBO developed ??

UGA and Kirby threw Beck under the bus last year when he literally has no help. His OL was trash. His RB were average. His WRs couldn't create separation and, when he did, the couldnt hold onto the ball. UGAs WRs led the country in drops last year.

After Bowers and McConkey left after 2023, he had no one to throw to in 2024.

To me, he's the most overlooked players in CFB, by a mile. The guy held his own against top SEC defenses game after game. And now, he gets the work with a real OC against ACC defenses. Maybe its my oranges and green glasses but I think Beck ends up having a better season then Klubnik, easily.
 
canadianhurricane said:
Sorry, who's the last QB Mike BOBO developed ??

UGA and Kirby threw Beck under the bus last year when he literally has no help. His OL was trash. His RB were average. His WRs couldn't create separation and, when he did, the couldnt hold onto the ball. UGAs WRs led the country in drops last year.

After Bowers and McConkey left after 2023, he had no one to throw to in 2024.

To me, he's the most overlooked players in CFB, by a mile. The guy held his own against top SEC defenses game after game. And now, he gets the work with a real OC against ACC defenses. Maybe its my oranges and green glasses but I think Beck ends up having a better season then Klubnik, easily.
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This!

College football media is so aligned with conferences especially the SEC, B10 and ND. Even though the ACC has a contractual arrangement with ESPN the conference is an afterthought. I think this is a huge reason we see few honest appraisals of ND and SEC and B10 programs. Not to mention, seemingly most of the guys who know ball on social media including YouTube are on their knees to get a check from the networks so they aren't much good either. This is why the media is talking up ND like they are the '85 Bears when in fact they are far from that. They made a run in the playoff last season to only lose and now the media is sucking them off. It's sickening.
 
canes1977 said:
Cam was phenomenal but there were a half dozen times every game where he tried to do too much and more than not, it ended in a really bad decision/loss/turnover. Beck strikes me as a guy who is more than happy to take what's given to him. He's not going to look as impressive as Cam or have anywhere close to his numbers, but I have a feeling this team may be better served with his type of play.
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I still think Ward lost the GT game by not taking checkdowns. As great as he was, he was at his best when he was operating within the structure of the offense. The offplatfom stuff was next level but too many times put us in tough spots. See Cal
 
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