My spring thoughts are this team will go as far as Mark Walton is going to take them.
It's time for him to cement himself as the guy or someone who didn't live up to the expectation.
Walton's got a ton of talent...but if we don't get something that resembles competent QB play, he's going to be receiving a steady diet of 8 and 9 men in the box.
How far this team goes will be directly correlated with how close or how far our QB's approach or exceed "competent" production. Our defense and running game are good enough to basically guarantee us 7 or 8 wins given our relatively ****ty schedule....it's the remaining 3-4 games which will determine the Coastal, our program's trajectory, and the overall success of the season. We're going to need "competent" QB play in those 3-4 games, which is ALL that matters. You can't expect an RB to do it without help from his QB in the games that really matter.
Gonna be hard to stack the box with the WR talent coming in, but that's the dilemma you want to create for the defense. If the DBs play off, then we have the hitch/slant/rpo game; we'll be fine. The offense is not going to look like it did last season with Brad; it's gonna run more smoothly come September.
I think people are overreacting, big-time.
Are we in an ideal situation? No, because we don't have a proven QB, but I have full confidence in Richt's ability to use the run/option game to stack the box to create 1 on 1s on the outside.
We will run to throw the ball this season, and Malik has enough athleticism to be a threat, moxie to lead, and touch to make throws.
And whoever starts game one with be a different QB come game 7,8,9, etc... You have to look at the big picture, depth and all the considerations one has to make regarding attrition and our ultimate goal of winning the coastal.
Couldn't disagree more. It's not an overreaction, it's an assessment of where we stand as of today. As of today...the depth chart at QB doesn't look good. Could Perry defy the odds and light the world on fire as a true freshman ? Sure...not probable but it is possible.
Could Rosier end up being a "gamer" who plays better in games than he does in practice? Maybe
Could the Sheriff be an adequate game manager? Who knows
But what we do know is that as of right now...we don't have answers on any of these 3 options nor do we have any sort of sample size on which to base any assumptions. You could be right and we could end up getting improved play as the season goes on...but as of today there is plenty of reason to be concerned. We've got a very good defense, good WR's, a good TE, and a good RB...but the most important position on the field is a huge question mark and will have a direct correlation on what our season ends up looking like.
That's cool, we all have different levels of comfort with uncertainty; and some people cry when they watch The Notebook or Bridges of Madison County.
I'll stand by what I said about "Richt's ability to use the run/option game to stack the box & create 1 on 1s on the outside". It's less about what the QB can't do and more about what the QB can do, then utilizing a scheme/play-call to emphasize his strengths and minimize weaknesses.
In 2014 GT went 11-3 (10-2 regular season, 6-2 in the costal) before losing in the ACCCG. Then they baptized Miss. St. in the Orange Bowl; all with the triple option and Justin Thomas' 187 pass attempts for 96 completions. That's about 14 attempts and 8 completions per game... I would argue our skill talent on offense and QBs' ability the throw the ball is better than theirs was in 2014.
Now, while I recognize we're not a Triple Option team, I use this example to demonstrate how you are pre-maturely over-emphasizing our passing game, without focusing on scheme integrity/execution to create 1 on 1 opportunities for our playmaking RBs/WRs.
Again, we will run to throw the ball this season. Our QBs will have to manage the game (to stay on schedule down and distance-wise), not turn the ball over, run the ball when they have a
need/opportunity, and make throws in 1 on 1 situations. This, IMO, is why we hear about the QBs being asked to do a lot of things (or make a lot of decisions) in "Richt's System".
This all reminds me of a young Charlie Ward, who was a great athlete but excelled in game management; much the way a PG manages a basketball game. I can see why Richt is all in on Perry and draws comparisons to Ward, because like Charlie he's a great athlete who brings a PG mindset to football.
IMO, Richt sees a similar pass-first/get everyone involved mentality with N'Kosi, and like him I believe in his ability to coach that.