2023 Starting QB Debate

[freescooter]

As someone who watched both, I can tell you tha Orlovsky did what he did with decidedly inferior talent. And he made plays that Zion only dreams of making. As Churchill used to say, Liars, Damned liars, and Statisticians.

 

[Scoe]

As someone who watched both, I can tell you tha Orlovsky did what he did with decidedly inferior talent. And he made plays that Zion only dreams of making. As Churchill used to say, Liars, Damned liars, and Statisticians.

We were also in trailers.

 

[Luna]

I love that this board is back in action. Here's a thought experiment:

QB #1
13 games
57.8% completions
1,411 yards
5.5 yards per attempt
9 TDs
10 INTs
107.5 QB Rating

QB #2
10 games
47.6% completions
1,379 years
5.1 yards per attempt
9 TDs
11 INTs
93.5 QB Rating

Objectively, QB 1 performed better than QB 2, both in their freshmen year. Not by a lot, but better.

QB 1? Zion Turner

QB 2? Dan Orlovsky

Everyone relax a little, enjoy that we're winning again, and look forward to watching this kid and all the others grow. The one you're worried about might actually end up playing on Sundays in 4 years...

I love this!!!!…great post!!!!

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Will Levis just tweeted that he misses good pizza. Maybe a sign he’s taking an extra year here.

 

[uconnbill]

Millen should not be in the discussion as a QB. He needs to convert to TE however.

Either Roberson is healthy and wins the job or it’s a portal QB. Zion is not the guy.

Did you say that when Danny O was here and struggled?

He didn't come in early and still ended up number two when Robertson went down he was thrown in to the wolves den.

Competition is needed but to discount Zion talent is short sighted to say the least

 

[hardcorehusky]

Please let's not compare Zion to Orlovsky. That isn't fair to either of them. Orlovsky had major upside but was thrown to the wolves too early with a team that wasn't ready. Zion was thrown to the wolves but had better talent. The biggest difference was ability and Dan O wound up as an NFL qb- ZT doesn't exhibit as much upside. ZT can be a good college QB but he will need time and I think it is Roberson or a transfer that will be qb1 next year.

 

[Alum86]

Welcome to eye test 101.
Roberson looked good for the 5 mins prior to going down. Last year, Tyler Phommachanh was our best QB in the minimal amount he played. Both are better than ZT.
Talk amongst yourselves. Class dismissed.

 

[businesslawyer]

I really think this black or white discussion isn’t doing anyone any good. To me it’s both more nuanced and more simple.

Is the ZT who played this year where we want our starting QB to be? Absolutely not. Snice we don’t have anyone in the room who is guaranteed to be better than that, we need someone.

Can ZT possibly make a big jump from his true frosh year where he wasn’t expected to start? Sure. Will he? That people can debate, but we’ll have to see however the debate ends up.

 

[Nostical]

Is the ZT who played this year where we want our starting QB to be? Absolutely not.
Can ZT possibly make a big jump?

What does he have to improve that he doesn't do well now? Are those deficiencies correctable? Discuss.

 

[Buffett10]

Welcome to eye test 101.
Roberson looked good for the 5 mins prior to going down. Last year, Tyler Phommachanh was our best QB in the minimal amount he played. Both are better than ZT.
Talk amongst yourselves. Class dismissed.

Stats weigh heavily in favor of Zion including the most important one 6-0.

 

[CL82]

I really think this black or white discussion isn’t doing anyone any good.

Practically speaking, it just doesn’t matter. We will be looking hard at quarterback talent in the portal, Zion and Roberson, and everyone else in the QB room will get their chances to compete and the coaches will pick the guy who they think gives us the best chance to win. But a lot of what we talk about on the Boneyard is entirely meaningless anyway.

For what it’s worth the sophomore version of Zion is going to be better than the freshman version. How much better is anyone’s guess.

 

[businesslawyer]

What does he have to improve that he doesn't do well now? Are those deficiencies correctable? Discuss.

I’d love for him to throw more accurately. That’s not an easy thing to be better at, but many improve. Far more importantly, better decision making all around. Both on when to keep the ball on the read option, but much more not locking on to a primary receiver but getting through his progressions.

 

[Luna]

I must have watched a different quarterback..because I thought he was very accurate with his passing… i also thought he made good decisions.. and I thought a big reason he didn’t get sacked a lot was how good he was escaping the rush… i agree he had a bad first half in South Carolina… but played good the second half…. He also was a big reason we won 6 games

 

[ShakyTheMohel]

I’d love for him to throw more accurately. That’s not an easy thing to be better at, but many improve. Far more importantly, better decision making all around. Both on when to keep the ball on the read option, but much more not locking on to a primary receiver but getting through his progressions.

It felt like slow decision making also. It felt like at times he was delivering the ball late.

 

[Nostical]

I’d love for him to throw more accurately. That’s not an easy thing to be better at, but many improve. Far more importantly, better decision making all around. Both on when to keep the ball on the read option, but much more not locking on to a primary receiver but getting through his progressions.

Agree completely. Getting through progressions more quickly and efficiently are big areas of needed improvement. I would think that's teachable. As for passing accuracy, that's either the product of repetitive practice or it may not improve. Ball placement on deep passes is a need.

 

[businesslawyer]

I must have watched a different quarterback..because I thought he was very accurate with his passing… i also thought he made good decisions.. and I thought a big reason he didn’t get sacked a lot was how good he was escaping the rush… i agree he had a bad first half in South Carolina… but played good the second half…. He also was a big reason we won 6 games

Everyone’s entitled to their opinion and you may be right and me wrong but here’s the thing. We were close to dead last in the NCAA in passing offense. Do you believe that we’d be close to dead last in passing offense if Jim Mora believed that we had a QB who was very accurate, made good decisions and was good at escaping the rush? Because that would be saying something pretty bad about our coaching staff.

 

[giddyup]

Don’t believe your lying eyes..ZT is slow on his feet, he has poor vision, makes bad decisions and can only throw a long ball with accuracy.. not a formula for success.

 

[Woof 101]

But a lot of what we talk about on the Boneyard is entirely meaningless anyway.

 

[uconnric]

Everyone’s entitled to their opinion and you may be right and me wrong but here’s the thing.

Here’s the thing. We were damn lucky we had this kid this year. We had an offense that had to play ball control and it worked for us. Yes he’s not Lamar Jackson but I’m not going to give up on him. Kid is a winner.

 

[Bongo Fury]

Don’t believe your lying eyes..ZT is slow on his feet, he has poor vision, makes bad decisions and can only throw a long ball with accuracy.. not a formula for success.

When he does run it is positive from what I remember. I’d like to see it more often.

 

[NYtoCT]

Don’t believe your lying eyes..ZT is slow on his feet, he has poor vision, makes bad decisions and can only throw a long ball with accuracy.. not a formula for success.

His long ball was often underthrown and the receiver had to come back to the ball. That’s more so arm strength and not sure that can be improved.

 

[businesslawyer]

Here’s the thing. We were damn lucky we had this kid this year. We had an offense that had to play ball control and it worked for us. Yes he’s not Lamar Jackson but I’m not going to give up on him. Kid is a winner.

But that’s a false choice. I haven’t given up on him, and we were damn lucky we had him because we would have been far worse without him. Neither of those statements change the fact that our passing game was simply not good enough.

 

[Bubba1957]

Some guys clearly have a visible "it" factor. Dan O had the arm strength and accuracy. The ball really came out of Tim Boyles hand enough so that l though he'd be great. Cochran could see the field and make quick good decisions with the ball and Pindell had some serious quickness. Each of them had something that you could say, "this guys might be really good". So far with ZT his "it" factor might be his leadership.

As a fan, I'm hoping his "it" factor might give him the drive to improve in some of the other areas. "It's not what you got, but what you make of it", said someone. There were games this year where maybe a handful of passes went beyond the LOS. They clearly tried to manage the game and protect the football. That won't get it done.

So, as said by biz and others the QB play needs to improve - a lot. I'm confident ZT will make strides but how big in one year? The scenario expecting is that through improved health (Tyler Phommachanh, Roberson and Mullen), incoming freshman (MacDonald looks really good it me), a transfer or ZT improvement, the level of play will be much better next year.

 

[Chin Diesel]

When he does run it is positive from what I remember. I’d like to see it more often.

He does okay but more than once he had a lot of open field and a single defender took him down from behind with an ankle tackle.

He isn't fast or elusive but he can be effective.

 

[ScottVib]

He does okay but more than once he had a lot of open field and a single defender took him down from behind with an ankle tackle.

He isn't fast or elusive but he can be effective.

I think part of it, is to this point, he hasn't demonstrated that he routinely needs to be accounted for as a running threat. You can see that in the way that defenses crash on the RB for zone read plays.