So who starts at QB next week? | Page 9 | The Boneyard

So who starts at QB next week?

I watched a replay last night and the two played very similar. I forgot that DP drove the team down the field only to have a 4th down run stuffed in the red zone.

They both completed a high percentage.

The differences?

BS had more run support.
BS's drives ended touchdowns.

And here is the big one, which I didn't see live but was pretty clear on TV. DP threw into double coverage a bunch of times in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. BS made better reads.

That and his connection to a lot of his teammates will defend this regardless of the outcome.

We are now looking at a game by game and maybe a half by half until someone shows consistency. BS can cement the job Saturday or he can give DP another shot.
 
Even if you were in the DP camp, you can't get too upset with this decision. I can see the coaches going either way on this, and I will trust that RL and RE know what is best for the team.

One of the nice things about having a competent staff in place, is that you don't believe you know better than the coaches.
 
Good. While USF is ranked, the fact Stony Brook hung around with them so long gives me some hope.

As other's have mentioned, we may project the W/L record and we may think we can only win 3 or 4 games, but Randy is clearly sending the message to the team that he is playing for the present and giving them the best shot to win a conference game.

Pindell may end up being better, but I think you have to ride the momentum that BS brought to the team Thursday and carry that forward to the game Saturday.
 
Pindell better prepare like he's the starter. This switch won't last long imo.
 
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Huskyforlife said:
Pindell better prepare like he's the starter. This switch won't last long imo.
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The nice thing is we have two decent QB options. Pindell unraveled and got frustrated. BS came in and asserted needed confidence and leadership and the team responded. The kid had a smile in his face the entire time... if that doesn't build confidence I don't know what does. Maybe it was a fluke and I have no doubt there will be some WTF throws given his lack of accuracy, but he brought the undervalued but critically important intangible - leadership and confidence on the field. The players started believing they could get it done and they did. Pindell will be better for this change and understand there is more to the game than just making good reads and throwing to open receivers. He has to lead in crisis. He will get his shot again and I guarantee he will be more mentally prepared to exert his will.
 
Would not have been my choice but oh well. At least we have options for once
 
jbdphi said:
I don't think anyone will be pissed about BS starting.

My question is what happens if he struggles in the first half to move the ball. Are we going to stick with him or do you switch back again and when does it stop?
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That is the question.
 
MilliniumPrince said:
That is the question.
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I have no problem if we see these two alternate halfs of football the next couple games. Lets see who gets it done on the field. Pindell has the higher upside, but reading between the tea leaves, the staff might be looking for him to have more command of the offense - more hop in his step. The game seemed a little fast for him last week. Give him some time and I expect a big bounce back and several big opportunities.
 
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It's a move he had to make. That being said, the gap in play wasn't nearly as big as it looked IMO and a lot of it was exacerbated by the pressure the line gave up with Pindell in. Regardless, certainly not the last we've seen of Pindell playing meaningful football this year.
 
The more I think about this the more I have become convinced that they recruited Pindell to run this system and basically handed him the job despite the talk of open competition. It never rant totally true if you actually read the coahes's comments about how he needed to be a more vocal leader, needed to make quicker decisions. All hints that he was handed the starting slot but had some weaknesses. Even Edsall s comments about finding out who plays when the lights are on, in hindsight could be seen as raising some questions about his quarterback. They loved his athleticism but had some concerns about his command of the offense. As it played out those worries turned out to be correct and fortunately Sherriffs was up to the task. Even the 2 drives Pindell put together, one for a score and one stopped on 4th and 1 were not crisp. They were long slogs more reminiscent RE 1.0 than were the crisp efficient drives under #4. Pindell s last drive before halftime was equally bad with a chance to get on the board late starting from his own 40. Under #4 the drives looked like this offense is supposed to look. 5 plays 53 yards plays 1:18, 6 plays 59 yards 2:27, 6 plays 47 yards 2:00. Boom boom boom.

Personally I hope Sherriffs is the answer and the next time we see Pindell is in the closing minutes of a rout of South Florida. Nothing against the kid but The last thing this team needs is a quarterback controversy.
 
I agree that starting Shirreffs was the move that Randy had to make for this weekend vs. USF. There were a multitude of variables affecting Pindell's play (offensive line, no run game), but bottom line is that Shirreffs outplayed him when given the opportunity. My only concern with starting Shirreffs is that we allow for a revolving door to open at QB this season. What if he throws 2 picks in the 1st half? Go back to Pindell? Idk what could be expected of him coming off the bench. I think if we were playing UVA this week, Pindell would still be starting as it wouldn't be a conference game and give Pindell more time to get acclamated to the speed of the Division 1 game. However, I think it's clear that Shirreffs gives us the best chance to beat USF on Saturday. Perhaps could this also be a tactic to try and light a fire under Pindell's ass to become more vocal as a leader? Time will tell. Beat USF!
 
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gioff23 said:
U do not build a program by quitting on your QB after 1 week. Everyone knows BS played better. So what. There's a whole thread acknowledging we r in a rebuild. We r not rebuilding with a RSSr QB.
Please stop.
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No attack on anyone I quote here just a difference of opinion. :) Please note we are also trying to rebuild a fan base. Teams can go through numerous players at any position, the bottom line at this level is to win the game. Sometimes "next man up is best man up" the one removed from the game has to suck it up.

Jax Husky said:
He was still 19/28 for 145 and ran for 33. Fumble is bad, but he played well and is surely a more threatening qb than Shirreffs.
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Again no attack but what part of Shirreffs saved the day did you miss? The staff should have let him continue his threatening abilities ( your term ) and lose the game?

UConnNick said:
Yes you can. Experience and leadership count for a lot at the QB position. Pindell looked like the second coming of Donovan Williams' burned redshirt, and against a I-AA team. If he looks this bad against a lower division program, I shudder to think what's going to happen when you throw him out there against a real football team like USF.
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We have A BINGO.....:D....I apologize to anyone in this thread that thinks BS should start and I missed liking it. Short on time and I will get back to it.
I disagree with those that think just because we are rebuilding it is acceptable to lose games. I am sure many others do not pay for season tickets to watch practice. I personally had enough of that with WACKY BOB.

I realize game time situations are valuable to experience but that should come when the game is in hand and you bring in the 2s.
Pindell in his own words supported the the move. Unless he was lying "I didn't take the switch as a bad thing". He also stated it is now his job to make himself better in practice to make Bryant better. The kicker for myself is when he said "I think I got a feel of D1 game speed". Not sure of how this reflects on the team he has been practicing with or the fact the team he was playing was 1-AA.

From the side lines or in the game he will see D1 game speed this week, I hope he soaks it up and if needed performs well.
 
Woof 101 said:
I disagree with those that think just because we are rebuilding it is acceptable to lose games.
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I don't think anyone is saying that at all... I don't want to speak for others, but I think a lot of the people (myself included) cutting DP slack are doing it based on him earning the job in fall camp, as opposed to falling in love with a guy who played very well for a quarter+ of a game. Obviously Shirreffs was awesome when he came into the game, but we've also seen enough to know that he has his own limitations and in the grand scheme of things, the talent differential between the two isn't as drastic as you're making it sound.

With all that being said, I think this is the choice the staff had to make. It's hard to ignore the spark Bryant gave us on Thursday night and I think it would do more harm than good for both the team and the fan base to not reward that performance. Where we differ in opinion is that I think we're more likely to see 2016 Shirreffs return than Holy Cross Shirreffs continue. I'd love to be proven wrong.
 
Go back and watch the game and tell me how many of Newsome's negative runs were plays on which he should have gotten the ball. DP was not making the necessary reads, Shirreffs was. RE was spot on in his presser about not throwing games - "we only get 12."
 
blue93 said:
I don't think anyone is saying that at all... I don't want to speak for others, but I think a lot of the people (myself included) cutting DP slack are doing it based on him earning the job in fall camp, as opposed to falling in love with a guy who played very well for a quarter+ of a game. Obviously Shirreffs was awesome when he came into the game, but we've also seen enough to know that he has his own limitations and in the grand scheme of things, the talent differential between the two isn't as drastic as you're making it sound.

With all that being said, I think this is the choice the staff had to make. It's hard to ignore the spark Bryant gave us on Thursday night and I think it would do more harm than good for both the team and the fan base to not reward that performance. Where we differ in opinion is that I think we're more likely to see 2016 Shirreffs return than Holy Cross Shirreffs continue. I'd love to be proven wrong.
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blue 93, Respectfully, Not discounting BS's limitations, of which leadership & guts are not 2 of them, I ask, 2016's Navy Game Bryant Sherriff or post rib injury lack of OC imagination, HC disaster who lost his team Bryant Sheriff's? I only mention this because you specifically mentioned 2016.
 
blue93 said:
I don't think anyone is saying that at all... I don't want to speak for others, but I think a lot of the people (myself included) cutting DP slack are doing it based on him earning the job in fall camp, as opposed to falling in love with a guy who played very well for a quarter+ of a game. Obviously Shirreffs was awesome when he came into the game, but we've also seen enough to know that he has his own limitations and in the grand scheme of things, the talent differential between the two isn't as drastic as you're making it sound.

With all that being said, I think this is the choice the staff had to make. It's hard to ignore the spark Bryant gave us on Thursday night and I think it would do more harm than good for both the team and the fan base to not reward that performance. Where we differ in opinion is that I think we're more likely to see 2016 Shirreffs return than Holy Cross Shirreffs continue. I'd love to be proven wrong.
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Can we please acknowledge that: 1) Shirreffs has been coached for the past two seasons by America's worst CFB coaching staff, 2) He played behind one of the worst OLs in CFB, and 3) In more than half his 2016 starts he was playing with broken ribs.

Two of those three things are now mercifully gone. I'll admit he's no world beater athletically or talent-wise, but he has as least as much if not more heart, guts and leadership ability as anybody who has ever worn a UConn uniform.

Forget about the last two seasons. Right now he's the best chance we have to win games. Maybe he will and maybe he won't, but he has more than earned the opportunity. There are pieces of him strewn across every stadium in the AAC.
 
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noeynox said:
Biggest difference Pindell looked shellshocked from the hits. Shirreffs didn't even blink.
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To be fair, Shirreffs has two years of taking beatings like Pindell did on Saturday.
 
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oldanintheway said:
blue 93, Respectfully, Not discounting BS's limitations, of which leadership & guts are not 2 of them, I ask, 2016's Navy Game Bryant Sherriff or post rib injury lack of OC imagination, HC disaster who lost his team Bryant Sheriff's? I only mention this because you specifically mentioned 2016.
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UConnNick said:
Can we please acknowledge that 1) Shirreffs has been coached for the past two seasons by America's worst CFB coaching staff, 2) He played behind one of the worst OLs in CFB, and 3) In more than half his 2016 starts he was playing with broken ribs.

Two of those three things are now mercifully gone. I'll admit he's no world beater athletically or talent-wise, but he has as least as much if not more heart, guts and leadership ability as anybody who has ever worn a UConn uniform.

Forget about the last two seasons. Right now he's the best chance we have to win games. Maybe he will and maybe he won't, but he has more than earned the opportunity. There are pieces of him strewn across every stadium in the AAC.
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The leadership, the heart, the guts - I get all that. Believe me I'm not trying to slight him because he seems like a great dude and the kind of guy you're proud to see in a Husky uniform. You both bring up a valid point with the change in offensive scheme and I'm sure that'll be a positive for him compared to the last 2 years.

What I'm basing my skepticism on are things that showed up in the HC game that we've seen from him throughout his career.

First, we know he doesn't handle pressure well in the pocket. To his credit, he didn't take off with the ball too early as he has done countless times in years past, but imo he didn't see the pass rush that Pindell did. He may be better in setting protections, he may have benefited from a worn down defense. I think time will tell on this front, but what we do know is that the Offensive line is still a liability and I'll need to see him do it against a fresh pass rush to buy in.

Second, he still has a lot of trouble throwing the deep ball. Last season could have been a result of the rib injury, but as far as I know he's healthy now and still couldn't make it happen.

My third and final point on the topic, is his tendency to stare down receivers. He got away with it against Holy Cross, but against a legitimate defense he probably won't be so lucky.

I really don't want to come across as a jerk because like I said above, I like the kid and respect his leadership traits as well as his decision to come back to the program. If he can prove he's the guy this weekend I'll buy in 100%, but I do think there are reasons to temper expectations.
 
It would seem to be the right move. You are rewarding the player who produced. If he keeps producing he stays. If he turns back into the Sherriff of last year, then you make a move again. There is no motivator like knowing you have to produce. And if he keeps leading TD drives he deserves the ball.
 
blue93 said:
The leadership, the heart, the guts - I get all that. Believe me I'm not trying to slight him because he seems like a great dude and the kind of guy you're proud to see in a Husky uniform. You both bring up a valid point with the change in offensive scheme and I'm sure that'll be a positive for him compared to the last 2 years.

What I'm basing my skepticism on are things that showed up in the HC game that we've seen from him throughout his career.

First, we know he doesn't handle pressure well in the pocket. To his credit, he didn't take off with the ball too early as he has done countless times in years past, but imo he didn't see the pass rush that Pindell did. He may be better in setting protections, he may have benefited from a worn down defense. I think time will tell on this front, but what we do know is that the Offensive line is still a liability and I'll need to see him do it against a fresh pass rush to buy in.

Second, he still has a lot of trouble throwing the deep ball. Last season could have been a result of the rib injury, but as far as I know he's healthy now and still couldn't make it happen.

My third and final point on the topic, is his tendency to stare down receivers. He got away with it against Holy Cross, but against a legitimate defense he probably won't be so lucky.

I really don't want to come across as a jerk because like I said above, I like the kid and respect his leadership traits as well as his decision to come back to the program. If he can prove he's the guy this weekend I'll buy in 100%, but I do think there are reasons to temper expectations.
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Fair Enough.
 
blue93 said:
The leadership, the heart, the guts - I get all that. Believe me I'm not trying to slight him because he seems like a great dude and the kind of guy you're proud to see in a Husky uniform. You both bring up a valid point with the change in offensive scheme and I'm sure that'll be a positive for him compared to the last 2 years.

What I'm basing my skepticism on are things that showed up in the HC game that we've seen from him throughout his career.

First, we know he doesn't handle pressure well in the pocket. To his credit, he didn't take off with the ball too early as he has done countless times in years past, but imo he didn't see the pass rush that Pindell did. He may be better in setting protections, he may have benefited from a worn down defense. I think time will tell on this front, but what we do know is that the Offensive line is still a liability and I'll need to see him do it against a fresh pass rush to buy in.

Second, he still has a lot of trouble throwing the deep ball. Last season could have been a result of the rib injury, but as far as I know he's healthy now and still couldn't make it happen.

My third and final point on the topic, is his tendency to stare down receivers. He got away with it against Holy Cross, but against a legitimate defense he probably won't be so lucky.

I really don't want to come across as a jerk because like I said above, I like the kid and respect his leadership traits as well as his decision to come back to the program. If he can prove he's the guy this weekend I'll buy in 100%, but I do think there are reasons to temper expectations.
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I agree that he has limitations, but at present we don't have Dan Orlovsky warming up behind the bench to come in and pitch relief. If Bryant can't make it happen we will get to see Pindell again. Eventually he will catch up to the speed required to play at this level.
 
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