Updated Rivals Depth Chart (Seniors Removed)

[GTLiebs]

Which means he has taken exactly the same amount of "belly mesh handoffs" in a game as everyone else on the team.

But the difference is Leggett has had a year of taking mesh handoffs in practice, as well as learning how to do so coming out of the B-back stance (back when practices were open they did this constantly with the b-backs and that cage you can only fit in if your stance is low enough), not to mention the other things a B-back does besides run up the middle (speed option, pass blocking, that B-back swing pass kind of thing we like to run).

Who is the first string BB? We gonna start a RS Fr? Byerly would have a very real shot at getting PT at BB if we wanted him there.

Would you rather have a freshman BACKUP QB or a freshman STARTING BB?

My point is that we should be flexible. If our BBs, who are all freshmen, can't get it done, we should look into moving Byerly there.

Even for short yardage - give me Byerly and Thomas in the game at the same time over Thomas and Leggett. I'd rather trust a Senior not to fumble than a Freshman.

I would much rather have a B-back with no in game snaps than a QB with no in game snaps, which is what we would have if Thomas ever gets hurt, or winded, or gets the flu, or even loses his helmet. And no, it is not just as simple as moving Byerly back to QB if that happens. Again, with the short yardage thing, we've already used Byerly in that situation this year, as the QB. Why would we move him to B-back to do what we've already done with him at QB? On top of that with fumbles, I trust the player that has practiced the mesh more. That is a bigger risk of fumbling that just regular ball handling skills, which would be the only thing a senior might have over a younger player.

 

[BuzzCzar]

a senior that has never taken belly mesh handoffs...

and probably never lined up with his hand on the ground

for all his smarts, Legal Jacket is talking like a moran about this subject

 

[LegendaryGT]

Legal Jacket isn't dumb, he's just trapped into his current side of the argument by his lawyerly tendencies. He's Byerly-the-BB's attorney at this point in time, and he wouldn't be doing his job if he didn't make his client's case as compelling as he can.

 

[gtrower]

Marcus Allen was recruited as a BB and moved to LB. On the depth chart in the OP, he's 3rd string there. I bet that if coaches feel like we're in a pinch at BB, he could move back there this offseason.

Obviously it's best to spread your guys out, but at least MH is available, we were able to redshirt Leggett this year, and QW will be enrolling early. That's zero game snaps, but at least a fair amount of practice experience between those 3.

Good point, I forgot about Marcus. IIRC playing BB is one of the reasons we were able to sign him over FSU/Nebraska who wanted him at LB.

 

[QuadF]

It's as simple as this: we will have a guy at bback with no collegiate snaps at that position for first and second string. The first stringer will most likely be the guy with more practice snaps. The only thing we're changing by moving byerly is we're losing a great backup qb because we think that he might slightly better than the two new BBs.

 

[gtrower]

It's as simple as this: we will have a guy at bback with no collegiate snaps at that position for first and second string. The first stringer will most likely be the guy with more practice snaps. The only thing we're changing by moving byerly is we're losing a great backup qb because we think that he might slightly better than the two new BBs.

And now with the mention of Marcus Allen (who I believe has at least practiced at BB) we have another possible body in the rotation without moving Byerly.

 

[Legal Jacket]

That wasn't my point at all. My point was that the QB in this offense is required to have intimate knowledge of his assignments and decisions on each of his plays, and is required to make those decisions at lightning speed with intense focus. The better he is at that, the better the offense runs, and the quicker he is able to improvise when something breaks down. This is the magic potion that, along with his ridiculous legs, makes JT what he is for us. It may not seem like much, but if you run the guy at AB even just a little, then you have to teach him some AB plays, and when he goes on the field he's got to separate between his duties as an AB and his duties as a QB. You're going to slow down his thought process by doing this, and a fraction of a second really does matter. If you intend for the guy to develop as a good QB in this system, you can't start putting him in situations where he's not a QB at all.



Days was a pretty clear third stringer by the time he moved, and Byerly is a pretty clear backup, in addition to some of the work he did on the goal line as a change of pace, right now, so I'd say they are still not comparable in that regard. Maybe Matthews passes Byerly on pure athleticism, but I doubt it. Byerly is pretty öööö good and CPJ values experience a ton (something everyone seems to forget every year when looking at the QB depth chart). Days also had time to learn a new position and play, of which Byerly has less because this is his last year. If you move him, you have a far greater chance of him rotting on the tree than ripening as something else, and you take him away from his development as a QB, which is something we might need.

Fair points. I agree the transition to AB is more difficult (which is why I wasn't saying that JT should be moved to AB full time, but instead put in there on select plays to take advantage of his speed).

There is some overlap, however, with knowledge. The QB has to know where everyone is anyways. For example, Byerly knows where the BB is supposed to be on the triple. He may not have run it himself, but he knows what's supposed to happen. Plus (to me at least) BB is much easier because it doesn't require separation and maintenance of pitch distance, or complexities with regard to blocking. The hardest thing with BB is the mesh, and as a QB Byerly should have some thoughts there too.

I wasn't trying to say Days and Byerly are identical, just that there is some prior success we've had by moving people from QB to BB when we had a need at BB. I don't know how much there is to "learn" at BB to be successful. It's more basic stuff, like running forward and avoiding tacklers. The more complicated stuff (knowing the plays and the mesh), Byerly has good experience on based on his tenure here.

All I'm saying is I think its worth keeping Byerly in mind if our freshmen can't get it done. As Flywheel points out, its also worth keeping Marcus Allen in mind too. Sum of my thoughts is we are lacking depth at a critical position and should not hesitate to move other positions' backups over if need be.

 

[Legal Jacket]

And now with the mention of Marcus Allen (who I believe has at least practiced at BB) we have another possible body in the rotation without moving Byerly.

Allen is the other guy whot I think we should take a long look at BB.

 

[Legal Jacket]

Legal Jacket isn't dumb, he's just trapped into his current side of the argument by his lawyerly tendencies. He's Byerly-the-BB's attorney at this point in time, and he wouldn't be doing his job if he didn't make his client's case as compelling as he can.

lol, how true that is.

Look I'm not saying we should start him at BB. I'm just saying he's worth a look so we can see what he can do. At the very least see what the frosh can do, and if the answer is they play like freshmen, let's spend a week or two on Byerly and/or Allen.

I'm not saying it is even close to happening, but let's say we could get 100 carries and 500 yards out of Byerly at the BB slot. Would you take that over him as a backup QB? What about 50 and 250? At what point would Byerly's production as a BB outweigh his value as a backup QB?

 

[LegendaryGT]

This is a difficult question, and it depends on how risk averse you are. If Thomas plays every snap at QB for the season, Byerly's value at QB is very small. If Thomas gets his ankle twisted by a UGAy player in the third quarter of the game, Byerly's value at QB is huge. If our freshman BB's are terrible and Byerly is good, obviously his value at BB would be high. If our freshman BB's are good or Byerly is not good at BB, then his value at BB is again low.

Too many variables, but there's a key difference. I tend to think that with the OL this year, we could have gotten around 4 YPC out of just about any of our athletes that fit the body type at BB, but there were only two players on the team who could run the entire offense to a satisfactory degree from QB. The risk is far greater moving a guy out of QB than anywhere else, and the gain is far lower moving a guy into BB than anywhere else, in terms of skill positions.

Obviously there are freak tidal wave scenarios that push the decision either way, but all things as they likely are, I don't see it as worth it.

 

[JWilly]

Need a pole.Byerly at qb/Bback/Aback/punter.

 

[GTDGN04]

Byerly would be a monster at BB. Have watched the kid play since he was 16. If he can't get on the field at QB, I'd hate for him to wither on the sidelines when he could beast at BB like Synjyn did this year. I have every confidence he could put up similar numbers.

 

[VanillaMillz]

I'm excited about this coming up season! Still wondering about the b back. Like y'all said Byerly maybe a good fit there. I mean He was trucking mofo's when he took over vs Duke!