Marshall will probably be the starter next season

MtownJacket

MtownJacket

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Marshall is not a great QB right now. He has all the natural talent in the world as a runner and passer, but lacks sophistication in both areas. We basically abandoned the option in the second half of the season because he wasn't making enough of the right reads, and when he did pitch the ball it was often too early (before the pitch key had committed to the QB). Too often Marshall slowed down when reading the pitch when he should have attacked the pitch key, which allowed time for quick linebackers to reach the perimeter and make a play. He has a strong arm, and even showed touch on his throws at times, but he isn't on target as frequently as he needs to be and often can't find the open receiver.

That sounds like a pretty damning description, but why should we expect a guy who rode the bench all season to do any better next year? Maybe (maybe not) we get an instant upgrade in the passing game by playing another guy, but Marshall has 10 times more experience running the option than anyone else on the roster. This was his first season as the starting QB, and he has some work to do. Nesbitt largely sucked at making the reads during his first season as the starter, but we were able to get by on his (and Dwyer's) athletic ability. Then Nesbitt took off in year 2 and the offense ran like a well oiled machine. If Marshall has the same jump in year 2 as Nesbitt then he might be the best we've ever had.

Two or three guys are going to compete during Spring and Summer, and one of them will come out on top. Maybe it will be Marshall, maybe it won't. CPJ said himself that Marshall winning the QB competition was unexpected, so clearly he is able to set aside any pre-conceived notions and let the best player play. If Marshall is the starter next year, it will be because he fought like a gladiator against some talented challengers and came out stronger for it. An improved TaQuon Marshall leading an experienced offense in 2018 could be special. (or it could crash and burn, but I'll be buying tickets to see for myself)
 
18in32 said:
"Matthew Jordan will probably be the starter in 2017." — ST sentiment shortly after end of 2016 season
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I've wondered about how the season would have been different if Jordan started (and didn't get injured). Better at running the option, but less athletic ability and similar passing deficiencies.

Another important point is that development of the offensive line is way more important than development of the QB this offseason. Those guys will be pretty experienced next year.
 
MtownJacket said:
Another important point is that development of the offensive line is way more important than development of the QB this offseason. Those guys will be pretty experienced next year.
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lol
Yeah, Sewak is gonna have them real developed and ready to go
 
Open up the competition going into the spring and let the best QB win. At QB we need someone who can make the reads and run the 3/0 fearlessly first and foremost. Secondly we need someone who can complete open throws to prevent the defense from selling out to stop the run. Marshall did neither of those things consistently in 2017. He is a gifted runner with the ball in his hands, but that is not the biggest part of the equation for a successful QB in our offense.
 
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Of course TM will be the starter next year.

And God Bless the young man because I believe he really cares and tries hard. I was thankful he made it through the whole season.

But CPJ picked him to start, and TM is still on campus, so if CPJ changed starters now that would be a sign that CPJ made a mistake. And CPJ will not allow that thought into the public arena.
 
texstinger said:
Of course TM will be the starter next year.

And God Bless the young man because I believe he really cares and tries hard. I was thankful he made it through the whole season.

But CPJ picked him to start, and TM is still on campus, so if CPJ changed starters now that would be a sign that CPJ made a mistake. And CPJ will not allow that thought into the public arena.
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"But CPJ picked Matthew Jordan to start, and he is still on campus, so if CPJ changed starters now that would be a sign that CPJ made a mistake. And CPJ will not allow that thought into the public arena." — texstinger shortly after 2016 season
 
18in32 said:
"But CPJ picked Matthew Jordan to start, and he is still on campus, so if CPJ changed starters now that would be a sign that CPJ made a mistake. And CPJ will not allow that thought into the public arena." — texstinger shortly after 2016 season
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Technically CPJ never crowned Jordan as a starter. He was a backup who had to play due to injuries.
 
Another year under his belt with a lot of experience at OL/BB/AB returning. Im assuming we'll have one of the better offenses in the conference next season.
 
Who is on our recruiting radar at the QB position right now? In a quick search, I see that we have zero commits, and zero targets for a QB.
 
I'm torn. I think Marshall is the most explosive playmaker with the ball in his hands we've had at the position. Agree that his decision making the 2nd half of the season was piss poor and that his throwing accuracy is far from ideal. I do think he has a better arm than most seem to think. The sky's the limit if he could improve accuracy and decision making in year 2. It's not like he didn't show flashes at times. Would be a shame to relegate him to A-Back where he only touches the ball a handful of times a game. But that is also what was so frustrating about this season - not feeding Searcy and Lynch nearly enough.
 
MtownJacket said:
Marshall is not a great QB right now. He has all the natural talent in the world as a runner and passer, but lacks sophistication in both areas. We basically abandoned the option in the second half of the season because he wasn't making enough of the right reads, and when he did pitch the ball it was often too early (before the pitch key had committed to the QB). Too often Marshall slowed down when reading the pitch when he should have attacked the pitch key, which allowed time for quick linebackers to reach the perimeter and make a play. He has a strong arm, and even showed touch on his throws at times, but he isn't on target as frequently as he needs to be and often can't find the open receiver.

....
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Do you really believe he has a strong arm? It seemed like he was having to heave the ball downfield and put lots of air under it; which led to lots of underthrown passes and open receivers having to stop and wait on the ball. I don't remember him overthrowing many open receivers downfield. I think he has a decent arm and accuracy for short range passes; but our offense doesn't do much of that. His arm strength is one my concerns because you can't coach arm strength.
 
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