'16 CA QB Ian Book (Notre Dame Signed NLI)

Irish YJ

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I disagree.

The OL has played well, and I'm willing to bet that at least half of the sacks given up this season have been because of Book.

The receivers haven't been great, but Book has missed more than his fair share of open receivers.

Sure, Ian has a lot on his plate, but that's not a viable excuse for a returning starter who helped ND to the playoff. That is the expectation and he is not playing up to it. It's up to him to fix that or make way for someone who can.

I don't see the OL playing well at all. They've had some decent moments, but overall, not good at all. They rank outside of the top 20 in every stat, and are like 115th in what I think is probably the most important stat (power success rate). That's not a pass blocking stat, so you can't lay it off on Book.
https://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/ncaaol/2019

Our best WR, Claypool, who I love, would be WR3 on most if not all top 10 teams. I do think we have young talent, but so far, Finke and Von aren't legit WRs for a top 10 legit team.

And RBs.... we just lack talent plain and simple. Not one of our RBs would start for a top 10 team.

Like I've said, Book will never be a superstar, but this Offense isn't NC caliber with or without Book. The only O position group that's NC worthy is probably TE, or at least one of them.


I'll try and not make this sound like a fanboi hot take:

I know ND & Book can win 11 games a year, basically every year now, that's great. Well I'm kinda over that.

ND has some special offensive players coming in, the kind you need to win an NC They also have some elite lineman in the pipeline. I'm all for a 11-2 or a even a 10-3 season in '20 to make a run in '21 when the schedule is set up to make that run.

Football is usually a win now sport. That's one of the things that makes baseball interresting to me. Teams can tell their fans they are blowing it up and on a multi year plan, build a contender through a youth movement. Just watched the Cubs & Astros do just that.

Book's never winning an NC as a starter at ND. Love the guy but he doesn't have the raw physical skills to beat you 3 ways. I don't know if Phil is the next Randall Cunningham but that's the kind of player he was for 3 years vs way above average competition in HS. If you want to win an NC, you have to hope Phil gets starter snaps asap. Because what makes guys great in college isn't that they were 5*'s in HS, it's talent (regardless of stars) and snaps. Difference makers get snaps. That's why there are 0* / 2* / 3* guys drafted in the first two rounds in every NFL draft = becuz they weren't "good enough" to get offered by an elite football factory and luckily for them, ended up some place where they got 2-3-4 years of snaps.

Phil needs snaps and I need a National Championship.

I'm not calling on Kelly to make a change right now. I'd like to think I'd have the sack to do it if I was ND's HC but there are politics, pressures and realities that are way above my pay grade. So I'll secretly hope for a tweeked ankle or maybe a dislocated finger on QB1's right hand.

. . . and just to be clear, Phil goes in the draft after the '21 season and Tyler Buchner starts as a RS Fr. cuz he needs snaps too. He'll be playing with elite talent that's experienced too.

I agree 100% that Book is not a NC caliber QB. Nothing I've seen or heard of PJ tells me he's NC caliber either though. For argument's sake, let's remove QB from the discussion. Are the other current pieces of the O, NC caliber? OL, WR, RB?
 

IrishFaninTX

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I can. If Book is as pedestrian in 2020 as he has been to date in 2019, why would they want him back and taking up a scholarship? Especially considering they have a boat load of talent being held up behind him (PJ, Clark and Pyne, with TB on the way), not to mention the staff has been right up against the scholarship limit the past couple of years.

Either Book balls out in 2020 and gets drafted, or he puts that 4 for 40 to use. I don't think there's any way he's back for a fifth.

2020 will be his 5th year. He is a senior this year
 

NDMIA

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I’ll look at the analytics and data tomorrow but I’m pretty sure of the 65 power 5 conference schools, ND has one of the worst offensive lines in that group. Maybe it’s a little on Book but the OLine has been bad. Just straight up bad. Especially considering how talented and physically imposing the line is, it has really been disappointing this season. The WR group isn’t that good btw. Chris Finke is not Wes Welker or anything better than a 4.6/4.7 slot guy. Lawrence Keys is quick but tiny, Javon McKinley couldn’t play for 3 years and Claypool is the only one worth a damn. The RB’s aren’t good and Tony Jones Jr is a backup RB at most power 5 schools. The only position group that is top 10 level talent and is performing like it is probably the TE’s but that’s not a ton to work with. ND just straight up doesn’t have much talent on offense this year. Kevin Austin, Jordan Johnson, Chris Tyree, Kyren Williams, Braden Lenzy, Lawrence Keys III, and maybe Cole Kmet is something worth looking at for next season and I’m getting excited for that scenario hopefully. Ian Book certainly hasn’t been great this season but he’s not exactly been handed the keys to a dominant team. He’s behind a shoddy offensive line and has no run game. Not exactly the easiest stuff in the world to work with.
 

ThePiombino

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I don't see the OL playing well at all. They've had some decent moments, but overall, not good at all. They rank outside of the top 20 in every stat, and are like 115th in what I think is probably the most important stat (power success rate). That's not a pass blocking stat, so you can't lay it off on Book.
https://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/ncaaol/2019

Our best WR, Claypool, who I love, would be WR3 on most if not all top 10 teams. I do think we have young talent, but so far, Finke and Von aren't legit WRs for a top 10 legit team.

And RBs.... we just lack talent plain and simple. Not one of our RBs would start for a top 10 team.

Like I've said, Book will never be a superstar, but this Offense isn't NC caliber with or without Book. The only O position group that's NC worthy is probably TE, or at least one of them.




I agree 100% that Book is not a NC caliber QB. Nothing I've seen or heard of PJ tells me he's NC caliber either though. For argument's sake, let's remove QB from the discussion. Are the other current pieces of the O, NC caliber? OL, WR, RB?
Lost me at Claypool being 3rd receiver on most top-10 teams.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk
 

Irish#1

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There's some blame to be laid at others feet, but most of this starts with Book. He was a positive step forward when he replaced BW, but I think that gave us an illusion that the sky would be the limit this year. In reality his ceiling wasn't as high as we thought. I love the kid and like that he isn't a quitter, but he's just not cutting it right now.

As far as PJ, I hope we don't have the same scenario that we had with BW and now with Book. Agree it is a very small sample size, and PJ may have hit on that bomb, but he looked like a HS QB when they were at the goal line trying to punch it in. He played with a lot of uncertainty. That means he either doesn't understand the playbook, or isn't as confident as he needs to be. At this point either is not good.
 

Irishize

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Off the top of my head the only big body WR's I can think of, excluding Von, are:
Micah Jones
Cam Hart
Jordan Johnson
And Kevin Austin if he is back.

I do agree with you that if Von wants to come back for a 5th year I would welcome him.

If Austin isn’t back next year, why would he still bother being enrolled at ND? I think he comes back. If not, he’d be better served transferring immediately.
 

arrowryan

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There's some blame to be laid at others feet, but most of this starts with Book. He was a positive step forward when he replaced BW, but I think that gave us an illusion that the sky would be the limit this year. In reality his ceiling wasn't as high as we thought. I love the kid and like that he isn't a quitter, but he's just not cutting it right now.

As far as PJ, I hope we don't have the same scenario that we had with BW and now with Book. Agree it is a very small sample size, and PJ may have hit on that bomb, but he looked like a HS QB when they were at the goal line trying to punch it in. He played with a lot of uncertainty. That means he either doesn't understand the playbook, or isn't as confident as he needs to be. At this point either is not good.

That seems to be quite an overreaction on PJ. I just rewatched his one drive, I didn’t see any uncertainty. He probably would’ve had a touchdown if Lenzy wasn’t held in the end zone. I’m not sure why you’re almost discounting his deep throw to Lenzy; not even Trevor Lawrence could’ve thrown that ball better. I didn’t see anything that hinted a lack of confidence or a lack of playbook knowledge.
 

Irishize

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I’ll look at the analytics and data tomorrow but I’m pretty sure of the 65 power 5 conference schools, ND has one of the worst offensive lines in that group. Maybe it’s a little on Book but the OLine has been bad. Just straight up bad. Especially considering how talented and physically imposing the line is, it has really been disappointing this season. The WR group isn’t that good btw. Chris Finke is not Wes Welker or anything better than a 4.6/4.7 slot guy. Lawrence Keys is quick but tiny, Javon McKinley couldn’t play for 3 years and Claypool is the only one worth a damn. The RB’s aren’t good and Tony Jones Jr is a backup RB at most power 5 schools. The only position group that is top 10 level talent and is performing like it is probably the TE’s but that’s not a ton to work with. ND just straight up doesn’t have much talent on offense this year. Kevin Austin, Jordan Johnson, Chris Tyree, Kyren Williams, Braden Lenzy, Lawrence Keys III, and maybe Cole Kmet is something worth looking at for next season and I’m getting excited for that scenario hopefully. Ian Book certainly hasn’t been great this season but he’s not exactly been handed the keys to a dominant team. He’s behind a shoddy offensive line and has no run game. Not exactly the easiest stuff in the world to work with.

Good points. Banks has been horrible and he’s got all the measurables and shown he can dominate. Hopefully, he figures it out. Eichenberg (he’s not the only one) seems to start every drive w/ a false start...WTH!?!?!

Kmet should return next year. He’s said he wants to play baseball again so if that’s the case he won’t have time to concentrate on the NFL Combine if he has thoughts of leaving after this season. I think Tremble is about to permanently pass Wright on the depth chart. Wright as been a non-factor and been below average in blocking which is supposed to be his strong suit.

If Keys can stay healthy, I like everything he brings to the table. Kid has shown some great hands as well as explosiveness. In limited reps, he’s done what Finke should be doing on a regular basis.

Speaking of Finke, he’s becoming less like Hunter Renfrow & more like Joe Schmidt.
 

irish4ever

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Good points. Banks has been horrible and he’s got all the measurables and shown he can dominate. Hopefully, he figures it out. Eichenberg (he’s not the only one) seems to start every drive w/ a false start...WTH!?!?!

Kmet should return next year. He’s said he wants to play baseball again so if that’s the case he won’t have time to concentrate on the NFL Combine if he has thoughts of leaving after this season. I think Tremble is about to permanently pass Wright on the depth chart. Wright as been a non-factor and been below average in blocking which is supposed to be his strong suit.

If Keys can stay healthy, I like everything he brings to the table. Kid has shown some great hands as well as explosiveness. In limited reps, he’s done what Finke should be doing on a regular basis.

Speaking of Finke, he’s becoming less like Hunter Renfrow & more like Joe Schmidt.

Now that's funny! True, but funny also. He's pretty much a 'train wreck' at this juncture of the season.
 

Some Irish Bloke

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IrishLax

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Our best WR, Claypool, who I love, would be WR3 on most if not all top 10 teams. I do think we have young talent, but so far, Finke and Von aren't legit WRs for a top 10 legit team.

I agree with everything you said but this. He is likely to be a top 10 WR drafted this year, or at worst a mid-round pick. He is certainly better than every WR Wisconsin and Florida currently have.
 

Pops Freshenmeyer

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I don't see the OL playing well at all. They've had some decent moments, but overall, not good at all. They rank outside of the top 20 in every stat, and are like 115th in what I think is probably the most important stat (power success rate). That's not a pass blocking stat, so you can't lay it off on Book.
https://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/ncaaol/2019

Our best WR, Claypool, who I love, would be WR3 on most if not all top 10 teams. I do think we have young talent, but so far, Finke and Von aren't legit WRs for a top 10 legit team.

And RBs.... we just lack talent plain and simple. Not one of our RBs would start for a top 10 team.

Like I've said, Book will never be a superstar, but this Offense isn't NC caliber with or without Book. The only O position group that's NC worthy is probably TE, or at least one of them.




I agree 100% that Book is not a NC caliber QB. Nothing I've seen or heard of PJ tells me he's NC caliber either though. For argument's sake, let's remove QB from the discussion. Are the other current pieces of the O, NC caliber? OL, WR, RB?

There are huge problems with those ratings and they are an extremely blunt tool. They arbitrarily apportion credit between the OL and the RB (for example it counts an 8 yard run the same as a 98 yard run); heavily favor power running teams over big play running teams; fail to make adjustments for QB scrambles (a QB who runs for one yard vs. throwing the ball away will tank his OL's rating); and they are NOT opponent adjusted.

And with four games of data we're talking about extremely small samples for things like power success rate (runs on 3rd or 4th down with 2 or fewer yards to go).

EDIT: Bowling Green's offensive line has a better rating than ND in power success rate (rushing) and it's rated better in pass protection overall. Let's see how that holds up on Saturday.
 
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beryirish

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Can't we all just hope for a Bledsoe/Brady scenario so Kelly can turn a hard decision into an easy one...
 

BleedBlueGold

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II podcast talked about Book/PJ briefly recently. I basically agree with them:

-Book isn't making the same reads he did last year. That's a problem.
-Book isn't exactly playing terrible, he just hasn't progressed, as you'd like a second year starter to do.
-Their opinion is that PJ just isn't ready for a bigger role. Otherwise, there would be a ton more pressure to play him in games when Book is struggling.
-They worry that IF Book comes back, PJ will leave. Which isn't ideal, but it's not going to destroy the program either.


Book just needs to get out of his own head and go play ball. Make the reads he was making last year with ease. And throw the ball downfield and give Claypool a shot to make a play on 50/50 balls. Right now, he's doing neither of these and the offense is struggling to be consistent.

That defense though....delicious.
 

Pops Freshenmeyer

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II podcast talked about Book/PJ briefly recently. I basically agree with them:

-Book isn't making the same reads he did last year. That's a problem.
-Book isn't exactly playing terrible, he just hasn't progressed, as you'd like a second year starter to do.
-Their opinion is that PJ just isn't ready for a bigger role. Otherwise, there would be a ton more pressure to play him in games when Book is struggling.
-They worry that IF Book comes back, PJ will leave. Which isn't ideal, but it's not going to destroy the program either.


Book just needs to get out of his own head and go play ball. Make the reads he was making last year with ease. And throw the ball downfield and give Claypool a shot to make a play on 50/50 balls. Right now, he's doing neither of these and the offense is struggling to be consistent.

That defense though....delicious.

I will cut Book a little bit of slack. The New Mexico game may as well not exist so we're talking about Louisville, Georgia, and Virginia. The Louisville game wasn't great but it was a new defense. They put everything on his shoulders at Georgia and while I'm not thrilled with the offensive performance there I think he did ok. There is only one game where his play was genuinely concerning (Virginia).

OTOH, we haven't seen any games where he flashed.
 

Wingman Ray

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II podcast talked about Book/PJ briefly recently. I basically agree with them:


-Their opinion is that PJ just isn't ready for a bigger role. Otherwise, there would be a ton more pressure to play him in games when Book is struggling.
-They worry that IF Book comes back, PJ will leave. Which isn't ideal, but it's not going to destroy the program either.

.

This is very concerning. Concerning from the fact that the staff cannot improve the #1 QB recruit and a second year player in the program to the point where he could start. Im not saying he is a Fromm but Fromm started as a freshman and did really, really well. This is just more proof ND doesnt have an effective QB developing coach.
 

PANDFAN

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This is very concerning. Concerning from the fact that the staff cannot improve the #1 QB recruit and a second year player in the program to the point where he could start. Im not saying he is a Fromm but Fromm started as a freshman and did really, really well. This is just more proof ND doesnt have an effective QB developing coach.

he also has the best oline in the nation along with a great running game...he's not asked to sling the ball over the field...I'm not happy with his play, decision making but he also wasn't a 5* coming out of high school either so we're not comparing apples to apples
 

BabyIrish

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I’ll look at the analytics and data tomorrow but I’m pretty sure of the 65 power 5 conference schools, ND has one of the worst offensive lines in that group. Maybe it’s a little on Book but the OLine has been bad. Just straight up bad. Especially considering how talented and physically imposing the line is, it has really been disappointing this season. The WR group isn’t that good btw. Chris Finke is not Wes Welker or anything better than a 4.6/4.7 slot guy. Lawrence Keys is quick but tiny, Javon McKinley couldn’t play for 3 years and Claypool is the only one worth a damn. The RB’s aren’t good and Tony Jones Jr is a backup RB at most power 5 schools. The only position group that is top 10 level talent and is performing like it is probably the TE’s but that’s not a ton to work with. ND just straight up doesn’t have much talent on offense this year. Kevin Austin, Jordan Johnson, Chris Tyree, Kyren Williams, Braden Lenzy, Lawrence Keys III, and maybe Cole Kmet is something worth looking at for next season and I’m getting excited for that scenario hopefully. Ian Book certainly hasn’t been great this season but he’s not exactly been handed the keys to a dominant team. He’s behind a shoddy offensive line and has no run game. Not exactly the easiest stuff in the world to work with.

Everything I read points to a different story than the OL being bad. Most analysts have said that Liam and Hainsey have been playing really well (minus the false starts on Liam) but when it comes down to blocking they have had great technique and nasty streaks. Patterson has struggled but has gotten better each game, he just needs more reps. I've also read decent reviews on Tommy K but that he had his best game of the year and is trending. Really the only negative critique is coming with Banks, which is interesting because he was highly praised when he came in last year for Bars. Not sure what has happened there.
 

InKellyWeTrust

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The offensive line is fine. The power success rate YJ mentioned is absolute garbage, sorry. Rutgers is tied for first place in that metric. Also the running game was much better last week. Book isn't seeing the field - big red flag for a guy whose strong suit was thought to be decision making.
 

SoIll

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Anyone ever think Brendan Clark may be better then Phil.........
 

BabyIrish

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This is very concerning. Concerning from the fact that the staff cannot improve the #1 QB recruit and a second year player in the program to the point where he could start. Im not saying he is a Fromm but Fromm started as a freshman and did really, really well. This is just more proof ND doesnt have an effective QB developing coach.

I think we can question why the staff put PJ on the scout team last year, it seems it would have been better to develop him more instead of moving him into that role. However, since the Spring and they started his development, I think we can all agree he has made considerable progress.

On developing Book, most of the analysis I hear put it on his shoulders. They agree that they really haven't changed playcalling and the looks, he's just not making the reads on a consistent basis. Driskell pointed this out. On the Finke catch on a deep drag on the first drive, he made the proper read. The next time they ran the deep drag, Virginia adjusted, the safety comes down to help with Finke, but Book locks in on Finke rather than reading the safety and looking for the one on one with Claypool. Analysts seem to be dumbfounded as to why he can't make those plays, considering they saw him make more of those plays last year.
 

Irish#1

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That seems to be quite an overreaction on PJ. I just rewatched his one drive, I didn’t see any uncertainty. He probably would’ve had a touchdown if Lenzy wasn’t held in the end zone. I’m not sure why you’re almost discounting his deep throw to Lenzy; not even Trevor Lawrence could’ve thrown that ball better. I didn’t see anything that hinted a lack of confidence or a lack of playbook knowledge.

I did clarify that it was a small sample size and I am in no way discarding his deep throw, but there he's not in a crowded area of the field if you no what I mean. The commentators on the radio talked about him not handling the RZ well. When I got time to watch the game I saw what they were talking about.

BleedBlueGold mentions from II ...."Their opinion is that PJ just isn't ready for a bigger role. Otherwise, there would be a ton more pressure to play him in games when Book is struggling."

I'm not ready to say PJ won't be good, but it doesn't sound like he's ready yet.
 

Pops Freshenmeyer

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I did clarify that it was a small sample size and I am in no way discarding his deep throw, but there he's not in a crowded area of the field if you no what I mean. The commentators on the radio talked about him not handling the RZ well. When I got time to watch the game I saw what they were talking about.

BleedBlueGold mentions from II ...."Their opinion is that PJ just isn't ready for a bigger role. Otherwise, there would be a ton more pressure to play him in games when Book is struggling."

I'm not ready to say PJ won't be good, but it doesn't sound like he's ready yet.

That seems like thin evidence. When would ND have benched Book for PJ? Certainly not in the Louisville opener or on the road against Georgia. Against Virginia, ND's drives went:

TD
TD
Missed FG
Punt
Punt
---------------halftime
Punt
TD (ND takes the lead for good)
Punt
-(ND gets a defensive TD)
Punt
TD
Punt
End of Game

They never trailed by multiple scores or had a game situation reason to open up the offense for need of points.

I have no opinion on Phil's readiness but I also see no point in the season where a "ready" Phil forces Book to the bench.
 

Irishize

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I haven’t read/heard one analyst say that they thought Jurkovec is ready. Fans have latched onto that one great long ball which was a beautiful pass. Reminded me of when Dayne Crist hit John Goodman on a long one in mop up duty vs Wazzu in the Alamo Dome.
 

greyhammer90

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I haven’t read/heard one analyst say that they thought Jurkovec is ready. Everyone has latched onto that one great long ball which was a beautiful pass. Reminded me of when Dayne Crist hit John Goodman on a long one in mop up duty vs Wazzu in the Alamo Dome.

Yep. And not only that, but the long ball is apparently the one thing that PJ has always been consistently good at, so it's not like this long connection was some surprise that showed that PJ was more capable than the analysts anticipated.

I agree that Book has a ceiling, but I also think there is something to be said for a floor.
 

InKellyWeTrust

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Yep. And not only that, but the long ball is apparently the one thing that PJ has always been consistently good at, so it's not like this long connection was some surprise that showed that PJ was more capable than the analysts anticipated.

I agree that Book has a ceiling, but I also think there is something to be said for a floor.

Which would you rather have? Book starts next year and PJ transfers. PJ starts next year and Book transfers/moves on.

Obviously we'd all like retain both but if I had a vote I'd rather see what Phil is made of next year.
 

ulukinatme

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Yep. And not only that, but the long ball is apparently the one thing that PJ has always been consistently good at, so it's not like this long connection was some surprise that showed that PJ was more capable than the analysts anticipated.

I agree that Book has a ceiling, but I also think there is something to be said for a floor.

Alabama won a lot of championships with QBs that had low ceilings but high floors. Then again, every position outside of QB was filled with stars.
 

greyhammer90

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Which would you rather have? Book starts next year and PJ transfers. PJ starts next year and Book transfers/moves on.

Obviously we'd all like retain both but if I had a vote I'd rather see what Phil is made of next year.

A lazy answer but the truth: I'll let the coaching staff that has forgotten more about football than I'll ever know, that sees every single rep thrown by these guys, and that has previously shown that they are willing to pull an under-performing QB make that decision.

Obviously I want PJ to take the starting job. That means he's better than Book, which has exciting implications given his arm and athleticism. But calling for PJ to start or for Book to move on based on the information at hand is basically just wishing that PJ would be better than Book. It's putting the cart before the horse in a way that only fans are capable of doing. We're not comparing Book with PJ, we're comparing Book with our idealized version of PJ that probably does not exist.

The most recent II podcast gave the best comparison by saying that PJ is like Andrew Hendrix when Tommy Rees was our starter. People were clamoring for Hendrix because he had a big arm, was athletic, and had previously shown some flashes of both in scrimmage-like situations. Then he comes in for a whole second half against USC and everyone realized that Rees was the reason we had an offense at all.

Bottom line: There's a reason the starter is the starter and despite what most people on here bemoan it's usually not that the coach feels bad about benching the older kid.
 

BabyIrish

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Bottom line: There's a reason the starter is the starter and despite what most people on here bemoan it's usually not that the coach feels bad about benching the older kid.

Bingo, considering they already did it last year with Wimbush. If PJ was better than Book right now, he'd be starting.
 

zelezo vlk

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A lazy answer but the truth: I'll let the coaching staff that has forgotten more about football than I'll ever know, that sees every single rep thrown by these guys, and that has previously shown that they are willing to pull an under-performing QB make that decision.

Obviously I want PJ to take the starting job. That means he's better than Book, which has exciting implications given his arm and athleticism. But calling for PJ to start or for Book to move on based on the information at hand is basically just wishing that PJ would be better than Book. It's putting the cart before the horse in a way that only fans are capable of doing. We're not comparing Book with PJ, we're comparing Book with our idealized version of PJ that probably does not exist.

The most recent II podcast gave the best comparison by saying that PJ is like Andrew Hendrix when Tommy Rees was our starter. People were clamoring for Hendrix because he had a big arm, was athletic, and had previously shown some flashes of both in scrimmage-like situations. Then he comes in for a whole second half against USC and everyone realized that Rees was the reason we had an offense at all.

Bottom line: There's a reason the starter is the starter and despite what most people on here bemoan it's usually not that the coach feels bad about benching the older kid.

Wait, were people still clamoring for Hendrix in 2013?? I thought it was clear by then that Hendrix was not a P5 quarterback (and to be fair, he wasn't a G5 QB either https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/andrew-hendrix-1.html)

I thought people were wanting Zaire to get in, until he got mono his freshman year.
 
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