Who Should QB against OU in two weeks

[Dr Z]

I started this poll anticipating this weeks poll. After you vote please explain your vote.

[zen]

I wish I could vote for the first two, because I think Rogers will get better. However, I don't think we should waste that redshirt and I don't think it helps us nor does it help Nicely AT ALL by throwing him into the fire.

[cornbread]

He will get better. Remember the glimpses we saw of him? Remember how the coaches kept throwing him in during Jac's 2009 season?He can be good. He may require a few things first.

• Time in the pocket
• Running game
• Comprehensive offensive strategy

Give him a few games. We will win a game here and there. The easy part of the schedule is here, now. Let's hope something works out.

[skip-zip]

Matt will be the starting QB, and I think it will stay that way through the season...barring injury. I'm not the only one who shook my head a couple of times after some of his throws, but with us being out matched, no run support, and some bad blocking, he completed a good percentage of passes, made no major mistakes, and carried a good efficiency rating. If Bowser doesn't drop that long pass, we'd have to credit Matt with going 13 of 19 for 150-200 yards against the best team in the MAC. He's also found a way to make some things happen on his own, which I love to see. I have a hard time finding many problems with his performance.

[Zip_ME87]

Jordan Miller...wait, I forgot he left the team in August. (More proof of JD's recruiting prowess.)Matt Rodgers because, as the Browns have proven time and again, changing QB's over and over solves nothing. The problems with the Zips go beyond who the QB is.Fire JD, make Shane Montgomery the Interim Head Coach and Walt Harris the Offensive Coordinator. That would change out the head coach and possibly the play calling at the same time.

[Zip Watcher]

I vote OTHER.My choice would be Paul McDonald.Go Zips!!

[Hilltopper]

I vote OTHER.My choice would be Paul McDonald.Go Zips!!

I always suspected you were a closet USC fan! :blink: Frontrunner!

[tim123]

I started this poll anticipating this weeks poll. After you vote please explain your vote.

No brainer, Nicely should start his career!

[ZachTheZip]

Fire JD, make Shane Montgomery the Interim Head Coach and Walt Harris the Offensive Coordinator. That would change out the head coach and possibly the play calling at the same time.

I blame most of the team's problems on Shane. No way do I want him to be the HC.

[bigzipguy]

I don't care who the QB is, as long as a quarterback does not have a consistent running game, I mean between the tackles, he is going to have his share of problems. The question is, is the problem mostly with the performance of the O-line, the backs, or are both equally to blame?

[Dave in Green]

Don't panic. Everyone who's watched them is painfully aware that the Zips haven't looked good overall. But a cold, hard analysis of their record so far is that 1-3 is only one win less than most of us realistically expected. At this point it really doesn't matter how bad they looked in those losses. It only matters if that level of play becomes the norm for the remainder of the season.* The road losses to PSU and CMU were probabilities all along, regardless of who QBed.* The home win over MSU was a given, regardless of who QBed.* The home loss to IU is the only game so far where they lost one that they had a decent chance to win, especially if the QB situation hadn't imploded days before the game. The QB situation definitely impacted the outcome of this game, and the situation certainly cannot be blamed on Rodgers.So we now enter the part of the season that will determine whether or not the team can jell under the new QB and put the first third of the season out of their minds, or whether they are snake-bit and fold. In other words, it's time to see what kind of character this team and its coaches have.If they look bad against weaker competition, then it's time for a cold, hard analysis of where the problems lie, and what corrective action needs to be taken. If they (including Rodgers) start performing better and consistently beat weaker teams, then hang on to Nicely's redshirt and give him a chance next year to compete for becoming the starting QB for the next four seasons.The absolute worst case scenario is to burn a redshirt in a panic, throw a true freshman QB into a bad team situation and destroy his confidence. That can potentially take a long time to recover from, if ever. If Nicely respresents the long-term future of Zips football, it's not worth the risk of throwing him into the fire for a possible but far from guaranteed short-term gain.

[ctmjbowes@sbcglobal.net]

Is it completely insane to wonder at this point if the hiring of Montgomery and/or Harris was not only unproductive, but counterproductive somehow? The O-line is worse. The QB play is worse. The running game is worse. Do we have tight ends on the team? I'm starting to wonder what the interpersonal dynamic is between JD and one or both of those new coaches. Is it even remotely possible that one, or both, have been working against JD, or that they just aren't forming a functional relationship somehow, in a way that is manifested on the field? Whatever is happening in the offices and meeting rooms, the result we see on the field is garbage, so I think that it's worth asking whether it's possible that something really bad is happening among those three.Regardless, I want to see Nicely get some snaps. Worrying about losing the redshirt is the LEAST of our problems at this point. This team blows, the season is lost. If we can begin to develop him, it will set the O up for a better season next yeat, will maybe keep a few fans more entertained, will allow the coaches to decide what type of offensive players will best compliment Nicely's skills, and lastly (and selfishly) I will have something worth at least paying attention to on the field for the next couple of months.STZ

[RootforRoo44]

Matt will be the starting QB, and I think it will stay that way through the season...barring injury. I'm not the only one who shook my head a couple of times after some of his throws, but with us being out matched, no run support, and some bad blocking, he completed a good percentage of passes, made no major mistakes, and carried a good efficiency rating. If Bowser doesn't drop that long pass, we'd have to credit Matt with going 13 of 19 for 150-200 yards against the best team in the MAC. He's also found a way to make some things happen on his own, which I love to see. I have a hard time finding many problems with his performance.

MADE NO MAJOR MISTAKES?! Apparently dropping the ball out of your hand twice with no one touching you doesn't count as a mistake.

[Dr Z]

At this point it really doesn't matter how bad they looked in those losses.

Sure it does, it's a great indicator of how they will perform in the future if things continue the way they have in the past.

[Captain Kangaroo]

The absolute worst case scenario is to burn a redshirt in a panic, throw a true freshman QB into a bad team situation and destroy his confidence.

What is he's really good? What if he can make plays?If it were Year #1 of the JD era, I agree. Play Rogers. But it isn't. It is year #6 and JD needs to win six more games to keep his job. The University also doesn't want to see its 6,000 base season ticket holders drop to 3k because people decide they don't want to pay a couple hundred dollars to watch the home team get beat like a drum on a weekly basis.JD owes it to the public and to himself to play the best QB. If it is Rogers, fine. If it is Nicely, then I want to see him.Remember when Nicely wanted to play for Team USA this summer and JD told him "No, I want you in camp because there's a chance you can play this season"? I assume we are now living the scenario JD envisioned. Another alternative - Gary Pride, and run the option. I'm a desperate man.

[zen]

I disagree that the season is lost. Obviously, if we started winning a lot of games, the season would be more than salvaged.However, based on how they have performed on the field so far, it is difficult to imagine how things could turn out that drastically. But who knows? I don't stop being a fan when things get rough. I'm here to see how things develop.The point is, season is technically not lost. Even if it were, what would be the point of burning the red shirt? There are a lot of problems that can't be blamed on the QB. If you think the season is really a waste, let's see what Matt Rogers can do. Let's give him a chance.

[johnnyzip84]

If Nicely is a substantial upgrade at this point, then JD should play him (although I kind of like the idea of saving Patrick's 4 years for the next regime). If the O-line doesn't play better, it probably won't matter a whole lot. But I don't think there is any risk to "ruining his confidence" by playing him regardless. If he has all the tools (physical, mental, emotional) he'll be able to bounce back from some adversity.

[Dr Z]

although I kind of like the idea of saving Patrick's 4 years for the next regime

You are assuming that Patrick doesn't transfer if there is a new "regime"

If the O-line doesn't play better, it probably won't matter a whole lot.

Does anybody think a QB can make a OL look bad, or look better? Is it possible Patrick could make the line look better by making quicker decisions and having a pocket presence?

[Dr Z]

what would be the point of burning the red shirt?

Winning games would be the only reason.

[johnnyzip84]

although I kind of like the idea of saving Patrick's 4 years for the next regime

You are assuming that Patrick doesn't transfer if there is a new "regime"

If the O-line doesn't play better, it probably won't matter a whole lot.

Does anybody think a QB can make a OL look bad, or look better? Is it possible Patrick could make the line look better by making quicker decisions and having a pocket presence?

He won't transfer once he sees the throng of quality candidates that I'M lining up Sure there is a symbiotic relationship betweeb QB and O-line. There may be some help available for the O-line in that regard. If the quick passing game gets going, perhaps that opens up the run a little. I don't think Patrick can help with the consecutive false starts though.

[new yorker]

Start the backups of all the positions where our players fell short and make sure that includes the veteran players (those with more than 2 starts) as well.

[Dave in Green]

I did not say that I was against burning Nicely's redshirt under any circumstances. I've been pretty consistent in saying that Rodgers should be given a fair chance. I do not think the situation Rodgers was thrown into with IU and CMU can reasonably be defined as a "fair chance." It was pretty much a worst case scenario of being thrown into the fire with no warning.The next couple of games will make my determination. Based on his performance in these games, if it appears to me as if Rodgers cannot consistently lead the team to good performances over the remainder of the season, then I would agree that giving Nicely a shot is the smart thing to do. Even if it didn't produce more wins this year, it would allow Nicely to begin next season with more experience and a better shot at winning more games next season.But I don't think that either QB can carry the rest of the team and the coaching staff on their shoulders.

[Dave in Green]

At this point it really doesn't matter how bad they looked in those losses.

Sure it does, it's a great indicator of how they will perform in the future if things continue the way they have in the past.

You only quoted half of my point. The second half completes the thought: It only matters if that level of play becomes the norm for the remainder of the season.Many decades of following sports have taught me that some teams play roughly the same pace all season, some bounce back and forth between good and bad, some start fast and fold at the end, and some start slow and finish fast. We won't know which profile this year's Zips fit until the end of the season.You are correct that it's a great indicator of how they will perform in the future if things continue the way they have in the past. In fact, anything that continues the way it has in the past will remain about the same. But things don't always continue the way they have in the past.Wading through all of the semantics, I believe that you and I are in total agreement on this point.

[GP1]

what would be the point of burning the red shirt?

I thought I posted something about this this morning, but it must not have taken. This post has nothing to do with the QB situation.Prevailing fan logic about red shirts is that they are always good and players are better because of them. When words like "burning" are used, it is being used in a negative manner. When prevailing fan logic is one way, GP1 usually goes the other way. For example, when the fans yell, "Go for it" on fourth and four, GP1 yells, "Punt. Don't listen to the crowd, they've been drinking all day". I always laugh when announcers say, "The fans want them to go for it". Of course they do, they are impaired by alchol. Here we go. Red shirts are on scout team. Players on scout team do not get much individual attention and do not develop during the season. Being red shirted can stunt their growth and in some ways harm their development when bad habbits are developed, etc. Players develop by playing them in games. When a player is on scout team, there is no telling how he will do in a game. Red shirts are not always good.If a player can play, then play him. The people of Ohio are paying too much for our guys to go to school not to use them if they can help win.

[ZachTheZip]

Nicely is no longer on the Scout team. He's second string, preparing to start in the case of an injury to Rodgers.I want to give Rodgers two more games. I think it is a reasonable amount of time for him to show that he is capable of leading the offense, or at least showing some improvement after the bye week. After that, if he hasn't progressed at all you still have half the season for Nicely to come in. It also gives Nicely some time to get prepared as a second stringer before throwing him to the wolves. Remember that he came into this season expecting to redshirt.