Stidham about to be "turned loose"

[WFE12 9,191]

Auburn starting QB Jarrett Stidham about to ‘be turned loose’

By Justin Ferguson, Auburn Beat Reporter

May 3, 2018

 

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — After a spring of mostly standing around and watching, Jarrett Stidham is about to be the full-strength starting quarterback of Auburn football again.

Stidham was limited during spring practices while recovering from offseason surgery on his left, non-throwing, shoulder. But when the Tigers start summer workouts this month, he’ll be fully active.

“When we come back, he’ll be turned loose to do everything, and I know he’s really looking forward to that.” Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said Wednesday evening. “He could’ve done a little bit more the last week of spring, but we just didn’t want to take any chances. We wanted to be cautious with that, but he’ll be back ready to go when we come back.”

MORE: Auburn football: Latest timetables for 7 injured Tigers heading into summer

Auburn kept Stidham from actively practicing in March and early April outside of some light throwing sessions and 7-on-7 drills. Stidham threw in front of the Jordan-Hare Stadium crowd before the annual A-Day spring game.

The surgery was a much-needed one for Stidham, who said he suffered a partially torn labrum of his left shoulder in a win over Missouri in late September. That didn’t keep Stidham from playing through the injury and leading the Tigers to their first SEC West title since 2013.

“He’s a tough guy, there’s no doubt about it,” Malzahn said. “During the season, he didn’t complain about it, took some licks on it, and obviously the bowl game, that’s when it really started to bother him. He’s a tough guy, he’s a leader. We really expect big things out of his leadership this year.”

Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham threw in an abbreviated 7-on-7 session during A-Day. (Todd Van Emst/Auburn Athletics)

That leadership will be key for Auburn this summer. Stidham is Malzahn’s first returning starter at quarterback since Nick Marshall in 2014.

In the summer, contact between players and coaches is limited by NCAA rules. Most of the work is player-led, and a fully recovered Stidham is crucial to that offensive improvement.

“You got to have your leaders in the summer,” Malzahn said. “He’s one of our team leaders. For him to be able to do everything, I think is very big. The coaches can only be with them two hours a week with football-related things. The rest of the time, it’s your leaders.

“The fact that he’s got a year under his belt, he’s one of our team leaders, and to be ready in the summer, I think that’s going to be really big for us.”

MORE: Jarrett Stidham on Auburn’s injuries: ‘I don’t think it puts us too far behind’

Stidham is coming off a 3,158-yard season with Auburn, which was only the second time any quarterback had reached the 3,000-yard passing mark in program history. All of his receivers who ended 2017 return to the team for 2018, although Eli Stove and Will Hastings are already out with ACL injuries.

The summer will be the first time Stidham gets to work with a star-studded freshman class at wide receiver that features Matthew Hill, Seth Williams and Anthony Schwartz.

Stidham will enter the summer — workout season and “talking season” — with plenty of attention. Some outlets are already projecting him to be a first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Malzahn doesn’t think that hype will affect Stidham.

“Jarrett is a very focused young man,” Malzahn said. “There were high expectations last year with everything. I know he’ll do everything in his power to help us take that next step as a program. There’s nothing better than experience in our league, and he had a full year under his belt.

“He played against the best defenses in college football and played well. I think he’s in a good spot. He’s going to be very driven, and he’s a team-first guy anyway.”

[WFE12 9,191]

This summer will be huge for our success this season. I wish I could be a fly on the wall. Jarrett will be hard on himself and will be on everybody to put everything they have on the field this season.

[aublaise 199]

Look at the picture of the author of that article.  Think he is in high school, yet?

[Tiger 8,818]

16 minutes ago, aublaise said:

Look at the picture of the author of that article.  Think he is in high school, yet?

Key Club secretary for sure

[ShocksMyBrain 9,362]

1 minute ago, Tiger said:

Key Club secretary for sure

Looks like a paper salesman/beet farmer for Dunder Mifflin to me. 

[Tiger 8,818]

3 minutes ago, ShocksMyBrain said:

Looks like a paper salesman/beet farmer for Dunder Mifflin to me. 

Definitely Dwight and Mose's other brother

[WFE12 9,191]

Hey y'all get off my boy J-Ferg.

[Zeek 16,617]

Here's hoping. If you were a coach looking to tailor this years team to its players we should probably be pass happy. A quick passing game with short high percentage routes until a burner gets let loose off tight coverage over the top. Slants, drag routes, and simple hooks would run teams ragged. We have the receivers and QB to do it. Our running backs and OL are the question marks.

I know we'll always be a run first team but it might be the year we shift the percentage a little more than usual. We're missing two solid receivers but our Freshman are pretty impressive and we have enough experience.

[Win4AU 4,052]

With a full year under his belt he should come out more confident than last year.  The offense as a whole should be roaring in year 2 under Lindsey.  Things I want to see

1. Throw it away

2. No more sack fests.

3. No more fumbles inside the 20.  Bama could have been so much worse without that lost score in the first half.  UCF possibly a win without that fumble.

[AuburnNTexas 7,128]

3 hours ago, Zeek said:

Here's hoping. If you were a coach looking to tailor this years team to its players we should probably be pass happy. A quick passing game with short high percentage routes until a burner gets let loose off tight coverage over the top. Slants, drag routes, and simple hooks would run teams ragged. We have the receivers and QB to do it. Our running backs and OL are the question marks.

I know we'll always be a run first team but it might be the year we shift the percentage a little more than usual. We're missing two solid receivers but our Freshman are pretty impressive and we have enough experience.

I agree with what you say but I still think we will be a run heavy team. I hope less so then in the past I am not that worried about our Running back's as I think we have very solid running backs who can run and catch out of the backfield and looked ok pass blocking.  Like you I am worried about the O-Line.  Running teams hurt Washington last year and from what the more knowledgeable posters say teaching run blocking is Grimes strength. I think the O-line will be better art run blocking then pass blocking at beginning of the season. Some of our pass blocking woes is we call to many slow developing plays.  Last year our quick passes were WR screens and that was about it.

Like you I think we need to run quick slants, drag routes, Simple hooks, back wheel routes and please involve the TE. With our two speed receivers hurt this is a great opportunity to use a couple of our underutilized bigger receivers like NCM a slant where he can shield the DB with his body and catch it is stride could turn a short pass into a big gain. I would also love to see Marquis McClain at TE every now and then as he would be a match up nightmare for a LB or Safety.

I am hoping that Gus gives Chip enough space to at least do some of what we want.

[AUsince72 11,084]

I'm sad that they're turning him loose.  I was just getting used to him.  Wonder where he'll end up?

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[Texas 14]

2 hours ago, Win4AU said:

With a full year under his belt he should come out more confident than last year.  The offense as a whole should be roaring in year 2 under Lindsey.  Things I want to see

1. Throw it away

2. No more sack fests.

3. No more fumbles inside the 20.  Bama could have been so much worse without that lost score in the first half.  UCF possibly a win without that fumble.

I agree, but I thought he started getting rid of the ball better as the year progressed last season?

[Randman5000 4,224]

"He's in a good spot"

[johnnyAU 3,630]

Wish he'd have been turned loose last season, especially in a few particular games. If only we could design some routes to get our WR's open to go with it.

[AUsince72 11,084]

9 hours ago, johnnyAU said:

Wish he'd have been turned loose last season, especially in a few particular games. If only we could design some routes to get our WR's open to go with it.

Yes.  I'd feel better if they'd follow this article up with "We're turning the Receivers loose too".

[jared52 4,354]

15 hours ago, AUsince72 said:

I'm sad that they're turning him loose.  I was just getting used to him.  Wonder where he'll end up?

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[meh130 1,043]

Without the power running game we expected to have going into the 2017 season (with K.J. and Pettway), I expect offensive playbook changes this year.

OL pass protection must improve. We lost some talented linemen, and we must make that up and improve pass protection.

We need our RBs to improve their pass protection. I saw comments last year that Stidham lost confidence in his passing game when K.J. was not on the field because Stidham trusted K.J.'s pass blocking ability.

I expect a broader portfolio of RPOs. We need to get pressure off of the RBs, and RPOs can do that, especially RPOs that target LBs. If w have success in the short passing game, those RPOs which target the slot WR on quick inside slants behind the LBs will loosen up the running game.

I expect Stidham to break the single-season passing record this year.

[lionheartkc 6,150]

1 hour ago, AUsince72 said:

Yes.  I'd feel better if they'd follow this article up with "We're turning the Receivers loose too".

Or do we need to tighten them up? Best I can tell, the majority of them are still sloppy in their routes which contributes to their inability to get open.

[AUsince72 11,084]

26 minutes ago, lionheartkc said:

Or do we need to tighten them up? Best I can tell, the majority of them are still sloppy in their routes which contributes to their inability to get open.

Oh, they could certainly use more (better?) coaching.  No argument there...

....but they would also benefit from some 21st century routes.

[AidiAU 1,270]

49 minutes ago, lionheartkc said:

Or do we need to tighten them up? Best I can tell, the majority of them are still sloppy in their routes which contributes to their inability to get open.

Except for White Lightening who is out.

If I recall correctly, I swear I remember Jackson was praised for running routes well. Maybe we will have a few this year that surprise us. And I'm hoping one of them is NCM!!!!

[Tiger 8,818]

Our WRs have been running poor routes this entire decade it seems like smh

[lionheartkc 6,150]

49 minutes ago, Tiger said:

Our WRs have been running poor routes this entire decade it seems like smh

On the upside, our defense sucked for a good decade and we fixed that.

[bigbird 60,368]

4 hours ago, AUsince72 said:

 

....but they would also benefit from some 21st century routes.

Routes are routes are routes.  They are they same for each team.  The biggest thing that needs to change is our ability to separate and catch. Those are the two most glaring issues and they can only be rectified with better coaching.

[AUsince72 11,084]

1 hour ago, bigbird said:

Routes are routes are routes.  They are they same for each team.  The biggest thing that needs to change is our ability to separate and catch. Those are the two most glaring issues and they can only be rectified with better coaching.

You are far more expert than I and again, I don't argue against some better abilities (coaching, I assume).

Just seems to me that AU's routes seem to be very short (screen-ish) or "go long".  Perhaps, it's the QB choices that make it seem that way to me.

[bigbird 60,368]

51 minutes ago, AUsince72 said:

You are far more expert than I and again, I don't argue against some better abilities (coaching, I assume).

Just seems to me that AU's routes seem to be very short (screen-ish) or "go long".  Perhaps, it's the QB choices that make it seem that way to me.

I agree that our route types and combinations should be more diverse.