New QB Spring Leaders

[AU80cruiser 1,102]

We just need to do something at QB so we don't waste the DL we think we will have this year. I'm just glad we have a couple of stud RBs like JRob and Pettway we can ride along with a good run blocking OL. If the coaches commit to that, a QB that can deliver the ball once in awhile is all we would need. Anything above that would then be gravy.

And lets not forget this great group of receivers we have coming in. If we just have someone that can get the ball to the 3 davis' s, craig-meyers, and stevens we could be deadly this year.

I don't understand why marshall was so good at putting the ball where it gave our receivers the best chance to make a catch yet not one of our QBs seem to have knowledge that this type of play exists. Sean looks a little more clued in but still a ways off from what we need to win big games.

[McLoofus 35,182]

I don't understand why marshall was so good at putting the ball where it gave our receivers the best chance to make a catch yet not one of our QBs seem to have knowledge that this type of play exists. Sean looks a little more clued in but still a ways off from what we need to win big games.

Sean is also a couple years off of being the age that most guys are before they're expected to quarterback a conference title contender.

And while Marshall might've been a somewhat better passer than he gets credit for, I doubt you'll find much agreement that he was "so good" at putting balls where the WRs could make a catch. Now, if you meant he was good at putting balls where the defender could not get to it, then I agree with you. Marshall protected the ball.

If you're looking for a quarterback for our current crop to emulate, you could do a lot worse than Nick Marshall. Unfortunately, you'd be hard pressed to find his combination of athleticism and intelligence. If you're looking purely for a passer for them to emulate, I think there's a pretty long list ahead of him. And, again, you'd be hard pressed to find his arm strength elsewhere anyway.

[IronMan70 3,277]

We just need to do something at QB so we don't waste the DL we think we will have this year. I'm just glad we have a couple of stud RBs like JRob and Pettway we can ride along with a good run blocking OL. If the coaches commit to that, a QB that can deliver the ball once in awhile is all we would need. Anything above that would then be gravy.

And lets not forget this great group of receivers we have coming in. If we just have someone that can get the ball to the 3 davis' s, craig-meyers, and stevens we could be deadly this year.

I don't understand why marshall was so good at putting the ball where it gave our receivers the best chance to make a catch yet not one of our QBs seem to have knowledge that this type of play exists. Sean looks a little more clued in but still a ways off from what we need to win big games.

All our QBs have flaws, some more than others, but I would agree with you about SW. He seems to be more "ready" than the others in April. However, who knows what will happen over the Summer. We do have 2 bruisers (JRob and Pettway) to run it inside, we have plenty of speed backs (Roc, Kerryon, JF3 and others) to get into open space, so just get a competent QB to manage this thing.

I have to say right here, I love the way Pettway finishes a run along with the quickness he shows. He is durable, punishes tacklers and should be a huge help to JRob on the inside. He was a pleasant surprise.

Honestly my biggest concern in the passing game, for any of the QBs, is I don't think our pass blocking at the OT positions is where it needs to be right now. But thankfully we still have 4 months. The run blocking from tackle to tackle, more especially on the interior, looks pretty decent. We need to take advantage of that with those big backs.

[AuburnNTexas 7,174]

We just need to do something at QB so we don't waste the DL we think we will have this year. I'm just glad we have a couple of stud RBs like JRob and Pettway we can ride along with a good run blocking OL. If the coaches commit to that, a QB that can deliver the ball once in awhile is all we would need. Anything above that would then be gravy.

And lets not forget this great group of receivers we have coming in. If we just have someone that can get the ball to the 3 davis' s, craig-meyers, and stevens we could be deadly this year.

I don't understand why marshall was so good at putting the ball where it gave our receivers the best chance to make a catch yet not one of our QBs seem to have knowledge that this type of play exists. Sean looks a little more clued in but still a ways off from what we need to win big games.

All our QBs have flaws, some more than others, but I would agree about SW. He seems to be more "ready" than the others in April, but, who knows what will happen over the Summer. We have 2 bruisers(JRob and Pettway)to run it inside, we have plenty of speed backs (Roc, Kerryon, JF3 and others) to get in open space and pressure the edges, so just get a competent QB to manage this thing.

My biggest concern in the passing game at the moment is that I don't think our pass blocking, at either OT position, is where it needs to be right now. The run blocking from tackle to tackle, but especially in the interior, looks pretty decent. I love the way Pettway finishes a run too. He likes to punish tacklers and should be a big help to JRob.

You left out that apparently we are going to let our H-Backs run some and as we saw with Cox that was very effective. So we could have three backs punishing tacklers this year. The one thing I don't understand is why we don't run slants to TE on a quick run fake to hold the linebackers every other team in the SEC does this and it is very effective and it doesn't require a great passer or TE. LB bites on Run you have an open receiver LB doesn't bite and drops into coverage you give to RB.

I think our coaches need to adjust the Offense to help the QB's and adjust the offense for which QB is out there. JF3 and JJ more QB run oriented. The TE slant is ideal for SW as it is pass or handoff without asking him to run.

[lionheartkc 6,150]

We just need to do something at QB so we don't waste the DL we think we will have this year. I'm just glad we have a couple of stud RBs like JRob and Pettway we can ride along with a good run blocking OL. If the coaches commit to that, a QB that can deliver the ball once in awhile is all we would need. Anything above that would then be gravy.

And lets not forget this great group of receivers we have coming in. If we just have someone that can get the ball to the 3 davis' s, craig-meyers, and stevens we could be deadly this year.

I don't understand why marshall was so good at putting the ball where it gave our receivers the best chance to make a catch yet not one of our QBs seem to have knowledge that this type of play exists. Sean looks a little more clued in but still a ways off from what we need to win big games.

All our QBs have flaws, some more than others, but I would agree about SW. He seems to be more "ready" than the others in April, but, who knows what will happen over the Summer. We have 2 bruisers(JRob and Pettway)to run it inside, we have plenty of speed backs (Roc, Kerryon, JF3 and others) to get in open space and pressure the edges, so just get a competent QB to manage this thing.

My biggest concern in the passing game at the moment is that I don't think our pass blocking, at either OT position, is where it needs to be right now. The run blocking from tackle to tackle, but especially in the interior, looks pretty decent. I love the way Pettway finishes a run too. He likes to punish tacklers and should be a big help to JRob.

You left out that apparently we are going to let our H-Backs run some and as we saw with Cox that was very effective. So we could have three backs punishing tacklers this year. The one thing I don't understand is why we don't run slants to TE on a quick run fake to hold the linebackers every other team in the SEC does this and it is very effective and it doesn't require a great passer or TE. LB bites on Run you have an open receiver LB doesn't bite and drops into coverage you give to RB.

I think our coaches need to adjust the Offense to help the QB's and adjust the offense for which QB is out there. JF3 and JJ more QB run oriented. The TE slant is ideal for SW as it is pass or handoff without asking him to run.

I wouldn't be surprised at all to see more slants this year. With Marshall, it wasn't his strength and we focused on the read-option. Last year, we didn't have a serviceable TE to run the play. This year we do, and if Sean is the starter, the playbook will be more geared to him at the start.

[McLoofus 35,182]

I wouldn't be surprised at all to see more slants this year. With Marshall, it wasn't his strength and we focused on the read-option. Last year, we didn't have a serviceable TE to run the play. This year we do, and if Sean is the starter, the playbook will be more geared to him at the start.

Good points. Marshall had a low release point- I guess, I'm not really qualified to say for sure- and a lot of those passes were completed to the back of his OLs' heads. And completely agreed about the ghost of the TE position last year.

[IronMan70 3,277]

We just need to do something at QB so we don't waste the DL we think we will have this year. I'm just glad we have a couple of stud RBs like JRob and Pettway we can ride along with a good run blocking OL. If the coaches commit to that, a QB that can deliver the ball once in awhile is all we would need. Anything above that would then be gravy.

And lets not forget this great group of receivers we have coming in. If we just have someone that can get the ball to the 3 davis' s, craig-meyers, and stevens we could be deadly this year.

I don't understand why marshall was so good at putting the ball where it gave our receivers the best chance to make a catch yet not one of our QBs seem to have knowledge that this type of play exists. Sean looks a little more clued in but still a ways off from what we need to win big games.

All our QBs have flaws, some more than others, but I would agree about SW. He seems to be more "ready" than the others in April, but, who knows what will happen over the Summer. We have 2 bruisers(JRob and Pettway)to run it inside, we have plenty of speed backs (Roc, Kerryon, JF3 and others) to get in open space and pressure the edges, so just get a competent QB to manage this thing.

My biggest concern in the passing game at the moment is that I don't think our pass blocking, at either OT position, is where it needs to be right now. The run blocking from tackle to tackle, but especially in the interior, looks pretty decent. I love the way Pettway finishes a run too. He likes to punish tacklers and should be a big help to JRob.

You left out that apparently we are going to let our H-Backs run some and as we saw with Cox that was very effective. So we could have three backs punishing tacklers this year. The one thing I don't understand is why we don't run slants to TE on a quick run fake to hold the linebackers every other team in the SEC does this and it is very effective and it doesn't require a great passer or TE. LB bites on Run you have an open receiver LB doesn't bite and drops into coverage you give to RB.

I think our coaches need to adjust the Offense to help the QB's and adjust the offense for which QB is out there. JF3 and JJ more QB run oriented. The TE slant is ideal for SW as it is pass or handoff without asking him to run.

Yes Cox too. Now you are talking my language when it comes to the use (or lack thereof) of the TE position. The delayed slants, the seam routes, the blitz check offs are a huge weapon for an offense and can be devastating to a defense. All you have to do is look at the NFL and see how they use their TEs. A SW "type" QB is the perfect type to be able to use that weapon effectively.

[AUpreacherman22 3,889]

Apologies if it has already been brought up, but does SW remind anyone of Brandon Cox?

[bigbird 60,580]

Yes

[McLoofus 35,182]

Apologies if it has already been brought up, but does SW remind anyone of Brandon Cox?

I don't know enough about White yet to make that comparison. I think he's probably more mobile in the pocket than Cox was. I feel like he might have a little more "rah rah" bounce in his step. Not sure about toughness. No idea if he makes that throw against UGA in '05. Definitely not led by or surrounded by the kind of people that Cox was- for better or for worse- so that makes comparisons a little harder for me.

In other words, I don't have much to go on other than "similarly sized white guy".

[steeleagle 2,945]

Cox and White are only similar in that they both have accurate passing arms within a 20-30 yard field and are good field generals and leaders. Cox proved that. White is trying to show that with his limited playing time so far..

Cox was taller, less mobile, but was cool as a cucumber under fire. He couldnt throw the deep ball far or accurately or throw it real deep as in 60-70 yards..

White is quicker, more mobile, and has a good head to understand mechanics and looking for progressions to the open receiver. He also loses accuracy on hte deeper balls, and can not throw 60-70 yards in the air.

[Mikey 16,737]

Cox and White are only similar in that they both have accurate passing arms within a 20-30 yard field and are good field generals and leaders. Cox proved that. White is trying to show that with his limited playing time so far..

Cox was taller, less mobile, but was cool as a cucumber under fire. He couldnt throw the deep ball far or accurately or throw it real deep as in 60-70 yards..

White is quicker, more mobile, and has a good head to understand mechanics and looking for progressions to the open receiver. He also loses accuracy on hte deeper balls, and can not throw 60-70 yards in the air.

He threw it past 70 yards in the 11 on 11 competition after his high school career. So, unless you think he's lost arm strength since he came to Auburn.....

[bigbird 60,580]

And there aren't many times in a game you purposefully throw the ball 60-70 yards in the air besides a Hail Mary. SW's 50 yard strike during the A-Day game was a thing of beauty.

[Mikey 16,737]

And there aren't many times in a game you purposefully throw the ball 60-70 yards in the air besides a Hail Mary. SW's 50 yard strike during the A-Day game was a thing of beauty.

As was the 50 yarder that J. Smith dropped last season.

[alexava 6,973]

Cox and White are only similar in that they both have accurate passing arms within a 20-30 yard field and are good field generals and leaders. Cox proved that. White is trying to show that with his limited playing time so far..

Cox was taller, less mobile, but was cool as a cucumber under fire. He couldnt throw the deep ball far or accurately or throw it real deep as in 60-70 yards..

White is quicker, more mobile, and has a good head to understand mechanics and looking for progressions to the open receiver. He also loses accuracy on hte deeper balls, and can not throw 60-70 yards in the air.

Sean has a stronger arm. I doubt you ever see Sean warm up with a nerf ball.

[ClaytonAU 4,606]

Cox and White are only similar in that they both have accurate passing arms within a 20-30 yard field and are good field generals and leaders. Cox proved that. White is trying to show that with his limited playing time so far..

Cox was taller, less mobile, but was cool as a cucumber under fire. He couldnt throw the deep ball far or accurately or throw it real deep as in 60-70 yards..

White is quicker, more mobile, and has a good head to understand mechanics and looking for progressions to the open receiver. He also loses accuracy on hte deeper balls, and can not throw 60-70 yards in the air.

I'm not sure where anyone gets the notion that Sean can't throw the deep ball... Like what...? The kid can throw all damn day, anywhere on the field. If you're gonna knock the kid at least knock him for being "small" or "injury prone" the latter doesn't really matter that much and the other is because he got hurt once and got rushed. Sean's got flaws but he's our best bet at QB at this point, period.

[Strychnine 1,804]

And there aren't many times in a game you purposefully throw the ball 60-70 yards in the air besides a Hail Mary. SW's 50 yard strike during the A-Day game was a thing of beauty.

Indeed. Personally, I'd be more concerned with consistently getting first downs than whether or not a 50+ yard throw is always on the money. 5-30 yard throws is where we need improvement, and White wasn't the source of our problem with that last year.

[imaolgatiger 523]

Spot on, Clayton! SW is our best QB from my vantage point. I was at the Kentucky game and you could tell from SW's body language that he was in control and making plays. We need him to play at that level on a consistent basis. It was also good to see Marcus D go after the ball on the TD pass from JF3 in the A Day game. Seldom have our receivers "attacked" the ball in the air vs. letting it come to them.

Cox and White are only similar in that they both have accurate passing arms within a 20-30 yard field and are good field generals and leaders. Cox proved that. White is trying to show that with his limited playing time so far..

Cox was taller, less mobile, but was cool as a cucumber under fire. He couldnt throw the deep ball far or accurately or throw it real deep as in 60-70 yards..

White is quicker, more mobile, and has a good head to understand mechanics and looking for progressions to the open receiver. He also loses accuracy on hte deeper balls, and can not throw 60-70 yards in the air.

I'm not sure where anyone gets the notion that Sean can't throw the deep ball... Like what...? The kid can throw all damn day, anywhere on the field. If you're gonna knock the kid at least knock him for being "small" or "injury prone" the latter doesn't really matter that much and the other is because he got hurt once and got rushed. Sean's got flaws but he's our best bet at QB at this point, period.

[AU-24 3,108]

Some of the better, well-thought-out posts I read, always seem to come form IronMan70 and Mikey!

[AUIH1 1,515]

And there aren't many times in a game you purposefully throw the ball 60-70 yards in the air besides a Hail Mary. SW's 50 yard strike during the A-Day game was a thing of beauty.

Agree. The ability to throw the ball 60-70 yards is useless. Accuracy in the 15-30 yard range is what is important. IMO, SW can throw the ball accurately in that range. The question is, do we have a HC/OC that is capable of devising and coaching a passing attack that will beat a competent college DC?

wde

[cole256 17,084]

The ability to actually throw 70 yards not so much...The ability to stretch the field is worth it's weight in gold. And if you want to know one of the reasons our offense wss bad was because we couldn't stretch the field

[bigbird 60,580]

I agree, Cole. The passes SW hit during A-day to the backs down the sidelines do just that

[cole256 17,084]

Not saying he can't do it. I said to me it was something he needs to work on. He missed quite a few last year. Just saying he could get better....

[Strychnine 1,804]

Not saying he can't do it. I said to me it was something he needs to work on. He missed quite a few last year. Just saying he could get better....

He also had plenty dropped. I fully agree that White can get better, and he's young enough that I expect he will. He could also definitely have used some help. JJ could have too.

[auburnphan 6,050]

Cam and Nick made the best out of bad calls, they had that game changing ability to make a coach look good. SW has all the tools, minus the coach to teach him to be better, i am guessing that is why Gus is more involved to cover RL's ineptness.