Has a QB ever regressed as bad as Stidham

[auburnphan 6,050]

Christian Hackenberg

Stidham is playing hurt since game 2 in my opinion and it is affecting his throwing/mechanics.

[eagle63 14]

JIMMY SIDLE, BUT WAS CAUSED BY SIGNIFICANT INJURY

[gr82b4au 5,568]

16 hours ago, musicitytiger said:

I think our bad OL play is compounded by the fact that everyone knows what we’re running based on alignment.  

I could not agree more. 

The play calling is atrocious. The OL line play is terrible. Add that to the QB making bad decisions and that is where we are at right now. 

[gr82b4au 5,568]

2 hours ago, auburnphan said:

Christian Hackenberg

Stidham is playing hurt since game 2 in my opinion and it is affecting his throwing/mechanics.

Really? I missed this. Then they need to sit him because it is also hurting the team and his NFL chances. And no... I do not think that the backup would do any better but maybe it will give stid a chance to heal up. The offense is just broken right now. 

[lca408 366]

1 hour ago, gr82b4au said:

I could not agree more. 

The play calling is atrocious. The OL line play is terrible. Add that to the QB making bad decisions and that is where we are at right now. 

The play-calling isn't all that different from usual. All the usual personnel and alignment tip-offs are still there like they always were. What makes Malzahn's offense really good and effective is when it is run by 11 guys that know how to execute properly AND can run at a fast pace. (Every offense runs better with the right execution but this one needs speed to bring it all together) Talent helps tremendously obviously but mostly it's down to execution and pace. The faster you go, the easier it is to get away with an occasional missed assignment because the defense is usually in "react mode" as opposed to attacking mode. Even if the defense has a general idea of what you're going to run, if you execute it well enough while keeping up the tempo, you have at least a 50/50 shot of making the play work. Think about Nebraska in 1995 - those guys famously ran like 10 plays all year but nobody could stop them because it wasn't just talent that got them there - it was execution. Execute a play well enough and you can get yards against any defense.

Execution and tempo were the keys to Malzahn's offense being successful against bigger, faster, or more talented teams. It levels the playing field when you have a roster of less talented players. Even in years where Auburn didn't have rockstars at RB or QB, they still managed a level of competency against almost everyone running this scheme. 2015 is a great example - you had Peyton Barber (not an elite RB), Sean White/Jeremy Johnson at QB, Tony Stevens, Jason Smith, Ricardo Louis at WR, etc. Bottom line, it wasn't the most talented or capable lineup in recent Auburn history. Yet even though Auburn struggled mightily in 2015, they still seemed to manage some basic level of offensive success because they had players that could at least execute halfway effectively - Barber ended up with 1,200+ rushing yards that season.

Right now, we have a lack of talent on the O-line and a bunch of players that either don't know how to execute or are overthinking everything and putting themselves in even worse shape as time goes on. Stidham was good at one point - I think he was doing good in the first few weeks - but has since regressed either due to injury like auburnphan suggested or skittishness from the lack of good O-line play, or both or whatever. Outside of these, I can't think of any good reason why he would be doing this. This is more than just a standard "sophomore slump." Stidham's no longer up to par, the O-line isn't executing, and Auburn doesn't have a dynamic enough presence in the backfield to scrounge for rushing yards. It's a perfect storm of personnel hell, but it's one that Malzahn and his offensive staff have created themselves.

[hikerdns 52]

5 hours ago, auburnphan said:

Christian Hackenberg

Stidham is playing hurt since game 2 in my opinion and it is affecting his throwing/mechanics.

2 hours ago, gr82b4au said:

Really? I missed this.

I dont think I've heard any talk of injury to JS.  What's your opinion/insight on his injury?

 

[McLoofus 35,182]

Never seen a QB fail to meet expectations the way Stidham has other than Jeremy Johnson. Or maybe Kiehl Frazier. Hmm. 

[auburnphan 6,050]

50 minutes ago, hikerdns said:

I dont think I've heard any talk of injury to JS.  What's your opinion/insight on his injury?

 

It is more my observations of how after a couple of really hard hits he seemed to be wincing a bunch and since then his mechanics seem off.  Nothing that I have heard, to be clear.

[Tiger Refuge 6,670]

55 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

Never seen a QB fail to meet expectations the way Stidham has other than Jeremy Johnson. Or maybe Kiehl Frazier. Hmm. 

Mitch Mustain maybe? IDK...

[kwagoner 214]

3 hours ago, auburnphan said:

It is more my observations of how after a couple of really hard hits he seemed to be wincing a bunch and since then his mechanics seem off.  Nothing that I have heard, to be clear.

I’ve said several times that I think the off season surgery looms in his head. His mechanics, performance, toughness (or lack thereof) all lean toward a playing to not get hurt attitude. An injury is certainly possible, but I think it the past and threat of future ones more so than a current injury.

[murpjf88 506]

I don't think anyone regressed more than Sean White. Dude went from back up,  to starter,  to starter with purpose,  to footnote.

[AUsince72 11,084]

I regressed mightily from my first to second start as a QB in 7th grade.  By game 3 I was a Fullback.

[aujeff11 6,243]

4 hours ago, McLoofus said:

Never seen a QB fail to meet expectations the way Stidham has other than Jeremy Johnson. Or maybe Kiehl Frazier. Hmm. 

He led Auburn to the SECCG his first season. There are plenty of QBs that have busted more than what Stid did. 

[AUFriction 1,179]

On 10/15/2018 at 3:32 PM, auskip07 said:

Brandon cox regressed from a numbers standpoint from JR year to Senior year   but his Oline started 3 freshman his senior year.   

Actually, I think this is a good comparison. There’s been a huge falloff in OL play this year. I think it has had a strong impact on Stidham. When he isn’t running for his life, he’s acting like he expects to be.

[McLoofus 35,182]

9 hours ago, AUFriction said:

Actually, I think this is a good comparison. There’s been a huge falloff in OL play this year. I think it has had a strong impact on Stidham. When he isn’t running for his life, he’s acting like he expects to be.

Even cricket fans in India know at this point that our OL play is atrocious and that it is influencing Stidham's play. But he is exacerbating the situation mightily. Lots of good QBs have played behind terrible OLs without making the mistakes that he is. He's just not a gamer. 

I actually said before the season that the thing I was most excited about with Nix coming was that he might bring a little more alpha swag to the position. Hoping he sticks and hoping he brings in a LOT more. 

And not to purely crap on Stidham, he could have been successful in the right situation and he clearly made a mistake coming here. It's definitely not all on him. 

[aujeff11 6,243]

12 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

Even cricket fans in India know at this point that our OL play is atrocious and that it is influencing Stidham's play. But he is exacerbating the situation mightily. Lots of good QBs have played behind terrible OLs without making the mistakes that he is. He's just not a gamer. 

 I actually said before the season that the thing I was most excited about with Nix coming was that he might bring a little more alpha swag to the position. Hoping he sticks and hoping he brings in a LOT more. 

And not to purely crap on Stidham, he could have been successful in the right situation and he clearly made a mistake coming here. It's definitely not all on him. 

Stidham is a fine QB. No pocket passing QBs that has had to play with a just as porous line and crappy running game will do much better. Gus doesn’t put him in the best situations either.

Look at his second TO against Tennessee. It was a trick play and if he threw the ball away, it would’ve been a penalty. So, either take a drive killing sack or throw up a prayer, and that’s what he did. 

The third TO was a result of poor ball security and poor OL play. 

The sum of his overall game was still pretty decent though. There were several drops and throw aways that made his stat line look a tad more average, but he still threw for 300+ and two TDs.

 

[OnthePlains 2,014]

4 minutes ago, aujeff11 said:

Stidham is a fine QB. No pocket passing QBs that has had to play with a just as porous line and crappy running game will do much better. Gus doesn’t put him in the best situations either.

Look at his second TO against Tennessee. It was a trick play and if he threw the ball away, it would’ve been a penalty. So, either take a drive killing sack or throw up a prayer, and that’s what he did. 

The third TO was a result of poor ball security and poor OL play. 

The sum of his overall game was still pretty decent though. There were several drops and throw aways that made his stat line look a tad more average, but he still threw for 300+ and two TDs.

 

I agree with this. Stidham has made mistakes but you have to attribute some of it to his skiddishness with the protection. Obviously I’m speculating but I feel fairly confident that if JS had stayed in a Big 12 wide open passing type offense he would be putting up big numbers.

[aujeff11 6,243]

2 minutes ago, OnthePlains said:

I agree with this. Stidham has made mistakes but you have to attribute some of it to his skiddishness with the protection. Obviously I’m speculating but I feel fairly confident that if JS had stayed in a Big 12 wide open passing type offense he would be putting up big numbers.

He’s taylor-made for the Big 12. Our simple route trees, and offensive game plans have held him back a bit. Coming here wasn’t his best decision imo. Same for SW. Some good QBs just don’t fit here, and I’m more than ever on tbe DT quarterback train.

[Samau 110]

Sean White is the only one I can think of but he was injured. I will say part of JS regression is because of the poor OL play. Our entire offense is really bad...

[I_M4_AU 7,857]

6 minutes ago, aujeff11 said:

He’s taylor-made for the Big 12. Our simple route trees, and offensive game plans have held him back a bit. Coming here wasn’t his best decision imo. Same for SW. Some good QBs just don’t fit here, and I’m more than ever on tbe DT quarterback train.

Gus has tried to get DT QBs to come to Auburn, he just can’t get one on campus.  Gus will not adjust his system to his personnel and he, as of this moment, can’t get the correct personnel for his system. 

[fishepa 1,904]

12 hours ago, murpjf88 said:

I don't think anyone regressed more than Sean White. Dude went from back up,  to starter,  to starter with purpose,  to footnote.

Drugs will do that to you.

[McLoofus 35,182]

Just now, fishepa said:

Drugs will do that to you.

Yep. Sean's regression was off the field, not on it. At least not until he got injured and our coach acted surprised and blamed the uga loss on him for not telling the staff. SMDH. 

[DAG 33,995]

1 hour ago, McLoofus said:

Yep. Sean's regression was off the field, not on it. At least not until he got injured and our coach acted surprised and blamed the uga loss on him for not telling the staff. SMDH. 

Our fans did too if I remember correctly. He definitely fell off though 

[McLoofus 35,182]

26 minutes ago, DAG said:

Our fans did too if I remember correctly. He definitely fell off though 

Hopefully I wasn't the only one asking the TV why Gus was trying to murder his QB. 

[WarEagle1983 2,185]

OL play is bad but it still doesn't explain JS missing wide open WRs and still not being able to see the field where WRs are WIDE OPEN. He pulls the trigger on passes that he shouldn't and too timid to through the ball in situations where WRs have a good matchup to give them a chance to go get the ball. He doesn't attempt to throw WRs open; it has to be where they have a significant space but yet will throw into double and/or triple coverage. When he's given time he's failing miserably. This offense simply doesn't fit his strengths just like it didn't do Sean White any favors. It's just more evident this year b/c of the OL and no established RB.