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Post by ASU Mike on Oct 19, 2011 10:28:32 GMT -5
There is an article on the Rivals site that talks about the injuries and QB situation for this week's game. A good read if you're a member. appalachianstate.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1280464What really caught my eye was this: Both worked with the first and second teams on the day, but it's Jackson that is getting the nod. After a tremendous performance against The Citadel, Jackson will be given yet another shot to lead the Mountaineers, only this time it will be in front of the home crowd.
One thing to be clear on, however, is that Jackson being named starter for this week and Presley being listed as the No. 2 is not an indicator of what is to come in the weeks to come. No decision one way or the other has been made for anything happening after Saturday.
In fact, a week-by-week decision isn't being ruled out, either. My guess is that this is more coach speak than anything, just so Jamal knows he has to keep working and DeAndre is not publicly dismissed as a QB option. Of course, if JJ comes out and plays awful this weekend then DP has to be considered, but I can't believe they would really think about rotating QBs on a weekly basis. If he keeps practicing well and performs on Saturday, I have to think that Jamal has the job for the remainder of the season. |
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Post by cbarrier90 on Oct 19, 2011 11:39:51 GMT -5
I've said throughout this whole process that while IMO Jackson should be the starter this week, the criticism Presley received in the preceding weeks was completely unfair.
Aside from injury, DP did nothing to lose the starting spot. One thing I think folks are overlooking is that the young OL finally came together this past week. With solid protection, DP put up Payton Award-worthy numbers. It's not like he lost all that ability in the off-season. What he did lose was almost the entire offensive line to graduation.
I'm excited to see that we have 2 QBs capable of leading this team to victories, but the unknown of what will happen to JJ when he actually faces a respectable defense (GSU, Furman) worries me.
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Post by ASU Mike on Oct 19, 2011 12:47:22 GMT -5
I understand where you're coming from and I know DP has gotten a raw deal a few times in his career at ASU. What concerns me is that his productivity dropped off going back to last season, when he still had the benefit of a veteran O-line. I do not know the exact yardage and completion percentage off-hand but through the first 7 games of last season, he had 14 TDs and no INTs, while completing around 60-65% of his passes for about 240 yards/game. Since then, he's thrown 11 TDs and 11 INTs, with a completion percentage 5-10% lower and an average of closer to 200 yards/game.
Along with that, Jamal has advantages that you just cannot teach. The 4-5 inch height advantage will really help in opening up the passing game over the middle. It is hard for a QB to see open receivers when you are shorter than your linemen.
While I share your concerns about how JJ will react to adversity when facing a top-level defense, I think he has earned the opportunity and DeAndre also opened that door for him a bit. It seems that defenses have really keyed in on DeAndre's running ability in an effort to force him to be a pocket passer, which he does not do as effectively.
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Post by cbarrier90 on Oct 20, 2011 9:27:31 GMT -5
What concerns me is that his productivity dropped off going back to last season Apologies to YT... The Nova game made many people forget just how impressive DP was towards the end of the season. Bottom line, we could have had AE back there for Wofford, UTC, and VT and had the same result. Jamal earned his spot because the offensive line finally came together. DP didn't have that benefit all season. |
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Post by ASU Mike on Oct 20, 2011 9:43:11 GMT -5
DP did kill it on the ground in the WIU game, my concerns were more with his passing efficiency.
It is definitely not an apples to apples comparison to look at JJ's stats last weekend against DP's in prior games because of the better all-around play of the offense, but I do think starting him is the right move. In any event, I hope he can step up against what will certainly be a tougher test this weekend. We should know a lot more about this offense with JJ at the helm by Saturday evening.
On an unrelated note, not a big fan of the ads that accompany a YouTube video. One of the drawbacks of free, I suppose.
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