"Best Chance To Win"

[Duckman]

This was MC's quote from the press conference on Thursday when asked about the QB situation after the Stanford loss...

 

"He's (Anthony Brown) had some really good moments, some other moments where we need to improve upon...he certainly gives us the best chance to win."

 

Assuming this was not coach speak, there are only two conclusions to draw in regards to the QB battle.

 

1. MC (and the coaching staff) are correct in their assessment that Brown offers the team the best chance to win.  Stating the obvious, this is important because the Ducks are ranked in the top ten and still have a chance for a special season.  Players want to win now.  If the coaches make a QB change based on the future, they run the real risk of losing the current locker room.  This conclusion is not positive in regards to the readiness of the freshmen QBs.

 

2. The coaching staff is mis-evaluating the QB room.  Brown's QBR is 135.5.  That is the worst Ducks' QBR since Masoli in 2008 (worse than Dakota Prukop's 152.7 in 2016).  Perhaps Brown is really good in practice but it is not translating into games.  It's hard to believe that Brown's QBR is significantly better than what we would see from one of the freshman QBs.

 

Maybe the truth is somewhere in the middle, but the conservative choice is maintaining status quo at QB and emphasizing results (4-1, top-ten ranking) and experience.

[Charles Fischer]

Thanks for bringing that, but YIKES!

[Jon Joseph]

On 10/8/2021 at 5:39 PM, Duckman said:

This was MC's quote from the press conference on Thursday when asked about the QB situation after the Stanford loss...

 

"He's (Anthony Brown) had some really good moments, some other moments where we need to improve upon...he certainly gives us the best chance to win."

 

Assuming this was not coach speak, there are only two conclusions to draw in regards to the QB battle.

 

1. MC (and the coaching staff) are correct in their assessment that Brown offers the team the best chance to win.  Stating the obvious, this is important because the Ducks are ranked in the top ten and still have a chance for a special season.  Players want to win now.  If the coaches make a QB change based on the future, they run the real risk of losing the current locker room.  This conclusion is not positive in regards to the readiness of the freshmen QBs.

 

2. The coaching staff is mis-evaluating the QB room.  Brown's QBR is 135.5.  That is the worst Ducks' QBR since Masoli in 2008 (worse than Dakota Prukop's 152.7 in 2016).  Perhaps Brown is really good in practice but it is not translating into games.  It's hard to believe that Brown's QBR is significantly better than what we would see from one of the freshman QBs.

 

Maybe the truth is somewhere in the middle, but the conservative choice is maintaining status quo at QB and emphasizing results (4-1, top-ten ranking) and experience.

 

This rating almost perfectly reflects Brown's time at BC playing for 'grind it out' HC Steve Addazio.

 

After being canned at BC, CO ST for some reason hired Addazio. The O has been missing from Colrado St ever since.

 

Brown had no one pushing him at BC. He never won a big game at BC. He was under a 60% completion guy there and we have seen the same at Oregon.

 

He did not turn the ball over at Ohio State and JM used him to attack the edge in Columbus in the same manner in which OH ST attacked the edge against the Ducks in the Playoff champ game. And in the Ohio State game we also saw well called throws to TEs underneath and in drag routes. JM and the guys were in the game in Columbus from the get-go. In the other 4 games?

 

Since the L in Columbus, Ryan D has demoted the Buckeyes DC and abandoned a steady diet of playing a safety very deep to prevent the big play. And the back up Buckeyes QB played well when Stroud was injured.

 

In other words, Day made the necessary changes on D with the coach and system. He also benched experience guys on D in favor of younger guys with more upside and the back up QB was prepared when he came into the game.

 

I truly admire AB's guts but I hate to think that he has the most upside of all of the QBs in Oregon's QB room? If he does, the recruiting rankings were seriously off, the design on O has major flaws and/or under Mario, QBs will not be coached up or be given the opportunity to shine? 

 

Interceptions are killers. But a QB who throws 3 TDs and has 1 pick has a far better statistical chance of winning than the guy who completes 0 to 1 TD passes with no interceptions.

 

As we witnessed when Justin Herbert was the QB, Cristobal prefers the no risk QB playing in a no risk O.

 

Ty and Butterfield are better passers. Ashford is better running the ball and I do not see Robby having a worse % when throwing the ball than AB?

 

Mario often reminds me of Vince Lombardi. But Vince had better Ds. A smash mouth OL and guys who could get open when required. And in Vince's day you almost always saw close, low scoring games and not shoot outs.

 

No guts, no glory?

[Babyjesus615]

Its a Bye week, I say hold a scrimmage. Have the first team offense with Brown go up against the first team defense. Give the defense time to rest. Then have the first team offense with Thompson and also Franklin and Thornton go up against the first team D. Take the stats and go off that. Gonna be a home game so Thompson (when he wins the job) will have a great environment to start his career.

[Duckman]

On 10/8/2021 at 3:56 PM, Jon Joseph said:

As we witnessed when Justin Herbert was the QB, Cristobal prefers the no risk QB playing in a no risk O.

It's striking how much better Herbert is performing in the NFL than he did in his last two years at Oregon.  Typically, QBs struggle to make the leap to the pros.  Obviously, Herbert has better receivers with the Chargers, but NFL defenses are vastly superior to anything in college.  Mind-boggling.  And, it speaks to your second point.  Cristobal is extremely risk-averse...likely to a fault. 

[Duckman]

On 10/8/2021 at 4:05 PM, Babyjesus615 said:

Its a Bye week, I say hold a scrimmage.

There is a very good case for a truly open QB competition between now and Cal.  I wonder if Moorhead's absence is making it more difficult though?

[C J]

On 10/8/2021 at 4:16 PM, Duckman said:

It's striking how much better Herbert is performing in the NFL than he did in his last two years at Oregon. 

We have no better set of empirical data stating that Coach Cristobal is doing less with more than this fact and this fact alone. 

 

Even the most die hard MC homer (and there are many.....my god Facebook is rife with MC sycophants) cannot deny what can be observed ocularly, through data analysis (stats) and in the end results on the field. 

 

So I often ask myself what will all our ranting and blustering, over what has become so obvious that it's self evident, achieve for us? What will it take for Cristobal to see that he is making some major errors of judgement? Or do we need to just accept the mediocrity and complacently type away like Pollyanna would have, if she had internet in her day?

 

4-1 will rapidly become 8-4 based on what my cristoball is telling me.

[C J]

On 10/8/2021 at 4:05 PM, Babyjesus615 said:

Its a Bye week, I say hold a scrimmage. Have the first team offense with Brown go up against the first team defense. Give the defense time to rest. Then have the first team offense with Thompson and also Franklin and Thornton go up against the first team D. Take the stats and go off that. Gonna be a home game so Thompson (when he wins the job) will have a great environment to start his career.

 

Forgot to say I love this post as well. Nothing like a pragmatic mano a mano approach to show clearly what the situation is. 

[blazer prophet]

Brown is a less than average qb. It's hard to believe this is the best we have. He's not leading us anywhere. Bring in Ty or someone and let them get good game time experience for next season.