QB Competition update

[DaveBird10]

The other thing you can't put a number on is IT. Some guys just have more IT. IT wins games. Tre had IT. Lots of IT.

After watching yesterday that's what Davis had was IT. It's hard to describe but Davis has more athletic ability and almost carried himself better /more confident than Kolbe.

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[JHBird]

After watching the scrimmage yesterday - it was clear to me Davis was going to get the nod - IF the coaches were fair.

Kolbe - Telling play for me - Kolbe had a receiver about 5 yards behind the defense, breaking straight down the middle of the field - over them by several yards. Terrible throw. Put a little more "air" under the ball and it is a TD.

Kolbe continues to hesitate in the pocket and take sacks - not good. Also, waits a little too long and gets passes knocked down at the line of scrimmage. Then, on 3rd and 8 - throw the wonderful 2 yard pass - no hope of a first down.


Davis - Telling play for me - in the first series - 3rd and 9 - scrambled a little in the pocket - threw a bullet, right in stride - DOWN FIELD to Schnell for catch and run of 59 yards.

Seems to make decisions quicker and has more "zip" on his passes.

Jefferson - good scrambler and solid throws. Reminds me of Kevin Glenn in stature.

I was at the scrimmage and agree with everything you said here. Davis moves better, looked more comfortable in the pocket and really zings it. I can only imagine how much better he'd be at this point if he had been here for spring ball. I can see him improving a bunch over the next few weeks. Seeing Davis back there really got me excited with what our offence can do this year, with Bethard back and our great 1 to 2 combo at running back. The ability to throw a deep accurate long ball will put the offense onto another level compared to the last few years.

 

[crazzymark]

YES!!!!!!!! Just upped the win total by 2, will beat CSU!!

 

[bluejay]

As stated earlier by Birdswin Davis seems to be able to handle the pressure better. Not being a Kolbe basher, but BD seems to be unfazed by the game going on around him. During the highlights of the scrimmage footage all if not most of those throws were while moving and landed dead on target. Great arm! Great character. He definitely has that IT thing going for him. Hope he is what the Redbirds need!

As far has his relationship with the OC prior to arriving he probably was promised a fair shot at starting. Even though the NCAA prohibits contact there probably was some sort of merry go round through players or coaches. Maybe OC talked with him before officially becoming OC . :think: :think:

 

[fourthandshort]

Not that this matters much ... I've accepted the coaches decision, but let's not rewrite history about what actually happened .. they provided passing stats for the final scrimmage for Davis playing with 1st string aganst 2nd string defense. But not for Kolbe playing with 2nd string against 1st string defense. In fact, they made no mention of Kolbe whatsoever. But for the only 3 practice reports they did report passing stats for both QBs, Kolbe completed 71% of his passes with 7.2 yards per attempt. Davis only completed 48% for 6.1 yards per attempt. And Davis reportedly had more picks reported. It's interesting they didn't report any Kolbe stats for the final scrimmage. "IT" doesn't matter if you're not completing passes and help extending drives.

So it's fine to say you think Davis "carries himself better" in the pocket that Kolbe and has more upside, but lets not cherry pick individual plays as evidence and ignore the 3 only reports they provided stats for both .. and that Kolbe easily out performed Davis passing the ball .. there is huge difference between 71% and 48%. I am curious why they chose not to report Kolbe's stats for final scrimmage where he led 2nd team against the 1st team defense. If he had good stats again like the first 3 .. well, then we know they were picking Davis no matter how well Kolbe performed .. whcih would really suck if yoru last name is Kolbe and you're a 5th year senior and incumbent starter.

That said, I am accepting the Coaches decision based on the only logical possibility .. they are betting his numbers will improve as he gets more familiar and comfortable playing in this new system with new teammates because they are projecting ... not because he outplayed Kolbe.

 

[Birdswin]

The Pantagraph article on the scrimmage has Davis 8 of 13 for 138 yds and Kolbe 6 of 13 for 34 yds. It did not list the number of sacks for each QB - other the defense recorded six. Also, no mention of passes knocked down by the lineman.

One item that Reinhardt did point out - "Davis converted two fourth-down passes to keep a two-minute drill possession alive."

 

[fourthandshort]

The Pantagraph article on the scrimmage has Davis 8 of 13 for 138 yds and Kolbe 6 of 13 for 34 yds. It did not list the number of sacks for each QB - other the defense recorded six. Also, no mention of passes knocked down by the lineman.

One item that Reinhardt did point out - "Davis converted two fourth-down passes to keep a two-minute drill possession alive."

Thanks for pointing this out, I was relying only on the Goredbirds written summary .. which made no mention of Kolbe. Nonetheless, looks like the decision had been made before the final scrimmage .. meaning Kolbe had just learned he was demoted and was leading 2nd string offense against 1st team defense.

Time to play some football games .. and still rooting for Redbirds no matter who is at QB.

 

[TIMMY]

I really don't want to start a fight but incomplete practice stats mean nothing. In fact if the Staff is not going to give you everything, they should give you nothing. 1's against 2's stats mean nothing. Kolbe being down after learning he's #2 does mean something. It's tough and ya gotta feel for him.
This discussion is very similar to the Roberson/Winkler discussion. Tre could threaten an away side D-end. One less guy to block. They knew if he pulled he was gone. Coprich was so good they would still crash. And Tre could say "SEE YA". Take away that one play and there's no Dallas.
We just got that play back!!!

 

[TIMMY]

I really don't want to start a fight but incomplete practice stats mean nothing. In fact if the Staff is not going to give you everything, they should give you nothing. 1's against 2's stats mean nothing. Kolbe being down after learning he's #2 does mean something. It's tough and ya gotta feel for him.
This discussion is very similar to the Roberson/Winkler discussion. Tre could threaten an away side D-end. One less guy to block. They knew if he pulled he was gone. Coprich was so good they would still crash. And Tre could say "SEE YA". Take away that one play and there's no Dallas.
We just got that play back!!!

 

[ChiRedbirdfan]

I really don't want to start a fight but incomplete practice stats mean nothing. In fact if the Staff is not going to give you everything, they should give you nothing. 1's against 2's stats mean nothing. Kolbe being down after learning he's #2 does mean something. It's tough and ya gotta feel for him.
This discussion is very similar to the Roberson/Winkler discussion. Tre could threaten an away side D-end. One less guy to block. They knew if he pulled he was gone. Coprich was so good they would still crash. And could say "SEE YA". Take away that one play and there's no Dallas.
We just got that play back!!!

:text-+1: Feeling excited about the possibility that ISU improved at the QB position given the prior two year bland team results. I personally was not confident about ISU making the playoffs this year with Kolbe at the helm.

 

[Chi-bird]

Statistics are often very limited and do not tell the whole story. They do not take into consideration dropped passes, great run after the catch, etc. Another thing quarterbacks do not get credit for is rushing statistics (by other players). There's so much to it.

 

[TreRoberson4Heisman]

_bpd4 is Brady Davis’ Instagram. Something you don’t hear much about collegiate athletes - he is married. Good on him.

 

[ISUBU]

On the offensive line, Jared Rients is a fourth year Redbird and returning starter from 2017. He started about half the year at guard before an injury ended his 2017 season. During the off-season, Megginson transferred in and has moved in front of Rients in the rotation.

The point is, nothing is guaranteed. During the Spack era, we've been open to transfers who can come in and compete for a job. No position is immune...if a player might make us better and he has an acceptable reputation, he's welcome.

EVERY player who comes here thinks he's going to play. Sometimes they understand that their time is a bit in the future, but they all expect to play. The reality is that many don't play as much as they thought they would.

But fortunes can turn quickly.

 

[fourthandshort]

On the offensive line, Jared Rients is a fourth year Redbird and returning starter from 2017. He started about half the year at guard before an injury ended his 2017 season. During the off-season, Megginson transferred in and has moved in front of Rients in the rotation.

The point is, nothing is guaranteed. During the Spack era, we've been open to transfers who can come in and compete for a job. No position is immune...if a player might make us better and he has an acceptable reputation, he's welcome.

EVERY player who comes here thinks he's going to play. Sometimes they understand that their time is a bit in the future, but they all expect to play. The reality is that many don't play as much as they thought they would.

But fortunes can turn quickly.

agreed .. only question for me in this case is, did Kolbe NOT do enough to keep his starting position. Regardless, I get the coaches logic in their decision to start Davis from the beginning .. they need to see what he can be. I just don't quite agree with it given Kolbe's progression under Beathard.

That said .. I get it, because it is not unreasonable to think Davis could have more upside once he gets comfortable. Objective is to make playoffs and then make a run in playoffs. Taking a chance on Davis early allows them time to figure this out .. because odds are, we will be 3-1 (or better) no matter who is at QB. By that time, we should know who our starter should be.

 

[fourthandshort]

I really don't want to start a fight but incomplete practice stats mean nothing. In fact if the Staff is not going to give you everything, they should give you nothing. 1's against 2's stats mean nothing. Kolbe being down after learning he's #2 does mean something. It's tough and ya gotta feel for him.
This discussion is very similar to the Roberson/Winkler discussion. Tre could threaten an away side D-end. One less guy to block. They knew if he pulled he was gone. Coprich was so good they would still crash. And Tre could say "SEE YA". Take away that one play and there's no Dallas.
We just got that play back!!!

Eerily similar .. word back then was Winkler was out passing Roberson but everyone was fired up about Roberson. In that case, Roberson lit ot up last week of camp when they started working on deep routes more. I heard specific stories ... they knew he could run but the deep ball made him.very dangerous with everything else.

Hope this one ends in Natty dun whichever direction it goes at QB.

 

[Virginia Redbird]

I really don't want to start a fight but incomplete practice stats mean nothing. In fact if the Staff is not going to give you everything, they should give you nothing. 1's against 2's stats mean nothing. Kolbe being down after learning he's #2 does mean something. It's tough and ya gotta feel for him.
This discussion is very similar to the Roberson/Winkler discussion. Tre could threaten an away side D-end. One less guy to block. They knew if he pulled he was gone. Coprich was so good they would still crash. And Tre could say "SEE YA". Take away that one play and there's no Dallas.
We just got that play back!!!

I think for many of us the comment, "It's tough and ya gotta feel for him." says it all. Over the past several years Kolbe has done whatever they have asked of him and he appears to be a good kid and student/athlete. I thought he handled the demotion last year in the SDSU game with maturity and class then came back into the starting lineup as if nothing had happened. I personally, just like the kid and was pulling for him for his senior season. Having said all that, Timmy is totally right that you have to play the player that gives the "team" the best chance to win and be successful. Also, there are players that do just have "IT". Particularly at the QB position I think. Those players with "IT" are the ones that make other players better and the other 10 guys in the huddle believe will take them to a win no matter the game situation. I totally despise the Green Bay Packers but Aaron Rodgers has "IT". He has all the physical tools but more than that all the players on that team believe he will lead them to success...you can't find that on any stat chart. Timmy calls it "IT"... some call it "Heart". Whatever you call it, if you find a QB with "IT"...play him!

 

[Total Red]

Kolbe was not demoted against SDSU. He was held out due to injury.

 

[Virginia Redbird]

Kolbe was not demoted against SDSU. He was held out due to injury.

I don't recall an injury to Kolbe. I recall it being a strategic coaching decision for the SDSU game. Here is an article from the Pantagraph after that game. Coach Spack is quoted speaking of Broadnax:

"We went into the game thinking we would give him an opportunity, and we stuck with it the whole day," Spack said. "If he would have struggled we would have put Jake back in. He gave us another dimension running, and he made some good throws."

Starting and playing Broadnax that day looked to be an coaching decision. I am just going off what was put out at the time.

https://www.pantagraph.com/sports/college/football/vinatieri-boots-south-dakota-state-past-isu-in-overtime/article_2a89a8df-e525-5568-b8e4-d29e72d58a1c.html

 

[Total Red]

Kolbe was not demoted against SDSU. He was held out due to injury.

I don't recall an injury to Kolbe. I recall it being a strategic coaching decision for the SDSU game. Here is an article from the Pantagraph after that game. Coach Spack is quoted speaking of Broadnax:

"We went into the game thinking we would give him an opportunity, and we stuck with it the whole day," Spack said. "If he would have struggled we would have put Jake back in. He gave us another dimension running, and he made some good throws."

Starting and playing Broadnax that day looked to be an coaching decision. I am just going off what was put out at the time.

https://www.pantagraph.com/sports/college/football/vinatieri-boots-south-dakota-state-past-isu-in-overtime/article_2a89a8df-e525-5568-b8e4-d29e72d58a1c.html

I appreciate that you are working with the best available public information but coaches can and will be tight lipped when it comes to injuries. Watch for PM.

 

[Birdswin]

I am fairly certain i heard Kolbe was held out of the SDSU game because of concussion symptoms.