Is Freddie are new QB?

[BGSUFootballFan]

So you think we should bench Anthony Turner (the #1 overall recruit in the ENTIRE MAC) because Barnes ran the ball well and showed good leadership?

[kdog27]

So you think we should bench Anthony Turner (the #1 overall recruit in the ENTIRE MAC) because Barnes ran the ball well and showed good leadership?

Well I think Barnes should have the job untell he does something to lose it. I would be much comfortable starting the guy who didn't screw up in the offseason. Anthony Turner looked bad everytime he played last season. I don't really see the big upside to Turner. He passed the ball worse than Barnes last year. Who cares if he was the number one recruit, he hasn't acted like it so far.

[orangeandbrown]

Also, quite frankly, if we judged the QB and deep passing ability of Josh Harris based on how he looked at the position as a Freshman, he too would have been permanently moved to RB. But he did all right for himself in the long run.

As I was telling Freak last night after the game Josh didn't really develop into a good passer until his senior year. Before that time he was a sub 55% completion guy who also threw a few INTs. He was very sporadic, but his ability to run made up for that.

If Barnes has enough arm to at least keep the defense honest I would have no problems with him at QB, but I'm really not sure he does. He looked good last night, but as the season wears on, that running game will start to bottle up if you cannot at least complete one or two shots downfield to loosen things up. I'm not sure Barnes has the arm to even do that, unfortunately.

I will say that I enjoyed watching last night's offense a helluva lot more than what we've watched the past 2 seasons. Run the ball, and use that to set up the pass. Run the ball through a series of option and misdirection plays to keep the defense guessing. I think AT's mobility will allow us to use that same type of running game while also having a better passing threat. Freddie will be invaluable being on the field but not as a QB. A WR/RB/Wing back type roll fits his skillset nicely, and he does throw a better ball than Cole Magner if you want to try a trick play or two .

I will say that if Turner doesn't look improved over what we saw last year, then I wouldn't mind seeing more of Barnes he was impressive last night. Still I cannot help but remember how insistent Brandon has been about AT being his starter, despite how high he's been on Barnes. It is quite possible that Turner has improved greatly over the player we watched last year.

I agree completely, hammb.

[Columbus_Zak]

So Barnes, easily our best player on the night, plays well, does everything he can do to put his team in a position to win and some of you want to put him at WR for his efforts? That's pure comedy.

This might be a touch harsh...But AT if he loses his starting job did so not because of injury but because of suspension. In my opinion it would be criminal to sit Freddie Barnes after the game he played on Saturday.

[bgmaggot00]

Wow, great discussion. I'm just impressed to see how evenly the Poll has gone so far. I honestly don't recall too many Poll questions around here that have gotten this many votes, and still remained as close as this. I'm sure Gregg Brandon and crew spent plenty of time on Saturday night having many of the same thoughts as those expressed here.

[kdog27]

So Barnes, easily our best player on the night, plays well, does everything he can do to put his team in a position to win and some of you want to put him at WR for his efforts? That's pure comedy.

This might be a touch harsh...But AT if he loses his starting job did so not because of injury but because of suspension. In my opinion it would be criminal to sit Freddie Barnes after the game he played on Saturday.

I agree with you completely. The guy played his heart out there and looked three times better than Turner did in any game he played in last season. Take Barnes out of that game and we probably don't even score.

[orangeandbrown]

So Barnes, easily our best player on the night, plays well, does everything he can do to put his team in a position to win and some of you want to put him at WR for his efforts? That's pure comedy.

This might be a touch harsh...But AT if he loses his starting job did so not because of injury but because of suspension. In my opinion it would be criminal to sit Freddie Barnes after the game he played on Saturday.

I agree with you completely. The guy played his heart out there and looked three times better than Turner did in any game he played in last season. Take Barnes out of that game and we probably don't even score.

Shouldn't we be worried about how Turner is playing this year?

[Columbus_Zak]

Fair enough, but in my opinion you can't sit a guy that played as well as Barnes did unless Turner is coming back from injury. For me that's the bottom line.

[kdog27]

Shouldn't we be worried about how Turner is playing this year?

What he has done in practice and how that translates to the field is entirely up in the air. I remember the 2005 spring game where Turner looked just as good as Jacobs. He certainly has not looked anything like that since. 2006 spring game included.

I just don't understand the knocks on Barnes passing. Turner was so uncomfortable when he passed last season.

[Schadenfreude]

It seems to me that many of you are comparing what we saw of Barnes Saturday night -- which was great -- to Anthony Turner's performance last year, which was not so great.

Thing is, Coach Brandon has been unequivocal. Turner has shown more in practice. This was Brandon speaking after Saturday night's game (as quoted by The Blade):

"Anthony Turner was, is our starting quarterback," Brandon said after the game. "He earned the job in the spring, and he kept the job in camp."

This isn't about fairness. It's about playing the best guy.

How exciting for us that, as good as Barnes looked Saturday, Turner looks better.

What does Brandon see? Again, quoting Maureen Fulton in today's Blade (and from the way this is written, it sounds like she sees it, too):

Turner's throwing arm is better and fits the "pistol" offense the Falcons are using this year, which is a modified spread offense.

Barnes had a good game. He's hell on wheels, that's for sure. But he wiffed pretty badly on at least one deep throw. I don't sense much of a deep threat out of the guy's arm.

Maybe Turner can bring that additional threat.

So I think the real question is: Does Brandon try to make Barnes a receiver, a "slash" Cole Magner kinda guy who can run end arounds, take screens and sometimes chuck the ball deep?

Does he rotate Barnes in and out with Macon? Some of you seem ready to give up on Macon. I'm not sure he got enough touches to really show his stuff.

Or... and this would be wild... do we line up two and three backs at times (Macon, Barnes and Winovich?) and try running some wicked service academy-type option plays against Buffalo?

A beefed up running game is the point of the pistol, no? Could a loaded backfield be managed out of the pistol?

And, when Barnes is a wide pitch guy, he could end up with some very wide open receivers to toss to...

It's interesting to think about.

If we were able to run the ball as well as we did against Wisconsin -- with very little doubt, after a while, about who would be carrying the ball -- then seems to me we could do some real damage with a ball control, run-first offense against the rest of the MAC. I'm not sure how Brandon is gonna draw this up, but that's what I see as a possibility after Saturday.

[kdog27]

It seems to me that many of you are comparing what we saw of Barnes Saturday night -- which was great -- to Anthony Turner's performance last year, which was not so great.

Thing is, Coach Brandon has been unequivocal. Turner has shown more in practice. This was Brandon speaking after Saturday night's game (as quoted by The Blade):

"Anthony Turner was, is our starting quarterback," Brandon said after the game. "He earned the job in the spring, and he kept the job in camp."

This isn't about fairness. It's about playing the best guy.

How exciting for us that, as good as Barnes looked Saturday, Turner looks better.

What does Brandon see? Again, quoting Maureen Fulton in today's Blade (and from the way this is written, it sounds like she sees it, too):

Turner's throwing arm is better and fits the "pistol" offense the Falcons are using this year, which is a modified spread offense.

Barnes had a good game. He's hell on wheels, that's for sure. But he wiffed pretty badly on at least one deep throw. I don't sense much of a deep threat out of the guy's arm.

Maybe Turner can bring that additional threat.

So I think the real question is: Does Brandon try to make Barnes a receiver, a "slash" Cole Magner kinda guy who can run end arounds, take screens and sometimes chuck the ball deep?

Does he rotate Barnes in and out with Macon? Some of you seem ready to give up on Macon. I'm not sure he got enough touches to really show his stuff.

Or... and this would be wild... do we line up two and three backs at times (Macon, Barnes and Winovich?) and try running some wicked service academy-type option plays against Buffalo?

A beefed up running game is the point of the pistol, no? Could a loaded backfield be managed out of the pistol?

And, when Barnes is a wide pitch guy, he could end up with some very wide open receivers to toss to...

It's interesting to think about.

If we were able to run the ball as well as we did against Wisconsin -- with very little doubt, after a while, about who would be carrying the ball -- then seems to me we could do some real damage with a ball control, run-first offense against the rest of the MAC. I'm not sure how Brandon is gonna draw this up, but that's what I see as a possibility after Saturday.

All good points and I look forward to seeing how this pans out. It definitely would be fun to see both of those guys in the backfield. I think a lot of me is just pissed at what Turner did in the offseason. I'm not ready to let that go.

[TG1996]

But he wiffed pretty badly on at least one deep throw. I don't sense much of a deep threat out of the guy's arm.

If you're talking about the deep ball I'm thinking of, the receiver got tangled up with the DB and lost his stride. Maybe it would have been way overthrown anyway, but having his WR almost fall down didn't help it look any better when it landed.

[Bleeding Orange]

The above alert was issued because I am a self-proclaimed moron, and this is only a bunch of Internet speculation, but I have had an idea. Everyone here is bickering about who should be our quarterback because both are capable runners and, based on what we have seen in game situations from both Turner and Barnes, they are both capable passers. Good, so what if we ran a 4-wide set like this:

Code: Select all

Turner (QB)


                                  Center


Barnes (QB)

Now, you want to talk about an offensive set that would really throw people off? Boy...

[Flipper]

I suggested they do that last year with Omar and Turner.....I don't know jack, so you should not be proud of following on my footsteps...however unintenional it may be.

[Schadenfreude]

But he wiffed pretty badly on at least one deep throw. I don't sense much of a deep threat out of the guy's arm.

If you're talking about the deep ball I'm thinking of, the receiver got tangled up with the DB and lost his stride. Maybe it would have been way overthrown anyway, but having his WR almost fall down didn't help it look any better when it landed.

I think we are thinking of the same play. I didn't see what you saw, but it was so overthrown, that makes sense.