Anthony Turner grade

Tricky_Falcon · Post by **Tricky_Falcon** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 11:42 am

I really didn't have confidence in either QB to create much of anything. Instead of playing video games and partying I hope they're practicing their mechanics today and every day for that matter for next season. Yesterday's performance by the team was embarrassing as a Bowling Green fan and just plain unacceptable.

TG1996 · Post by **TG1996** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 11:43 am

Warthog wrote: FWIW, I thought we got a horrendous spot on the third down play, but they never showed a replay, so I could be wrong.

I thought so too, but TiVo told me they were about right. As for running it again, especially after Freddie looked to be hobbling a bit back to the huddle? Not my favorite playcall of the night.

San Diego Falcon · Post by **San Diego Falcon** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 11:49 am

you cant say one player should be held to a higher standard

The QB is held to a higher standard on EVERY football team. That's just the way it is.

Globetrotter · Post by **Globetrotter** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 11:56 am

Warthog wrote:
Flipper wrote:along with the idiotic decision to run the screen to Barnes again on 4th and short were the crucial plays in the second half.
FWIW, I thought we got a horrendous spot on the third down play, but they never showed a replay, so I could be wrong.

But running the exact same play on fourth down was pretty much expected. That is how we play. Something works, lets try it again the very next play.

Horrible spot. But when you run the exact same play the next play does it really matter....

hammb · Post by **hammb** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 12:27 pm

ctowndown wrote:that doesnt make senseyou cant say one player should be held to a higher standard or that you dont care what other players do without giving him a pass on the weed thing, you do seem to have a grudge if you let the weed incident affect your judgment of his talent.

I'm not holding one player to a higher standard. I'm holding one POSITION to a higher standard. I would hold Omar, Harris, or Sheehan, or whoever to the exact same standard. If you are the starting QB of a football team there are responsibilities that are further than any other player on that team. You have a role that is, in many ways, even more important than the coach. You are expected to be the leader of the team, and not just on the field. You MUST command the respect of your teammates and lead by example off the field as well. That's not just me that's the way it is.

I'm not using the weed thing to sway my judgement of his talent either. I told you flat out I gave him a D for his play on the field. That is completely apart from any off the field stuff. I figure a C would be average, and I don't think he played well enough this season to even be considered average. I pointed out my reasoning in my above post.

The point of the thread was to grade him for the season, and I told you I then deducted one letter grade for the off field incident. Think of it like a prof who makes attendance a portion of the grade. If you miss classes, even if you ace all of the actual work, you can still get a lower grade due to that attendance requirement. Let's call this a "lead by example" requirement that is there for the starting QB. I expect him to be the role model for the group, and he failed that portion of the position. So he loses one letter grade.

At this point does it really matter? AT is not what is wrong with this team. His lack of development and off field mistakes are merely symptoms of the bigger problem that faces this program.

Jacobs4Heisman · Post by **Jacobs4Heisman** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 12:33 pm

hammb wrote:
At this point does it really matter? AT is not what is wrong with this team. His lack of development and off field mistakes are merely symptoms of the bigger problem that faces this program.

This is very true -- even Omar couldn't overcome the real problem in his last year. The further we get into the Brandon era, the worse off we're going to be.

The biggest problem with the offense was that the coaches still viewed AT as a real threat running the football. This obviously was not the case. There was no excuse for running AT more than 6 or 7 times in a game. Aaron Opelt is ten times the runner AT is, and he's nothin' special. Yet our coaches continue to overload our offense with designed QB runs while ignoring the MAC freshman of the year and a powerful fullback.

Basically, AT never had a chance this year, even though I don't see the talent in him to take advantage if he ever does get a chance. He's just not a very accurate QB. In our offense, accuracy is key.

ctowndown · Post by **ctowndown** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 12:51 pm

so what you're saying is that terrel white's DUI is more excusable than AT's incident even though they both missed the first game because of it?

BGFootball · Post by **BGFootball** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 1:33 pm

I give him a C+ and I am a huge AT supporter as im sure you know if you have read my posts. I give him that grade based on the progress I feel he made in the last 3 games. If he wouldnt of come out so slow last night and played the way he had been playing, I guarentee everyones letter grade would be one letter higher. The coaches pulled him so he could change his mindset. He was jittery at first and when he went back in he had a completely different mindset and was able to make some decent passes to get us back in the game.

His running ability was doing nothing to UTs defense last night and that is partially do to the coaching. I counted 4 or 5 times last night where the coaches ran the SAME EXACT play 2 times in a row and it didnt work either time. So I dont deduct any points for ATs running because he is a solid runner for a QB and he has proven that in the last few games.

That is a good point about T. White though. T. White IS a senior leader on the team but we didn't hear ANYTHING about him and his DUI. I do feel people use the "AT smoked pot so he cant play or lead this team" excuse way to much. How many of you have seen the way AT conducts himself in the locker room? How many of you saw AT in the lockerroom following the UT game? How many of you heard the things AT told the team after that loss? My guess would be 0 so the fact that AT smoked pot last off season has had no effect on his leadership on this football team. He has learned a lesson, noone is perfect, guys make mistakes, GOOD guys make mistakes.

I do have all the confidence in the world that AT is going to make alot of improvements in the offseason, but he is gonna have to FIGHT for it. Sheehan has looked way more lost then AT the few chances he has had. I dont blame that on him though. The coaches can not expect a true freshman to always come in when we are down a few touchdowns in hostile environments and be able to perform lights out.

This should be an interesting and fun filled offseason. The quarterback position is gonna be fought out in camp and I feel Coach McCall will take these guys to the next level.

I am very excited for whats to come next season and it is too bad we could not get these seniors one more win before they walked off the field for the last time. THANK YOU SENIORS FOR ALL THE MEMORIES! GO FALCONS!

hammb · Post by **hammb** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 1:58 pm

ctowndown wrote:so what you're saying is that terrel white's DUI is more excusable than AT's incident even though they both missed the first game because of it?

T. White is a special case. He gets no more leeway than AT due to his stature on the team. He was a senior and a captain. He is held to the same standards that the QB are. I would knock him a letter grade for his incident as well, if we were grading him.

Now if you're going to pull out guys like Bullock, Dozier, or Briggs, yes I would be more lenient on them. While they are important to the team, they are not yet in leadership positions. If they screwed up I would expect the aforementioned guys (White or Turner) to take them aside and have a chat about what flies in the offseason, and how to properly conduct yourself. Let them know that they are more than just students, they are a representation of the university.

Unfortunately, I think when White & Turner are the guys getting into that sort of trouble it undermines their ability to perform those leadership abilities. I hope Turner has learned from his issues and grows into a leader on the team, it is not impossible. The offseason is upon us and it is up to him to dedicate himself for the next year and be ready to play & lead. I hope he's up to the task.

jpfalcon09 · Post by **jpfalcon09** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 2:02 pm

He gets a D- from me, and gets to limp out of the season with a lot to think about for the next. As far as QB's being held to a higher standard, he should be, just as a hockey goalie, baseball pitcher or top shooting guard in basketball. Quarterbacks command the game and the tempo and lead the offense. Was it a coincedence that when Harris was here, leadership wasn't a problem? Josh was a leader and took control of his business on offense, which is why he was a great player.

AT cannot grasp the leadership qualities and even said he was "jittery" to start off the game yesterday. It's his 11th start of the season and he's still nervous...something obviously is wrong with him. If a QB doesn't have the mental capacity to lead the offense and execute plays properly, then the whole team suffers.

Spart43 · Post by **Spart43** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 2:59 pm

Earlier on in the year I would have given him a D also, But after the last 3 games of the season he has raised that grade to a C. I think AT will agree with that also. He has been showing improvement in each of the last three games. His second half last night was pretty good. If you look at QB ratings in the MAC, he is in the middle. He has alot of hard work ahead of him to prepare for next year. I hope he gets a good push in camp from the other QBs on the roster. A QB competition is always good to bring out the best.

A couple of his TD throws last night, one to Corey and one to Brantley, he scrambled away from pressure and made the play (good throws on the run). Sheehan would not have made those plays.

hammb · Post by **hammb** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 3:57 pm

Spart43 wrote:A couple of his TD throws last night, one to Corey and one to Brantley, he scrambled away from pressure and made the play (good throws on the run). Sheehan would not have made those plays.

The TD to Brantley was probably the best play I've seen AT make in his time at BG. It was a good scramble and a nice throw on the run.

The thing that really scares me about AT is he's so erratic with his accuracy. That seems to be a physical problem more than anything, and the key there is usually mechanics. That's something Harris struggled with throughout his career, and he never did become a real accurate passer. He overcame that with his rushing ability and his outstanding leadership. He wasn't the most accurate passer over a game or season, but you could bet the ball would be on the money when it needed to be late in the game. Hopefully AT can develop his passing to at least acceptable levels.

Jacobs4Heisman · Post by **Jacobs4Heisman** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 4:03 pm

The thing that made J5 so special, besides his leadership, was his running ability. He accelerated much more quickly that AT, and had some shake to make guys miss in the secondary.

AT just takes forever to get going, and doesn't evade any tacklers. Since he hurt his shoulder, he has been crumpling up at the very first contact.

The play that illustrates this is last night -- he was running to the right and had all kinds of open space. The only thing between him and about 20 yards was a big dumb linebacker. AT slowed down with 3 or 4 stutter steps, no change in direction, and got lit up. It's like he doesn't have any running instincts.

To be a star in this offense, you need to be either really sharp with your reads, a really accurate passer, or a great running threat. 1.5 to 2 of those and you can run our offense very effectively. AT is slow and hesitant with his reads, not very accurate, and not a great runner. Unless he seriously improves in those categories, we may never see him take a snap again.

BGGrad01 · Post by **BGGrad01** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 4:11 pm

hammb wrote:The thing that really scares me about AT is he's so erratic with his accuracy.

I made the same comment last night. I really like AT, but he will make one really nice throw followed up by a throw that you would expect from a 7th grade QB.

I would give him a C for the year. He avoided interceptions in the final 3 games and, comparatively, threw the ball better than he did at the beginning of the year. I cut him some slack because he only had 1 legitimate receiver to throw the ball to. After Freddie got hurt, we may as well have thrown 3 middle aged men out there to run routes with Corey.

Spart43 · Post by **Spart43** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 7:48 pm

Jacobs4Heisman wrote:The thing that made J5 so special, besides his leadership, was his running ability. He accelerated much more quickly that AT, and had some shake to make guys miss in the secondary.

AT just takes forever to get going, and doesn't evade any tacklers. Since he hurt his shoulder, he has been crumpling up at the very first contact.

The play that illustrates this is last night -- he was running to the right and had all kinds of open space. The only thing between him and about 20 yards was a big dumb linebacker. AT slowed down with 3 or 4 stutter steps, no change in direction, and got lit up. It's like he doesn't have any running instincts.

To be a star in this offense, you need to be either really sharp with your reads, a really accurate passer, or a great running threat. 1.5 to 2 of those and you can run our offense very effectively. AT is slow and hesitant with his reads, not very accurate, and not a great runner. Unless he seriously improves in those categories, we may never see him take a snap again.

When did Josh finally develop the things you are looking for in AT? AT just finished his sophomore season. I don't believe Josh really came into his own until he was a junior. So I think this next off season is critical for AT.