Should Schilz have been put in the game sooner?

[Falconfreak90]

Just wondering if anyone had any thoughts...I, personally, thought he should have been put in the game in the middle of the third quarter. It was a non conference game so it meant nothing in the MAC race. Why not insert Schilz and see what he could do against that D? We seemed to move the ball decently but had too many breakdowns.

Thoughts?

BEAT MURRAY STATE

[footballguy51]

I was watching the game and kept thinking, "Isn't this what everybody was harping on Schilz about?" Johnson was standing in the pocket for a long time, forcing throws into tight coverage or, in one instance, triple coverage, and completely lost his accuracy as the game went along.

Now, before anybody gets all bent out of shape because I'm criticizing Johnson and he just started his 2nd collegiate game, I'm not calling for him to be pulled or anything like that. We made the switch back in the Tulsa game, so you almost have to stick with it. What hurt us most in that game was that the running game never really got going, so we HAD to pass and IU knew it.

As for pulling Johnson earlier in the game, I think it might have done more harm than good. Pulling him in the third, when the score was still reasonable, could have been a confidence letdown for Johnson. Now, if Johnson had been named the starter at the beginning of the season, and there wasn't a controversy, then pulling him earlier wouldn't have hurt his confidence. Pulling him would have been simply saying, "Well, let's see what this guy can do." But, pulling him and playing Schilz when the game is in question, after the contest they had this summer and the way he replaced him against Tulsa, would almost say, "Maybe you can't do it like we all thought, so we're going to let Schilz try to earn his spot back."

[Schadenfreude]

I think Claw was right to stick with Johnson until the outcome was no longer in doubt.

[Falconfreak90]

Valid points guys...I thought when the score reached 28-10, Schilz should have been given a shot. Just my 2 cents...I still like Johnson a LOT.

[Dayons_Den]

I liked the timing of the switch. I think we have to worry mostly about Johnson's psyche for the long term (season) and in this scenario I like how it was handled.

Now, I will say that I like Greene & Givens but think Coppet deserves carries earlier in the games. He has the patience and cuts that Samuel had, he waits for the play to develop and hits the lanes well. Would like to see if be can do that vs first Teamers.

[Globetrotter]

As a coach I would do whatever it took to stick its one guy. I think the only time Schilz should play when it matters is if Johnson is hurt or proves completely ineffective.

[Siborg]

I think Johnson was dinged up so Schilz was brought in. Then he was left in the rest of the game. So it might well have been to prevent any further injury to Johnson.

[screammachineman]

I watched Johnson's last play at QB and when he got up he was dinged up...seemed slow and needed a break. Shiltz was giddy as he lept into action.

[hammb]

If I'm the coach I wouldn't play Schilz unless Johnson is hurt, or the game is completely out of hand and you want to get him some breathing room to take a step back. At this point we need to be committed to one guy and if that is Johnson then you have to dance with the girl that brought ya. I think taking him out when the game is closer just starts bringing up questions and will hurt confidence.

And I'm saying this as somebody that is still not 100% convinced that Johnson gives us a better shot to win as the season goes on. He's got a different skillset than Schilz obviously, but I'm not 100% sold it's better. But clearly he had the hot hand in the 1st two weeks, the team has responded, and he is now the guy. I just don't think you can go back and forth swapping them because one is not playing well. If you start second guessing that QB decision it's a slippery slope that you don't wanna step onto, IMO.

I thought Clawson handled it well. His QB got to taste his first adversity, and he got to play a lot in a hostile environment against Big10 competition. Once it was 28-10 we weren't winning that game if we brought Aaron Rodgers in at QB, so may as well roll with Johnson.

[mscarn]

Johnson played poorly but wasn't the biggest problem.

The passing game is as sloppy as it's ever been: badly mistimed routes, no seperation, dropped passes and general confusion abound. Not moving the pocket or taking advantage of Johnson's ability to run didn't help much, either.

[Redwingtom]

I thought the timing was fine. And we also found out that Schilz is still regressing. He still looked as bad. He's just lost out there and it's really perplexing. Stick with Johnson unless he's hurt.

[jpfalcon09]

Schilz came in the game and looked terrible. Underthrew one guy and had two balls knocked down at the line of scrimmage. He'll play this week (hopefully if its a blowout) but we're only going to see him in mop up situations as long as Johnson is healthy.