Topic: Why people love back up QBs

[banker]

Unless you have a Chad or Byron, most fans are in love with back up QBs. Either that or you are firmly in the ?coach would play them if they were better? camp.

I was watching the 49ers/Cowboys the other night just because it was a good opportunity to watch the Cowboys lose. Anyway, needless to say I was impressed with Brock Purdy. Mr. irrelevant, 3rd string guy who only got a chance because the two guys in front of him got hurt. He gets his chance and all of a sudden in on the all rookie team and has a 22-4 TD to INT ratio. He looks 10 times better than Lance and Garrapalo ever looked.

I think this is why some people always want to see the next guy. You just never really know until you see them under fire. That?s where Purdy shines. He makes good decisions and stands in the pocket under fire. He never would have played if not for injuries, probably would have ended up being traded around the league for 5-6 years as a backup and then faded away.

Of course he?s the exception and not the rule, but just proof that the best isn?t always in the line up based on coaches.

[Johnnyherd]

The Quarterbacks and Headcoaches it's all the FAME or all the BLAME. 
When your the backup QB and things are going bad everyone is shouting your NAME.

It's just the way it is and has been.

[whf]

I'm not a football coach, but i do a lot of coaching.  My recommendation is that if the role is well defined and the person in it is performing greater than the others on the "bench", you let that person perform.  This doesn't mean there is no end to it, both the bench and the current performer need to improve steadily; should the bench improve more than the current performer, the current performer becomes a member of the bench.  This is necessary to support all the others on the performing team.  And if trust is lost, an elevation from the bench may be necessary, even if the performance isn't there yet.

[Flat Tire 2]

The OP is taking about a professional QB who have already showed the ability and high performance level or they would have never been offered a contract. Not many college backup QB ever make it in professional football.  Comparing that situation to college ball where the backup QB may or may not have the ability to play at that level is not a valid comparison. I do recognize that some people shine under pressure when given the chance, but that is usually the exception. Players that excel usually show it during practice. I have watched MU football since the 1960's and only a few backup QB were ever better than the starter. You can name these players on one hand with missing a finger.

That said, I wish we had a QB that is a conference player or might be able to play on Sunday. JMO

[MU93]

Good topic?.  One thing that bothers me is this mindset you can?t pull your guy bs?

If a kid is having a bad game he needs to be pulled to get right?. I don?t care what position it is.

[MicDrass1]

Frustration

[Green Dog]

Good post Banker. Many, many great players get their chance in this very scenario. I'm in the camp of you
absolutely don't know until they get in the game. Especially true of high pressure positions such as QB.

Most often, being able to remain calm, make good decisions with an above average arm, far outweigh being able to run fast
and jump high.

You can beat bad to average teams with a running QB. To win the ones that count, you absolutely need a prolific passer.
Its been proven time and time again.
 

[HerdEcon]

According to the old sayings...  "the second team QB is the most popular guy in town" and "the most important guy on your team is the QB, the second most important guy on your team is the backup QB".

[MicDrass1]

Don?t truly know who?s the best until the spotlight comes on.  Live real competition

[MUonium]

that back up who had a brilliant first game might totally flop the next.  just like the starter flops sometimes.

in our case, i think Fancher is, at the moment, the best overall horse in the stable.  all it takes though, is one awkward hit and we'll see that number 2.  i just cannot see any coach who isn't playing their consensus, best QB.

i do agree that i'd rather have an elite passer who is athletic but those are not easy to find and sign. 

i think we're getting better and i hope i'm proven right, but not for selfish reasons.  we need to win every remaining game and i think we can.

[goherd24]

I don't think anyone believes the coach isn't playing who he thinks is the best guy to give him a chance to win, but that the coach could be wrong.

[Johnnyherd]

I can explain my feelings for switching to our back up this season.

I'm not suggesting Cam be benched.  I'm just explaining part of my reasoning initially.  I don't want to argue and go back and forth 5 times.

It's hard to watch a QB throw for 140 yards 1 td 2ints and miss on 3rd down over and over and fail to close out games, where we have 2-3 opportunities to put the game away and we have to hold on tight and see if the defense holds up or we lose.  I know that's football sometimes, but I really thought we would see a big improvement in his passing from last season and I wasn't seeing it.

Like I said it hard to watch that, when you have a senior quarterback with plenty of experience and game film showing him complete 3rd downs, have multiple 300 yard games, run the 2 minute offense and go down the line field with everything on the line and throw game winning, walk off touchdowns.

I felt like we were going to sacrifice the entire season to continue to on-the-job train Cam and he was slowly getting it and truly wasn't ready and we would lose to teams that had good offenses or teams that took away our running game.

Now I'm cautiously optimistic that he picks it up and takes full command of the offense and passes the ball well, in clutch situations and he will be able to put the team on his back and win games.

[bbcard1]

I remember lots of fans early in his career saying that Leftwich should be benched.

[svherd]

I remember lots of fans early in his career saying that Leftwich should be benched.

Yep. Cato as well.

[bbcard1]

Yep. Cato as well.

I sort of think Cato deserved it. He was a wild gunslinger. Poor Leftwich was simply abused because our OLine was so young and porous. All that said, I think it is important to manage your backup quarterbacks if your circumstance allows. I think if we had let him play a bit more and worked with him, Froh may have stayed for a couple more years and would have lined us up better for when Cato left.

[goherd24]

Yep. Cato as well.

Cato started out on the bench, behind a guy much like Fancher, in Graham. Another example of the coach's decision getting hurt a d then the back up ends up being in mount rushmore

[2xBison]

I don't think anyone believes the coach isn't playing who he thinks is the best guy to give him a chance to win, but that the coach could be wrong.

Right and fans on a message board might be correct, the guy they've never seen play in a MU game might be better and an entire staff of professional coaches might have missed it.

Anything is possible just not likely.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[goherd24]

Right and fans on a message board might be correct, the guy they've never seen play in a MU game might be better and an entire staff of professional coaches might have missed it.

Anything is possible just not likely.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Agreed, but it happens. Guys like Gant, Johnson, Cato, etc sometimes get buried in depth charts or misused.


Sent from my Pixel 7 Pro using Tapatalk

[thunder britches]

Cato didn?t start out on the bench.

[2xBison]

Agreed, but it happens. Guys like Gant, Johnson, Cato, etc sometimes get buried in depth charts or misused.


Sent from my Pixel 7 Pro using Tapatalk

Cato did not.  Fro probably shares your opinion, and heck, looking at how that talented team underachieved maybe Fro would be right.

sometimes players develop, mature etc.  so maybe long term, one of the other QBs is better or will be, they just aren't now.

[MicDrass1]

Games and practice are different

[2xBison]

Games and practice are different

Totally agree with that.  Some are just gamers and some are not.  That said, you don't just risk losing a game to find out if #2 or #3 are gamers when the lights are on. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Johnnyherd]

Right and fans on a message board might be correct, the guy they've never seen play in a MU game might be better and an entire staff of professional coaches might have missed it.

Anything is possible just not likely.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Those same professional coaches bet our entire 2022 season on Henry Columbi.  Why not take 2 QBs?

Who had a history of starting, failing to lead a consistent successful offense, being benched in favor of another quarterback, twice! Actually make that 3 times if you add Marshall.

[Johnnyherd]

Also to add to the professional coaching staff trust thought.

Charles Huff made his way as a recruiting coordinator and a running back coach.

Trickett had one D1 job as an OC that he was fired from and he's the youngest OC in the nation

How many times had either evaluated a Quarterback group?   

[Grazing Marco]

Cato started the first game of his true freshman season in 2011 at wvu. Got benched after throwing a tantrum at UCF. He returned as the starter after Graham hurt his shoulder.
I do think we should have occasionally rotated Frohnapfel in as a way to persuade him to stay but I think he was probably gone either way because only one year separated him and Cato.