I saw a couple of good athletes and one guy with lots of experience but there was only one QB on the field today.....Conner Manning. He has a strong and accurate arm plus he has a quick release so he appears to have more time in the pocket than he really has. Every throw today was not only on the money but he hits the receivers in stride which is the hidden secret of great QB play. He had a horrible drop by Gonzales but even that ball was placed low and to the inside so when Gonzales dropped it there was no danger of someone else catching it.
Yes, it was against the 3rd string but he was playing with third string receivers and the way he threw the ball they would have been complete even if Hatfield and Porter were back there as cornerbacks. It is virtually impossible to defend a quick route if the ball is thrown on time and to the right spot.
Coach Whitt can decide if he wants a great athlete who happens to play QB and perhaps that fits best with out offense but if he wants a real quarterback there appears to be only one choice at the moment.
It is possible that Manning just had a good day but a quick release, tight spiral, and perfect ball placement are not things that vary that much from one situation to the next. I honestly do not know why he is not seeing first team reps right now. There must be something more going on. I assume that Manning will lose patience with being the 4th string guy behind a freshman and transfer. I hate to see him leave because some other school is going to get a really good QB. Isom is a physical specimen. He was totally lost at QB.
Couple more thoughts about the scrimmage, Chase Hansen looked better than I expected (unless he was compared to Manning). He has enough of an arm to complete most of the necessary throws (except the 20 yard out across the field but most college QBs cannot make that throw). He is a much more fluid athlete than Travis (duh). Both he and Travis threw a couple of passes that were 20 yards away from the nearest offensive player. I noticed that Travis has to wind up to make the long throws. This extra ½ second will prove costly in some circumstance this year. Travis is still throwing off his back foot even when there is very little pressure in the pocket. It is true that Carter and Thompson do not play much together. Not sure why since they seem like the obvious starters at safety. Thompson is a much better "center fielder" than Carter.
Pita is an animal. I honestly do not know how one person can block him. He will draw constant double teams when he is in the game. His ability to penetrate is almost as disruptive to the running game as it is to the passing game. I doubt he can hold the edge in a "studentbody left" type sweep situation but other than that he needs to see the field as much as possible.
Singleton and C. Smith are excellent young receivers. If we start three seniors this year at receiver, which we probably will, these guys and a Juco or two will be ready to step in and take over next year. I do not see either guy helping us much this year but I would be delighted to be wrong. Evan Moeai is a big target. He catches the ball and is a load to tackle. I do not see Travis having the confidence to throw to him over the middle however.
Yes, it was against the 3rd string but he was playing with third string receivers and the way he threw the ball they would have been complete even if Hatfield and Porter were back there as cornerbacks. It is virtually impossible to defend a quick route if the ball is thrown on time and to the right spot.
Coach Whitt can decide if he wants a great athlete who happens to play QB and perhaps that fits best with out offense but if he wants a real quarterback there appears to be only one choice at the moment.
It is possible that Manning just had a good day but a quick release, tight spiral, and perfect ball placement are not things that vary that much from one situation to the next. I honestly do not know why he is not seeing first team reps right now. There must be something more going on. I assume that Manning will lose patience with being the 4th string guy behind a freshman and transfer. I hate to see him leave because some other school is going to get a really good QB. Isom is a physical specimen. He was totally lost at QB.
Couple more thoughts about the scrimmage, Chase Hansen looked better than I expected (unless he was compared to Manning). He has enough of an arm to complete most of the necessary throws (except the 20 yard out across the field but most college QBs cannot make that throw). He is a much more fluid athlete than Travis (duh). Both he and Travis threw a couple of passes that were 20 yards away from the nearest offensive player. I noticed that Travis has to wind up to make the long throws. This extra ½ second will prove costly in some circumstance this year. Travis is still throwing off his back foot even when there is very little pressure in the pocket. It is true that Carter and Thompson do not play much together. Not sure why since they seem like the obvious starters at safety. Thompson is a much better "center fielder" than Carter.
Pita is an animal. I honestly do not know how one person can block him. He will draw constant double teams when he is in the game. His ability to penetrate is almost as disruptive to the running game as it is to the passing game. I doubt he can hold the edge in a "studentbody left" type sweep situation but other than that he needs to see the field as much as possible.
Singleton and C. Smith are excellent young receivers. If we start three seniors this year at receiver, which we probably will, these guys and a Juco or two will be ready to step in and take over next year. I do not see either guy helping us much this year but I would be delighted to be wrong. Evan Moeai is a big target. He catches the ball and is a load to tackle. I do not see Travis having the confidence to throw to him over the middle however.
