QB job is Keller Chryst's to lose going into 2nd scrimmage

[Vol423]

I find the ongoing Volnation QB debate interesting. There are a lot of posters that picked sides in the JG/Chryst debate before Chryst even arrived on campus. I find the contention that he was promised the starting job or that he will be given preference by the coaching staff for the starting job absolutely laughable. I don't think this coaching staff gives a damn who any of the players are. They just want the best players on the field so they can start to turn the program around. I think that it could go either way, but my guess is that JG will win the starting job for the West Virginia game. However, I don't think either one of these guys are particularly good quarterbacks, and I feel that it is likely that both of them play significant time this year.

 

[sjt18]

If we get reliable information out of the scrimmage tonight then we will have a good idea of what is planned. If the same guy who starts gets the most reps with the 1's... he's probably the guy. If the reps are evenly split with both guys "playing well" then the competition could very unfortunately (and unwisely) extend into the season. It would be ideal to have a clear cut starter coming out of this game.

 

[sjt18]

I find the ongoing Volnation QB debate interesting. There are a lot of posters that picked sides in the JG/Chryst debate before Chryst even arrived on campus. I find the contention that he was promised the starting job or that he will be given preference by the coaching staff for the starting job absolutely laughable. I don't think this coaching staff gives a damn who any of the players are. They just want the best players on the field so they can start to turn the program around. I think that it could go either way, but my guess is that JG will win the starting job for the West Virginia game. However, I don't think either one of these guys are particularly good quarterbacks, and I feel that it is likely that both of them play significant time this year.

Agree to an extent. I felt KC had a good chance to start but less because of his strengths than JG's weaknesses.

Throwing the ball... JG is an All SEC caliber talent. I am absolutely sincere about this. His problem is decision-making and reads. Also last year at least, he pretty obviously had not put in the work to learn the playbook and system. That was the deciding factor in Dormady winning the job. IF JG masters that aspect of the game and matures or has matured from what we saw at times last year.... then he's not just the starter... he's a potentially great UT QB.

Chryst has a ceiling physically. He appears to be a good game manager. He can make some of the throws. But he doesn't have a great arm and has his own issues with decision making and judgment when throwing.

There is a LOT to be skeptical about with both guys.

 

[sjt18]

Can we all agree that whoever we start, he wouldn't even make third string at UGA? We need an elite QB prospect in this class and every class.

Nope. JG has the physical talent to start at UGA or pretty much anywhere else in the SEC. He is pinpoint accurate and has more than enough arm strength.

IF he has improved mentally and has matured then he can be a very, very good QB.

 

[sjt18]

If u was a grad transfer and u had one year left would go to a school where u had a chance to start or go to a school to provide depth? JG has to be twice as good or better to start over Chryst..QB is the most imortant piece to a team to a new coach..I may be wrong but JG only have one win on his resume vs Chryst 12-1 record regardless of Chryst opponents he still got the wins..No knock to JG..Im just being realistic..

While I don't agree that the competition is anything more than a straight up "let the best man win" proposition... you are one of the few people here with a real connection to the program. No one can say that JG doesn't have a good rapport with #7 after the Vandy game last year. Can you share any insights from "inside the program"?

 

[BloomuVol]

IMHO, it is a straight forward competition and both guys were told what they had to improve on to earn the job. It sounds like JG has made progress but this podcast indicates that he got chewed on during the scrimmage and didn't respond well. That's a double whammy.

What that DOES NOT MEAN is that it is a problem overall. We just don't know. It also doesn't mean that Chryst has overcome his issues... and he has some significant ones.

As for Chryst "being the guy"... he was for the better part of two years after taking the job from the previous QB. Stanford was 6-2 when he was benched and went 3-3 from there on out. Costello's numbers were a little better but not much. Shaw to his credit stuck with KC through some less than stellar games then stuck with Costello through tough times too. Costello being younger in this case was the better investment all other things being equal.

He did lose his job but it wasn't quite as clean cut as you might think. Stanford is a heavily run first team.

Yes. As we should with anyone else who comments right now... including Swain and others who have said JG is great and running away with the competition. What is directly observed isn't much. The rest is just rumors and second hand info. However with the specific claim that JG was chewed out for holding the ball... that rings true since we know it has been a problem AND because Pruitt specifically mentioned it in his press conference concerning the scrimmage.

So wait, dont believe Swain, price, among others who all agree JG is ahead. But we definitely should believe the one report of JG not taking good to coaching, even though there is no one else to corroborate that story. Also this has literally been the only time anyone has reported anything negative about JG's attitude since the GT game, why are you so hung up on that one line? Maybe because it proves your point that JG is a mental midget that cant get it right. You are such a hack and so transparent, but please keep telling us about how unbiased you are.

 

[TrueVolsGBOInsider]

Not familiar with anything these dudes have done before, but they sound like mouthbreathers

I mean this in the nicest possible way, but this podcast is complete and utter ********. Very little factual information and crappy in terms of talking football. Very poorly done and executed.

 

[sjt18]

So wait, dont believe Swain, price, among others who all agree JG is ahead. But we definitely should believe the one report of JG not taking good to coaching, even though there is no one else to corroborate that story. Also this has literally been the only time anyone has reported anything negative about JG's attitude since the GT game, why are you so hung up on that one line? Maybe because it proves your point that JG is a mental midget that cant get it right. You are such a hack and so transparent, but please keep telling us about how unbiased you are.

Reading is really not a strength for you is it? I said specifically in a response in the last two pages that all of these reports have to be "taken with a grain of salt". Yes. What the guy said when correlated to what Pruitt said rings true. Is it? Is it an accurate representation of what happened? None of us can truly know.

I never said JG was a mental midget. I just pointed to a pretty obvious weakness that has held him back to date... that I have MANY TIMES said I hoped he would overcome. NO ONE is "unbiased". Some are just blinded by bias... I'm not. And all other things being equal... in truth I would lean toward favoring JG. I LOVE the way he throws the ball. I loved the way Bray threw the ball and minus the really deep accuracy... JG looks similar at times.

 

[BloomuVol]

Man Sjt18, you really do like reading tea leaves and extrapolating your own little series of events, now it definitely happened that JG talked back to coaches when they corrected him, we know that happened because he has held a ball in the past, and because we know for a fact that he has been doing it all camp and cant fix it because coach pruitt was talking vaguely about things the team is doing and we know we can apply those attributes to whoever we feel like is most convenient at that time.

 

[VolunteerHillbilly]

How much good is Eason doing UGA right now?

The wave of the future is you're going to have to sign an elite qb in every class. You'll probably lose a transfer each year but it's the only way to hedge against busts.

 

[greazy1722]

As I’ve recently heard Hubbs and Price say, Chryst was not promised the starting job at Tennessee like you’ve continually suggested, only the fair opportunity to compete and be the guy if he is the best guy.

Keep saying it all you want, but I’ve heard time and again from guys who oughtta know (VQ guys, Mathews, Swain, etc) that they think Chryst was brought in to compete yes, but more than anything else, to provide depth as JG’s backup if he doesn’t win the job because the coaches know McBride can’t play here. And as of this week, guys like Hubbs, Price and Simonton are still saying JG is in the driver’s seat to be the starter vs WVU. We’ll see....Chryst still has the scrimmage today and another few practices next week to try and leapfrog JG and win the job. If I were you, I’d keep praying day and night like you have been that JG isn’t named the starter, but I don’t think I’d hold my breath.

Those reporters that be giving yall insite dont know much most of it be speculation or assumptions..

Stanford already has their guy. If Chryst had stayed there, he would be competing for second string. Here, he is being given the opportunity to compete for the job. That's a sizeable improvement over what his circumstances would have been at Stanford. Chryst lost his job to a freshman and would have had to go to a low level conference to be guaranteed a starting job. To reiterate what I said earlier, Chryst is a one year mercenary with a low ceiling. JG is a sophomore with a lot of upside. If the two are pretty close, you start JG. Just common sense.

If im a coach and my freshman is better than than my Junior or Senior im going with the younger player..We not talking about Standford roster we talking Tennessee roster..People please remember who Pruitt worked under and what type of Qbs Saban had..All game managers..JG has a way better arm and potential..But can JG manage a game while operating a pro style offense? Nobody knows yet..Im not hating on JG by any means..Chryst is a game manager he going to get the ball out quick and make rite reads..We all saw what JG did last year..JG wasnt the only problem but remember he is the qb

 

[greazy1722]

I have no reason to hate on JG..He threw Brandon the ball..Im just being realistic about certain things.

 

[sjt18]

Man Sjt18, you really do like reading tea leaves and extrapolating your own little series of events, now it definitely happened that JG talked back to coaches when they corrected him, we know that happened because he has held a ball in the past, and because we know for a fact that he has been doing it all camp and cant fix it because coach pruitt was talking vaguely about things the team is doing and we know we can apply those attributes to whoever we feel like is most convenient at that time.

Man... you really like posting false stuff because you can't deal with a reasonable discussion. I didn't "extrapolate". I listened to the podcast and considered what was said. Did you? Or did you just write it off because it didn't say what you wanted to hear? I have never said nor insinuated that JG talked back to the coaches. You made that up out of thin air. The podcast didn't even say that. It said that he responded poorly then went out on his next series and made a bad play. I don't know exactly what they meant by that... nor does it matter.

He talked "vaguely" about a problem that JG has had that the others have not that we know of... a problem that made JG ineffective at times leading the O last year. Only someone intentionally blinding themselves would consider that an "unreasonable" leap of logic. His having held the ball in the past when that has not been a problem for KC (his are other things) PLUS this report PLUS Pruitt's comments make the account believable. Not "certain"... but reasonable. Do you really not get that?

 

[VolunteerHillbilly]

I'm starting to think some of you did not watch JG play last year.

 

[Darth_Shiveman]

I mean this is the nicest possible way, but this podcast is complete and utter ********. Very little factual information and crappy in terms of talking football. Very poorly done and executed.

I stopped listening after one of them claimed Chryst started 12 games in 2016.

 

[sjt18]

He is not pro KC. Just anti JG. He latched on to Dormady. (Pure non-sense based on your belief that anyone who doesn't worship JG like you do is "pro" someone else or "anti" JG).

You are such a hack and so transparent, but please keep telling us about how unbiased you are.

Here is the USC v Stanford game from last year. If you are inclined to watch and love CFB and the Vols like I do then it is worth the watch. It might provide some insight into Helton's O. KC is the QB against a D with SEC quality athletes.


Here's my take:

Good

1. KC made some good throws on short and mid-range routes.
2. For the most part he seems to have read the secondary well. He knew where to throw the ball.
3. The announcers (based on coach comments) gave him credit for managing the run game well. If they're like Chaney and I suspect they are, the QB has 3 or 4 options when he gets to the line then audibles to the correct one after reading the defensive front. Stanford ran well in spite of USC selling out to stop the run.
4. Good touch on most of his passes.
5. One of his TD passes was a very nice "jump ball" thrown to the corner of the end zone where only his guy had a good play on the ball.
6. Sufficient zip on short passes

Bad

1. He does NOT appear to be able to "make all the throws". Arm strength is an issue.
2. His judgment and reads are good most of the time but then he appears to have lapses. He got a way with some bad throwing decisions. It was almost like he isn't self aware... like he thinks he can make throws he's physically not capable of making.
3. Oddly since I've knocked JG for taking too many sacks... KC should have taken two that he didn't. He was in a position that he didn't have the arm strength to get the ball out of bounds. Both landed in the field of play. One could have easily been intercepted.
4. One of his TD passes was a terrible throw and decision unless he saw the flag before taking the risk. He threw to a blanketed receiver on a play inside the 10. The throw to a tall receiver wasn't high but rather somehow got under the DB's body, bounced off the receiver's thigh pad, and into his arms.
5. He is accurate much of the time but does not put the ball in a small window (like JG does often).
6. He has throws now and again that are just inexplicably wild and off target. On one simple seam pattern, he was bailed out by an INT call on a ball that was short and way off target. The call IMO was highly questionable since it was probably not a catchable ball.

I am not 100% confident that JG's issues can be overcome. Some guys never quite get the mental part. Some have to work overtime to learn the playbook and reads. However... I would say I am more confident that he can/will than I am that KC's arm issues can be fixed in a year or by a change of venue. In a sense, this is JG's "job to lose". KC imo "is what he is". He's a "game manager" that isn't going to scare anyone with his ability to make plays. BUT... KC last year is probably a better option than JG last year. The whole question comes down to whether and how much JG has improved.

 

[Darth_Shiveman]

Those reporters that be giving yall insite dont know much most of it be speculation or assumptions..

Pot meet kettle.

If im a coach and my freshman is better than than my Junior or Senior im going with the younger player..We not talking about Standford roster we talking Tennessee roster..People please remember who Pruitt worked under and what type of Qbs Saban had..

QBs who can complete more than 60% of their passes. John Parker Wilson is the only one he ever had who didn't. Since 2009 Saban's starters have averaged a completion percentage of 65.3%. Chryst has never done better than 56.6.%

Chryst is a game manager he going to get the ball out quick and make rite reads..We all saw what JG did last year..JG wasnt the only problem but remember he is the qb

Getting the ball out quick and making the right reads is meaningless if the ball bounces to the WRs. Also debatable about Chryst consistently making the right reads. SDSU and Oregon State probably wouldn't agree that he was making the right reads against them.

 

[sjt18]

Pot meet kettle.


QBs who can complete more than 60% of their passes. John Parker Wilson is the only one he ever had who didn't. Since 2009 Saban's starters have averaged a completion percentage of 65.3%. Chryst has never done better than 56.6.%



Getting the ball out quick and making the right reads is meaningless if the ball bounces to the WRs. Also debatable about Chryst consistently making the right reads. SDSU and Oregon State probably wouldn't agree that he was making the right reads against them.

Largely true. But given the choice I'd rather have a QB that makes the wrong read than one that hesitates and is indecisive. You can correct the wrong read.... if the QB doesn't make a decision then there's nothing you can correct.

Throwing consistency is definitely the concern with KC.

IMO, 55% with minimal sacks is better than 62% with over 50 sacks (annualized). Making a mistake is better than not making a decision at all. But completion % isn't a good indicator of the key problems with either QB. It isn't that KC just completed a low %. It is that he was wild much of the time. He is guilty of something that bothered me about Dobbs as well. He is "wild inside the strike zone". Even catchable balls often require too much effort by the receiver. The USC game was a good one to watch because of the contrast between Darnell and Chryst. As a pure thrower, I would put JG in the same arm class as Darnell. Both throw into very tight windows. Chryst doesn't.

 

[Darth_Shiveman]

Largely true. But given the choice I'd rather have a QB that makes the wrong read than one that hesitates and is indecisive. You can correct the wrong read.... if the QB doesn't make a decision then there's nothing you can correct.

Throwing consistency is definitely the concern with KC.

IMO, 55% with minimal sacks is better than 62% with over 50 sacks (annualized). Making a mistake is better than not making a decision at all. But completion % isn't a good indicator of the key problems with either QB. It isn't that KC just completed a low %. It is that he was wild much of the time. He is guilty of something that bothered me about Dobbs as well. He is "wild inside the strike zone". Even catchable balls often require too much effort by the receiver. The USC game was a good one to watch because of the contrast between Darnell and Chryst. As a pure thrower, I would put JG in the same arm class as Darnell. Both throw into very tight windows. Chryst doesn't.

I agree about rather having someone in the 50s than someone who would take 50 sacks. But getting rid of the ball is just as coachable as teaching someone to make the right reads.

As for the bolded part, it doesn’t really make too much sense because Chryst literally did complete a low percentage of passes. Being wild and inconsistent isn’t a recipe for a decent completion percentage.

As things stand, I could see Chryst benign our better option if the defense was really good and the OL could take a big step forward. I’m not sure he’s gonna be in a position like at Stanford though. We’re gonna have some games this year where we’ll need our QB to make things happen for us. I don’t necessarily think JG is the guy to do that either, but he’s at least got the arm for it. I don’t really see Chryst being any better here in a worse situation than he was mediocre in before.

 

[butchna]

The wave of the future is you're going to have to sign an elite qb in every class. You'll probably lose a transfer each year but it's the only way to hedge against busts.

Who else has that model? Without arguing with you, what quantifies “elite”? Bama has
two titles with former 3 stars, 2 with a 4 star
and one (in one half of a game) with a 5 star. Clemson won with a 5 star but the other 5 was redshirting as a true freshman and is now gone from the program. They landed Trevor Lawrence in this class but they don’t net one in EVERY class. tOSU won their NC with a 3 star after a 4 star guided them to the playoffs. Washington made the playoffs with a four star...Oklahoma with a PWO. The only program that’s seemingly following your proposed model hasn’t won anything but has made the playoffs once.

 

[Power T-Rev]

Man... you really like posting false stuff because you can't deal with a reasonable discussion. I didn't "extrapolate". I listened to the podcast and considered what was said. Did you? Or did you just write it off because it didn't say what you wanted to hear? I have never said nor insinuated that JG talked back to the coaches. You made that up out of thin air. The podcast didn't even say that. It said that he responded poorly then went out on his next series and made a bad play. I don't know exactly what they meant by that... nor does it matter.

He talked "vaguely" about a problem that JG has had that the others have not that we know of... a problem that made JG ineffective at times leading the O last year. Only someone intentionally blinding themselves would consider that an "unreasonable" leap of logic. His having held the ball in the past when that has not been a problem for KC (his are other things) PLUS this report PLUS Pruitt's comments make the account believable. Not "certain"... but reasonable. Do you really not get that?

Dude. Your panties are really in a wad. You're using CAPS like it's going out of style. Lol

 

[butchna]

I'm starting to think some of you did not watch JG play last year.

I’m fully convinced some never watched football BEFORE last year. Your first season doesn’t define you as a player. You can get vastly better...or worse. All or nothing mentality is very limited in range.

 

[Ten_Titans]

Nope. JG has the physical talent to start at UGA or pretty much anywhere else in the SEC. He is pinpoint accurate and has more than enough arm strength.

IF he has improved mentally and has matured then he can be a very, very good QB.

He's pinpoint accurate? So all those overthrows are by choice?

While we are on the topic, don't you think JG's accuracy numbers are a bit misleading considering how much he threw the ball within 5 yards of the line?

I don't think Chryst was throwing bubble screens every other play like JG.

Some things to think about. I don't know who you're going to convince by quoting Stat lines or silver linings when we all saw last year with our eyes. The reality is JG hasn't, to this point, proven he is even an average SEC QB.

 

[Power T-Rev]

I’m fully convinced some never watched football BEFORE last year. Your first season doesn’t define you as a player. You can get vastly better...or worse. All or nothing mentality is very limited in range.

You don't get it butchna. JG wasn't very good last year, therefore he won't ever be any good. That's Volnation logic

 

[butchna]

Dude. Your panties are really in a wad. You're using CAPS like it's going out of style. Lol

He’s learning...I’m a big fan of that strategy! Anything that gets him away from quoting every third word of a post.