Maurer? Portal bound?

Because throwing Maurer into the game when JG plays so poorly, and expecting him to clean up his after he spends the entire week with the 2nd team offense gives a fair representation of his skills as a QB?

Maurer couldnt win the starting job out right. If he could have, he would have been the starter. JG consistently played better in practice. The coaches got to see more from Maurer than any of us. They picked JG as the man for a reason. Its really that simple.
 
He had plenty of snaps to not make some of the mistakes he was making.

Fully agreed that he will be better with more snaps but thats the same for any young QB. At the middle/end of the season where you can build success by winning several straight games we all know Pruitt and company were feeling the pressure to win now.

I think getting the wins is more important than giving more reps to inexperienced QBs to try to help them along. Nobody can really argue that JP was wrong to yank and plug QBs because it worked. We won those games.


Yep. Its all about the wins. The fact is JG led us to an 8 win season. Now will he be the starter this year? Who knows? I know I will support whomever is under center for the Vols. Go Big Orange!
 
Maurer couldnt win the starting job out right. If he could have, he would have been the starter. JG consistently played better in practice. The coaches got to see more from Maurer than any of us. They picked JG as the man for a reason. Its really that simple.

But he's supposed to come into the game, unprepared, when JG stinks it up, and save the day even though he 'couldn't win the job'?
 
So Maurer loses his job for interceptions, but JG just gets a time out?

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JG 16 TD 8 INT (1 INT per 19 Completions) BM 2 TD 5 INT (1 INT per 5 Compeletions)
 
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It became clear and obvious who the best QB for us was. Fans that looked at it with rationale saw it. So did the coaches and other players. Only the ones who just dont like JG didnt see it.
Was JG better than BM trying to come back from a neck/head injury? Yes. No doubt. OTOH, Maurer played better vs UGA than JG has in his career. UGA was the best D UT faced all year.

I don't dislike JG. I dislike his issues that hurt the team.... and I am not hopeful that a RS Sr is going to overcome what looks like an innate inability to anticipate throws or process quickly.

PS- They game planned differently for the two guys. That's the reason BM struggled more when trying to come in behind JG and to an extent why JG struggled when he replaced BM. BM processes fast. Too fast. He instinctively and confidently sees and throws. That can and did cause some problems. However they used a lot of RPO's in the game plans for his starts. Just over 20% of Maurer's throws were RPOs. JG was under 8%. They tried to take advantage of Maurer's impulse to throw quickly. That just doesn't work with JG. OTOH... asking Maurer to be patient on long developing plays didn't work very well either.

JG was the best in practice on a consistent basis. He out performed the others. Its just that simple.
He was one of the rare guys who looks like a Heisman candidate in practice but then goes back to what is "natural" under pressure.

Was he really good? No. Far from it. But Pruitt consistently said JG gave us the best chance to win and he was right. You alng with other JG haters just dont like that fact.
He was bad enough that Maurer as a true Fr got a chance to start in spite of not being ready. Before Maurer's injury... Pruitt believed that he and NOT JG gave UT the best chance to win. That was hard for Pruitt. He said many MORE times that he believes practice translates to the field.

There are few if any that "hate" JG. Do you "hate" Maurer or any of the others because they have problems? The difference with JG is that he's not a freshman like Shrout and Maurer. He's a RS JR with a long history of a fatal flaw. He doesn't anticipate throws or read/process fast enough. It has manifested itself in late throws and sacks when the OL was not as strong. It causes him to miss throws down field and check down instead.

A big part of doing that is innate. The announcers for the BCSCG said something interesting. They quoted Burrow as saying that if a defender's head isn't turned... he considers that receiver open. He anticipates and throws to a spot. He doesn't wait for the receiver to BE open like JG.
 
You are wrong... again.

BM has a better, more accurate arm. His problem isn't "passing" but decision making. He is too aggressive at times. He plays instinctive which is the exact opposite of JG's problem. He has less experience and development.

If they can't coach him up to make good decisions and go through progressions... then I don't want him any more than I want JG. But... HE IS JUST A FRESHMAN. I didn't write JG off until he earned it. I'll extend the same to Maurer.
I've seen no evidence that BM has a better or more accurate arm. JG's problem is not accuracy or arm strength. He can make all the throws. The problem with JG is he does not throw the ball at the right time. A good QB will throw the ball before or when the receiver is making his cut. JG is just too late making the read. Mauer does not read the defense at all. He picks a receiver and throws the ball, regardless of coverage. Right now, both are really bad.
 
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He had plenty of snaps to not make some of the mistakes he was making.

Fully agreed that he will be better with more snaps but thats the same for any young QB. At the middle/end of the season where you can build success by winning several straight games we all know Pruitt and company were feeling the pressure to win now.

I think getting the wins is more important than giving more reps to inexperienced QBs to try to help them along. Nobody can really argue that JP was wrong to yank and plug QBs because it worked. We won those games.
I disagree about JG. There were several games we were lucky and won despite of JG not because of JG. That includes the Kentucky game and bowl game.
 
If you frame it as an opinion, thats true. If you say "everyone else is simply wrong" as you often do, thats no longer a debate or an opinion. Its a juvenile statement that displays immaturity.

I do appreciate this post from you.. I may frame it and hang it in the house!
LOL! Frame it and learn. I’m glad I have had a positive influence on your perspective.
 
Because throwing Maurer into the game when JG plays so poorly, and expecting him to clean up his after he spends the entire week with the 2nd team offense gives a fair representation of his skills as a QB?
My understanding is the backups do receive practice time with the 1st team. This is routine practice for most teams.
 
I've seen no evidence that BM has a better or more accurate arm. JG's problem is not accuracy or arm strength. He can make all the throws.
The comparison wasn't to JG. It was to Hill. I love the way JG throws the ball. It is his inability to anticipate throws and process what he sees fast enough.

The problem with JG is he does not throw the ball at the right time. A good QB will throw the ball before or when the receiver is making his cut. JG is just too late making the read.
Agree. That is my major complaint. I hoped he was coming around but Vandy and IU convinced me that he's still the same guy.

Mauer does not read the defense at all. He picks a receiver and throws the ball, regardless of coverage. Right now, both are really bad.
Agree in essence on that one too. The best things about Maurer is physical talent, moxie, and confident reaction to what he sees. The worst things about Maurer are that he trusts his ability too much, forces the ball, and doesn't go through progressions much if at all.

But for my part... I can hold out hope that a guy who was thrown in as a Fr before he was ready may overcome his issues and become a good QB. I suspect that it will be easier to slow him down than it has been to speed JG up.

When you have a rising RS Sr who has started most of the last 3 seasons and still does the things we agree he does... that's when I get critical.

It isn't personal. I truly wish it were not so. I don't believe he can fix it but great if he does. IMO, no one has deserved it any more than he does. He's put up with a lot of crap at UT. He's taken physical abuse even if part of it was his own fault. He hasn't quit. He hasn't transferred. And... he's matured from the guy who sulked against GT to a guy who supported his fellow QB's when it had to hurt that he had been benched.
 
I disagree about JG. There were several games we were lucky and won despite of JG not because of JG. That includes the Kentucky game and bowl game.

No such thing as luck. Its either good play or bad play. The UK game shouldnt have been close. Our defense absolutely could not stop UK. If they would have done their job, we would have won easily. The Indiana game was not luck. Defense stepped up and JG drove us down the field and put us in position to score in the big time moments.
 
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My understanding is the backups do receive practice time with the 1st team. This is routine practice for most teams.
They do. Different coaches use different percentages. A veteran starter may also take a lower % to help prepare the back up.

The issue with JG and BM is that their strengths and weaknesses do not align. BM is too aggressive. He wants to see and throw. JG is too slow. He wants to think about it and wait until a guy is open before throwing. With Maurer you give him RPO's and passes with quick reads and throws. With JG you have to let plays develop where guys are open before he chooses to throw to them... and with enough space that the defender cannot close.
 
Have you even looked at his horrific stat line? The only redeeming part is that his initials aren't JG.
Did you watch him play? Light years more talented than McBride, who wound up transferring to LAMAR. Did McBride ever light up one of the top defenses in the country (Georgia) for a half for 200+ yards and 2 touchdowns? Spoiler alert....no.

And quite honestly, if you watched both of those QBs play, and you equate McBride with Maurer......wow.

Maurer’s faults this year stemmed from being a true freshman trying to adapt to SEC defenses, and he just wasn’t ready.....but anybody watching him vs SCar, vs Georgia, vs Bama and vs Kentucky could see that he’s a twitchy playmaker with great potential....just needs more coaching and experience....ceiling is light years higher than both McBride and Guarantano.
 
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I will trust Pruitt with this situation with the QBs. I dont like the fact JG will be in the mix because I think the offense is just stagnant with him, but Pruitt has proven to handle it the best way with the best ultimate results so whatever he says lol
 
I will trust Pruitt with this situation with the QBs. I dont like the fact JG will be in the mix because I think the offense is just stagnant with him, but Pruitt has proven to handle it the best way with the best ultimate results so whatever he says lol
I don't lol. This year was a s***show in that regard.

I mean I guess you can say it worked, but it sure wasn't "good."
 
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