A Theory about JG

[sjt18]

There you go again with a woulda coulda shoulda comment. There are several factors that had we done better we would have won the 1st two. You blame it all on JG while any reasonable fan will tell you that more factors than QB played a role in us losing the 1st 2 games. Bad QB play, bad defensive play, terrible offensive gameplan, lack of a running game, drops, turnovers and bad coaching all while playing minus 2 of our best defensive players all played a role in those losses.

Pruitt said that the deciding factor in those early losses was poor QB play. Don't have to talk to a fan... "reasonable" or otherwise. Pruitt said the reason JG was benched was that too many plays down field were being missed.

It isn't all on JG any more than it can be all on anyone. But the others played as expected or perhaps better. He did not... and his subpar performance was the difference.

You can't gameplan around a QB playing completely different on gameday than for a month in practice. I know you want to deny JG's weaknesses and the costs of them... but a "reasonable" fan... just wouldn't do that.

 

[BeardedVol]

I thought going 8-5 was absolutely a successful season considering where we came from in '17. I predicted 10-3 so it wasn't as successful as I personally thought it would be but every analyst in the country noticed how Tn played down the stretch and like him or not JG played a major role in that success. You say he can't succeed in the SEC and to me it looks like that's exactly what he did this year, all while playing with a broken hand and fractured confidence because of his poor play early in the season. I believe he will continue to improve and get better, you don't believe he was or ever has been any good, can't improve and evidently believe the Vols simply can't succeed with JG at QB even though you can't define what being successful in the SEC is, obviously you don't think going 5-3 and finishing top 6 in the conference was a success. I'd call that unrealistic expectations if that's truly what you think.

So now you do want to claim "wins" as a QB statistic?

What's JG's overall W/L record in games that he played the majority of during his time at UT?

 

[jakez4ut]

Pruitt said that the deciding factor in those early losses was poor QB play. Don't have to talk to a fan... "reasonable" or otherwise. Pruitt said the reason JG was benched was that too many plays down field were being missed.

It isn't all on JG any more than it can be all on anyone. But the others played as expected or perhaps better. He did not... and his subpar performance was the difference.

You can't gameplan around a QB playing completely different on gameday than for a month in practice. I know you want to deny JG's weaknesses and the costs of them... but a "reasonable" fan... just wouldn't do that.

yep. what game was it, the MSU game, where he only threw and completed i think 1 pass the entire 2nd hallf, the TD to Byrd?

i mean, it doesn't get any LOUDER than that....w/out actually saying a thing.

but, eventually they had to put the ball back in his hands. mixed reviews to say the least the rest of the way.

good news....we won 'em all.

 

[sjt18]

yep. agree 100%. is that fixable? dunno. i'm betting we find out....lol.

i do think he got a lot better at the pre snap stuff from 18 to 19.

He did. He got much better at throwing mid-level to the middle of the field also. His management of the run game was night and day better in the last half of the season.

He was a 4th year player... I have little hope he's going to fix something that looks very much like an innate and fatal weakness. Every DC UT plays is going to game plan to JG's inability to process quickly and anticipate. Along the lines you or someone posted early... they're going try to play just tight enough to get him to hold the ball. The longer he holds it... the worse things get.

 

[sjt18]

yep. what game was it, the MSU game, where he only threw and completed i think 1 pass the entire 2nd hallf, the TD to Byrd?

i mean, it doesn't get any LOUDER than that....w/out actually saying a thing.

but, eventually they had to put the ball back in his hands. mixed reviews to say the least the rest of the way.

good news....we won 'em all.

Maurer wasn't ready. That's a fact. I think Pruitt and the staff knew it but still felt like they had to make a change.

I wish Shrout were developing faster than he has.

I think both of those guys will start and have decent careers somewhere. IMHO, Maurer's window is between now and September. He needs to challenge and at least create a two man tight competition before Bailey gets his legs under him. I think Shrout becomes a good QB somewhere... just not UT unless there are bunches of injuries.

 

[PulaskiVolFan]

No one is arguing that he made some winning plays. I think people are alarmed with the lack of development during his first 3 years. His red zone efficiency last season was atrocious. I'm not even going to mention when he decided to go rogue on the goal line vs. Bama and fumbled the ball. Also, I don't care how many coaches he has had. Great players adapt.

Red zone was terrible last year and while JG had a role in that so did the fact that we had to have a WR and a LB be our power runners when down close to the goal line. Redzone problems were definitely not all on the QB.

 

[jakez4ut]

He did. He got much better at throwing mid-level to the middle of the field also. His management of the run game was night and day better in the last half of the season.

He was a 4th year player... I have little hope he's going to fix something that looks very much like an innate and fatal weakness. Every DC UT plays is going to game plan to JG's inability to process quickly and anticipate. Along the lines you or someone posted early... they're going try to play just tight enough to get him to hold the ball. The longer he holds it... the worse things get.

yeah, that was another area he still continued to struggle with. late with the delivery....another indicaton of not being able to see what's developing and where to throw it vs simply throwing to the receive when he's open.

he's got plenty to work on.

but i agree with you on the stuff he got better at this year vs. last.

if you're looking for positives, it is that he did get better at things he was really not good at the previous year.
needs to make a bigger jump from last year to htis year if he's the guy that's going to be "the guy".

 

[jakez4ut]

Red zone was terrible last year and while JG had a role in that so did the fact that we had to have a WR and a LB be our power runners when down close to the goal line. Redzone problems were definitely not all on the QB.

agreed.

 

[sjt18]

Red zone was terrible last year and while JG had a role in that so did the fact that we had to have a WR and a LB be our power runners when down close to the goal line. Redzone problems were definitely not all on the QB.

When a QB CONSISTENTLY fails to read and process quickly and anticipate throws... then it all goes back to him. You don't have to play as tight as usual and can use the compressed space as an even bigger advantage. You can play run and still recover. The QB has to be a RZ threat for the run game to be effective unless you are just overwhelming... and don't play in the SEC.

 

[HeyHeyUT]

The only thing that is not a Theory about JG are that the haters ONLY focus on what is negative about him... Taken at face value, he has been an up and down quarterback and was upper middle of the pack performer who had some elite games and some real bad ones (IU being his worst IMO). We should all hope for improvement next year because he is going to be our best chance to despite the fact that he doesn't have that Joe Burrow "it" factor. I figure I will post this just to remind the haters of their stat cherry picking, selectively circumstancial indictment of JG.

 

[PulaskiVolFan]

there was more to it than just JG. so you're not wrong.

especially in the BYU game given how it ended with the defense on the field.

but JG specifically missed throws in both games that would have led to points. that BYU game shoujld have been a 3 TD blow out.

and i still haven't seen JG complete a swing pass. lol.

i admire your efforts here, and for the most part i think we're on the same page, so don't take this the wrong way.

but if JG was simply a serviceable, SEC quality QB, we blow out both teams, and many of the other things that contributed to both losses don't happen.....or at the very least, get erased by the ability to make some of the plays he missed.

which is why he's just a maddening character in the season that was 2019 Tennesseee football. seemed every week was a redemption story for him. which is good....but also bad.

Even had we won those 2 games, and I agree we should have, the neverJG crowd would still have the same view of Guarantano. He definitely missed throws he should have but laying it all on JG isn't fair. I think it all goes back to the time he pouted a bit when he didn't get the start opening game in '17, many Tn fans just can't get over that and despise him because of it. He's got to play better if we're going to compete in the east and I think both can happen next year.

 

[jakez4ut]

Even had we won those 2 games, and I agree we should have, the neverJG crowd would still have the same view of Guarantano. He definitely missed throws he should have but laying it all on JG isn't fair. I think it all goes back to the time he pouted a bit when he didn't get the start opening game in '17, many Tn fans just can't get over that and despise him because of it. He's got to play better if we're going to compete in the east and I think both can happen next year.

well, yeah. if we hadn't have had the gaffe at the end of the BYU game and won it, yes, JG would have taken heat. deservedly so. the game should have never been put in that position. he was a large part of the reason it was.

i think if he had played better since that GT game in 17, no one would care about his demeanor on the sidelines of a game nearly 3 years ago.

i've alrady said it and you will agree.....JG isn't very good, he's certainly not very consistent at anything except being inconsistent.

but...had we not had him on the roster in 2019, i do whole heartidly believe we don't win 8 games, and we don't win 7 of 8 to finish the season.

but he's not THE reason we won those games, any more than he's THE reason we lost the ones we lost.

but he's the QB. and so it goes with the territory. and good qb can cover up a lot of warts, a la Josh Dobbs.....conversely, poor QB play exposes every single wart your offense, and sometimes your defense, has.

he has to be a lot better if he is going to play a significant role on this team next year. agreed.

 

[jakez4ut]

When a QB CONSISTENTLY fails to read and process quickly and anticipate throws... then it all goes back to him. You don't have to play as tight as usual and can use the compressed space as an even bigger advantage. You can play run and still recover. The QB has to be a RZ threat for the run game to be effective unless you are just overwhelming... and don't play in the SEC.

agree with that too.

 

[PulaskiVolFan]

The only thing that is not a Theory about JG are that the haters ONLY focus on what is negative about him... Taken at face value, he has been an up and down quarterback and was upper middle of the pack performer who had some elite games and some real bad ones (IU being his worst IMO). We should all hope for improvement next year because he is going to be our best chance to despite the fact that he doesn't have that Joe Burrow "it" factor. I figure I will post this just to remind the haters of their stat cherry picking, selectively circumstancial indictment of JG.

View attachment 260860

The neverJG crowd does not believe in any stats that rank JG in the upper half of the SEC! Considering that he only started 9 games, struggled early and played half the season with a broke hand makes this chart even more impressive to me.

 

[PulaskiVolFan]

well, yeah. if we hadn't have had the gaffe at the end of the BYU game and won it, yes, JG would have taken heat. deservedly so. the game should have never been put in that position. he was a large part of the reason it was.

i think if he had played better since that GT game in 17, no one would care about his demeanor on the sidelines of a game nearly 3 years ago.

i've alrady said it and you will agree.....JG isn't very good, he's certainly not very consistent at anything except being inconsistent.

but...had we not had him on the roster in 2019, i do whole heartidly believe we don't win 8 games, and we don't win 7 of 8 to finish the season.

but he's not THE reason we won those games, any more than he's THE reason we lost the ones we lost.

but he's the QB. and so it goes with the territory. and good qb can cover up a lot of warts, a la Josh Dobbs.....conversely, poor QB play exposes every single wart your offense, and sometimes your defense, has.

he has to be a lot better if he is going to play a significant role on this team next year. agreed.

Agree and I predict he will.

 

[jakez4ut]

Agree and I predict he will.

ohhhh...i can't even hazard a guess on whether he will or not.

not gonna lie, my conficence in it happening is low.

silver lining time.....the knock on JG has NEVER been about him being a stand out practice player. he's gotten rave reviews from coaches about what they've seen in practice and from a preperation standpoint.

so....that being the case, with the two young guys coming back and HB showing up...............that should create a really competitive environment for all the QB's......

so, in theory, who ever wins it.....stands to reason they will have earned it.

and then we just see what happens..............

 

[FLVOL_79]

That's been an unrealistic expectations the last 3 years because of our overall roster and you know it. Peyton could not have won games in '17 and '18. I do believe we now have the roster to compete this year and I believe that having an experienced QB will be a positive in that quest to compete for an East title.

Yeah he could have. He would have also won more in 2019
.

 

[PulaskiVolFan]

ohhhh...i can't even hazard a guess on whether he will or not.

not gonna lie, my conficence in it happening is low.

silver lining time.....the knock on JG has NEVER been about him being a stand out practice player. he's gotten rave reviews from coaches about what they've seen in practice and from a preperation standpoint.

so....that being the case, with the two young guys coming back and HB showing up...............that should create a really competitive environment for all the QB's......

so, in theory, who ever wins it.....stands to reason they will have earned it.

and then we just see what happens..............

I think we'll know by halftime of the Oklahoma game who is going to be the guy. JG can't afford to struggle much at all the 1st 3 games if he's going to stay the starting QB for the FL game and SEC play.

 

[SaipanVol]

I was drinking Baleys and coffee this morning ( it is Wed morning at 7:55 am ) and i came across a video on Youtube. Ten most intriguing College Football Teams for 2020 by MarkRogersTV College Football. TN is on the list!

 

[BeardedVol]

but...had we not had him on the roster in 2019, i do whole heartidly believe we don't win 8 games, and we don't win 7 of 8 to finish the season.

You can speculate, but none of us have any idea what would have actually occurred had the coaching staff chosen to focus on prepping one of the other quarterbacks to start back in the spring.

 

[1vol8]

He was the only QB on our roster that made winning plays to help lead the team to 8 wins, all while doing it with basically 1 hand.

This is why haters suck. A hater only sees a mistake made and he bases the overall performance of his hated qb on one or two plays while disregarding the other 60+. Dont sit here and act like Maurer and Shrout didn’t make winning plays. They absolutely did! Like it or not JG was GIFTED the opportunity to redeem himself where neither of the others were and THATS the basis of your bs. You just don’t realize it because your bias is too thick to see clearly.

 

[jakez4ut]

You can speculate, but none of us have any idea what would have actually occurred had the coaching staff chosen to focus on prepping one of the other quarterbacks to start back in the spring.

That's loaded with potential hot takes lol.

I'll just agree that, yeah, it's speculation... educated speculation... But speculation none the less.. Hence "I believe"

 

[The Vin Man]

Red zone was terrible last year and while JG had a role in that so did the fact that we had to have a WR and a LB be our power runners when down close to the goal line. Redzone problems were definitely not all on the QB.

It's all semantics, but there's no question that Crouch would have scored on the goal line play against Alabama. He is a LB but he shot up through the recruiting ranks as a stud power running back. That is why Pruitt almost blew a gasket. It took place at a critical point in the game with Tua out with an injury. It was a 14 point swing. Second, I don't recall Jennings ever being stopped running the wildcat. He may have been WR but the dude was superhuman.

 

[1vol8]

yeah, he dug us out of some holes.

problem is, he dug the holes in a lot of cases.

lol.....that can't continue and he continue to get the p/t he's gotten. i think everyone knows that....spring qb competition should be a good one. no pressure.

I don’t see the “holes” he dug us out of tbh. In the games BM started he would’ve had to dig a hole while he was in in order for that to be true. Never happened. We had the lead vs UGA until nearly halftime. A missed FG is the only reason it’s not 20-17 at the half. We had the lead vs MSU despite his 2 bad decisions. It was only a matter of time before he started understanding he can’t force it in the red zone and that game likely ends as a higher scoring affair. They had no answer for him. We were tied at 7 with Alabama in their house and driving to tie it yet again at 14 when Maurer took the cheap shot. The only “hole” JG COULD be credited with is UK if you forget about the fact that the defense couldn’t get off the field until we were down 13-0 due to a 10 min drive and a punt block to follow. I just don’t see the “holes” he dug is out of. JG played well at times but let’s leave it at what it is. At times. No need to create a bigger deal than it was by make believing there were “holes” to dig out of when there in fact was not. However most will have to agree with you that he did some digging himself.

 

[jakez4ut]

I don’t see the “holes” he dug us out of tbh. In the games BM started he would’ve had to dig a hole while he was in in order for that to be true. Never happened. We had the lead vs UGA until nearly halftime. A missed FG is the only reason it’s not 20-17 at the half. We had the lead vs MSU despite his 2 bad decisions. It was only a matter of time before he started understanding he can’t force it in the red zone and that game likely ends as a higher scoring affair. They had no answer for him. We were tied at 7 with Alabama in their house and driving to tie it yet again at 14 when Maurer took the cheap shot. The only “hole” JG COULD be credited with is UK if you forget about the fact that the defense couldn’t get off the field until we were down 13-0 due to a 10 min drive and a punt block to follow. I just don’t see the “holes” he dug is out of. JG played well at times but let’s leave it at what it is. At times. No need to create a bigger deal than it was by make believing there were “holes” to dig out of when there in fact was not. However most will have to agree with you that he did some digging himself.

I didn't say "all". And there's a reason shrout or Maurer was playing to begin with....