Not spinning. I've never rooted against a Vol being successful... and that did not change with JG. You are just evading a legitimate criticism and concern about his ability. You turn criticism on young guys for their mistakes then "spin" the failures of an experienced player. Why?Like I said, your tone has changed a bunch. Keep spinning it spinner!
I don't have much to go on with Shrout except it was obvious that the staff did not trust his grasp of the offense.
BM was significantly limited by knowledge of the O as well but was quick and decisive enough to apparently show some "upside" vs JG when he replaced him. No one can know for sure... but he likely would have remained the starter and been "coached up" over the course of the season if he could have stayed healthy.
Here are the specific concerns/criticisms I have for him. He could be susceptible to head injuries. He's now slowed by a leg injury... is he injury prone? Some guys just are.... just like some guys don't have as much abstract "vision" as others. BM's decisions were often not good. The two throws vs MSU were terrible. On one, he decided before the play he was throwing to Jennings and did not "read" what was happening. He had MC open short for the TD.
He had early success with RPO's in part because he's quick and doesn't hesitate. He has a good arm and the ability to hit tight windows with snap throws. But he became too easy to fool later in the season like in the UK game.... and he seemed to start reading "throw" all the time.
The reason I do not spend a ton of time talking about this is that virtually no one denies Maurer has weaknesses or says he played consistently well last year. Not even 1vol8. But REASONABLE people do not judge a true Fr that is forced to play too early with a 4th year Jr who has weaknesses that should have already been resolved if he's able.
I have operators that work at my plant. Their job is to read ever changing trend lines and make adjustments to systems to keep the plant in balance and running efficiently. The best operators learn to anticipate problems then know when to implement adjustments. We do not expect our new operators to do this as well as guys who have been around a couple of years. We do not come down on them if they read the trends incorrectly or read them correctly and make the wrong adjustment or make it at the wrong time. We expect mistakes and some that might cost us 10's of thousands of dollars. Just a reality. We train those guys.
Some guys no matter how hard they try do not have the abstract reasoning to envision/anticipate the changes needed. They can do other things for us... but they cannot operate the plant.
If we get to year 2 or 3 and a guy still cannot keep the plant in balance/optimized... they have to go. Not because they're bad guys but because the team cannot afford someone that holds them back. It certainly isn't because I "hate" them or want them to fail.
That's where I think JG is. I think he's a very good kid. I just believe he's more of a concrete, deliberate thinker than an abstract or instinctive thinker. Nothing wrong with that except it does not work well as a QB in a league that plays at the speed of the SEC.
I would LOVE to be wrong... but I do not think I am based on the last 4 years.