3 QBs Competing For Starting Job

[1vol8]

Had any contact recently with Brian M? What's the young man saying these days, whether to you, on social media, or through mutual acquaintances? Got any tidbits for us?

Since you’ve been respectful I’m not going to ignore you. My “tidbits” that I would’ve normally shared are what’s been attacked for far too long now. Which is why I’m keeping quiet. Wouldn’t want to stir a ruckus. But I’ll share my opinion on this “3 qb competition”.

The media is no different than most of you. They have an opinion. The only difference is they get paid to talk about it. Look around at the opinions right here on VN and you’ll find 80% writing Maurer off. Those 80% have been wrong the past two years. Some even disappeared because of how wrong they were. Maurer has never been deeper than #2 (until HE decided to be) and I don’t expect this year to be any different.

AND/ OR, the reason he wasn’t mentioned was because the “investigation” still isn’t over and no one knows if the league is going to punish him or not. I personally don’t think he’ll be punished because he only did what he was told, but that’s not my call. And no I’m not going into details on that either.

My days of giving info are over. There’s literally only a handful of posters that appreciated it anyway so I don’t expect it to be missed

 

[LWSVOL]

There is plenty of talent in the room. Heupel will however have to reduce it to two serious contenders pretty quickly in order to focus development on them. Not having a QB who can compete at any given level isn't new when you replace a QB. Manning was spoon fed when he became the starter. But progressively those new starters are trusted more. How fast you think that happens is partly dependent on how good you think Heupel is with QB's and offensive schemes/playcalling. Having four guys with ability pushing each other isn't a bad thing either. Many times over the past 30 years UT's new starter wasn't challenged by anyone else.

You are essentially describing the situation for every new program with a new QB starter.

All 4 of these have been starters, not exactly new. Its certainly questionable how much development they have gotten from their previous coaching but lack of consistency has been a problem for all of them or they would have had success. The transfers were not consistent enough to win at other programs so they are no longer there. Our two lacked development and/or consistency to replace one of the worse starting quarterbacks in Tennessee history. Probably a safe statement to say, he was the worse quarterback in history here with the most starts for a bad quarterback.

I give Bailey the benefit of the doubt because he didn't have enough practice before last season to have any development. But that doesn't remove the fact he has not made it to an SEC level to compete. He still needs to prove that has does all them.

Disagree with your premise, because all 4 have been starters in their careers. Just not very successful to date.

 

[butchna]

The bold is just for convenience in noticing it. Every word is relevant to the point I was making. And I can only glean what the words themselves say, which is that the head ball coach thinks highly of this player. It's much more than bland coach-speak. It's genuine praise. To my knowledge, he hasn't spoken so highly of the other three QBs. I would be curious to read anything that Heupel has said about HB, HH, or BM. Please post it, anyone who has that info.

He was asked directly about a player and he talked him up. About the extent of the science. No one doubts Heupel is a fan of his potential. It’s how it all comes together at game time as opposed to the other candidates that’ll be the determining factor.

 

[508mikey]

 

[sjt18]

All 4 of these have been starters, not exactly new. Its certainly questionable how much development they have gotten from their previous coaching but lack of consistency has been a problem for all of them or they would have had success. The transfers were not consistent enough to win at other programs so they are no longer there. Our two lacked development and/or consistency to replace one of the worse starting quarterbacks in Tennessee history. Probably a safe statement to say, he was the worse quarterback in history here with the most starts for a bad quarterback.

And that's where we may be parting company.

I recall Fulmer saying years ago that at some point you have to go with the more talented guy. I don't think he and especially Cutcliffe would have stuck with JG. They would have taken their lumps and played someone else and developed them OJT.

Pruitt was fixated on the idea that the guy who "performed the best in practice" would perform best on game day. JG was a practice all American and fell apart on game day. Pruitt never seemed to understand that those kinds of guys come along once in a while and also "gamers" can be a real thing.

I give Bailey the benefit of the doubt because he didn't have enough practice before last season to have any development. But that doesn't remove the fact he has not made it to an SEC level to compete. He still needs to prove that has does all them.

Disagree with your premise, because all 4 have been starters in their careers. Just not very successful to date.

All four are still young both in terms of their class and experience. You seem to be writing off the idea that they might perform well without accounting for improvement curves.

I have cautioned on Milton myself. When he's good... he's great. When he's bad... he was downright awful.

Hooker is kind of the odd duck. I've read criticisms of that decision and claims that he was better than the guy Fuente settled on.

Maurer just has to become consistent... and avoid social media.

I don't think it is fair either pro or con to judge Bailey too much based on last year. Besides being a true Fr who missed a lot of practice opportunities... it was a weird Covid year playing on a sinking ship. By the time he got a real opportunity the motivation of the team was pretty spotty.

 

[sjt18]

I think it is saying that his initial burst (acceleration) is fastest amongst those testing on Friday, but not his final top speed. Acceleration is a good asset to have as QB, though. Not sure what the difference between Skill and Big Skill is (maybe they call WRs, RBs, and DBs "Skill", and everyone else "Big Skill"? What I find really interesting is that we know Hyatt is legitimately fast with verified track times and play on the field. Yet Jones and Peyton are within .5 mph top speed of him here. We should have a legitimately fast receiver group this year. Also, good to see Rucker as the fastest tested on this day. I've felt our db group lately could use a bit more speed.

Maurer is the fastest QB regardless of how you measure it.

 

[LWSVOL]

And that's where we may be parting company.

I recall Fulmer saying years ago that at some point you have to go with the more talented guy. I don't think he and especially Cutcliffe would have stuck with JG. They would have taken their lumps and played someone else and developed them OJT.

Pruitt was fixated on the idea that the guy who "performed the best in practice" would perform best on game day. JG was a practice all American and fell apart on game day. Pruitt never seemed to understand that those kinds of guys come along once in a while and also "gamers" can be a real thing.


All four are still young both in terms of their class and experience. You seem to be writing off the idea that they might perform well without accounting for improvement curves.

I have cautioned on Milton myself. When he's good... he's great. When he's bad... he was downright awful.

Hooker is kind of the odd duck. I've read criticisms of that decision and claims that he was better than the guy Fuente settled on.

Maurer just has to become consistent... and avoid social media.

I believe we can agree, none have shown the consistency to win consistently. That would come as each gain more development, consistency and experience. During that development they are likely to create a loss or two... Just because someone is more talented, its fine to throw them out there. But they still have to have development, experience and consistency to be competitive.

I seriously doubt even Heupel knows how long it will take to develop consistency and get them experience to be competitive in this league. I'm sure he will lose more hair trying to accomplish this.

JMO.. respect your outlook.

 

[sjt18]

I think you are correct on Hooker.

I think Milton is the starter on Day 1 now that he's here.

You can watch the games he played in for Michigan. You can see elite potential. OTOH, he goes cold and makes really bad decisions and throws for extended periods. He was replaced by a guy with less physical talent. If he can play consistent then he has massive up side... but ONLY if he can learn to play consistent.

 

[MWAVolfan]

HEUPEL didn’t “bring in TWO”. Hooker was on Pruitt’s watch.

I dont think that changes my position.

 

[MWAVolfan]

You can watch the games he played in for Michigan. You can see elite potential. OTOH, he goes cold and makes really bad decisions and throws for extended periods. He was replaced by a guy with less physical talent. If he can play consistent then he has massive up side... but ONLY if he can learn to play consistent.

I want to see what role they have in store for Milton before I decide. Is he a Cam Newton type or do they see him as someone to run the wildcat formation with.

To me the battle is between Hooker and Bailey. Bailey still being at a disadvantage because of age/experience that he will have to overcome with raw talent.

 

[butchna]

I dont think that changes my position.

“You don’t bring IN TWO in the same year” changes the merit of your position…since you stated it in all caps.

 

[1vol8]

Just my 2 cents but I think some of you are reading too deep into the media. If the media only wanted to talk about 3, why would Heupel argue? To volunteer information? Doesn’t make sense. At the end of the day Heupel has a tough decision to make and he’ll be missing something with each of them.

If he goes Bailey, he may gain IQ but he loses escape ability. He has to think about pressure from the big three if he ever wants to beat them.

If he goes Milton, he gains size and speed but loses the ability to trust the pass too often.

If he goes Maurer he gains speed and escape ability along with the ability to throw on the run but will have to accept chances being taken a few times a game.

If he goes Hooker, well imo...... he gets JG 2.0 from what I’ve seen. Small chunks of yards and a heavy run offense.


If I had to make an uneducated guess, I’d say your starter along with #2 last name will start with the letter M. Bailey could be #3 and let’s face it....... Hooker doesn’t come to UT if Heupel is the coach at the time. Kinda explains why Pruitt went after Hooker tbh. So stuck in his ways he was going to hit the reset button on another qb just like JG. However, a legitimate case can be made for all of them.

 

[Wireless1]

OR... he played for a HC whose bias hurt his development and prevented him from playing his way into the job. He now has a fresh opportunity, still has talent, and will be one of 4 guys to battle it out in August. You may be assuming that his opportunity to "be the man" was much greater than it actually was.

For what very little it is worth, I've gone from leaning toward Hooker to close to even between Hooker and Bailey. Physically Milton is the best of them. But there's a reason a less physically gifted QB at Michigan beat him out. Maurer and Milton BOTH do some "great" things but inconsistency and mental errors plague both of them. Both need to significantly reduce mental errors to win the job. Bailey is the least likely to throw into trouble and the most likely to use the short game. He can't run and doesn't have a great deep ball. Hooker's decision making isn't as clean as HB but he can run and is also effective in the short game.

I thought Bailey was the one throwing the long ball well in the spring game?

 

[sona]

I've come back around to believing that a slightly reigned-in BM is the best overall option. Emphasis on the reigned-in. I love the gunslinger mentality but he makes me nervous with some of his choices.

I think HB is the best pure passer and maybe the best game manager.

I doubt Hooker sees playtime and I have no clue about Milton other than he is huge and can run.

Whoever it is, if they struggle don't pull a Pruitt and ride or die with them.

 

[Wireless1]

I haven't written him off at all.

I think Bailey and Hooker have the best ........... I don't want to see any of the QB's running down the field with the ball. I want to see WR's, TE's, and RB's making those big plays.

PS- none of his problems were ever physical ability. Decision making will be the most critical factor for the winner of the job.

Amen! With improved line play, none of our QB should have to run the ball. 5 guys 20 yards down field in 2.5 seconds is a lot of open field.

 

[1vol8]

I've come back around to believing that a slightly reigned-in BM is the best overall option. Emphasis on the reigned-in. I love the gunslinger mentality but he makes me nervous with some of his choices.

I think HB is the best pure passer and maybe the best game manager.

I doubt Hooker sees playtime and I have no clue about Milton other than he is huge and can run.

Whoever it is, if they struggle don't pull a Pruitt and ride or die with them.

I doubt you’ll ever see that. If flaws need be accepted in each of them if they get the nod, why not Maurers? He’s going to take chances. I would rather see a qb make mistakes trying to win than watch one lose being too careful. Kinda seen enough of that and it makes for boring football.

 

[volinthenorth]

There is plenty of talent in the room. Heupel will however have to reduce it to two serious contenders pretty quickly in order to focus development on them. Not having a QB who can compete at any given level isn't new when you replace a QB. Manning was spoon fed when he became the starter. But progressively those new starters are trusted more. How fast you think that happens is partly dependent on how good you think Heupel is with QB's and offensive schemes/playcalling. Having four guys with ability pushing each other isn't a bad thing either. Many times over the past 30 years UT's new starter wasn't challenged by anyone else.

You are essentially describing the situation for every new program with a new QB starter.

I think we are seeing the "reducing" process happening right now. I think 4 is becoming 3, and Milton is being nudged to the top of the order. I think most of the reps with the ones will go to him once fall camp starts. But HH and HB will get plenty of reps too, because like the saying goes, they're only one injury away from being thrust into action. [This is just my hunch. Time will tell if I'm right.]

 

[SayUWantAreVOLution]

I want to see what role they have in store for Milton before I decide. Is he a Cam Newton type or do they see him as someone to run the wildcat formation with.

To me the battle is between Hooker and Bailey. Bailey still being at a disadvantage because of age/experience that he will have to overcome with raw talent.

Heupel's offense doesn't use the wildcat, at least I don't think I've seen it. His QBs can bring it down and run or run on the option but the wildcat takes away from the "always keep them guessing and off balance" strategy.

If Milton is planned to be a backup QB who will be okay wearing a headset on Saturdays, I'll be surprised. Heupel supposedly has a very good eye for QB talent and he recruited Milton previously..... and then recruited him from the portal, so he saw something before and obviously still sees something.

If Milton is horrid, we have bigger problems than Milton just being horrid...... we have a coaching problem.

 

[mickeyvol]

I find it hard to believe Mauer is not in this competition. Watching the O&W game, live, I came away feeling Maurer looked great. When I looked at the stats and rewatched it on TV, Bailey had the better day. Both looked significantly above Hooker. None of us has seen Milton with this team but he is a imposing physical figure.

I think this is still a 4 man competition.

 

[peaygolf]

Just my 2 cents but I think some of you are reading too deep into the media. If the media only wanted to talk about 3, why would Heupel argue? To volunteer information? Doesn’t make sense. At the end of the day Heupel has a tough decision to make and he’ll be missing something with each of them.

If he goes Bailey, he may gain IQ but he loses escape ability. He has to think about pressure from the big three if he ever wants to beat them.

If he goes Milton, he gains size and speed but loses the ability to trust the pass too often.

If he goes Maurer he gains speed and escape ability along with the ability to throw on the run but will have to accept chances being taken a few times a game.

If he goes Hooker, well imo...... he gets JG 2.0 from what I’ve seen. Small chunks of yards and a heavy run offense.


If I had to make an uneducated guess, I’d say your starter along with #2 last name will start with the letter M. Bailey could be #3 and let’s face it....... Hooker doesn’t come to UT if Heupel is the coach at the time. Kinda explains why Pruitt went after Hooker tbh. So stuck in his ways he was going to hit the reset button on another qb just like JG. However, a legitimate case can be made for all of them.

UT screwed then?

 

[volinthenorth]

Since you’ve been respectful I’m not going to ignore you. My “tidbits” that I would’ve normally shared are what’s been attacked for far too long now. Which is why I’m keeping quiet. Wouldn’t want to stir a ruckus. But I’ll share my opinion on this “3 qb competition”.

The media is no different than most of you. They have an opinion. The only difference is they get paid to talk about it. Look around at the opinions right here on VN and you’ll find 80% writing Maurer off. Those 80% have been wrong the past two years. Some even disappeared because of how wrong they were. Maurer has never been deeper than #2 (until HE decided to be) and I don’t expect this year to be any different.

AND/ OR, the reason he wasn’t mentioned was because the “investigation” still isn’t over and no one knows if the league is going to punish him or not. I personally don’t think he’ll be punished because he only did what he was told, but that’s not my call. And no I’m not going into details on that either.

My days of giving info are over. There’s literally only a handful of posters that appreciated it anyway so I don’t expect it to be missed

A lot of people have fought with you, 1vol8! We've all seen it. You've hung in there, for sure. Kudos to you for holding onto your views. I think you bring a lot to VN. Ever since the days of JG, and continuing into the current season, the place of Brian Maurer in the Vol QB room has been a great topic to discuss. It has fueled a lot of energy on this board. It has helped all of us pass the time in the offseason, and moan and groan during the season, and basically form a (somewhat dysfunctional) community/brotherhood/sisterhood around our beloved Vols. I hope that whatever comes of Mr. Maurer, you will stick with VN for the long haul. And if it turns out that he transfers somewhere else, I hope you'll keep us apprised of what he's up to. BM has given great effort and sacrificed his body for the Big Orange. Everybody respects him. I think even those who have fought with you respect you for defending your views. And who knows? Maybe BM will become a rock star QB for us or for another team. His story isn't over!!

 

[sona]

I doubt you’ll ever see that. If flaws need be accepted in each of them if they get the nod, why not Maurers? He’s going to take chances. I would rather see a qb make mistakes trying to win than watch one lose being too careful. Kinda seen enough of that and it makes for boring football.

I'm talking about little things with BM. Let him run with the RBs and learn to tuck the ball in. Slide at some point or step out of bounds. He isn't built to run people over. Other than that, I think he takes off too soon at times. It's nothing huge or something that can't be fixed. I like that he plays fearless, just play a little smarter.

 

[Chippo]

With the previous regime, Baldar the Conehead, no one, and I mean NO ONE, was going to start over JG . . . JG would have to be on life support in the intensive care unit at UT Medical Center to be benched. PERIOD!

We saw this time and time again . . . Mauer or Baily never had a fighting chance to see the field over JG! The only field time they DID see was when JG broke his hand or when games were out of reach.

CJH has four viable QBs to work with . . . who starts? God and CJH only know and they ain't telling!

GBO

All 4 are better than J G. I hope Heupel has
enough Wisdom to make the best choice.

 

[1vol8]

UT screwed then?

Not at all. Every qb has flaws and this team is no different. Heupel just has to choose what he wants and what he’s willing to live with.

 

[1vol8]

I'm talking about little things with BM. Let him run with the RBs and learn to tuck the ball in. Slide at some point or step out of bounds. He isn't built to run people over. Other than that, I think he takes off too soon at times. It's nothing huge or something that can't be fixed. I like that he plays fearless, just play a little smarter.

I’ve talked to him about taking his 3 seconds. But he hit me with a response that I can’t deny. “I’m seeing it from a straight on angle while everyone else is seeing it from a sideline. Gaps look tighter from there. When the gap is there to have an undeniable positive play, why not take it rather than waiting for a play that may not work out?”

For once, I couldn’t answer his question. Can you? Serious question. I don’t mean that snippy.