Are we setting Stephens up like we did Crompton?

#1
thunder5

thunder5

Cause I like to party
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#1
We all want to see him start and play Saturday...but are we setting him(and ourselves) up for a hard fall?

So many of us talked so highly of Crompton in the pre-season(myself included) only to have our bubbles burst in a bad way...now we're all talking about Stephens like he's the solution to our problems on O...

Believe me I understand...how could he be any worse right?

But we have to be honest with ourselves....we want to and are going to see Stephens play Saturday only because Crompton has been so bad...not because Stephens has proven that he is that good...

When Stephens gets in the game(be it the 1st, 2nd or whatever series) keep in mind we are hoping against all hope that the guy who couldn't beat out Crompton to begin with is going to turn things around for us...
 
#4
#4
I realize Stephens could fail. But I was picking Stephens over Coleman while all the Chattannoogans and other Colemanites thought it was blasphemy. There is something to be said for Crompton winning the job outright and supposedly by a wide margin, but there have been too many times that someone who didn't show it on the practice field showed it in the game. I'm hopeful that can happen, but I'm not holding my breath.

If Stephens also fails, Fulmer's grave just gets deeper. Keep digging baby.
 
#5
#5
It depends on what your expectation are. It will likely be a less than smooth transition but at this point we certainly need a change.
 
#7
#7
I hope Stephens gets the opportunity and plays as if he has nothing to lose, cause he really doesn't. If he fails to get job done, ie. be a little above average, so what he has couple of more seasons and probably another opportunity or two yet this year to play. He needs to be loose and let his playmakers help him.

I wish for this one game I could be CPF, I would have put Stephens in place on Sunday grabbed Clawson, Stephens, Crompton, and Coleman and said, "Boys I have not got it done this season...go for it and for this one game at least I will shut up."

Oh well, if wishes were wells we all would have drown by now.
 
#8
#8
I don't think anyone is setting him up at all. It's just wanting something different. Not all bad QB's have troubles looking beyond one receiver. Stephens could be terribly inaccurate, but still do better than Crompton. Crompton is a complete mess in all areas of the game.

Stephens also wasn't really given a shot at beating out Crompton. Everyone knew this was JC's team as soon as Erik Ainge threw his last pass.

I agree, just a prelude to the BJ Coleman era.
 
#9
#9
gcb/hoosiervol said:
I hope Stephens gets the opportunity and plays as if he has nothing to lose, cause he really doesn't. If he fails to get job done, ie. be a little above average, so what he has couple of more seasons and probably another opportunity or two yet this year to play. He needs to be loose and let his playmakers help him.

I wish for this one game I could be CPF, I would have put Stephens in place on Sunday grabbed Clawson, Stephens, Crompton, and Coleman and said, "Boys I have not got it done this season...go for it and for this one game at least I will shut up."

Oh well, if wishes were wells we all would have drown by now.
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Well if Crompton is the standard for our QB's right now then "a little above average" might consist of simply finding the 2nd receiver...

If he could just show the ability to look off his first option and go to the 2nd guy then I think I would be happy....I think that is as big a flaw of Crompton's as his inability to call the right play
 
#10
#10
I didn't like Crompton last year either. Peeps kept telling me "we just need a chance to see what he can do". Educate me on what he did last year that led you to believe he would perform well this year? (I'm sincerely asking, because I just didn't see it.)
 
#11
#11
Ever wonder if Crompton got the job because he is Fulmer's boy and not the fact, he is really better than Stephens? I have. I could be wrong, and maybe Crompton really was that much better in practice, but I will need to see it for myself. The way Fulmer has kept Crompton in up to this point, and the way he is still trying to find a way to keep him in as the starter, makes me wonder if Fulmer just has his blinders on. All I know, is Stephens has thrown the ball twice all year, and the one pass was a strike across the middle to Warren for 42 yards. His one pass was better than anything Crompton has thrown in 4 games, and he was backed up against his own end zone. Crompton can't even see the field and make his reads well enough to make this kind of throw. It might be wishful thinking, but I can't imagine Stephens not being better than what we have seen so far from Crompton. I think Fulmer is afraid to start anyone else, because they will perform so well he will have no choice but to bench his boy.

Sounds crazy I know, from a coach making close to 3 mill a year, but what he has allowed to go on through 4 games is pretty crazy too.
 
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#12
#12
VolunteerHillbilly said:
Just a prelude to the Coleman era.
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the only thing Coleman has going for him is the zip code he came from. He couldn't beat out Stephens before now and has a lot of work to do to be able to play.

I just hope Nick manages the game with intelligence. Look off your first receiver when needed and throw to the open man. Crompton's mistakes shouldn't be there for any player who considers himself a QB.
 
#13
#13
vollygirl said:
I didn't like Crompton last year either. Peeps kept telling me "we just need a chance to see what he can do". Educate me on what he did last year that led you to believe he would perform well this year? (I'm sincerely asking, because I just didn't see it.)
Click to expand...

I think those of us who were on his bandwagon were hoping that his high recruiting ranking, good athleticism, strong arm, and the flashes he showed against LSU in 06 would be the things that made us better off when he took over for Ainge...

So we used those things as an excuse to drink the Kool-Aid that Crompton was serving up...

You have to admit...the guy can talk a good game
 
#17
#17
Remember Stephens only played 1 year of varsity high school ball, we don't know how much talent he has.
 
#18
#18
zjcvols said:
Remember Stephens only played 1 year of varsity high school ball, we don't know how much talent he has.
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ANY talent would be more that Crompton has showed so far.
 
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#20
#20
Don't think he is being set up for a fall. All he has to do is complete 50% of his passes, not kill any worms with a Crompton worm burner special and don't bloody some fan's nose in the 3rd row with an errant pass and that will be a major improvement from what we've had. You can't do much worse than being the 14th rated QB in the SEC.
 
#21
#21
It's official, Stephens is starting per Fulmer.

I don't think any of us are expecting Nick to be Peyton Manning or Heath Shuler or anything. We're just so desperate for a change because it's obvious what our weakness is. We just want something fresh. If we still continue to fall, then we still continue to fall. But I don't want to see this team just sit on their hands why the ship continues to sink. Get some buckets or something.
 
#22
#22
I don't think we're setting him up to fall... I think we're anticipating better QB play, which we would probably get from anybody on the roster other than Crompton. Just hand the ball off without fumbling it would be an improvement. Or not hitting the FB on the hip with the ball....
 
#23
#23
No where to go but up....If Stephens can complete a pass inside the field of play, we're already ahead of the curve.
 
#24
#24
NationofVols said:
I don't think anyone is setting him up at all. It's just wanting something different. Not all bad QB's have troubles looking beyond one receiver. Stephens could be terribly inaccurate, but still do better than Crompton. Crompton is a complete mess in all areas of the game.

Stephens also wasn't really given a shot at beating out Crompton. Everyone knew this was JC's team as soon as Erik Ainge threw his last pass.

I agree, just a prelude to the BJ Coleman era.
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He was this week and it looks like he took advantage of it.
 
#25
#25
The honeymoon will be over once Nick throws a pick-six in Athens.

It can't get any worse than Crompton though.
 
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