Article: On Nick Stephens

#2
#2
The only QB stats I care about are completion % on third downs and interceptions thrown.

So far he's played solid, smart football. There will be a game where he'll have to make plays but so far he's done a good job managing games.
 
#3
#3
justingroves said:
The only QB stats I care about are completion % on third downs and interceptions thrown.

So far he's played solid, smart football. There will be a game where he'll have to make plays but so far he's done a good job managing games.
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That game is probably this week. He'll be asked to do some things against carolina too. Vandy will be another one. Nick is about to get his trial by fire.
 
#6
#6
Nick is far too new at this to try and break open a Saban defense. Our best hope is another steady performance from Stephens. Just get first downs...
 
#8
#8
orange+white=heaven said:
Nick is far too new at this to try and break open a Saban defense. Our best hope is another steady performance from Stephens. Just get first downs...
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Which has been the Achilles heel of this team.

I'd love nothing more than to run the ball 45 times straight at the heart of this defense while averaging about 4.5 yards a carry.
 
#9
#9
orange+white=heaven said:
Nick is far too new at this to try and break open a Saban defense. Our best hope is another steady performance from Stephens. Just get first downs...
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Thats why you may see berry some. Give the great sabanini something to think about other than making stephens win this game on his arm. Berry would open things up in the secondary by just being out there a few plays. Its a shame he can't play offense the whole game. But if you line him up wide. We could do to bama what bama's been doing to everyone else, use the TE as a big weapon. If they shade a extra guy to berry's side run the TE into the void left by the vacanting safety. It makes sense. Will we do it? I doubt it.
 
#10
#10
I have been pleased with Stephens. He hasn't set the world on fire, but has managed the offense and has not made mistakes to get us beat. I still can not see how Crompton was so much better than him for Fulmer to keep Crompton in for 4 games. I think Fulmer just wanted Crompton to play so bad, he kept hoping he would start playing better. I think it was that loyal factor problem Fulmer has. In game situations, to me Stephens looks 5 times better than Crompton. My gut feeling is, Stephens was truly better all along. Or at least he was a better QB without the green non-contact jersey.
 
#12
#12
NochNoch said:
I like a lot of things he has done but getting first downs is going to continue to be a problem, I think. He hasn't made the critical mistakes but the comp. % is still too low to move the chains on a consistent basis.
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I agree his comp. % has been a little low, but if our receivers wouldn't have dropped the passes when he hit them in the hands, his comp. % would easily be over 60%. He did make a couple of bad throws in the MSU game, but our receivers have hurt his % by dropping several passes the last 3 games.
 
#13
#13
I agree with most of the above comments. However, doesn't it seem Stephens throws kinda side arm? He has had alot of knock downs. Bama (w/ a healthy Cody) are very solid and can collapse passing lanes. On slants and TE's squatting on routes in the middle, Stephens seems to have a lot of passes batted down. When I see that, I notice his throwing motion is more Bernie Kozar than Peyton.
 
#14
#14
tennisguy said:
He did make a couple of bad throws in the MSU game, but our receivers have hurt his % by dropping several passes the last 3 games.
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I must admit to being ignorant about the MSU game, the only thing I saw were the stats so I didn't know the number of drops there were. That being said, I don't expect anything close to perfection but if he can be more consistent on the "easy" throws I'd be much happier. The third down throw on the first drive against UGA comes to mind, that was a huge opportunity missed early in the game that seemed to be a pretty easy throw. Not too much pressure into what looked like a decent hole in zone coverage.
 
#15
#15
orange+white=heaven said:
Just get first downs...
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justingroves said:
Which has been the Achilles heel of this team.

I'd love nothing more than to run the ball 45 times straight at the heart of this defense while averaging about 4.5 yards a carry.
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Yeah, our struggles putting together first downs are painfully obvious...

But honestly, that approach is the only way to come at this game. Throw and run with the chains in mind, then take the odd shot downfield when you catch a matchup with one of our speed guys.

We've shown little propensity to accomplish this. Still, it is the task at hand.

Bama wins this. I hate saying that.
 
#16
#16
RangerVol said:
I agree with most of the above comments. However, doesn't it seem Stephens throws kinda side arm? He has had alot of knock downs. Bama (w/ a healthy Cody) are very solid and can collapse passing lanes. On slants and TE's squatting on routes in the middle, Stephens seems to have a lot of passes batted down. When I see that, I notice his throwing motion is more Bernie Kozar than Peyton.
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No more than Crompton did. A lot of that falls back on the OL. If DL get their hands up, you drive them to the ground.
 
#17
#17
RangerVol said:
I agree with most of the above comments. However, doesn't it seem Stephens throws kinda side arm? He has had alot of knock downs...
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Those knockdowns seem to be a product of where the Clawson offense likes to throw the ball... into the 5 to 10 yard flat middle.

SEC lineman are more than capable of making plays on those balls..
 
#18
#18
orange+white=heaven said:
Yeah, our struggles putting together first downs are painfully obvious...

But honestly, that approach is the only way to come at this game. Throw and run with the chains in mind, then take the odd shot downfield when you catch a matchup with one of our speed guys.

We've shown little propensity to accomplish this. Still, it is the task at hand.

Bama wins this. I hate saying that.
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If we back away from the Bama receivers as we did last year, Wilson will again murder us. We make life hard for him and force him to beat us over the top and there's no telling what we'll get.

That said, they will stick to the "cloud of dust" gameplan and we'll have to see how we handle that. I don't think we've really seen a decent run game all season. UGA doesn't qualify because their OLine is awful.
 
#19
#19
justingroves said:
No more than Crompton did. A lot of that falls back on the OL. If DL get their hands up, you drive them to the ground.
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I agree. IMO, our OL is just bad. As far as not giving up many sacks last year, that was Ainge getting rid of the ball more than it was the OL giving good protection. I don't think it is the new scheme or any of that, I think our OL is overrated.
 
#20
#20
justingroves said:
I'd love nothing more than to run the ball 45 times straight at the heart of this defense while averaging about 4.5 yards a carry.
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while the general public might not enjoy it I think that would be a thing of beauty
 
#21
#21
BigPapaVol said:
If we back away from the Bama receivers as we did last year, Wilson will again murder us. We make life hard for him and force him to beat us over the top and there's no telling what we'll get.

That said, they will stick to the "cloud of dust" gameplan and we'll have to see how we handle that. I don't think we've really seen a decent run game all season. UGA doesn't qualify because their OLine is awful.
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You know BPV, our D against their O is one place I'm oddly hopeful.

Start of the year to now, the defense has improved. Not where one would like it to be, but better I think.
Justin's spot on about D-line improvement, and the LBs are getting to the ball and the QB better...
 
#22
#22
RangerVol said:
I agree with most of the above comments. However, doesn't it seem Stephens throws kinda side arm? He has had alot of knock downs. Bama (w/ a healthy Cody) are very solid and can collapse passing lanes. On slants and TE's squatting on routes in the middle, Stephens seems to have a lot of passes batted down. When I see that, I notice his throwing motion is more Bernie Kozar than Peyton.
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Yeah but its more the Offensive line has to knock linemen at their thighs when they put their hands up. Or move them out of the lanes to pass. Your QB has throwing lanes but its also up to the offensive line to help him clear those lanes a little more. But Crompton was worse then Stephens with that....
 
#23
#23
Cartervol said:
That game is probably this week. He'll be asked to do some things against carolina too. Vandy will be another one. Nick is about to get his trial by fire.
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UGA's defense is no slouch. I figured that if he would have thrown a pick it would have been that game.
 
#24
#24
JMBIGORANGE said:
UGA's defense is no slouch. I figured that if he would have thrown a pick it would have been that game.
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Not about interceptions. The conversation me and groves were having was about stephens making a play to win a game down the road.
 
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