The QB Battle

[RebelBuzz]

After today's scrimmage, I heard several people talking about how Coach Sanchez is not going to make a decision about a starting quarterback and that both are going to split duties against Jackson State.

Here's the quote, as presented in the RJ:

“I’ll be honest with you, as of today, both guys are going to play in Game 1. I think one guy’s going to be named the starter and he’ll start to get the majority of the reps. But you’re going to see whoever the No. 2 is at some point in the first half.”​

To me, this sounds exactly like the QB situation going into last season's opener, except we don't know who has the Decker role. Against NIU, we saw KP come in after several possessions and he scored on a QB keeper.

Today, Stanton was the first QB on the field--granted, KP was 1st QB last scrimmage. My thought is that unless something drastic happens, Stanton is going to start taking most of the 1st team reps and will be the starter vs. JSU. KP will come in after 2-4 possessions and get a drive. Hopefully Stanton will be on the field for 2-3 quarters and we are able to build up a big lead so that KP and Sneed can keep getting valuable reps.

 

[RunninRebl90]

Either way I find the reports to be discouraging. Stanton was supposed to be far and away the better QB and he was basically penciled in the moment he signed as a 2 year starter and a big time upgrade over anything we've had in years.

Now the talk is that he can't pull away from a very subpar quarterback in Palandech who is all wheels and no arm.

Unfortunately whoever wins the battle sounds to me like they're going to be a low level place holder at the position until Armani can mature enough into the role. I wouldn't be surprised if next fall camp that Roger's is the man and Stanton and Palandech are going to be holding a clipboard for the kid.

 

[Bullmastiff 1]

Either way I find the reports to be discouraging. Stanton was supposed to be far and away the better QB and he was basically penciled in the moment he signed as a 2 year starter and a big time upgrade over anything we've had in years.

Now the talk is that he can't pull away from a very subpar quarterback in Palandech who is all wheels and no arm.

Unfortunately whoever wins the battle sounds to me like they're going to be a low level place holder at the position until Armani can mature enough into the role. I wouldn't be surprised if next fall camp that Roger's is the man and Stanton and Palandech are going to be holding a clipboard for the kid.

Palandech does look better than last year. However the issues remain the same. He will throw a dart, or float a beautiful pass to a receiver on one play, and then turn around and miss a wide open guy or throw into coverage.

Stanton has hardly set the world on fire either. I will say this though. I honestly get the feeling that he is one of those guys that (warning cliche filled description in 3-2-1) is a 'real gamer' or 'performs best on the big stage'.

Rogers is way behind Sneed at this point. Armani has all the physical tools, but the game looks a little to fast for him right now. (Totally understandable, since he has only had about a month in the offense.)

We are going to be able to run the ball. Freshmen running back Charles Williams might have more upside than Lexington Thomas. Whoever wins the job just needs to (cliche warning) 'manage the game'.

 

[BleedRebelRed90]

I think the "game manager" quote indicated that Stanton would be the primary even though he has been underwhelming. UNLV has too many good receivers to not be getting the ball into their hands consistently. The Rebels need someone who gets the ball on target in the secondary; according to coach Cormier the receivers have been working a lot on "yards after the catch" this camp.

I expect the use of Palendech to be more situational-dependent, and a change-of-pace to keep the opposing defense having to make adjustments.

From April 2016 http://www.reviewjournal.com/sports...ohnny-stanton-and-kurt-palandech-starting-qbs :
Sanchez said he wants his quarterback to be able to make the simple throws this season, and Stanton is ahead of Palandech in that area.
“I don’t want to go through another season where we can’t complete a 10-yard out or a hitch,” Sanchez said. “I’m not looking for the spectacular throw. Throw the easy ones and move the chains. Right now, he does that a little bit better than Kurt.”

 

[Bullmastiff 1]

I think the "game manager" quote indicated that Stanton would be the primary even though he has been underwhelming. UNLV has too many good receivers to not be getting the ball into their hands consistently. The Rebels need someone who gets the ball on target in the secondary; according to coach Cormier the receivers have been working a lot on "yards after the catch" this camp.

I expect the use of Palendech to be more situational-dependent, and a change-of-pace to keep the opposing defense having to make adjustments.

From April 2016 http://www.reviewjournal.com/sports...ohnny-stanton-and-kurt-palandech-starting-qbs :
Sanchez said he wants his quarterback to be able to make the simple throws this season, and Stanton is ahead of Palandech in that area.
“I don’t want to go through another season where we can’t complete a 10-yard out or a hitch,” Sanchez said. “I’m not looking for the spectacular throw. Throw the easy ones and move the chains. Right now, he does that a little bit better than Kurt.”

One thing that hasn't been mentioned a lot has been D. Boyd's absence. That moves all the receivers up a spot. As talented as Keyes is, he is more Robin than Batman in my opinion. Woods is poised for a big year, but is just a red shirt freshmen. Presley has a lot of upside and played some last year but is only a true sophomore.

This may sound like excuse making for Palandech and Stanton but both have been hampered by the absence of Boyd.

 

[willlevi]

The biggest question entering game one is will the young and inexperienced line be capable of providing good protection for the quarterback.
Jackson State has an elite pass rushers in Javancy Jones that will test the team when they drop back but UCLA will be a rough #2 game to walk away healthy so I wouldn't lock into a starting quarterback until the Central Michigan game

 

[Bullmastiff 1]

The biggest question entering game one is will the young and inexperienced line be capable of providing good protection for the quarterback.
Jackson State has an elite pass rushers in Javancy Jones that will test the team when they drop back but UCLA will be a rough #2 game to walk away healthy so I wouldn't lock into a starting quarterback until the Central Michigan game

The line is young but not all that inexperienced. Saxelid, Keitler and Jacobson all return. Jacobson took over the right tackle spot from Sanders midway through last season. Chevalier played JC last year. Polu is the only guy on the line who has no reps at the collegiate level.

 

[rebelbuck]

Add in Back-Ups Singer (SO) and Erbes (JR) on the interior, the line is really only inexperienced at Tackle but there are options to shuffle guys around. I would say the talent/size has been upgraded just a matter of getting these guys comfortable.

 

[willlevi]

Add in Back-Ups Singer (SO) and Erbes (JR) on the interior, the line is really only inexperienced at Tackle but there are options to shuffle guys around. I would say the talent/size has been upgraded just a matter of getting these guys comfortable.

Neither player have played offensive line in an FBS game. Singer played DT at Kent State and Erbes has only been on the field at the JC level.
Most of the #2 are true freshmen so the line depth is a major question mark.

 

[rebelbuck]

As I stated we will have to get everyone comfortable playing at this level. I think JSU will present some challenges early in the game (unknown's to schemes they will use with new staff/personnel).

Once we settle into the game I don't think we will have any issue running the ball and hitting them big on play-action. Hopefully we are able to pull away so we can give the young O lineman and #2's lots of live reps.

 

[dcut03]

Last year I had Zero confidence that Kurt would be able to make a play with his arm. He completed some passes, obviously, but any 3rd and medium or longer I as dreading it with him at QB.
We can't have a QB like that. KP may be 3x better, but it sounds like he is still unreliable as a thrower.
I hope Stanton gets the job just to give me some hope. Especially since he is a runner himself.

 

[dcut03]

Maybe use Kurt almost in a Wildcat role where he may not be expected to throw it much, but is still hard to defend since it's basically like a triple option. Kurt is a great runner, especially in space.

 

[Rebelious1]

In a perfect world, Stanton would separate himself from Kurt; then Kurt moves to WR with Sneed becoming the backup and Rogers redshirting.

 

[Bullmastiff 1]

Neither player have played offensive line in an FBS game. Singer played DT at Kent State and Erbes has only been on the field at the JC level.
Most of the #2 are true freshmen so the line depth is a major question mark.

Yes line depth is inexperienced. However I think people are taking issue with your intial post as it appears you are implying that the starting offensive line is inexperienced. That simply isn't true. Sanders will most likely be the backup at tackle and was a starter to begin last year. Erbes has played at the JC level. Some of the best runs during scrimmages came off of combo blocks involving Chevalier/Singer/Polu and Kreitler.

It isn't ideal by any stretch but it is hardly a cause for major concern unless multiple guys go down.

We had a couple of guys transfer during the off season. One reason for this was they were being passed over by incoming freshmen. So did we really want them out there anyway?

Caldwell has performed pretty well at both fall scrimmages. Sanchez specifically named him as being ahead of expectations.

 

[willlevi]

Not saying they can't be good, I'm saying there is a depth and experience issue that can make the offense less effective in the passing game.
Simply put, beyond Saxelid & Kreitler, the starting offensive linemen have two starts combined.
Only backup center Sanders has played in an FBS game with the remaining players practicing for the first time this fall.
That will have to play out but the offensive line will likely be inconsistent this year until they rebuild depth next fall.

 

[Bullmastiff 1]

Not saying they can't be good, I'm saying there is a depth and experience issue that can make the offense less effective in the passing game.
Simply put, beyond Saxelid & Kreitler, the starting offensive linemen have two starts combined.
Only backup center Sanders has played in an FBS game with the remaining players practicing for the first time this fall.
That will have to play out but the offensive line will likely be inconsistent this year until they rebuild depth next fall.

This is true, but Chevalier and Erbes both have snaps at the Juco level. Also you are forgetting that Jacobson took over the right tackle spot from Sanders midway through last season and never looked back.

Three of the starting five have snaps at the D1 level. Chevalier played Juco. Polu is the only guy with no experience at the D1 level.

Again, not ideal but not much different from last year. Lopez who started last year was losing his grasp on the starting left guard spot to Chevalier or Singer when healthy anyway. The only guy we lost to graduation was Grestrein (spelling) who was replaced by Polu.

Barring massive injuries there should be enough depth.

 

[Sam-I-am]

Either way I find the reports to be discouraging. Stanton was supposed to be far and away the better QB and he was basically penciled in the moment he signed as a 2 year starter and a big time upgrade over anything we've had in years.....

Palandech is massively better now than he was at this point last season. The fact that Stanton is still ahead of him even though Palandech has had much more time with the offense and players is a very positive thing.

 

[RunninRebl90]

Palandech could improve 100 fold and he'd still have no arm. All the reports indicate that he's floating passes, throwing behind his receivers and indecisive in the pocket. If that's the case and Stanton and he are deadlocked, I think we're in for a long season at that position.

 

[rebelbuck]

Its not as dire as the reports are making. Palandech has his moments of looking sharp. His biggest issue is on obvious passing downs if option #1 isnt open he needs to be much more decisive on his next move whether it be taking off or hitting the check down. Again last year on 3 Occasions he put up 28 points, his issue is he liked to put 2 or 3 bad series together.

Stanton's issue isn't in ability in throwing or running. His is strictly trusting what he sees. When I saw him in the first open scrimmage and things are going well, this offense will be fun to watch . Again he has to be more consistent but I think that will come with time and hopefully we will get the Stanton we all expected when he transferred in.

With the ability we are going to have running the ball (I expect to average north of 220 yards a game) the QB will be asked to make throws to keep the defense honest and hit them big on play action. The guy that can do that will be our #1 .

 

[Sam-I-am]

Palandech could improve 100 fold and he'd still have no arm. All the reports indicate that he's floating passes, throwing behind his receivers and indecisive in the pocket. If that's the case and Stanton and he are deadlocked, I think we're in for a long season at that position.

I think you are getting bad reports. He doesn't have a great arm but it's good enough.