QB

[Bullpride08]

I'm not one to usually call for the back-up QB, but with the way Julmiste played lately, I think it's time to give Gachette a chance.  Our QB play couldn't get any worse.

Here's the problem with that assertion- Gachette is also coached by Rod Smith.  To date I have seen nothing but disappointment from QB development.  Smith has had Banks for four years, and PJ for three years, and since last season it actually appears as if their abilities have deteriorated.  So far we've watched Smith take a few QB's with some decent athleticism and make them into nothing spectacular.  I am not sold on Smith's ability to develop QB's, PJ should be further ahead at this juncture, ditto for Banks, it's almost appalling particularly enlight of his comments in the Trib about these guys looking better in practice.  

Come on Smith, there's noticable throwing hitches in PJ's delivery.  Is he trying to tell me that none of that exists during practices?

Fire Smith, and this offense could be much better.  Inserting Gachette would get us no further than PJ has, and frankly with Smith pushing him I am afraid of the outcome.

[sdgukhsdgl]

at least with Gachette he has been with Smith the least amount of time... less time to be corrupted...

[Cubanbull]

Denson was an excellent athlete and very good QB in HS, the problem was that he chose to go to wrong school.

Auburn's depth chart in QB for this year is:

Campbell STARTER senior 6'5 223

Cox back up 6'2 199 RFR # 9 pro  style QB in 02

Booker 6'4 224 FR #28 pro style QB recruit 04

Goodwin 6'1 203 RFR

Field 6'2 189 FR

Hill 6'3 215 02 #28 pro style QB switched to H

The fact is that they are LOADED with BIG kids with pro style QB skills, Denson is more of a dual threat QB doesnt fit their system.

If he was eligible right now he would be our starter. By the way He DID not spend his whole college career as CB. He was redshirted and asked to switch to DB this year and thats when he transfered.

[dabull80]

Thank you Cuban, I feel the same way. You had the facts while Omni and I remembered the general situation.  Now Beastie, I don't feel my thinking is myopic.  I have tryed to look at all the QBs we have,how long they have been there and who is coming in.  All my conclusions keep pointing to Denson.  Sorry if you don't like my conclusion.  Also when you give me a loaded question like you did "Have you stopped beating your wife ?" you will get an answer befiting the question.  And I am clueless what the Tenn Tech game has to do with anything we are talking about.

[Bullpride08]

Exactly.  I was a great HS pitcher and tried out at USF after I graduated.  Although I dominated in HS I was nowhere near good enough to be a pitcher at the Div. 1A level.  You say Denson is "making things happen" in practice?  Against whom?  The second or third string D?  Even if it's against the first string that doesn't amount to squat, cuz in case you missed the Army game, our D sucks.  

Denson has never seen the field as a college QB

Why didn't AU think he was good enough to play QB?  Historically they have not been the most pass happy program.

Another case of myopic thinking by our fans.  You are probably one of the people who thought we were "playing vanilla offense" in the Tenn Tech game.

Uhhh, we were playing a vanilla offense against Tenn Tech, but that was because Banks played 3/4's of the game.

Denson was a fabulous HS QB.  He has impressive speed, and elusiveness, better than MB.  His accuracy was better when he was on the run, then in a pocket stationary position so anyone that saw him play in HS would know that's going to be the million dollar question.  Will our offensive staff work with Denson's strength, or will Denson be capable of holding in the pocket and consistently delivering quality passes.  

No question Denson right now is probably one of the top 7 or 8 athletes on our team.  However, can he be consistent at QB.  If he was able to play today I would bet that Denson would be starting because he has blazing speed, can run the option, and if you roll him out he's unquestionably a better passer than PJ is, or well at least was in HS (I can only compare him to his HS days).  Now Beastie said he never made it in College at Auburn, well beastie Auburn has 5 back-ups ahead of Denson, and all of them run a pro-style offensive set, and all stand taller than Denson, and all were as highly rated as Denson, and probably none were as athletically gifted as Denson.  SO, if your Auburn coaches do you try and spend the time to develop Denson from a mobile, rollout, throw on the run, improv, speed option type QB to a pure drop back pure passer, or do you concede that you already have five other back-ups with those attributes and it would be better to use Denson's amazing athleticism at another position versus trying the experiment of developing his QB game.

That was Auburn's consideration, and obviously with all that depth it made sense for Auburn to move Denson, not because he couldn't be a great QB, its because its the path of least resistence and Denson could probably help on the field at other positions faster than at QB.  Now at USF Denson suddenly becomes a priority.  In the spring, with Banks gone, Denson will be running with #1's.  He'll be the man, and with the prospect of Hill being an early enrollee practice could get quite interesting at the QB position.  If developed properly, and with the right system there's no doubt in my mind Denson could be a very good college QB, however USF shouldn't spend forever trying to create a QB that isn't there, or re-developing an offense for him that will never work because Denson's skills are so profound it's better to just take the risk of him transfering again and move him to another position.

Reality says that fire Smith, and get a real QB coach into this program and watch PJ improve, Denson improve, and the freshman coming in ready to contribute immediately.  Right now, I stand before everyone stating that this Rod Smith has let this program down, and is not a good QB coach.  Furthermore, the future recruits are not even Rod's recruits so losing him won't necessarily mean we'll lose either of those players.

[beastiebull]

I'll just bite my tongue and see what happens in the spring.  My point was, and still is that Denson has never played QB in college.  NOBODY knows how he is going to shakeout.  

I do agree that our O coordinator is not the problem.   PJ looks like a HS QB when he drops back to pass and his 3-step drop is as slow as I've ever seen.  Rod Smith must go.

[Big_Cat]

Give Denson a try next year.  Can it get worse than it is now?

[beastiebull]

Don't get me wrong, if he were eligible I would like to see him in there.  I would almost like to see him in at DB as much as at QB considering how awful our secondary is.  We might even be able to get a....(gasp!)...interception.

[bulls96go]

new qb coach

spring to work the offense

denson could be solid by the time grote and hill show up if he is better than solid RS one of the others and go play

if he is middling switch to DB which is an upgrade and will boost the defense

[CyberBull]

Someone brought this up on another thread, but Kraky has got to be kicking himself for not sticking around another year. At worst if it didn't work out he could of still transfered to DI-AA and wouldn't lose a year of eligibility.

I am not saying that Kraky would of been our savior but he was the only player who was a legitimate QB in high school. We never found out why he dropped from a 5-star quality recruit to no scholarship offers but based on his high school record he was a very accurate passer.

Considering how a weak armed QBs from Army and UL tore up our secondary, Kraky couldn't have been any worse than PJ or Banks.