As frustrated as I get with Will Rogers

[travis.sixpack]

I don’t want him to leave.

You have to think ANY new offensive coordinator worth a damn will look at the QB room and think I have a 3 year SEC starter with over 10,000 passing yards, maybe I can mold an offense to his strengths. I can’t imagine a decent QB would transfer to State with Will still there, but I also can’t imagine telling Will to move on.

it seems like all the hard choices State players/administration would have to make with a national search are still going to happen.

 

[Rupert Jenkins]

I think everyone is underestimating Sawyer too. We have QBs

 

[travis.sixpack]

I think everyone is underestimating Sawyer too. We have QBs

I agree. I just hope we’re smart enough to hire someone who can work with what we have now. It’s tempting to hit the portal for a more athletic QB, but you’re limited in who you can bring in with Rogers still on the roster.

ETA: I just listened to the T&L podcast. According to Hadad, Briles has been offered and should make a decision soon. Brian also said that Briles is known for fitting the offense to the talent on the roster, so that’s good. My only familiarity with him comes from the limited times I watched Baylor and Arkansas.

 

[OopsICroomedmypants]

Sawyer seems like a good athlete. Leach even said so. Maybe he’s not as accurate than Will, but each will start from the same point with a new offense. Will has a very high football IQ, but Sawyer is a stud athlete. It’s going to be interesting.

 

[Cantdoitsal]

I think everyone is underestimating Sawyer too. We have QBs

Agreed. I don't think the few snaps he took is an indicator.

 

[SSBGDog]

I don’t want him to leave.

You have to think ANY new offensive coordinator worth a damn will look at the QB room and think I have a 3 year SEC starter with over 10,000 passing yards, maybe I can mold an offense to his strengths. I can’t imagine a decent QB would transfer to State with Will still there, but I also can’t imagine telling Will to move on.

it seems like all the hard choices State players/administration would have to make with a national search are still going to happen.

Will is a fine young man I’m sure and reps our university well, but he has got to toughen up. He cannot take advantage of what the defense will give him due to him not being able to run the ball at all. We won our last two games in spite of him really with the turnovers and great defense. That said, he also had a few great moments passing in both games. I just wish he could/would run more effectively.

 

[The Cooterpoot]

I don’t want him to leave.

You have to think ANY new offensive coordinator worth a damn will look at the QB room and think I have a 3 year SEC starter with over 10,000 passing yards, maybe I can mold an offense to his strengths. I can’t imagine a decent QB would transfer to State with Will still there, but I also can’t imagine telling Will to move on.

it seems like all the hard choices State players/administration would have to make with a national search are still going to happen.

What are Will's strengths? Leadership is it. He can't run or throw it great. No big arm. He simply threw it more than anyone else and put up volume numbers. He's held us back. He struggles to read defenses and see open receivers. Every game we've got receivers running wide open. But, Leach put the entire game on him. I'm hoping for a transfer in or someone to compete for the job. Will wins it, great. But we need better.

 

[theCross]

It's simple, keep Will and add a "Freshmen Tebo" package with Sawyer and/or Parsons. Give the Tebo package about 10-15 plays a game, particularly in short yardage and red zone. By mid-season, Will will see the writing on the wall and either toughen up and become more of a run threat or see his playing time further reduced.

 

[horshack.sixpack]

What are Will's strengths? Leadership is it. He can't run or throw it great. No big arm. He simply threw it more than anyone else and put up volume numbers. He's held us back. He struggles to read defenses and see open receivers. Every game we've got receivers running wide open. But, Leach put the entire game on him. I'm hoping for a transfer in or someone to compete for the job. Will wins it, great. But we need better.

Will can’t throw. Interesting take…

 

[patdog]

Agreed. I don't think the few snaps he took is an indicator.

I hope y'all are right, and you very well may be. But those snaps are literally the only thing we have to go on. Well that, and the reports out of practice that he was far from being ready to play. I know he was a 4* recruit, but there are over 300 of those per year. Most of those you will never hear of again.

 

[Shmuley]

I don’t want him to leave.

You have to think ANY new offensive coordinator worth a damn will look at the QB room and think I have a 3 year SEC starter with over 10,000 passing yards, maybe I can mold an offense to his strengths. I can’t imagine a decent QB would transfer to State with Will still there, but I also can’t imagine telling Will to move on.

it seems like all the hard choices State players/administration would have to make with a national search are still going to happen.

On field coach. Lunch pail. First to arrive. Last to leave. Scrappy. Deceptive speed**.

 

[OopsICroomedmypants]

Will can’t throw. Interesting take…

I’ve seen Will make throws that I never thought I’d see an MSU QB throw. His route anticipation is really good. We have all gotten acclimated to seeing a pretty good QB that’s accurate. Problem is, most of those throws are inside 15 yards. I do appreciate not getting nervous when he makes a swing pass to a RB. He makes the routine look routine like he should. I also think there is a lot left in the offense if the QB had more zip and a stronger arm along with average running ability.

 

[horshack.sixpack]

I’ve seen Will make throws that I never thought I’d see an MSU QB throw. His route anticipation is really good. We have all gotten acclimated to seeing a pretty good QB that’s accurate. Problem is, most of those throws are inside 15 yards. I do appreciate not getting nervous when he makes a swing pass to a RB. He makes the routine look routine like he should. I also think there is a lot left in the offense if the QB had more zip and a stronger arm along with average running ability.

Bowl game commentators were praising his arm strength when he made a throw completely across the field on a rope. You can fault his mobility but his throwing?

 

[mcdawg22]

I agree. I just hope we’re smart enough to hire someone who can work with what we have now. It’s tempting to hit the portal for a more athletic QB, but you’re limited in who you can bring in with Rogers still on the roster.

ETA: I just listened to the T&L podcast. According to Hadad, Briles has been offered and should make a decision soon. Brian also said that Briles is known for fitting the offense to the talent on the roster, so that’s good. My only familiarity with him comes from the limited times I watched Baylor and Arkansas.

I was the same way. I thought we are bringing in a guy that had the second leading rusher and the 4th leading rushing QB in the SEC last year. Then I looked at his 2018 Houston offense and it made me feel better.

 

[Seinfeld]

What are Will's strengths? Leadership is it. He can't run or throw it great. No big arm. He simply threw it more than anyone else and put up volume numbers. He's held us back. He struggles to read defenses and see open receivers. Every game we've got receivers running wide open. But, Leach put the entire game on him. I'm hoping for a transfer in or someone to compete for the job. Will wins it, great. But we need better.

For the record, I’ve been fully on board with Rogers at least being challenged for the starting job since the early part of this season. However, I also think we tend to overlook the throws he does make as “anyone can do it” when a lot of guys in fact struggle with those short tosses.

I don’t know what it is mentally that happens, but I’ve seen plenty of gun slingers that could flick it 40-50 yards downfield, yet then miss a RB rolling out of the backfield on the next play by 5 yards. Again, with all the talent we have in the QB room, I don’t see how Rogers won’t have some competition for the starting job next year, but I think he does more things well than we sometimes give him credit for

 

[LordMcBuckethead]

Will can’t throw. Interesting take…

It is the same take that 9 of the 13 teams we played this year had, professional life long defensive coordinators. There is a reason why the drop 8 turned into the stand 15 yards from the line with only one single high safety defense. Because his throws down field are so slow, that DBs had all day to recover if beat, and one safety was enough.

I want MSU to have the best players possible. That goes for every single position on the field regardless of the number of starts or fluffed stats they may or may not have.

 

[FlotownDawg]

Will is a very accurate passer. Some of the throws he made in the bowl game on those short crossing routes were right on the money and had to be because the defenders were draped all over the receiver. The TD pass was also a perfect throw. He put it to where only his guy could get it. He’s not a physical specimen like Dak or a fast runner like Fitz but to say he doesn’t have any attributes other than leadership is flat wrong.

 

[OG Goat Holder]

I don’t want him to leave.

You have to think ANY new offensive coordinator worth a damn will look at the QB room and think I have a 3 year SEC starter with over 10,000 passing yards, maybe I can mold an offense to his strengths. I can’t imagine a decent QB would transfer to State with Will still there, but I also can’t imagine telling Will to move on.

it seems like all the hard choices State players/administration would have to make with a national search are still going to happen.

Hard to find an offense more suited to Rogers than the pure Air Raid. Pretty much any offense we choose will be more of a detriment. Maybe not much, but you get the point.

 

[BoDawg.sixpack]

If Sawyer develops any kind of accuracy it will be hard to keep him off the bench but it's obvious Will has the respect of his team mates. We're in a really good situation right now with our QB roster. I think that's what's most important.

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

It's simple, keep Will and add a "Freshmen Tebo" package with Sawyer and/or Parsons. Give the Tebo package about 10-15 plays a game, particularly in short yardage and red zone. By mid-season, Will will see the writing on the wall and either toughen up and become more of a run threat or see his playing time further reduced.

Love this idea.

 

[FlotownDawg]

Another thing is our WR’s get very little to no separation on the DB’s. Look at the play near the end of the game when Will tried to hit Tulu on the go route against man coverage. He put that ball out there perfectly but the DB was all over it. Tulu still had a chance to catch it even with the perfect coverage. Everything is not always on the quarterback, sometimes it’s on the WR too.

 

[tcdog70]

I had a staff member tell me---It is Will and nobody else is close. No decision. Will way better than the rest. No QB that throws it 50 times a game is going to be perfect.. Mistake will be made. Will is not a runner. till the Bowl game Will had 6 interceptions---hell-we have had QBs throw 6 in a game. Say what you will---he Led us to 9 wins with a schedule that was a tough SOB.

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

I’ve seen Will make throws that I never thought I’d see an MSU QB throw. His route anticipation is really good. We have all gotten acclimated to seeing a pretty good QB that’s accurate. Problem is, most of those throws are inside 15 7 yards. I do appreciate not getting nervous when he makes a swing pass to a RB. He makes the routine look routine like he should. I also think there is a lot left in the offense if the QB had more zip and a stronger arm along with average running ability.

FTFY

 

[travis.sixpack]

If Sawyer develops any kind of accuracy it will be hard to keep him off the bench but it's obvious Will has the respect of his team mates. We're in a really good situation right now with our QB roster. I think that's what's most important.

The new OC will have a different metric than Leach on what makes the best option at QB (accuracy, accuracy, accuracy), and that very well may still mean Rogers is the guy.

 

[BoDawg.sixpack]

The new OC will have a different metric than Leach on what makes the best option at QB (accuracy, accuracy, accuracy), and that very well may still mean Rogers is the guy.

He's got the level of experience that's just hard to ignore. Sawyer is still wet behind the ears, and the times he's played he looks nervous.

 

[Chucksizzle]

If Briles is hired , Will is done. Briles RPO system is not something Will can run , at all. He may be fine backing up like the kid Arkansas had who backed up KJ and Hornsby.

 

[thatsbaseball]

Will is pretty effective when everybody around him does their job perfectly. It's when the play breaks down that he seems incapable of creating a play on his own. He's very limited physically but very gifted mentally. He's not especially tough but isn't especially scared either. We've probably had better QB's but I know we've had worse......Thus the constantly debated enigma known as Will Rogers.

 

[dawgstudent]

We will also have more of a running game. I was frustrated as hell watching our bowl game but I don't think there's a way that Will loses his starting position before the season starts.

 

[maroonmania]

Will is a fine young man I’m sure and reps our university well, but he has got to toughen up. He cannot take advantage of what the defense will give him due to him not being able to run the ball at all. We won our last two games in spite of him really with the turnovers and great defense. That said, he also had a few great moments passing in both games. I just wish he could/would run more effectively.

The problem we have is not just that Will can't run the ball at all. The vast majority of Mike Leach QBs have been fairly immobile. What complicates things is Will can't throw the ball downfield accurately. We rarely even try a deep throw but, even when we do, the pass is rarely where it needs to be for a completion. Guys like Gardner Minshew and Anthony Gordon that Leach had at WSU didn't have this issue. If a defense cheated up on them they could burn the defense deep. With Will we can't stress a defense with the possibility of the QB running nor do we threaten them with getting burned deep. All a defense has to do to defend us right now is guard a 15 to 20 yard patch of grass from the LOS without even having to spy the QB. Will is pretty accurate up to about 20 yards but that area of the field is really crowded with all the defenders just sitting in that part of the field.

 

[horshack.sixpack]

It's simple, keep Will and add a "Freshmen Tebo" package with Sawyer and/or Parsons. Give the Tebo package about 10-15 plays a game, particularly in short yardage and red zone. By mid-season, Will will see the writing on the wall and either toughen up and become more of a run threat or see his playing time further reduced.

You seriously think that he doesn't run because he isn't "tough"? He rarely runs because he is smart. It isn't his strength. Him working receivers open for passes that few could make is his strength. Good grief...

 

[jethreauxdawg]

Will can’t throw. Interesting take…

I believe the narrative is we don’t run it and Will can’t throw far so all 11 defenders play pass defense within 15 yards of the LOS, so the coverage is very tight. Some how Will gets lucky by throwing for lots of yards into very tight coverage without committing many turnovers. It has to be luck, because he clearly can’t throw well. If Will could QB as well as our fans evaluate football talent, we’d win at least 15 games a year.

 

[kired]

I think people are underestimating how hard it is to win in the SEC. We've won 60% of our games with Will as a starter. Almost exactly the same % as Fitz had over 3 years as starter. There have been games where Will struggled and we've needed the defense to save us, and there have been games we would not have won without him. It goes that way for almost any QB.

He's got his limitations, and after watching 30+ games we are all sick of them. That's what happens when you watch the same QB for that long. But he's also attempted 1300 passes the last 2 years, completing 70% of them with 71 TDs to only 17 interceptions. That's pretty damn good regardless of what offense you're running.

Could a new OC with a transfer QB come in and win more games than Will next year? Sure - it could happen. Or it could just as easily be another Tommy Stevens / KJ Costello situation.

 

[horshack.sixpack]

I hope y'all are right, and you very well may be. But those snaps are literally the only thing we have to go on. Well that, and the reports out of practice that he was far from being ready to play. I know he was a 4* recruit, but there are over 300 of those per year. Most of those you will never hear of again.

You are clearly neglecting the MSU 2nd string QB axiom, but whatever.***

 

[grimedawg1]

On field coach. Lunch pail. First to arrive. Last to leave. Scrappy. Deceptive speed**.

Cerebral

 

[SSBGDog]

You seriously think that he doesn't run because he isn't "tough"? He rarely runs because he is smart. It isn't his strength. Him working receivers open for passes that few could make is his strength. Good grief...

Uh, he kinda runs for the sideline a lot, doesn’t really lower his shoulder to pick up additional yards. I realize its super easy for me sitting in a comfortable office typing this vs Rogers running from the SEC monsters that are chasing him. I just wish he had better wheels…and hadn’t fumbled on the goal line vs OM. That is all.

 

[retire the banner]

Will can’t run, weak arm, can’t read coverage if his first option isn’t open. Other than that he’s pretty good.

 

[horshack.sixpack]

Will can’t run, weak arm, can’t read coverage if his first option isn’t open. Other than that he’s pretty good.

You definitely have reality and statistics on your side of the argument.

 

[FlotownDawg]

Will can’t run, weak arm, can’t read coverage if his first option isn’t open. Other than that he’s pretty good.

This is the kind of crap I’m talking about when I say Will gets a lot of undue criticism. So we run an air raid system with a quarterback who has no discernible skill but yet he threw for nearly 4,000 yards and 35 touchdown passes and we still somehow won nine games and finished ranked in the top 20. How is that even possible?

 

[horshack.sixpack]

This is the kind of crap I’m talking about when I say Will gets a lot of undue criticism. So we run an air raid system with a quarterback who has no discernible skill but yet he threw for nearly 4,000 yards and 35 touchdown passes and we still somehow won nine games and finished ranked in the top 20. How is that even possible?

you are catching on

 

[LordMcBuckethead]

Another thing is our WR’s get very little to no separation on the DB’s. Look at the play near the end of the game when Will tried to hit Tulu on the go route against man coverage. He put that ball out there perfectly but the DB was all over it. Tulu still had a chance to catch it even with the perfect coverage. Everything is not always on the quarterback, sometimes it’s on the WR too.

He underthrew that one.