You're the BYU Offensive Coordinator: You Make the Call

[Indy Coug]

What are the chances BYU picks up a Juco QB this offseason?

Probably very low. Signing a JUCO QB is just another Hail Mary. Maybe if you say enough of them, one of them gets answered affirmatively.

[Coach McGuirk]

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[TripletDaddy]

None. IMO. Hill is the future. I don't think the issue is the talent in the system, I think the issue is that the system is based on talent available and when people get injured enough it self destructs. It is funny because this is why Anae was fired. His system was a predicatable system that plugged people in and their wills/talents were bent to the system. We brought in Doman to be unpredictable and bend the system to the talents/will of the players. We are seeing Doman's approach at its worst. This is why for this year I think it best to play Taysom Hill and gut out enough victories to get to a bowl game. I think Taysom can be a pass first qb who then creates with his athleticism second, or on the rare play calls that force defenses to respect the qb draw etc, with a coach that is able to put that many moving pieces together in a coherent hole. I don't currently believe Brandon Doman is that coach.

I'm not convinced that Hill is the future. Are you? Based on what? I asked in another thread whether Hll can pass the ball. Nobody seems to know. So far, he is a bulkier, faster Riley Nelson. That is an improvement but we have no indication that Hill actually has the skill set to be an effective QB for a pass-heavy BYU offense.

If we are changing BYUs offensive philosophies and switching to a mobile QB with a potent ground attack, then fine. But in that case, we shouldn't be debating QBs, we should be discussing the o-line and RBs.

[TripletDaddy]

Probably very low. Signing a JUCO QB is just another Hail Mary. Maybe if you say enough of them, one of them gets answered affirmatively.

Bless us, Mary, mother of Cam Newton!

[Indy Coug]

I'm not convinced that Hill is the future. Are you? Based on what? I asked in another thread whether Hll can pass the ball. Nobody seems to know. So far, he is a bulkier, faster Riley Nelson. That is an improvement but we have no indication that Hill actually has the skill set to be an effective QB for a pass-heavy BYU offense.

If we are changing BYUs offensive philosophies and switching to a mobile QB with a potent ground attack, then fine. But in that case, we shouldn't be debating QBs, we should be discussing the o-line and RBs.

Agreed. All that is clear is that Hill's physical tools are fantastic. We've seen several other QBs at BYU with good physical tools completely flame out. It would be fantastic if Hill had until 2014 to develop before throwing him to the wolves, but that ship sailed at least 3 years ago.

[The_Douger]

Draw up your gameplan for someone that doesn't have a helpless defense -- like Hawaii. Keep in mind that

1. Nelson is too injured to do the things he normally does well

2. Hill still doesn't know the offense and more importantly is working on reading D-1 defenses

3. Lark has been jerked around every which way and probably has zero confidence in himself and certainly in the coaches

So what do you do?

I'd have put Lark in against Boise and against Utah. I'd have told him he will start if Riley is too hurt, but we'll run a few wildcat things for Hill. This would have helped his currently failing confidence.

Against Utah i'd have mixed in some screens to the WRs and RBs, to negate the push of their DLine. I'd have run Alisa straight ahead as long as he was popping off 3-5 yard chunks of yardage. I'd have called plays specifically targeting Utah's weak safety play while running the TE underneath the LBs. I'd have some quick hitters that get rid of the ball fast, because our OLine was getting manhandled.

I'd have done more of the same against Boise, who's DLine was also pretty good.

Lark then starts against Hawaii with some confidence and gametime under his belt.

[Goatnapper'96]

I'm not convinced that Hill is the future. Are you? Based on what? I asked in another thread whether Hll can pass the ball. Nobody seems to know. So far, he is a bulkier, faster Riley Nelson. That is an improvement but we have no indication that Hill actually has the skill set to be an effective QB for a pass-heavy BYU offense.

If we are changing BYUs offensive philosophies and switching to a mobile QB with a potent ground attack, then fine. But in that case, we shouldn't be debating QBs, we should be discussing the o-line and RBs.

Hill is from the 208! That is why I am convinced. I do think he can develop into both a better passer and thrower than Riley and good enough to be a very good college qb.

As for philosophies I like mobile qbs. I think they put more pressure on the defense and given how talent and athleticism is spread out in college create a dimension that defenses struggle defending. However, a mobile qb doesn't neccesarily mean options or a qb running as frequent as a service academy qb. I thought the direction Doman was going was a pass first based offense that utilized qb draws as well as allowing the qb to create when things break down. That type of plan forces defenses to account for the qb while not exposing him to the numbers of vicious hits Riley absorbs. I was wrong. It appears to me that Doman's system is a cluster that then relies upon qbs creating. I think a good OC can get BYU back to being BYU and then apply an extra level of pressure with the occasional qb draw, perhaps the occasional option but I am not a fan of that method because it requires so many other moving parts that affects the entire offensive unit, and allowing the qb to create when things break down. Doman's style, to my untrained eye, seems to start with the qb creating himself too frequently.

[thesaint258]

Fine, but it's not as though nobody knew Riley wasn't invulnerable. He's missed games every year due to injury since he was first named as a starter. I should certainly hope BYU had in mind the very real prospect of having to put in a backup.

This is what I think. How many times was this possibility mentioned in the off season? The coaches had to know an injured Riley was a distinct possibility. I don't think it's bad to tweak an offense to take advantage of the skill players' strengths, but it's also not good to base it on one guy like Doman seems to have done with Riley.

[jay santos]

Hill is from the 208! That is why I am convinced. I do think he can develop into both a better passer and thrower than Riley and good enough to be a very good college qb.

As for philosophies I like mobile qbs. I think they put more pressure on the defense and given how talent and athleticism is spread out in college create a dimension that defenses struggle defending. However, a mobile qb doesn't neccesarily mean options or a qb running as frequent as a service academy qb. I thought the direction Doman was going was a pass first based offense that utilized qb draws as well as allowing the qb to create when things break down. That type of plan forces defenses to account for the qb while not exposing him to the numbers of vicious hits Riley absorbs. I was wrong. It appears to me that Doman's system is a cluster that then relies upon qbs creating. I think a good OC can get BYU back to being BYU and then apply an extra level of pressure with the occasional qb draw, perhaps the occasional option but I am not a fan of that method because it requires so many other moving parts that affects the entire offensive unit, and allowing the qb to create when things break down. Doman's style, to my untrained eye, seems to start with the qb creating himself too frequently.

Agree completely. A mobile QB in the Anae-Reynolds system is fabulous. But he only actually uses his legs maybe a fifth of the time. You occasionally run a draw. He extends plays through scrambling when no one is open or the pocket breaks down. But this is the exception not the rule. With Doman, the first three steps are sprints to the right or left.

[dabrockster]

About my chances of picking up Scarlett Johansson.

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[Indy Coug]

Agree completely. A mobile QB in the Anae-Reynolds system is fabulous. But he only actually uses his legs maybe a fifth of the time. You occasionally run a draw. He extends plays through scrambling when no one is open or the pocket breaks down. But this is the exception not the rule. With Doman, the first three steps are sprints to the right or left.

Go back and watch Detmer and see how many of his plays were rollouts. Pass protection was shaky back then and it was a way of giving him more time.

[Portland Ute]

Probably very low. Signing a JUCO QB is just another Hail Mary. Maybe if you say enough of them, one of them gets answered affirmatively.

But, but....you might get a 4**** QB like Terrence Cain!!!!

[SoCalCoug]

I'll be seriously pissed if Riley starts the Hawaii game. Mostly because that likely means he's been taking the 1st string snaps in practice all week long. And Hill/Lark haven't. So, when he's ineffective and Hill comes in, Hill will still be a freshman without a ton of meaningful snaps in practice or in games.

[Goatnapper'96]

Apparantly it isn't the OC's call to make.

[CJF]

Bless us, Mary, mother of Cam Newton!

Our head coach doesn't get paid as much as Newton made at Auburn. I doubt those prayers will be answered.