The news in Blacksburg is that QBs Andrew Ford who is already enrolled in college and Chris Durkin who is preparing with Team USA U-19 are ready to compete for playing time in August. All the QBs are ready to compete and as a fan and alum, I wouldn't want it any other way. When I first became interested in Hokie football, the program had a lefty who took the team all the way to the national championship. I dont want to overhype the upcoming competition, but I'm having a flashback. Whoever is the QB, I would love to see the program return to elite level and beat FSU on the way to a BCS bowl game and give Frank Beamer the ring he's been missing.
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In Lefty We Trust!
Similar discussion on another offense thread. 2014 is gonna show some of his schemes combined with his chosen talent & a more disciplined O-Line. Bring It!
I'm gonna say Andrew Ford will be our starting QB next season with some QB rotation in the scheme.
I would not say no to seeing Ford as the starter with Durkin having a few packages of his own, a la Duke's Connette this year.
I have been going back and forth on this. I could see it happening going into the future because of the different skillsets they have. It would be way too much to integrate that into their freshman seasons though. The two QB thing can work as long as it is developed as a wrinkle and not a situation that challenges the starting QBs role as the man. As in the way Duke does it like you said.
Dual true freshmen at the QB position. Possibly a true freshman in the mix at RB...
The times are a changin'
My only hope is that if Leal is selected as the dude, I hope the rest of Hokie nation and TKP will stand by and support him. I know Beamer is a huge proponent of experience.
You may be expecting too much from the fan base as a whole. Supporting struggling QBs is not exactly our forte. Any mistake they make (even when it's not necessarily their fault), will be put under the microscope 10,000 ways. If it's a young guy, people will say, "that's why you should have the senior in there." If Leal is starting, it'll be, "that's why we should've given a young guy a shot. Why are we wasting a year with this guy?" If Durkin overthrows a guy, it'll be "that's why we need Ford, he has better touch." If Ford throws a pick, it'll be, "see? He's not ready for college. Put Durkin in there, at least he's got a stronger arm and can run."
Point is, the VT QB position this year is pretty much a no-win situation for whoever wins the job. A vocal part of the fanbase will ALWAYS be calling for the next guy all season long.
And then, "Move Bucky back to QB!" He moves back to QB, "Why on earth did he move back to QB, he is a TE!"
Unless the starter throws for 3,500 yards and 30 TDs. Then everyone wins
i hate this but have seen it before. before logan the last two years was not this first time we ever saw ppl calling for the qb change. after the boise and jmu loss in 2010 i remember people calling for tyrod to be replaced..like you said qb at vt is a no win situation which really sucks.
i hope whoever gets the position will get support as well. this spring ball is going to be really interesting i cant wait to see a real qb competition here
I respectfully disagree....well I want to be optimistic but I think a lot of our fans will start this season with a "its better than what we've had the last few years with LT" justifiable or not I've seen it happen with the skins quite a few times. I don't think its fair but I think the starter will get at least a couple of weeks to prove himself and will at least be given more slack than LT.....at least I hope
I really hope you're right.... But I personally don't see it happening. There will always be a very loud, vocal (and hopefully small) portion of the fan base that will be impossible to please. Unless we go undefeated (hey, a guy can dream, right?) people will still be calling for the collective heads of Loeffler, Beamer, Little Beamer, etc. Shoot, even if we do go undefeated, I'm sure a few will be calling for heads.
Every fan base has idiots, this is nothing unique to VT. As a whole I will continue to argue that our fans are more patient than most other fan bases when it comes to "calling for heads"
When I was in school, I supported Noel because we were/are both Hokies.
But that doesn't mean that I was going to turn a blind eye to his screwups...
Oh I absolutely agree. I would consider Leal better than Noel.
I'm curious to see how Ford bulks up this semester. If he adds some more muscle, he may be in line to play earlier. I'm just worried right now he just doesn't have the build to survive a year in the college game.
Clint Tricket survived playing and that dude looked like a stick
True Story. I made that comment as well during the season only to learn that he has a chronic disease the prevents him from gaining weight.
I'd do pretty much anything for that disease...like anything.
In general, maybe football isn't the right sport for folks with that condition.
Don't forget about little Glennon at NC State and then in the NFL. He might be even skinnier than Tricket.
I believe that Mark Leal should have done what Tyrod did against LSU when he was thrown in the fire at death valley. You could tell after the game that Tyrod was a promising talent. I did not see the same thing when Leal replaced LT3 against UCLA. That's why he lost the backing of some of the fan base. I'd say now , the competition is wide open. Itll be interesting to see who comes on top.
Agree
Totally and completely different types of players. And, an absolutely unfair comparison. Leal has always been a player with a terrific arm, so-so vision, and a little bit of mobility but hardly a weapon as a runner. I will be the first to say that he was poor in the Sun Bowl (and, I will go father and say that he should have been prepared to play.) His upside is limited. But, to expect him to go in and be a dynamic big play threat at the quarterback position was totally unfair. Mark Leal was barely a 3-star recruit who was under the radar coming out of Florida. Taylor was regarded as one of the top quarterback prospects in the country. They were ranked that way for a reason.
French,
You proved the point that Mark Leal may not be a starting QB for an elite school going against elite programs like Ohio State. I would love to see him succeed because he has been patiently waiting for his chance with no off-the-field drama. Does he have it in his DNA to bring VT back to where it once was ? That remains to be seen.
Has Leal graduated (or will he this spring)? i'm curious if he would stick around for his 5th year if the writing is one the wall coming out of spring. if he has his degree, he is free to transfer to another school without sitting out a year, correct?
i'm not saying the writing will be on the wall, for all i know, Leal will show up and blow the coaches away in spring practices. i was just curious where his mind might be if he determines he'll never be our starting QB. that can't be easy.
When was the last time we had a situation similar to Leal/Ford and who ended up starting?
Was Clayton in the same situation with Logan? Or do we have to go all the way back to Noel/Randall? Granted that is a bit different because Noel was the starter the year before.
Juju was never in line to start as far as I know. LT was a back up to TT then started
Tyrod/Glennon for two years - heck we even rotated them for a while one year.
Love Ford but Travon McMillan could be a great one. Great athlete, super smart:
Ive been studying quarterback since I was in the seventh grade, ...And ever since then Ive been studying the great quarterbacks Joe Montana, Steve Young, Brett Favre. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/recruiting-insider/wp/2013/04/25/qb-...)
"From a development standpoint, I'd hire him tomorrow as a coach," Lilly said. "He can run our offense and understands every aspect of defense and what we're facing. (Per Doug Doughty)
http://www.hudl.com/athlete/913243/highlights/107094380?autoplay=1
I agree. I watched Travon McMillian's highlights and fell in love. The kid has guts and loves throwing the deep ball. He looks very confident in his drop back also and delivers the ball beautifully. Great quarterback frame also. I've watched highlights of all the QBs but Travon really stood out to me. People really need to see this kids reel
Took a look at Hokiesports and saw that he's actually gonna major in engineering. I think I know who I'm pulling for in the QB race...
Looks like a good Veer QB. He reminds me a little bit of Nick Marshall. I didn't see him take any snaps from under center though. I would like to see more of that from our QBs in the future. Line up in the power I and run the ball down the opponents throat...then go over the top on play action. That's my dream.
Also benches 300 plus lbs and squats over 500lbs.
Thats pretty good for a high school QB!
I know words mean nothing and play means everything, but after the interview Ford gave on Wednesday I'm putting him at my early #1. Frank said Mark is much better than he played in El Paso. I believe it. I want an open QB competition and if Mark wins that will be great.
I'm not going to play the "young qb is better for future growth" card. Best player WILL play. But what does Scot want? I think we are all a little confused on the offensive identity he is trying to establish. I will support the player he recruited and will fit the identity he is trying to establish. We've only had Scot about 12 months, and we still got to give it time. I want him to play his guy. Not who he's got.
Are the player interviews up anywhere or were they just broadcast and never archived anywhere?
http://www.hokiesports.com/videos/#!/videos/all/QyY2pqazrxdw97irnb9JkpUk...
Ford's interview is towards the end. Before frank.
"I would love to see the program return to elite level and beat FSU on the way to a BCS bowl game."
I hope there's a DeLorean involved....
So who wants to make odds for the game 1 starter?
Rogers, Motley, bucky, Leal, Durkin, Ford, McMillan, rest of team
EDIT: Add Rogers
Sam Rogers. It's all part of his master plan.
We're all just realistically making stuff up at this point haha. But the spring game is going to be more interesting and entertaining than like half the games on the actual schedule.
Nice. I'm a sucker for the unintentional oxymoron. Especially on Friday.
Travon McMillan in my view is the best QB coming in. Great quarterback frame and has a big arm. Take a look at this kid. He's the real deal
I'm definitely not writing him off just yet, especially after what Loeffler said during the signing day special. Any time the QB coach says a kid can throw it better than people think, it makes you listen up a bit more. That said, I'd say it's probably about 70/30 he ends up somewhere else. Like Lefty said, if he's not a QB, he's gonna play somewhere. Kid's a talent, no doubt.
McMillian, Ford, Durkin, Leal, Motley - may the best man win the starting job.
At the very least, it's going to be exciting!
I thought there were some strong praises coming out about Motley - he seems lost in this discussion....
First off, welcome to TKP!
Some of us have seen Motley throw this past year and came away impressed. Kid can fling it. However, word in the rumor mill is that Lefty doesn't see him as a QB. He'll definitely be in the competition, but I wouldn't be shocked to see him move to another position.
That's interesting, because I was told that the coaches see him as a viable candidate this year and beyond. And I feel pretty confident in my #source. Not to say that will be the case - there are so many unknowns right now - but he's supposedly getting a shot.
I have no doubt he'll get a shot, and your #source could very well be much more reliable/well-informed than my #source. However, I'd still be fairly surprised (although still rather pleased) if Motley won the job. Besides, my gut tells me you don't go out and grab 2-3 QBs if you're confident in the r-Fr currently on the roster.
We're also gunning for a 5-star QB, among others, in the 2015 cycle. Not sure if recruiting really plays a factor in how coaches feel about current players on the roster.
Sounds like doubt to me
I don't doubt he'll be legitimately in the competition, but I do doubt he'll win it.
I prefer to think that we are going to constantly try and get the best available players for our team. It will serve as a constant challenge for the players already there to strive for their personal best and instill competition.
I agree. I don't think it is fair to any individual QB's currently on the roster or the team as-a-whole to make assumptions as to whether or not we are well stocked without any meaningful playing time to evaluate. Nothing is a given, even if someone on the roster has a good year next year, we should always be striving to find elite talent that will compete for a starting position.
Why do you think programs like Alabama or USC (in the 2000's) were so strong? Because practice was so darn competitive, with everyone gunning for playing time, that they never had an opportunity to take a play off or lolly gag during a weightroom session. This is a level our coaches should be constantly striving to obtain, because injuries happen; suspensions happen; guys go pro; highly-touted guys don't pan out.
So happy to hear that there will actually be open competition at the QB position. After HC Beamer's words concerning Mark Leal, I was afraid that he would just stick with Leal. Thank goodness Leal will have to earn his spot as opposed to just inheriting it.
Agree and disagree with this comment and that might be because I am reading it wrong. I am also glad there will be open competition but most of us are basing our opinion of Leal on the bowl game and our opinions of the incoming guys on what they did in high school. I trust THESE coaches though to start the right guy however if Stiney was still in charge I would be worried we would start the worst guy and play all the others at TE.
Honestly, I think one of the most important positions, if not THE most important position over the next 4 years will be Quarterback. If all of these guys end up not being a good quarterback, we are in trouble. QB play = Good = 10+ wins... QB play = mediocre = <9 wins.... I really hope one of these guys shows up and exceeds expectations. I dont care who, just one of them.
And the nice thing going into this is we have an interesting stable to choose from:
Leal, Motley, Ford, Durkin, Mcmillian.
All with upsides and downsides and differences.
I would love to have some insight into Loeffler's mind/thought process during the next few months as he makes a determination.
I would love to be a fly on the wall evaluating film with him for each of the players. I will feel bad for Leal if we end up starting a redshirt freshman or true freshman, but I want what is best for the team.
Yea, thats definitely a good thing. We have a handful to develop. More people = more chances for one to be a beast. It is exciting.
nahhhhhhh. I'm not buying it.
I personally hope Ford wins the job, Durkin redshirts, McMillian either switches positions or redshirts, and Leal and Motley are there so if Ford gets hurt or starts to struggle.
There are no easy choices here. Leal has the most experience but has some significant flaws. I hope we can squeeze a year of starting out of him where he minimizes mistakes and leans on a running game. Think about Leal in the Grant Noel lense, Noel was lamblasted for his 2001 season but he produced 58% completions, almost 1900 yards (11 games), 16 TD's and 11 interceptions. If Leal gives us the prorated 13 game totals of 58% completions, 2250 yards, 19 TD's and 13 interceptions, we should be fine.
Ford has significant arm strength issues. He's accurate, but with his arm strength, he has to be uber-accurate to succeed. That concerns me greatly.
Durkin is a passing fullback. He's a helluva runner and his arm is big, but there is dramatic inefficiency in his "windup." A lot of moving parts in that throwing motion.
Motley has blossomed with some mobility and passing skills, but has very, very little experience in a contemporary offense. Because of his offense in HS, I'm just concerned that he will never reach the Malcolm Gladwell "10,000 hours of practice" for success that makes these types of skills intuitive. It was the same concern I had with LT, it takes a lot of time to be intuitive with a screen pass or leading a crossing pattern.
I just don't see a great choice here and we need to be patient with whomever rises to the top because they won't produce at QB like we have seen the last decade+. We have not had this type of QB uncertainty since 2001 (even then, it was uncertainty, we had Noel and that was that).
Leal might have the most experience based off being in college longer, but on the field I would doubt that. yes he has played with the college speed and hype and emotions. But HS players are coming out of school much more polished and ready to play. Loeffler oozed about Andrew Ford's football IQ and his understanding of the game. He also said his mechanics are college level and he just needs to get up to speed. I don't see Leal having the best football IQ and I'm not the only one with this opinion.
I don't quite see where Ford has significant arm strength? What are you basing this off? His highlight tape says otherwise. Jamarcus Russel can throw 80 yards, but is he accurate.?
I would much rather take a high IQ, more accurate QB over a "gunslinger" who hasn't shown the IQ you would think out of a kid who has been in college with the team for 3-4 years. Accuracy leads to YAC's and long TD's ask any WR if they would have an accurate qb or a gunslinger and I bet you would hear accuracy a lot. If Ford can find that happy medium with the so called "weak arm strength" and accuracy I would be happier than #teampie
He said that Ford has significant arm strength issues, just thought I would clear that up. I would agree with you that I would prefer accuracy over arm strength, and am hence leaning towards Ford. I think it helps that he has enrolled early and will have an entire spring to work on learning the playbook as well as route running with receivers.
Unfortunately, I think Durkin won't be redshirted. One of the main reasons he chose VT over Michigan State was the promise of the possibility to play early. I believe redshirting would help him work on his throwing mechanics with Lefty and could prepare him for a qb battle against Ford the next year.
At the end of the day competition is a good thing. As long as the best player wins, and it isn't based on seniority I will support whoever comes under center for the hokies next year.
I just got really excited at the thought of a Durkin, Rogers, Marshawn Williams/Trey Edmunds backfield. It gave me goose bumps.
Unless he absolutely blows people away over the summer practices, I can't see Durkin not redshirting. We have Leal and Motley who are both not eligible for redshirts as well as Ford who will have a five month head start on Durkin.
That is also five months in the S&C program for those worried about his arm strength.
I think its a bit extreme to say Ford has "significant arm strength issues".
So you are saying he is a significantly below average arm?
I hadn't heard that before...
Okay, so if I were to handicap this race:
Leal: Even
Ford:10 to 1
Motley: 25 to 1
Durkin:45 to 1
Bucky Hodges: 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 to 1
If you're taking bets, put me down for 25 cents on Bucky Hodges.
I'm guessing you're either a terrible odds maker or have a source that has already confirmed Leal is the starter. Bet the minimum on every QB except Leal, and then we've got a hell of a good chance to make a lot of money.
Nonetheless, I like the odds. I'm still going to put my money on Ford, and I think my odds look like this:
Leal 3:2
Ford 3:2
Motley 3:1
Durkin 15:1
Hodges 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,001 to 1
You all forgot one. His name is Fordurkillian, I hear his odds are 3:2 as well
2014 season:
#1: Leal
#2: Motley
#3: Durkin
2015 season:
#1: Durkin
#2: Ford
#3: Motley
McMillian will be moved in an effort to a) get him on the field and b) due to the depth we have established at this position.
* I don't see how an undersized Ford can dethrone Leal after one spring. I also don't see how Durkin can come in the program in August and expect to take the reigns. But what I do like is this: Fords character and book smarts. I like Durkin's edge and his competitive spirit. McMillian is a football junky with tailback moves. Even considering Ford will have been in the program a full half yr before Durkin, I see Durkin being more of Lefty's type of guy. Big arm, gritty, willing to run, throws well on the run, ultra competitive. This is going to be an exciting few years to watch unfold!
I too have a feeling Durkin will end up being the man.
Let them all compete and pick the one who will win the most games with the pieces around you. I think that is the piece that people are missing in this debate - - the quality of the wide receivers, offensive line, and running backs will dictate who Loeffler picks as his QB. The QB battle may be less about the quality of the QBs and more about the quality of the RBs, WRs, and offensive line. All of the QBs will be servicable, in my opinion.
If you have the quality players around you to run an effective pro-style offense, pick the pro-style guy (Leal / Ford).
But if, like last year, your WRs struggle to catch and get separation, and you don't trust the inside/outside zone running game, pick the QB who can run the veer stuff to create some offense (Durkin / McMillian / Motley).
In my opinion, like last year, the main variable this year is Loefler's trust in his WRs and running game.