There is no denying the fact that Michael Brewer has made costly mistakes. But after watching all his games under center for the Hokies, Brewer has made more good decisions than bad ones.For the most part, he is a smart QB. When he has time to throw he is very accurate. Brewer is also resilient and has kept his composure when things are not going his way. Watching the games, it is also evident that the coaching staff is asking Michael brewer to do an awful lot. It is his first season learning scot loefflers system. By asking him to throw the ball so many times , are the Hokies putting brewer in a position to succeed ? ESPN seems to think not:
http://espn.go.com/blog/acc/post/_/id/75000/brewer-isnt-hokies-only-conc...
Are the Hokies asking Michael Brewer to do too much in his first year as a starter?
Comments
I will not click on your ESPN link, but
The QB is the headline guy, but as your quote suggests getting protection and time is still an issue. I believe in the new coaches and emphases in recruiting. Lefty and co. have had 1 recruiting class of their own. We have played 11 true freshman this year. We still need another year or two to continue to get talent and couch up said talent.
The better question is are the coaches asking our players to substitute too much this year
I hope the Hokies play as well as my G-men have tonight. Need a game like this to regroup and rebuild morale.
My only wish was that either D-Hall or jayron was playing.
You mean Hosley?
Ugh F- the Giants! But the Skins suck...
HokieBlitz why do you put all this espn stuff on here? They don't deserve our clicks
Andy Bitter or bust
Don't forget that most of our games are on ESPN networks and a lot of people watch ESPN. Hokienation cannot ignore what ESPN has to say .
Check your remote. It's probably near the volume buttons. It's called "Mute".
That really doesn't have anything to do with their ACC Blog.
FTFY
The problem isn't brewer, it's the OL. He's been getting rocked every game and the run game isn't there. I'm shocked he hasn't missed a game or two due to concussions yet. Better decisions will come with a better OL. Hopefully the next few recruiting classes will take care that.
YES, Brewer is being ask to do too much and is trying to carry this offense. These 300 lb linemen need to block better, especially on running plays.
Not sure I agree with you about the OL in terms of pass protecting. The run protecting has been suspect for some time now, but it doesn't feel like he's been rushed in the pocket nearly as often as Logan had been the last couple years. Yeah, Brewer takes a lot of shots but usually those are downfield after a run where he either didn't slide or tried to gain an extra yard.
When you average less than 3 yards per carry & constantly get stuffed on 3rd & short , someone on the OL is not blocking. Maybe, if we could block & run , Brewer would not have to pass 40 times a game. We are one dimensional because the OL cannot block. Even on passing plays that are successful , he cant stay in the pocket & must roll out to avoid the pass rush .
Agreed. The run blocking is very questionable, no doubt about it. But I'm not gonna blame a few of Brewer's bad decisions on the OL, at least not yet. I think we are getting the best possible pass protection we can ask for with the talent we have right now.
^^^^^Yes! This! I was at the game two days ago. Every pass play I would immediately look back to Brewer after the ball reached the receiver and he would be on the ground under a defender with an O lineman waiting to help Brewer up.
Yes. Loeffler's offense is too complex right now. Brand new QB, new RBs, new WRs, and new O-line coach makes it very difficult to run an offense as intricate as Loeffler's. I am very interested to see if a Brewer and the rest of the offenseive personnel can become masters of the offense by the end of the year. If they can, then the end of 2014 and all of 2015 could be really special.
Where did this notion that our offense is complex come from? I haven't seen it. If Loeffler is some offensive genius he won't give brewer schemes he can't handle. Stop over complicating this. The OL isn't good and that is what holds our offense back.
Loeffler's offense is complex. The proof is in the pudding. In four games: 7 substitution penalties. 8 false starts. 2 formation penalties, 8 INTs.
Loeffler's offense requires a lot of motion, pre-snap reads, post-snap reads, routes that the WR can break off, quirky formations. Read any of Mason's articles on the triangles. It's a very complex offense for the collegiate level. It's not like the Oregon or Urban Meyer offenses, where they run 5 basic plays. This offense is NFL-style with NFL-level complexity.
I don't disagree the O-line needs improvement. But I ask you: Did the O-line substitute incorrectly? Did the O-line throw 8 interceptions? Did the O-line run the wrong routes? Did the O-line line up incorrectly?
Right. It might be a little complex for such a young group now, but if all that talent can get on the same page here soon...woooh, watch out! I like what I see from the offense going forward
No. It's 2014 kids are coming out of HS running more complex offenses than colleges did even 5 years ago. Especially Brewer, who came out of Texas. The game is evolving and kids are more prepared than they ever were before.
In high school, you play with only the talent in your area. You could have a lot or a little, but regardless, I feel confident that I can say High Schools are not running more complex offenses than colleges. In regards to football, 5.8% of high school athletes go on to play in college. That means that 94.2% of them don't have what it takes. College has higher level national talent that can handle complex schemes.
I never said that, I said High schools now are running more complex offenses than some colleges 5 years ago.
Look at the original post. Motion! Pre-Snap-Reads! Is this too complicated for a 21 year old College Junior who comes from a long line of Quarterbacks and came up through the Texas Football Factory?
The answer is no, no it's not. Not in 2014.
Are you suggesting college defenses are just as easy to read as HS defenses? I would imagine a pre-snap read in HS against a very vanilla D is much easier than a pre-snap read against a collegiate D.
Lake Travis High School ain't your typical high school football program. First of all, high school football in Texas is a far bigger deal than in pretty much all other states. The talent is better. The coaching is better. The scheming is better. It's on another level. Lake Travis High School is one of the best programs in Texas. And let's not forget that five years ago, the head coach was Chad Morris, one of the best offensive coordinators in college football. I can assure you that the system at a Texas high school such as Lake Travis has a greater level of complexity than many collegiate programs did as recently as 5 years ago. Hell, I'd go as far as to say certain Texas high schools have more complex schemes than a few current collegiate systems, most notably those that still run the option.
What does talent have to do with scheme?
If your QB was the QB there, then he's got a head start.
Nope. The Hokies are not asking Michael Brewer to do too much. Brewers great great-grand father in the 1800 was probably a QB. His grand-father was a QB. His father was a QB. His uncle was QB. His brother is a QB. Brewer said he has seen everything and there are only so many places you can go on the field. The only way for the team to improve is to stop making excuses and learn from mistakes.
I think Brewer is fine with the complexity of the offense. He can handle it.
Our poor OL hurts in terms of protection and creating holes for the running game. Brewer's job would be much easier if he wasn't dropping back 40+ times a game.
I also think the different packages may make things a little too complicated...especially for the freshman RBs and WRs.
I love that we're going no huddle. I've been wanting to see that for YEARS! I got so sick of us being so slow and deliberate on offense.
The one positive is that these freshman are jumping into the deep end. They are getting so much experience right now that it will pay off in a couple of years.
I think Loeffler's knows what kind of offense he wants VT to get to and the only way to do it is to do it. Yeah, there will be mistakes but they will learn from them and get comfortable and better running his type of offense as the year goes on. In the meantime all the backups, redshirts, etc., are practicing his offensive philosophy and when they get their chance to play they will fit in seamlessly.
That, in the end, is the only way to implement a new system, everyone knows there will be growing pains and mistakes, it's unavoidable. IM(uneducated)HO that is the reason no one is having a huge meltdown on the staff right now. They probably talked about it at the beginning of the season, decided they were willing to live with it, and were preparing for the future. Maybe that is why all the talk of 2015 being a special year was oft repeated at the beginning of the season?
I can't complain about the offense at this juncture. Loeffler may not be Chip Kelly, but what the Hokies have this year on offense is WAY, WAY better than OcainSpringNewsome.
Like, really...WAY, WAY, WAY better.
So, my answer to your question is no. Brewer seems like he's large and in charge. The interceptions come with the gunslinger mentality. I like gunslinger, so it's a tradeoff.
He's not being asked to do too much. We have an offense and, big picture, this guy is executing it VERY well right now. His only problem is that he's making a couple decisions each game that you really don't want your QB to ever make.
We have an offense that is averaging just around 300 yards per game through the air centered around guys who weren't enrolled at VT in June. Our running game is struggling to break big runs, our defense is giving up critical points at the worst times, and yet, we have an offense that is legitimately keeping us in games. Its crazy, but this year I have found myself actually expecting a score every time we have the ball, because I'm starting to have confidence in this unit again, because I've seen them put together enough good drives this season to lead me to believe we can do it. I honestly cannot remember the last time I felt like that watching VT football (maybe the last Tyrod year... or maybe even the Marcus Vick year). And we're doing this with a bunch of freshmen and a QB who just transferred this spring.
The only thing standing between Brewer being a great QB for us and him being the frustrating QB we've seen the last 2 weeks is decision making. He needs to learn when to throw the ball away or just take the sack. That comes with experience, which, unfortunately due to injury, he just doesn't have. We clean up those mistakes, and a lot of the issues we're seeing right now goes away. Heck, just eliminating the illegal substitution penalties will go a long way into helping this team out, those have been killers at the worst possible times this year.
Getting rid of, what, 11-12 penalties a game for 100 yards or so will help immensely. It was a similar situation the last couple years, except this offense seems to be able to overcome it, where we would get a big play negated by a penalty, or we'd have a big play lead to a first down, only to have penalties set us back 10 and 15 yards to kill the drive.
Chad Morris was his HS off coordinator and VT is asking too much offensively from him? I think not.
We're asking him to run a collegiate offense, the same thing every other collegiate QB is asked to do.
NO. Please refer back to French's comment from your forum post from earlier in the week when you questioned Michael Brewer. He's the starter; accept it.
http://www.thekeyplay.com/comment/186560#comment-186560
Are we asking too much of the O-line? Brewer has been money when they have given him time to throw the ball down the field. When he has a D-lineman in his face 2 sec. after the snap is when things have been going in the tank.
If by "Hokies", you mean the coaching staff, no. They are asking him to play his position, nothing more, nothing less. If you mean the knuckle-dragging fair weather variety of fans that expect him to have 500 yards passing, 200 yards rushing, and 15 total touchdowns because their only knowledge of football is playing Madden on easy mode with the penalties off, then yes, those Hokies are probably asking too much.
Well, from a schematic standpoint he isn't. He knows the offense and can make all the throws, but throwing 36, 56, and 39 times in the last three games is rough and is a reflection that we are being forced to throw more than we would ideally like to because of the struggles in the running game. So in a way, yes and no.
He signed up for this. The reason he came to Blacksburg was for playing time and to be the quarterback of a historically good football program. Obviously I don't read minds here, but going into this did he ever think, "Gee, what if they ask me to do too much?" "What if I can't handle the pressure?" "What if my o-line is weak?" That's a bunch of garbage. To succeed as a quarterback anywhere, you handle more amounts of pressure and responsibilities than any other player on the field. That is YOUR job. If you think you are being asked of too much, get your tail off the field. I highly doubt Michael Brewer has ever contemplated anything like this, and it proves week in and week out. He took the blame last week and he'll take it again if he has to. That's being a man right there. He realizes he's the starting quarterback of THE Virginia Tech Hokies and he knows how qualified one must be in order to succeed at such a high position. Right now, there is no one else the coaches trust to do a better job. And I trust not only our coaches judgment, but also our quarterback's judgment during the game. Michael Brewer, you are our guy. Beat WMU! The end
Definitely. Do you really think he didn't research Tech before he selected us?
I don't think we are asking him to do too much but I do feel like sometimes we don't give him the best chance to succeed with our play calls. Often it seems as if he is forced to take a 10-15 step drop or roll out waiting for our long plays to develop when maybe we could help him out by offering quicker developing plays that he can get rid of the ball quickly. Just my opinion but I think sometimes our play calls are a little greedy and try to get too much too quick instead of getting in a rhythm with short crosses and outs and such.
Texas Catfish give the Hokies something we've never had before: a 3rd down converting machine. He makes excellent throws and his game will only continue to get better as he gets more experience. Play selection needs to help him ( ie throw the screens out of the playbook). That said, Brewer's mindset in taking chances. He'll generate big plays and turnovers. In the off season needs to strengthen his arm as his deep ball keeps coming up short. Suspect will see 5 TD game this season and 4 turnover in another. Texas catfish will get better with more experience.
Texas Catfish? That a new nickname? Hadn't heard that one yet. I kinda hope its not catching on.
This thread is interesting. I see the fact that some Hokie fans start expecting more and more offense and a 3 game transition to a 100% competent offense as a very good change. Think about that for a minute. If our expectations have risen this much, this quickly, what does that say? It says we are moving in the right direction.
It says the Hokie coaching staff is doing what it set out to do. We have 3 issues which are making that transition take more time than we as fans sometimes will accept - but I bet the coaching staff accepted it, heck they knew it:
1. Freshman skill players everywhere
2. Lack of OL recruiting transition (Searels inherited a tough job)
3. New QB, with brains and leadership ability, thrown into a new scheme on short notice
So we recruit OL like crazy, the coaching staff implements its plan (yes, I agree that the complexity needs to be toned down a bit, but continuous growth must be assured), and we all have to live with the learning timetable that you get from this situation.
The future is bright!
Go Hokies!!
My only issue with this plan is where are the OL recruits?
We're getting them. We're just not getting the big flashy 4* and 5* OL recruits that aren't exactly fruitful in the recruiting circuits. That being said, the guys we are getting will do very well for us down the line, assuming we can keep Searels around long enough.
Even with 2 guys who are/were only on the job for a year (Grimes and Searels), we have five solid line recruits coming in between last year and this year. I think we'll likely see one or two JUCOs come in and help solidify the class this year, along with another 2 OLine prospects out of high school. 9 guys in 2 years should be about what the program shoots for. Considering the last few years of Newsome's tenure included a 3-year stretch where we signed 2 OLine prospects (IIRC), it's a huge step forward for VT.
The future is bright only if the players learn from the mistakes and improve. If they keep making the same mistakes leading to pick 6s, fumbles, busted coverage, the outcome will be the same 8-5, 6-6 season record.
If I'm interpreting the original post correctly, "the future" is referring to a time period of years, not months/weeks.
My post was basically stating we will have bumps through this season - which is months (and the coaches expect it), but we should certainly see improvement before this year is over. This year's improvements will be incremental and will be based on how quickly the new players "get it".
Certainly my post was focusing on the next 2 years as well.
The team had enough out of conference games to improve. ACC play restarts Saturday. Some fans want to see improvement now.
You can ask your first year quarterback to do a lot, or you can ask your true Freshman running back to do a lot. No matter which way we go we're relying on inexperienced players to step up.