so whats the scoop? I haven't heard anything why was he out? Lack of practice? I heard rumblings of a potential injury?
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All I know is that I would like to see him play. I have zero trust in Burmiester throwing.
Burmeister hit some deep passes and missed some deep passes, but he showed he can make those throws.
... underneath was a little more of an adventure... seemed like we had one read for him on the RPO and he was either throwing it late or Duke just had that route locked up.
His receivers didn't help him either. There were several drops.
It's not even the deep passes. He was so inaccurate on the short to medium distance passes. Also he needs to hit the gym because he has zero zip on the ball. Idk, personally, I see our offense being incredibly limited with him at the helm. Thank god we have Herbert and a killer Oline.
EDIT: Watching the game again this morning. Man, it's actually worse than my alcohol soaked brain remembered. He made some straight up dangerous throws. Into double and even triple coverage. We are lucky he didnt get picked off more. His passes seem so weak.
He made some bad throws. He also made some perfect throws that weren't caught. He ran for two touchdowns. He threw some absolute bombs that were caught and gave us big plays.
Just seems like to me that it's not quite as cut and dry as you're making it out to be.
To me, it seems like an "all hands on deck" situation. More than anything, I think Fuente wants to beat UNC. If his game plan vs Duke kept us going in the right direction in that regard, I'm all for it.
We won. We didn't break Burmeister, which could be the result of the approach some are advocating. Which is good, as we'll likely need all of our quarterbacks this season.
I'm talking about passing only. He is a real threat on the ground and we have utilized him well in that regard. He did also throw some dimes, especially the TD to Mitchell and the prior deep pass to Robinson.
But being 50/50 on whether you throw a dime or a potential pick is not a good thing. He really put some bad balls out there and I'm surprised Duke only came away with one. And that one was maybe the worst throw I've seen in years btw.
But like you said, we are working with what we have. I'm not mad about him starting. I think we will win quite a few games with him starting. I just don't think we can be a great team with him starting.
I like that we have three QBs we can win with, and no visible animosity.
This is a year when we really need this.
Our massive losses due to COVID is obviously a negative, but bright side is that we are developing some killer depth. Not just at QB, but more importantly on defense. The secondary left a lot to be desired last night, but that experience is invaluable.
This is true. Glad we won it, even after spotting them seven.
Just need to figure out the offense a bit more and we could be dangerous. That is, of course, if we ever actually get our players back. Wouldnt be surprised if we consistently have 10+ players out each week.
I'm not saying I don't think Hooker should get the nod, but don't think part of the RB success so far isn't due to the dual threat of Burmeister on the ground and just enough through the air.
He gives defenses a fair amount to think about all by himself.
I agree here. I'm really astounded at people wanting BB out and HH in during the game Saturday. First of all, HH had barely practiced. They weren't throwing him in there unless things were desperate. Second, other than a handful of bad decisions (the overthrow INT to Blackshear out of the backfield was atrocious), I really don't think he was that bad. There were a ton of drops that had they been made, I don't think everyone is so down on BB. The one that hit Mitchell right in the numbers and was dropped was a big one.
Does he have a cannon arm? No, but I think overall he has played well and protected the football. He has proven he can win games for us. I thought the playcalling early on did him no favors, as it seemed we abandoned the run and were pressing a bit for the big pass play. I feel fortunate we have 3 QBs who can win P5 games for us. If Hooker is ready to return and the coaches are ok with him starting this weekend, that's great. But I don't get our knee jerk reaction to pull the QB at the first sign of adversity.
Everyone seems to be taking it for granted that he made a good throw to Robinson. It was a BEAUTIFUL catch, but that wasn't a great throw. That was a 50/50 ball at best, the defender was probably in the better position to make that play. Not saying he was bad, he did most of what was asked of him, but he doesn't seem to add that much running upside over HH, and the passing game is definitely more limited with him than it would be with Hooker.
That's not exactly how I saw it.
What about the Robinson drop?
I mean, I never said Robinson had a perfect game, I'm saying that as a whole package, HH wouldn't lose us that much in the ground game, and would gain us more in the passing game.
Just rewatched it (it's at like 4:35 of the condensed game footage) it's a better throw than I remember, but it's definitely a better catch than it is a throw. It's a slightly under-thrown fade, which lets the receiver get up and make a play 1v1, but I still wouldn't call it a perfect throw that couldn't have been defended.
Those are the same throws that QP was making reliably last year, and I don't think anyone was arguing then that there wasn't a bit of a drop-off in the passing efficiency when QP had to come takeover for HH.
I think it was intended to be a back shoulder throw and if anything wasn't underthrown enough. I think all three quarterbacks can win you games, but a healthy HH is the best overall package.
QP has played roughly 8 quarters of football and is 19 for 48 (39.5%). To say he has made any throws reliably is a stretch.
I don't disagree that - when healthy and prepared - HH is probably the best balance at QB. I wrote as much earlier in this thread.
But my point wasn't about Robinson per se. My point was you criticized BB for a bad downfield throw to Robinson which wasn't particularly bad and ignored a good downfield throw to Robinson which was dropped.
In his passing he reminded me a bit of willis - some brilliant moments with some really poor decision making sprinkled in there.
That said his wheels are considerably faster.
He's a better runner than Willis, makes slightly better decisions passing the ball compared to Willis, but has a noodle arm compared to Willis. Say what you will about RW, but he had a cannon of an arm, even when it usually got him in trouble.
I'm not sure he is a better runner, but unlike willis, he can read the option. I dont think I ever say willis make the correct read.
He's a much better runner than Willis. Much better.
Yeah, Willis needed LOTS of open field to get the yards he did. Burmeister is quick enough to get the yards even when there are people coming after him.
I always felt Willis was a relatively athletic pro style QB shoved into a scheme that desired a duel threat. Burmeister is a legit duel threat.
1. This guy wasn't a world beater at Oregon.
2. He hadn't played in TWO years.
While there is much about his game that can improve, I'm thankful we have three capable QBs. Each with their own strengths.
For sure, I think any of the three QBs can lead us to victory on any night. I just think against a getter rush defense, we need to get things going through the air. Idk if he can do that for us.
My guess is he was out a lot of practice before this week. So if you miss several weeks of practice as qb they need to get you back up to speed and in playing shape.
My thought was we wanted to control clock to protect defense and Burmeister was better choice for that game plan. However, not seeing Hooker at all does have me raising an eyebrow a bit.
I don't want to give Corny too much credit, but I wonder if we are saving that game plan for next week when we will really need to score points.
This is what I was thinking.
Because if Hooker had been ready to play, they could have used him in a few series. That said, if we could beat Duke without him, I'm glad we did.
We'll be needing him next week.
Is anyone else surprised how much we're targeting Robinson and how little we're targeting Turner by comparison? Especially on the 50/50 balls?
Didn't notice Turner lined up on as many plays in general. Could be related to conditioning? Also Smith and Robinson are really getting after it with the blocking. Making decent plays too. Maybe those guys have earned more reps than Turner? No idea really, but certainly stood out to me as well.
The reason that you saw a lot of those runs go for touchdowns is the downfield blocking. This is why I don't necessarily have a problem with Hazelton leaving. Evan Fairs was out there blocking his tail off as well.
It's hard to notice any wide receivers with the ACCN camera crew. Always has me wondering who is at the top of the screen.
Acc network production is atrocious
Tre pulled down a huge first down 50/50 ball when VT really needed it.
Those moments can define a game. No coincidence that he was at the right place at the right time - the guy is a player.
Holy shit we run for 300+ yards two consecutive games...I'm sure when coach is ready to start Hooker, he will!
Oh not throwing shade im genuinely curious id heard a few rumors and wanted to check validity. Seems like he's good to go though. Hope he starts next week
It's all good...those of us not in the "know" all want to see him play.
Hooker missed 2 weeks before being cleared last Saturday to rejoin the team. No practice or other football related activities. So it's going to take time to get him back to play ready. He was there dressed, so I would guess he was the 3rd string QB. Once he gets back into playing condition, I wouldn't be surprised to see him back behind center.
Just my opinion
Bingo, he would have played if needed.
With the all the QB runs, just like in years past, we are going to need all three QBs...oh I guess we already have!
I also wonder if it has anything to do with that non-COVID related testing. Holding him out possibly longer because of whatever that was?
Hooker missed 3 weeks. He was out as his echo was suspect and due to the worry about a cardiac issue he wasn't practicing or any conditioning until it was sorted out - Fuente alluded to non-Covid issues several times.
He wasn't up to speed/in shape in practice this week. 3 weeks is a long time to be out doing nothing to immediately jump back in.
Fuente doesn't care what people think he will continue to not say anything. Just his style
For what it's worth, I am told he still views H2 as the guy, but he just needs time to get back into rhythm as a QB and back into shape. They hope he takes a step forward this week, but won't start him until he does so.
To be clear - my view is that VT is doing the right thing by H2 long-term vs throwing him back in there when he isn't ready.
Also - thankfully everything worked out and he doesn't have any heart issues.
Fuente is a good fucking dude who cares about his kids, nobody can convince me otherwise.
I agree - that's my point. He won't say things to appease the media or fans if he doesn't think it's in the best interest of his kids.
I hope this is the case. We heard rumors last year that Burmeister was the guy if eligible. I hope this isn't another case of Fuente being stubborn and going with "his guy". It appears to have happened twice already, I don't want to see it a 3rd time.
Wait... how did it happen twice already? Because I'd say the assumption that Willis was better than Jackson in 2018 is extremely dubious at best.
If that were the case, I dont think Hooker would have been QB1 on the depth chart?
Probably hasn't happened once. Apparently Hendon was hurt in Fall camp last year too. Plus it isn't easy to bench a returning starting QB.
Seeing what we're seeing now, I believe those comments. HH was still developing and hurt early last season, and from we're seeing I'd at least take BB > RW.
If HH actual got the Rona then I'm sure he's probably dealing with some after illness side effects. I got it last Tuesday and while I was fever free within 48 hours, it's been a week and a half and I'm still dealing with a cough. I'd much rather have the team take care of HH then out him in and get hurt.
That said, why didn't QP get put in to spell Burmeister?
Sometime in the 2nd qtr, I wondered allowed why QP hadn't come in. Seemed like this would be a good game for him to lather up Burt Mustard, and then he'd use his speed on the option when QP came out of the game.
Nominee for best autocorrect of 2020. Also, this needs to stick.
I assumed it was a euphemism for self-love. No idea why he'd need to do that for this game specifically, but I didn't play at that level.
When it auto corrected, I actually backspaced and stopped halfway. I had to keep it.
Hoping those symptoms get better for you soon.
Thanks! I'm actually much better and it's all but gone. I must have been one of the lucky ones and was able to shed it quickly. My co-worker who got infected with me is having a much worse go of it though. He had a couple of resurgence fevers and then got pneumonia to make it even better.
I don't think we even saw quincy... which struck me as very odd. More of an issue where we don't need him to be the one to get the 3rd and 3 with capable running backs in the fold?
3 capable running backs, yet Burmeister had the most carries at halftime...
Happens if the defense is taking the RB on the option
My thought here was he didn't want QP hurt. Thinking he only has two QBs as options at the moment, no desire to hurt the backup. In a way, the NC State game was a good example of this, needed to pull QP in when Burmeister got hurt. Otherwise, I don't think we would have seen QP play at all.
With three, go all day.
No doubt fuente loves pissing off the fanbase and loves everyone calling for his head. What else couldnit possibly be? Semi-sarcastia
I said this before. We can beat teams like Duke and NC state with BB at QB, but for as the schedule starts to get tougher with UNC and Miami and other teams coming up, we will need to HH to be at 100%. I'm fine with playing BB now while HH gets back to 100%.
The real cause for concern is that we've seen this scenario before. An obviously worse Willis played over Hooker last year, and we don't know why because Fuente keeps such a tight lid. Now we're seeing an obviously worse BB play over Hooker and we don't know why because Fuente won't say. I'm glad we're 2-0 but I don't trust Fuente to get the best QB on the field until I see it consistently happening.
Hooker was a benefit of the VT running game improving with Kill . Hooker was solid and did not turn it over but VT should or could have beat ND with Quincy on the road . BB is a dual threat and he puts pressure on defense with his quickness and speed . I have seen him make some very good throws short middle and long but has been inconsistent . That in the first 2 games would not be that unusual VT has put up nearly 500 yds and 41.5 in two games against conference opponents not FCS teams. BB has been the QB and has not been anything like Willis . There were multiple reports that BB had looked very good maybe even the best in practices . The obvious worse thing I don't see it ,it may evolve but I have seen Hooker play and it is not that obvious to me and a lot of others but it may end up being that way .
Unfortunately he makes way more terrible throws than good throws. A better team probably has like 3 picks last game.
I haven't re-watched the game, but I don't know that he makes more terrible throws than good ones.
He made some of both in this game, but he threw some perfect balls that weren't caught, and our offense is still working some things out.
I think he has won and has been a positive addition to the team, but the inconsistency regarding his passing is what reminds me a bit of willis. So to say he's been "nothing like willis" is too much - he made great throws and poor throws - in a ratio that feels like stretches of willis' play.
Mitch Trubisky has a winning record in the NFL. "He won" is not a defense of a QB.
From my perspective you'd be the one needing to support that comparison.
I don't think he's anything like Willis. Willis had a great arm. The big issue with Willis was that he never quite developed an understanding of the game, and ended up trying to force things that didn't work.
Burmeister had a couple of errant throws and a bungled handoff, but he also threw some good passes that just weren't caught. I haven't noticed a huge problem in the decision-making.
If there were going to be a season where we need three QBs capable of winning games, this is it. We're lucky to have all three.
He's the head coach and has a better grasp of what's going on at practice and behind the scenes than I do. I'll give Fuente the benefit of the doubt.
We completed 9 passes yesterday. 9. If we can't get it done in a game does it matter what he has seen in practice ?
9 completed passes against 0-4 dook is bad. We have to upgrade the passing game, whether that's BB playing better or going with our announced starter I really don't care.
Yeah, 9 is not ideal. But (I think it was Mitchell) dropped a pass when he was open and it was right in his hands. I think there were one or two other similar passes. Keep that in mind before you reiterate it was only 9. The 9 passes went for 163 yards. A couple other passes he threw away because he was being pressured (and the Duke line seemed pretty good actually, even if they are 0-4. Those also shouldn't count against him - it's better than taking a sack. Overall, how many bad passes, like really bad, into double coverage did he make? 3 or 4? Fault him on those, not on the overall number. Last week he was 7 of 11 and at one point was 6 Of 7.
Every game has drops though. Even great passing days. So I say those are fairly negligible.
Hooker had a 61% completion percentage with almost exactly the same WR corps. With 2019's RB corps our record and this board would look very different. I'm not sure what people were watching that inspired such confidence in BB.
Agreed. I like what BB does on the ground. He certainly adds to our potent ground threat, but what happens when we play a team with a stout run defense and we have to win it through the air? No way BB can do that for us. And having a good pass offense in general is needed to keep the run game open.
HH has not TOUCHED a football in 3 weeks. Burmeister was 7 of 11 last week. This week, he played against apparently the 2 guys with the most QB hurries in the entire P5. Do I have supreme confidence in BB? No. Do I think he did better, against the D-line he faced, than A HH that hasn't touched a football in 3 weeks would have? Probably. Was I as scared with BB throwing the ball as I was when RW threw it? No. We put up 38 points on a team that according to French's preview we were going to have a hard time with, and that was without him knowing that most of our secondary would be out and we'd gift them 7 points at the beginning of the game. Was I way more excited about this game and how we played than I have been for years? Yes. So basically, yeah, 15 out of 25 would have been a better completion rate, but I'm not going to complain a lot about our W.
What does practice matter when it doesn't translate to the games? 9/25 is not a competitive performance. Hooker isn't an elite All-ACC quarterback, sure, but we have seen him preform significantly better than BB has in his two opportunities against lower-level ACC teams.
Why does everyone ignore he didn't practice for 3 weeks (or condition)? There is a reason he didn't play and that was he was rusty, not ready physically and working back.
When 100% he will be the #1 guy. Per my other posts his length of being out wasn't covid related.
BB very low numbers has only threw it 35 times so he could have a hot day with short passes and his numbers would come up quick . Remember HH played against Rode Island, GT , Wake and so on . VT average per play is way better than last year and we aren't playing Furman , ODU and Rode Island that are stat builder games as was GT also . It will work itself out but VT YPP is way ahead of last year . VT YPP was better against Duke than anyone they have played and yes that is with BB as your QB . If he didn't fumble on that play at the goal line that was a walk in TD of the read option and yes he is a better runner scrambler .creator than HH even HH said that .
I agree, especially with the last point - he's quicker than HH, and seems to have a much better feel for making the right read in the RPO than I remember Hooker having at times last year. I still think that Hooker lets us open up the playbook more through the air and have a more balanced attack overall, but I don't want to discredit the areas that BB really seems to do well.
The practice part is that Hooker hasn't, not what BB has or hasn't done. Hooker wasn't ready to play this week. Maybe he'll be ready next week, maybe not, but you're assumption that CJF doesn't know what he is doing in this instance has no facts supporting.
Step away from the cliff.
Why would a coach not play the best qb? This team has squeezed every ounce of talent out of quarterbacks and yet there is still doubt?
Hooker's girlfriend plays for VT as well, women's basketball team. Doesn't sound like there's a spike within that team. Just glad to see him dressed and ready yesterday. That's a step in the right direction.
Women's volleyball has postponed their matches from this past weekend so it's definitely affecting other sports as well.
I just want to beat people badly enough that we are asking why Kadum wasn't playing.
So how many of these DB's will be out next week? If we go by 14 day restrictions, 4 of the major DB's will still be out next week: Taylor, Murray, JR Walker, Deablo (and Tisdale at LB). With Chatman and Waller possibly recovering from the virus? Plus whoever else has to sit next week
It's 10 days. I believe (not 100%) that all of this was based on Wednesday tests, so depending upon when the clock starts it is likely everyone.
Waller is not covid related - it's his foot.
Progress?
Fu and Brion Murray have said that he can return whenever he wants. He has been cleared and practicing.
Kinda shocked there's no Jerod Evans comparisons.
Single read off play action was JEs bread and butter.
As soon as Duke realized what we were doing, they were double teaming his single read. 2 end zone throws in the 3rd lit me up cause they were easy double coverage picks. When the WR wasn't double covered, the throw was late, or no touch.
HH has touch on his throws. We can still win with BB, but I hope HH plays Saturday.
ROFLMFAO
thank thank you, leg to you good sir
Looking at the highlights of last year's UNC game, I sure hope we get him back sooner rather than later. Made some nice throws.
😈😈😈
Oh worrddd
Now he needs to knock the rust off...
In listening to Tech Talk Live on Monday night, Fuente said that Hooker and Burmeister were very even with each other and that he gave Hooker the nod for #1 on the 2-deep that was issued prior to the cancelled NCSU game because at that point Burmeister had missed a lot of practice and Hooker was more prepared and ready to go. But then he noted how things changed with Hooker being out going into the rescheduled NCSU game and capable but less prepared going into the Duke game. In short it sounded like, in Fu's mind at least, and for the time being, Burmeister is now the #1 and that Hooker is the #2 that will get worked into the game and share some snaps. He didn't come right out and say it but that was the tone of it.
If that's how it plays out, I expect we'll struggle against defenses who load up and stop the run game. BB runs that run-based offense well, and is fleet a foot himself, but he has shown material weakness in his passing ability and arm strength.
I can't disagree but I think BB can be better in the passing game than we've seen thus far. I don't think the pass plays have been to BB's strengths but one thing for sure, the option run game (other than that one fumble at Duke) works well with BB under center. His technique is extremely good at disguising where the ball is going until the very last instant. Hopefully Hooker will be ready to go and will get to play and be effective and if BB does play he will hopefully be improved. Lots of hope going on here....