Can Moorhead Do What Saban Did Last Night to Win a Game?

[ShotgunDawg]

I completely agree that C34 that next year is Fitz?s team. He has earned it, fought for it, and is the emotional leader of this team. There is no QB controversy in Starkville IMO

However, that doesn?t change my opinion that Keytaon is a much more naturally gifted passer than Fitz and that, if we are behind in a game next year while having trouble moving the ball, that Moorhead may have to make a decision.

Can he do it?

[msstate7]

I would say if a move needs to be made, Moorhead could do it more easily than Mullen. Moorhead has no real attachment to either considering he just got here. Hopefully fitz improves his accuracy some, and this is a non-issue

[TrapGame]

With the addition of Heath, Guidry and Whop I think this is a question that will go unanswered and remain speculative. Fitz is accurate enough that guys like those three will make him look like an NFL passer. I expect Fitz's draft stock to go up considerably next season.

[MetEdDawg]

Moorhead has the personality of a winner. Someone that will sacrifice it for the team. I have the feeling that he will do what's in the best interest of the team.

That being said, I don't think last nights decision to bench Hurts was all that difficult. Tua was the better player and has been since he stepped on their campus. That contingency has always been there because of how dynamic Tua is in both the pass and the run.

[THE Bruce Dickinson]

I completely agree that C34 that next year is Fitz?s team. He has earned it, fought for it, and is the emotional leader of this team. There is no QB controversy in Starkville IMO

However, that doesn?t change my opinion that Keytaon is a much more naturally gifted passer than Fitz and that, if we are behind in a game next year while having trouble moving the ball, that Moorhead may have to make a decision.

Can he do it?

I love how you know without a doubt that Key is a more gifted passer than Fitz based on one career start in a meaningless bowl game. I think the future is bright with Key, but Fitz is our guy.

[ShotgunDawg]

I love how you know without a doubt that Key is a more gifted passer than Fitz based on one career start in a meaningless bowl game. I think the future is bright with Key, but Fitz is our guy.

I think it’s funny that you assume that people can’t watch a player 1 time and know what they can and cannot do.

[Cooterpoot]

I don't think either are great passers and that Fitz is ahead of Key by a lot right now.

[ShotgunDawg]

I don't think either are great passers and that Fitz is ahead of Key by a lot right now.

Disagree and I think KT has the ingredients to be a very good passer

Fitz is a warrior. I really want him to excel and thrive in Moorhead’s system. He’s a hell of a football player that I trust to find a way.

That being said, other than experience, KT is way more talented

[Cooterpoot]

KT does have the opportunity to be good. But right now, he's not as good as Fitz at anything really. We shrunk the playbook down to nothing for Key in the Bowl game and he got a lot of yards vs OM after they had a sizeable lead. He'll be the man after next year or if Fitz gets hurt, but he's not there yet. Now, I have no problem if Fitz does have some bad games if we switch them out and see what happens, but I'm not ready to say Key is better at anything right now.

[Johnson85]

I don't think either are great passers and that Fitz is ahead of Key by a lot right now.

I think Fitz is a lot better than people give him credit for. He really had a difficult job with his receivers this year. That said, I do think Key is just as good or better at making throws, but still well behind Fitz as far as making decisions. Maybe another spring and summer and switching to a new system will help him close the gap some, but I don't think he's going to catch Fitz next year unless Fitz really struggles because of the system change.

[Dawg-gone-dawgs]

I know we are not used to adjustments but I think Moorhead would definitely pull the trigger. Mullen would have rode Hurts the entire game and gotten beat 30-10.

[Ezsoil]

Just as Key got a lot of PT at his year because most games were blow outs one way or the other, I expect next year to be even more of the same. .they will both play a lot ...(certainly enough to keep Key engaged)

[RougeDawg]

With the addition of Heath, Guidry and Whop I think this is a question that will go unanswered and remain speculative. Fitz is accurate enough that guys like those three will make him look like an NFL passer. I expect Fitz's draft stock to go up considerably next season.

Finally. Someone gets it. Yes Fitz has his fair share of wild passes but not much different than most QB?s. What exacerbates this perception of Fitz below average passing skills are below average receivers. A good receiver will catch balls that hit his hands. A good receiver will adjust to the balk mid flight and make a play on the ball. A good receiver will actually go up and fight for the ball. Name one receiver Fitz has had that fits into either one of these three categories of a good receiver? Bama, OM and most every other SEC team had a handful of guys who check off 2, in bit all, of these three categories.

Give Fitz Bama, LSU, Auburn or OM?s receivers and he would win SEC POY. Give him their receivers and the talent of n Auburn or Bama and he?s in New York. Good receivers made MGK and Bro Ballace look like all sec players.

Lastly, why is this such a difficult concept for this board to comprehend? Even Dak had Bear to help his stats and perception. If our receivers are simply marginally improved, Fitz could make a heisman run. If the 3 newcomers can play right away, the nation better look out. Hell i think C34 could pass for 3000 yards in 12 games with Bama or On receivers and a cold one in his other hand.

[dawgpound]

Fitz is a special player. I haven't seen anything that would make me believe Key will be better than Fitz or ever beat him out for QB1. Not sure where this notion that he's an amazing passer is coming from either.

[Coach34]

I don't think either are great passers and that Fitz is ahead of Key by a lot right now.

There's not a coach on the previous staff that wouldnt say that KT is farther along as a true freshman than Fitz was as a R-Fr.

Fitz is an athlete/baseball player that has learned to play QB and gets better all the time. KT is 100% QB. (which is hilarious and soooo M-State considering the race of the players and stereotypes)

[RougeDawg]

Just as Key got a lot of PT at his year because most games were blow outs one way or the other, I expect next year to be even more of the same. .they will both play a lot ...(certainly enough to keep Key engaged)

After digging more into JoMo?s past, I honestly believe we wil is both QB?s effectively this season without creating a QB controversy. Both Penn State QB?s played significant snaps this past year, and from some film I?ve seen, both were actually on the field at the same time a good bit. This wa something I wants to see with Dak and Fitz, after watching UL Monroe a couple years ago. They had a lefty and a righty. Lined them both up behind center. Snapped to one who would fake a handoff to the other and they?d both do something. Defenses looked lost when they ran it.

[BuckyIsAB****]

Its not about if he can, its making sure Key is ready to play whenever wherever we need him to.

Mullen didnt do that. Just telling the truth, Key shit his pants when he had to go in the EB. Mullen didnt have him ready

[THE Bruce Dickinson]

I think it’s funny that you assume that people can’t watch a player 1 time and know what they can and cannot do.


Vince Young and RGIII fans agree

[ShotgunDawg]

Vince Young and RGIII fans agree

Admittingly, I thought RG3 was going to be good. There were no obvious physical shortcoming from him either athletically or mechanically. In retrospect, the only thing I can point to with him is that his personality always appeared to disingenuous to me. I still thought he would be good though.

Vince Young on the other hand was a nipple thrower with a low release that really pushed the ball. There was no way he was ever going to be a legitimate NFL passer

Thing is though, there was nothing you knew about either player from the 1st time your watched them till the 50th time you watched them. Until they got the NFL, their mechanics, athleticism, & general decision making speed is all you really had.

[BB30]

It can be summed up in a couple sentences. Fitz is the better option now. KT is a more naturally gifted QB. If you have paid any attention to the way the ball comes out of their hand and seen the feel and touch KT has its easy to see the ability he has. Fitz still throws rockets everywhere.

Good news is we are in a great situation with both guys and Mayden coming in. We look to be set at QB for the foreseeable future.

[Liverpooldawg]

If you think about it, what Saban did wasn?t that hard. They HAD to pass the ball to beat UGA in that game, that was becoming more and more obvious. It was also becoming very obvious that Hurts couldn?t hit a bull in the butt with a base fiddle on the night. In a regular season game you might have had some doubts about messing with team chemistry but in a championship game when it was pretty obvious they were going to lose without doing something different, they had almost nothing to lose (in the game) by giving the kid a try. Now with all that logic being said, very few coaches would have done it. Saban is untouchable and he knows that. He certainly had nothing to lose career wise by rolling the dice. A coach less secure in his status would have other things to think about before making that switch. One more observation: everyone is making a big deal about Saban making the switch. I?d say the bigger deal is that he left the kid in after the interception.

[NWADAWG]

I hope to see both in the game together running read options to each other. Defense would have to defend the run against both and potential of pass against both. I'm not talking every play but at least occasionally.