You may be confused. Also, who is "miss tackles"?
Printable View
Ok. Besides Robinson, which has been debated to death, who in the last 3 or 4 years hasn't been a significant contributor as a true or redshirt freshman strickly because of an older player playing that spot. And don't give me so and so started over someone else. We have all agreed that the media doesnt know our depth because we played so many people last year that actual starters lost doesn't many anything. That's what everybody has been saying all summer. So give me someone who should have been contributing significant minutes that Mullen didn't do because of upper classman favoritism.
I specifically said we are not talking about starting because we have said that playing time was just as important. And a lot of Wilson learned about blocking (which we praised heavily from this past Sat) was learned from RoJo.
To me Love over Redmond was a better example that the Robinson Perkins debate. Redmond played a lot and maybe the case of him not starting early but pretty quick he was better. Again though how many plays did he play compared to Love? I'm not sure on that actually.
Corey Brumfield I think started in 2011 over Slay. Early in the year that was probably ok later Slay came on really strong.
Now how many times has Mullen played the younger guys over the last 3-4 over upper classman. Again we are talking significant playing time. If it's a cut and dry starter I'll give you that but certain groups you rotate a lot. When we start comparing the two wouldn't you say it's the same or even more of the younger guys? Wouldn't that kind of answer our question? If it's at least equal then it's not really favoritism but from the coaches point of view they were the best option. That's all I'm trying to show. If it's not cut and dry, which it's not, then he does mix in who he, or probably in a lot of cases the position coach, thinks gives us the best chance. Are they always right? No. But in several games they were or certain match ups. Just like the LSU game last year with Love. He feel a sleep on one bomb but the other he was in great position just got out jumped. And Redmond was in the field anyway so our 3 best were back there he just got beat.
I think we'll be forced to play the The RBs.
Not sure about the safeties but I think that will become apparent as well.
Anybody over Redmond
Anybody over Chris Jones
Anybody over Jamal Peters
Anybody over Dak two years ago
Chris Jones played and played a lot as a freshman. Don't have a problem with his playing time. Starters don't matter remember. The media has it wrong about all the starters we lost as we returned so much experience. That's been our narrative when we have been told we have lost too much to be competitive this year. I agree with this but you can't have it both ways.
You can't make any point about Peters at this point in time. That's terrible.
Yeah the bulk of the fan base was perfectly fine with Tyler starting his senior year and the injury makes that idea moot.
And that's another point. A lot of this stuff is still being held over from the fire Dan hire Hud year. Those were major talking points then if why we should get rid of Dan at the time. Luckily that was the wrong thought process as well
As far as the safety issue, it very well may come a point this season that it comes into play but hopefully not before they are ready. Even top flight safety's don't always come in right away and start or even get significant playing time. Don't forget what high schools these two guys are coming from. They have a lot to learn. They have ability but just ability will not make them a success at that position.
I'm sure there were some people that wanted Quay and or Nick James over Cherrington. I think Cherrington got a shot in the NFL because of his size and the fact that he played in the SEC. He was pretty much a practice squad guy as best as I can tell looking at his NFL stats/career. Latest I can tell is Cherrington was cut a year ago by the Seahawks and hasn't actually taken any snaps in a regular season NFL game. I'm pretty sure the NFL saw him as a project that might turn into a decent NT.
I highly doubt the coaches planned for him to be single blocked by every center in the SEC. He should have been a situational guy for us.
Back to Evans, James, and PJ- debate- given the benefit of hindsight I think PJ should have had the job.
I think the solution to all of this is simple- make the guys that work hard in practice the "starters". Let them be announced on gameday as the starters on the Jumbotron. Let them start and play the first drive of the game and the first drive of the second half. But let the players that are talented play the majority of the time but not start. And tell the guys who aren't starting that if they want to start they need to work as hard as Cherrington, Perkins or whomever.
Other major programs start uber talented freshmen over upperclassmen all the time with great results. Bowling Ball should've gotten more carries two years ago and everyone knows it.
Dak was a better fit two years ago and we all know it. He should've been taking snaps w 1st team all during camp and been ready q1 against OSU.
Peters is a superior talent, teach him the basics and play his ass.
Maybe and we also had the issue of Eulls playing out of position with a DC on his way out. How much if anything did that have to do with it? I don't know. I thought PJ last two years were really good but early in his career he struggled. It seems before his junior year a lot of people were down on the fact that Eulls and PJ were first string with Adams second with no Evans and James. Same thing again. They are too talented and it's just Mullen playing upper classman. No body had much of a problem with CJ tho as it was evident he belonged. Of course that was finally the year people began opening their eyes with those two particular players. Evans is gone by spring. And I'm so glad that James is starting to become the man that our staff prides itself on helping in the program as well.
We play freshman as well. One caught a TD last Sat. We have giving several lists in threads so I'm not going to go over it again. The top safety's for the last few years Vonn Bell was a back up and special teams player his freshman year, I knkw you are going to say Conner but they didn't have any depth and he is still a hybrid LB really, Allen last year was mid season before he started and really contributed, and these are 5 star very polished players. Peters is a great athelete but he DID NOT come from that type of football background.
In all fairness to Tyler he had just come off setting a lot of school records and another 8 win season. Which with our history was a very good 3 year run. I don't ever remember a QB at a school coming off that much success and losing his starting position without an injury. I really can't think of one in the last decade. Maybe you can but I think that would have been a big program mistake. Terrible idea to create a QB controversy when even the bulk of the fanbase were not clamoring for one.
JRob should have gotten more carries. JRob was the only person stopping that and it showed up again at the end of last year. A year later and he still had issues. No, after the fact it was probably the best choice by the coaches for the sake of the program.
I'm hoping this years safety situation turns out like the 2010 safety situation. Our starters goin in to 2010 were Charles Mitchell and Wade Bonner. Nickoe Whitley was a talented rfr. By the middle of the year Whitley had gotten his feet wet and was a major contributor. I don't remember if Whitley ever started over Bonner, but I remember he was a major contributor by the end of the year. Hopefully Peters, Bryant, or mclauren can do like Whitley did in 2010. It'd be awesome if all three could do it, but atleast one needs to come on strong this year