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I Hate You, John Crist: When it comes to quarterbacks, expect the unexpected
By John Crist
Published:
It’s the offseason. Spring practice is over. Fall camp is months away. Finding column topics can be quite a challenge.
But never discount the power of a 21st century “listicle.” Whether you’re coming up with the Top 10 this or 25 Most Memorable that, there’s something about ranking things that gets people interested. Not to mention riled up.
One of my most recent stories looked ahead to the 2018 NFL Draft and the next wave of SEC prospects who could develop into first-round picks. The conference tied an all-time record with 12 selections in Round 1 last month — Alabama led the way with four — and could threaten to break that standard a year from now.
One of the players I highlighted was Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham. After sitting out the 2016 campaign as a transfer from Baylor, he could be the single most interesting newcomer in the league this season.
Here are some of my favorite comments from this past week. When discussing Tigers QBs, Crimson Tide fans need a new punchline:
“The Auburn QB hyperbole back in full force. Stidham has started exactly 3 games and injured in two of them and didn’t play at all last season, yet he is one of ten best SEC chances for a first round NFL pick? He may have a good year, but Jeremy Johnson, who?” — aggierider
Did you even watch the draft last month? The Chicago Bears stunned everyone by gambling on North Carolina quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.
Coming into last season, Tubisky was an unproven first-year starter for the Tar Heels. He had been sitting behind Marquise Williams, who went undrafted upon leaving Chapel Hill and appears to have no future in the NFL.
But Trubisky put together a serious statistical performance for UNC, completing 68 percent of his passes with a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 30-to-6. Nevetheless, the Heels only went 8-5 and eventually lost to Stanford — minus running back extraordinaire Christian McCaffrey, remember — in the Sun Bowl.
Tribusky was one of three QBs to go in Round 1, yet none of them is considered a sure thing. The Kansas City Chiefs traded up for Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes II, while the Houston Texans did the same for Clemson’s Deshaun Watson.
In terms of pocket passing, Stidham is better now than Newton was when he arrived from Blinn College.
Imagine one year ago saying that Trubisky would get chosen ahead of Watson, who everyone believed would be going No. 1 overall.
Needless to say, franchises are totally desperate for signal callers at the next level. No matter if it’s considered a strong class of passers or a weak one, organizations will continue to roll the dice at that position.
Therefore, it’s not unreasonable to suggest that Stidham could have one fantastic season on The Plains and then make himself available for April’s draft. Nobody, not the people who saw him back then at Baylor or the ones who see him right now at Auburn, questions his arm talent. This kid can spin it.
It’s exactly what Cam Newton did, if you recall. Am I comparing Stidham to Newton? Of course not. Newton was a once-in-a-decade freak. But in terms of pocket passing, Stidham is better now than Newton was when he arrived from Blinn College.
And enough already with the Jeremy Johnson jokes. Most ‘Bama fans were all in on the since-departed Blake Barnett.
“I’m really glad that he’s not playing, but I hope he stays with the team. I watched the spring scrimmage with my family, and when it happened we all expected the worse. When I saw his mom on the field, I knew it was over. He’s a super smart guy with good grades and a scholarship which he can turn into a career. I hope him leading the running backs last year will bring him into coaching, just observing his enthusiasm in his post game/practice interviews, I think he would be good at it.” — roughinthesack1
When readers disagree with something I write, typically they head straight to the comment section and let me have it.
On the other hand, when they agree with one of my stories, usually they respond in the form of an e-mail. I’m assuming it feels more personal, plus I go out of my way to make sure I answer every message that hits my inbox.
I got a lot of e-mails after writing my column on Arkansas running back Rawleigh Williams III and his decision to walk away from the game of football. Coming back from one scary neck injury is understandable, but two? I commended the young man for having his priorities straight and not putting another bullet in the chamber.
The spring game for the Razorbacks was a forgettable affair. Since Mother Nature didn’t cooperate, it had to be moved to the team’s indoor practice facility. What we saw on television was a routine practice, not an intrasquad scrimmage.
The only thing I remember is the sight of Williams motionless on the turf following a rudimentary off-tackle run to the left.
After his freshman year was cut short due to that neck injury, Williams shocked a lot of people by winning the SEC rushing title during the regular season. I figured Devwah Whaley was the better back and would unseat him eventually.
As a player, Williams has nothing more to prove. He ran for 1,360 yards and 12 TDs in the best conference in America, and nobody can ever take that away from him. Is he irreplaceable? Not really. Whaley is now the starter. There are a couple of other backs on the roster that are plenty capable, too.
However, what has been oddly satisfying about this story is hearing more about Williams the person. Fortunately, he’s also a tremendous student as a finance major. His future is no less bright, even with the game now a memory.
Reportedly, Williams will be a team manager this season. It’s wonderful to see how well he’s handled such a tough situation.
“Yeah, I stopped reading after that little segment. There are few RB tandems in the country better than Michel/Chubb, much less the SEC East. Not to mention the guys those 2 have behind them. I don’t care about the QBs ability to run, or any of that other nonsense. Even with Boom Williams, Kentucky isn’t even in the same universe as UGA as far as RBs go.” — DaGherk
Next time I recommend actually reading the column, as opposed to lightly skimming and then stopping at the first thing you can complain about.
From 1-7, I ranked each team in the East according to their rushing offense, not their running backs. There’s a difference, you know. It was never intended to be a comment on the collection of 4- and 5-star kids in the backfield.
When measuring the strength of a team’s running game, you have to take more into consideration than the players being handed the ball. Is that a component of the equation? Naturally, it is — perhaps even the more important one. But you can’t ignore factors like the offensive line and the scheme employed.
Georgia had both Chubb and Michel last season, too. Nevertheless, the Bulldogs finished ninth in the SEC in rushing.
Georgia had both Chubb and Michel last season, too. Nevertheless, the Bulldogs finished ninth in the SEC in rushing. Chubb and Michel had eight 100-yard rushing games between them, but overall they were a bit of a disappointment.
Kentucky, on the other hand, was third in the league on the ground and did it with backs a lot less gifted than Chubb and Michel.
Stanley “Boom” Williams and Benny Snell combined for nine 100-yard rushing games, which was one more than Chubb and Michel. While Williams was already a known commodity, Snell was a freshman and one of the league’s pleasant surprises.
Aside from the ball carriers themselves, UGA’s blocking was awful more often than not. It remains to be seen just how much of an improvement the Dawgs have made up front. The Wildcats, conversely, saw Williams and Snell average more yards per carry (6.8 and 5.9, respectively) than either Chubb (5) or Michel (5.5).
UK’s offensive coordinator, Eddie Gran, transformed his system after quarterback Drew Barker got injured. Stephen Johnson wasn’t on the same level as a passer, so Gran got extra creative running the rock and helped the ‘Cats win seven games.
Georgia only won eight, by the way. It did less with more. Kentucky did more with less and deserves credit for doing so.
John Crist is an award-winning contributor to Saturday Down South.
