You mean, returning SEC quarterbacks? Those would be Prescott, Johnson, Allen, and Dobbs. But I would probably take Towles over Dobbs and Allen for this particular offense. We have a much better group of receivers this year, with Badet, Montgomery, and Baker returning from injuries. I think this will help Towles a lot, and I am looking for a huge improvement from him.
Stoops should name Towles the starter now
- Thread starter tammefan
- Start date
I wouldn't take Prescott in the offense that we run. His throwing ability doesn't particularly wow me. As for Johnson, that's debatable. He's good, everybody can agree on that, but he's unproven as far as full time against the SEC goes. Being SEC freshman of the week twice doesn't make it a certainty that he's better than Towles.
As it pertains to our style of offense, we have the guy in the SEC, imo.
As it pertains to our style of offense, we have the guy in the SEC, imo.
Your physical stats don't amount to much if you dont have the vision, pocket presence, or mental accuity to play the qb position. Many times throughout last season it looked as if towles lacked these, and he got worse as the year went on. I believe he starts, but if he hasnt shown vast improvement in the first stretch of games, it will be time to play youth, and that means barker.
wow, I've heard it all... Love my Cats and hope he is very good; but to anoint him the best in NCAA, with his current body of work, is ludicrous. This is why other fan bases laugh at us.
Don't know about being the best in the NCAA but we do have to remember a QB's value goes way up depending on the team around him. That's the reason that a lot of QB's are a surprise in the draft because they didn't have a great team around them.
Laugh it up. I'm a realist when it comes to Kentucky football. I'm just stating what my eyes tell me. Remember, you heard it here first. I knew I would take criticism for that post, but that's just how I feel.
not trying to overblow it...but there is a difference in being a homer and saying something like..."I think he will have a great year and maybe surprised people and be one of the better QB's in the nation"; but to say he has the "best tools in the nation" and he "will be a NFL starter" and "scouts are drooling" (is just silly and beyond homerism)....Andrew Luck is playing for UK
BTW...good job on the UL board....how can you stand those guys? I have to shower after just reading some of their drivel.
I love Pat but I've had difficulty finding a single mock draft or NFL prospect ranking that included Pat in the top 20 QBs in his class. Nobody doubts that he has the physical gifts but those gifts are just a small piece of the pie. Neither CBS or ESPN list Pat anywhere in their prospect rankings.
Walterfootball.com is probably the best draft site around, and has Towles as No. 7 for 2016. He's the 2nd or 3rd highest rated junior if I recall correctly.
Not many Andrew Lucks around, and not sure anyone is saying he is in that category, but they do have some surprisingly similar assets. Luck was not just the best QB in his class but one of the best for several years, Towles could be the "one of the best QB's in the nation" and not be nearly as good as Luck.
But Luck's first year as a starter had a lot of stats similar to Patrick's, same percentage of completions and more yardage, but the one BIG stat is Towles took 36 sacks-----Towles could improve a LOT if (as expected) his help improves a lot, and not just on the OL.
Third year playing, a redshirt, gaining a new work ethic, MUCH improved help around him, and a new QB coach along with his work ethic could cause a BIG improvement in his stats this year.
Would like to see how good your vision would be if you had a 275 pound SEC defensive end in your face. LOL! Towles took more sacks as a sophomore in 2014 than any other SEC quarterback. You can blame that on Towles, or you can place the blame where it needs to be. Upfront. If Kentucky's offensive line improves, Towles will post a much better junior season because he has that season of experience as a starter under his belt now, and his receivers will be a whole lot better in 2015. I like Towles as 1 of the SEC's most improved football players in 2015. And he was actually pretty good in 2014, if we are honest about it. The numbers don't lie.
You have a point, our o-line wasnt very good in pass blocking last year... Not near as good as you are at making excuses for a guy that didnt get the job done in the latter part of the season. The simple fact remains that many times sacks are because the qb makes bad decisions, holds onto the ball too long, or fails to feel the pressure in the pocket and adjust accordingly. There is merit in saying that the o-line needs to improve, but in my eyes, just as much, if not more is placed on towel's shoulder's.
I can't stand the term "homerism" it's right up there with "butt hurt" for me.
I would say this about Towles, no matter who's team he played on. Has nothing to do with being our QB. Just sit back, watch, and enjoy this season. Seems a lot of our fans want to see him fail.
Towles was a first year starter last year, had no offensive line help, and played on a bum wheel for the last half of the season. The numbers he put up were pretty amazing to me, all factors considered.
Not sure where I ever compared him to Andrew Luck. Luck is a once in a generation type of talent. I do however believe he will have more success than any other Kentucky QB has had in the league.
Let's just see how it plays out on the field, before you Barker guys get too worked up.
Many fans recollection of Towles performance from last year is focused on the last 6 games, but he had some extraordinary performances in the first 6, especially the South Carolina game where he did indeed look like an NFL QB most of the time. The thing is Towles is still obviously somewhat raw and needs to have his skills further honed and refined but he has an NFL arm, an NFL build, NFL work ethic, and excellent wheels - all the raw materials are there.
Nobody really knows at this stage what effect another year is going to have on Patrick, and what improvements Coach Dawson might be able to make to his game. That's what makes preseason predictions so impossible to make. The CATS may not win more than 6 or 7 but OTOH if Towles comes out more polished and confident then last year and the line is fortified enough to give him a pocket he could have an all SEC year and if he does it could propel this team to 8+ wins. That's NOT a prediction just a possibility.
Folks should not forget the CATS were very much in the conversation to win the SEC East last year at mid season and had it not been for lack of depth at key positions who knows how far they might have gone. The depth issue is going to be much better this year. All I'm saying is don't get too caught up in preseason predictions the truth is nobody really knows what this team will do and they very well may shock a lot of people including our own fan base.
Nobody really knows at this stage what effect another year is going to have on Patrick, and what improvements Coach Dawson might be able to make to his game. That's what makes preseason predictions so impossible to make. The CATS may not win more than 6 or 7 but OTOH if Towles comes out more polished and confident then last year and the line is fortified enough to give him a pocket he could have an all SEC year and if he does it could propel this team to 8+ wins. That's NOT a prediction just a possibility.
Folks should not forget the CATS were very much in the conversation to win the SEC East last year at mid season and had it not been for lack of depth at key positions who knows how far they might have gone. The depth issue is going to be much better this year. All I'm saying is don't get too caught up in preseason predictions the truth is nobody really knows what this team will do and they very well may shock a lot of people including our own fan base.
Have you ever played QB at all? Or, in particular against a team that is usually more talented at most positions.
Excuses? LOL. That's a glimpse into the level of your insight. I don't have a motive to make excuses for Towles, who is on a pathway toward becoming a 1st round NFL draft choice in 2016. Despite your critique, and despite being sacked more than any other SEC quarterback, Towles was 1 of the most productive quarterbacks in our conference last year. The numbers don't lie. If you are 1 of these angry fans who just has to nail a scapegoat for your displeasure, you would make yourself appear more rational by placing the blame where it rightfully belongs. It does not belong on a sophomore quarterback in his 1st season as a starter, who ranked 5th in the SEC in passing yards per game, despite taking hits on almost every passing play in SEC games.
I don't think anyone here discounts Barker's eventual upside. In 2015 and 2016, barring injuries, Towles will play while Barker sits and learns. Characterize that however you want.
Do tell more? Its only my opinion he should be named starting QB now but talking to coaches he is clearly a head of Barker.
Once you forget about Towles' potential and look at his performance you wonder if his potential is over rated or his production is under appreciated.
Right now what can be said is he probably will be the starting qb for UK this coming season. Be nice if his performance would dependably mesh with his much hyped physical attributes.
Same goes for Barker.
Right now what can be said is he probably will be the starting qb for UK this coming season. Be nice if his performance would dependably mesh with his much hyped physical attributes.
Same goes for Barker.
My theory on QB's is a lot of their success is based on the team around them. Even the great ones usually had great receivers, good running backs, and a strong offensive line. And when one of these areas were lacking even the great ones got sand kicked into their faces once in a while.
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Football is a team game so most times when things go wrong it is because there is failure in more than one area. QB is an important position but for a QB to be successful he must have his OL, WRs, and RBs do their assignments correctly. Last year there was plenty of blame to go around. It was not failure in just one area that caused the disaster the second half of the season and definitely not always the fault of the QB but he must take his share of the blame, he did not always make the proper reads, missed open receivers, and held the ball too long many times. The team must improve across the board including at QB if they are to have more success this season. I would also add that the defense must improve especially against the run if they are to make any significant improvement in their wins and losses. It's a team game and everyone must do their part. The QB always gets too much credit when his team wins and too much blame when his team loses A QB gets the blame for interceptions but there is many causes of interceptions and a lot of them are not QB related. The OL get the blame for sacks but they are not always OL related, and WR get blamed for drops that were really poor throws by the QB.
Remember It is a "Team Game" and teams must perform well as a team to be successful. If assignments are blown in any area it can blow up a play.
Remember It is a "Team Game" and teams must perform well as a team to be successful. If assignments are blown in any area it can blow up a play.
This is my point. He was only the second quarterback in the last 19 or so years to have more than 475 combined yards against a team ranked number 1 in the country. The other was Johnny Manziel. He will be better individually this year as will the players around him.
There are explicit ways of naming a starter and there are implicit ways of naming a starter. I would say that taking 1st team reps from about the third spring practice on speaks for itself.
Teddy Bridgewater, albeit as an early admit true frosh, threw for 2,129 yards, 14 TDs and 12 INTs hitting 64.5% of his passes in his first year as a starter. Andre Woodson hit 57.7% of his passes in his first year as a starter, threw for 1640 yards, 6 TDs and 6 INTs. Towles last year threw 2718 yards, hitting 57.4% of his passes, landing 14 TDs and 9 INTs. I would not claim Towles to be on par with a QB as talented as Teddy B, but there is often a great improvement between a QB’s first year starting and his second. Both Teddy and Woodson blew the cap off the container in their second year as a starter. PT’s numbers are good for a first year starter. I think he is going to have a great year.
This mock draft seems to think him a top 10 QB for the 2016 draft:
http://walterfootball.com/draft2016QB.php
http://walterfootball.com/draft2016QB.php
Tom Brady was a top 10 QB...7th one selected, and was selected in the 6th round.
What is interesting about the walterfootball list is that the other QBs on that list are also on all of the other lists. Pat only appears on that list.
I want Pat to be the #1 pick in the draft...I just take issue with the hyperbole that he is somehow viewed as a top NFL prospect at this point in time. Being a top 10 QB is no guarantee of getting drafted. There were only 7 QBs drafted in 2015.
How about we just support our guys and let the chips fall where they may?
There are 128 starting FBS QBs. If PT is top 10, all UK fans should be happy. In this offense and with the skill players around him, this offense should rock!
Towles continues to progess he could absolutely be a first round QB his senior year. More talented team + Towles improvements = $$$
IMO Towles must show improvement in his accuracy, touch on short throws and ability to read defenses before he can be a decent pro QB. The window for throws in the NFL is much smaller than it is in college ball and you must be on time and accurate. He has the arm strength, size, and agility but must improve in those two areas to make it in the pros.
I am hoping that the new OC and QB coach Shannon Dawson can put him on the right track. His deficiencies can be coached but his size, agility, and arm strength are things that can not be coached. IMO there is some pro teams that will take him on potential alone. If he can get his deficiencies in order he could be a first rounder.
I am hoping that the new OC and QB coach Shannon Dawson can put him on the right track. His deficiencies can be coached but his size, agility, and arm strength are things that can not be coached. IMO there is some pro teams that will take him on potential alone. If he can get his deficiencies in order he could be a first rounder.
i think I know about as much about naming the starter as Stoops does, after all I have read most of the posts about it on here, so he should let me decide when to name the starter.
Besides, it would make me feel important.
Geez
Besides, it would make me feel important.
Geez
Not to beat a dead horse here, but the need to name a starter is typically done so whomever named get can most of, if not all of the reps with the 1st team. This has already been going on since the early spring, unlike the past two years where reps were split between three sometimes four guys all the way up to the middle of August. Hence, no real pressure to call a press conference about who is or who isn't not starting the first game of the season.
