Towles had no protection

[UnfrozenCatfanLawyer]

-no one is giving pt a *complete* pass. All have acknowledged that he *has* to get better. However football is a team sport...gotta block/catch the good passes.

Here's my question - can he get better? Can he become more accurate? Can he develop better pocket awareness? Because I'm not sure he's shown any improvement whatsoever in his time at QB. Honestly, it feels like he's getting worse. The lack of accuracy is especially concerning. You just can't get away with that these days.

 

[meteordealer]

Respectfully, you are missing the point.. Prior to this game, when almost everyone was posting about eating barbecued gator and slam dunking a losing streak that makes them feel bad, I tried to explain that Florida's defense and Florida's speed rushers presented 1 of the worst matchups we will see all season. Florida's last 4 recruiting classes were #3, 4, 8, and 23 in the national Rivals rankings. In other words, Florida is the better football team. For sure, yesterday was not a good game by Towles. But football is a team sport, and quarterbacks are never very successful when defensive ends are right up in their face masks all day. Beating the drum for Barker might make people feel better. But most of our fans are on a perpetual emotional roller coaster. Barker would struggle behind a bad offensive line as much or more than Towles. The consensus goal for this season is a bowl, and we will get there. Read Justin Rowland's analysis of this loss, which can be accessed on the home page of this site. If you accept what Rowland says, you will have a clearer picture of the problem.

You know this how?

 

[Blue Decade]

The main point of contention is whether Towles' issues are primarily the result of poor play around him or self-inflicted.

No it isn't. I have never said Towles played well yesterday. He didn't. You just aren't seeing what I actually said. Again, football is a team sport, and I agree with Justin Rowland's analysis of yesterday's loss. Did you read Rowland's analysis? He knows what he is talking about. Some of our fans, and it doesn't matter whether they are a minority this week or not, are so convinced that Barker is the answer that they have become blind to everything else going on now with our offense. I could post a long comment about Towles' tendencies. But this isn't he time. Towles is a better quarterback than you think. Not perfect, not a finished product, but good enough to build around. Until our pass protection gets better, it's just goofy to seriously propose starting a redshirt freshman quarterback who has never taken a snap in a college game.

 

[Blue Decade]

You know this how?

Because I have a brain, and I played football.

 

[Get Bucket$]

Is ECU's line that much better than ours?

 

[CCSteamRoller]

Fair. It's obviously both, right? I agree with the hypothesis that fans are particularly frustrated because of the streak. I don't think Towles was as bad as some seem to think. I definitely don't think he played well. But I saw him make *some* throws when he had a chance to look downfield.

Towles has made plenty of plays that, if all you ever saw was his 10 best play highlight reel, you would think he's an amazing QB. He has lots of talent. He also makes way too many bad throws that are sometimes the result of poor protection, receivers running incorrect routes, etc. but often Towles just makes a bad throw. The difference between him and an all-conference QB is the consistency. Consistently making good decisions (which should improve over time) and consistently making accurate throws (which probably won't get better).

 

[Blue Decade]

Agree with Blue Decade for the most part. I can see both sides of the QB debate. I get that people are disappointed with PT and would like to see if Barker may be better. Practice would suggest that the staff feels he is not, but football history is littered with "inferior" backup QBs who came in and were great. That said, playing Barker at this point is a big risk. I think we can get to 6 or 7 wins with Towles, and the program continues (slowly) to build momentum. If we sit him now, we risk losing whatever "rhythm" the offense has and wrecking his confidence in the process.

Exactly. The coaches' goal this year is a bowl. Fans' goal, too. Some of the same fans now screaming for Barker would barbecue Stoops if he made the switch and we don't get to a bowl this year. Program building occurs in steps, and takes time. This year appears to be aimed at building up our defense and tweaking our offense. Barker will get his turn. He is the starter in waiting. In 2017. They won't make Barker take a physical beating in 2015, and they are right.

 

[MojoYamamoto]

I don't believe Barker's worse. I think he makes more bad decisions, but at least he can deliver the ball on target. He needs game experience to reduce the number of bad decisions he makes. If he's worse than Towles, then we're in for a long season.

I don't know which QB is better. I am highly disappointed in Towles play and was begging for the change to be made in the 3rd quarter last night. But how can you say at least Barker can deliver the ball on target when he has never played a down of college football. No one knows what he can do. Heck, he may even have worse accuracy. I do know what Towles has been this year so far, and it's not good enough. I don't care which QB starts as long as they play well and get wins. Would love to see Towles turn his season around but if that isn't happening give Barker a chance. Even though I wanted the change made last night, I do feel that it's too early to take the starting job from Towles. We are still 2-1 and have a shot at a really good season.

 

[austingtr]

UF's defense gave up 30 at home to East Carolina. End of story

This is the first game that our D is nearly full strength. (Anzalone was missing). VHIII and Neal didn't play against EC. The secondary coverage allowed for our DL have their way against your OL.

 

[devilpuppet]

Maybe he's referring to the end zone pass to a 6'6" Blake Bone that sailed 15 feet over his head.

But yeah, Towles is awesome and deserves no criticism.

Not saying that Barker diserves to start over Towels. Am saying that Towles is not getting the job done and that Barker should be getting some reps.

 

[meteordealer]

Because I have a brain, and I played football.

You're right. A back up QB could never enter a game and be successful.

Signed,
every scrub QB who has entered the game and torched us for 400 yards after the starter failed to move the ball.

 

[Blue Decade]

Towles has made plenty of plays that, if all you ever saw was his 10 best play highlight reel, you would think he's an amazing QB. He has lots of talent. He also makes way too many bad throws that are sometimes the result of poor protection, receivers running incorrect routes, etc. but often Towles just makes a bad throw. The difference between him and an all-conference QB is the consistency. Consistently making good decisions (which should improve over time) and consistently making accurate throws (which probably won't get better).

Please show me a quarterback who doesn't make bad throws. Please show me a quarterback that is consistent, playing behind consistently bad pass protection. Your argument just isn't sound. Have you read Justin Rowland's analysis of yesterday's loss yet?

 

[Blue Decade]

You're right. A back up QB could never enter a game and be successful.

Signed,
every scrub QB who has entered the game and torched us for 400 yards after the starter under performed.

I hate it when people like you directly misquote another poster, because that shows you don't even understand what you are arguing for or against. Please show me where I said no backup quarterback has ever been successful. In fact, your sarcasm actually has nothing to do with anything I said.

 

[yoshukai]

Respectfully, you are missing the point.. Prior to this game, when almost everyone was posting about eating barbecued gator and slam dunking a losing streak that makes them feel bad, I tried to explain that Florida's defense and Florida's speed rushers presented 1 of the worst matchups we will see all season. Florida's last 4 recruiting classes were #3, 4, 8, and 23 in the national Rivals rankings. In other words, Florida is the better football team. For sure, yesterday was not a good game by Towles. But football is a team sport, and quarterbacks are never very successful when defensive ends are right up in their face masks all day. Beating the drum for Barker might make people feel better. But most of our fans are on a perpetual emotional roller coaster. Barker would struggle behind a bad offensive line as much or more than Towles. The consensus goal for this season is a bowl, and we will get there. Read Justin Rowland's analysis of this loss, which can be accessed on the home page of this site. If you accept what Rowland says, you will have a clearer picture of the problem.

I think people are basing their criticism on more than this game . I see zero improvement in Towles since last years Fla. game . He has had some receivers drop balls , every quarterback does . They have also made some outstanding catches . The line absolutely has to block better . But Towles HAS to play better too . He is slow on his reads , holds the ball too long , stares down his receivers , and throws high and behind his receivers consistently . If you can't admit that he is not playing well enough , you must have an agenda .

 

[jauk11]

Because I have a brain, and I played football.

44 Blue Decade, 18 minutes ago
I don't know how you played football but I think you have a pretty good brain. Keep on keeping on, help needed.

 

[rudd1]

-UCL...i hope he can get better. I would assume the coaches think he can or they would move in a different direction. They have proven they will play youth over experience if it gives the team a better shot a winning.

-there is a reason the cliche "backup qb is most popular player on the team" exists. QB is one of the few positions fans (think they can) understand. Maybe its easier/less depressing to think that if only we had a different qb things would be better...rather than coming to grips with the fact that until the oline gets better (which it is doing...it takes time to develop) it is gonna be hard to compete with the elite d's in the SEC.

 

[Ineverplayedthegame]

No it isn't. I have never said Towles played well yesterday. He didn't. You just aren't seeing what I actually said. Again, football is a team sport, and I agree with Justin Rowland's analysis of yesterday's loss. Did you read Rowland's analysis? He knows what he is talking about. Some of our fans, and it doesn't matter whether they are a minority this week or not, are so convinced that Barker is the answer that they have become blind to everything else going on now with our offense. I could post a long comment about Towles' tendencies. But this isn't he time. Towles is a better quarterback than you think. Not perfect, not a finished product, but good enough to build around. Until our pass protection gets better, it's just goofy to seriously propose starting a redshirt freshman quarterback who has never taken a snap in a college game.

In Rowland's next to last paragraph he does suggest that a different QB or at least some opportunities for the backup may be a solution.
Anyone that is wanting to throw PT out with the bath water is wrong. But with his body of work, to expect him to make in game improvement looks wrong also.
What's wrong with continuing to give him the start but if he gets in a bad funk, give the other guy a shot. It may not be better, but you never know unless you try.

 

[CCSteamRoller]

No it isn't. I have never said Towles played well yesterday. He didn't. You just aren't seeing what I actually said.

Fair enough.

Again, football is a team sport, and I agree with Justin Rowland's analysis of yesterday's loss. Did you read Rowland's analysis?

Yes I did.

He knows what he is talking about.

I agree with a lot of what he said. He didn't give Towles a free pass, which is my main point of contention with some of the fans defending Towles on the board. Blame everyone but Towles. I'm not nor have I ever said it's all Towles' fault. I do believe Kentucky would have won the game yesterday if Towles had played better, but I also believe Kentucky would have won the game if the O-line played better and the receivers played better.

Some of our fans, and it doesn't matter whether they are a minority this week or not, are so convinced that Barker is the answer that they have become blind to everything else going on now with our offense. I could post a long comment about Towles' tendencies. But this isn't he time. Towles is a better quarterback than you think. Not perfect, not a finished product, but good enough to build around.

I'm not in the camp saying Barker should start. That would be dumb. Barker should get some series early in the game if for no other reason than to gain game experience. He may be awful. He may be great. No one, including the coaches, will know how Barker will play in a game until he's given the opportunity to actually play in one. Towles is a serviceable QB, but I view him as more of a liability than an asset unless he can show some improvement. It's on this point that you and I seem to disagree.

Now, assume for a minute that you agree with me; how do the coaches handle the QB situation? My answer would be to bring Drew along by giving him experience early in most of the remaining games on the schedule this year. It's still Towles' team, but Barker taking snaps will send a message to Patrick that it won't be his team next year unless he gets better.

The other thing to do is to recruit some tackles from the JuCo ranks (one on board, but they need one or two more) and pray we can win enough games despite the bad play at the tackle position.

Until our pass protection gets better, it's just goofy to seriously propose starting a redshirt freshman quarterback who has never taken a snap in a college game.

I agree with you on this point. I never said to start Barker. I get too emotional when Patrick plays poorly and settle down a few days later. Patrick frustrates the hell out of me. If he didn't have talent, it wouldn't. He has talent. He doesn't have a good grasp on the mental aspect of the game and is inaccurate. I'm sure he can hit spots 30 yards downfield when he doesn't have pass rushers in his face and has 10 seconds to let a play develop. But he struggles unless the circumstances are ideal.

How many jump shots can Auburn's guards for example hit in practice? Probably a lot. But when they have a defender in their face or don't have time to set before shooting, they miss more than they make. The difference between a good shooter and a bad shooter at the college level is a good shooter scores WITHOUT having time to set and when a defender is in his face. Towles is not a good shooter. He's not the only poor shooter on the team, but he's playing a position where it's critical to have a good shooter.

..

 

[Levibooty]

Then you will just have to believe what you want to believe. Kentucky's offensive line was beaten in pass protection all day. That invariably leads to disappointing performances by quarterbacks. Contrary to what you are trying to accuse me of, I have no more, no less loyalty to Towles than any other player on our team. If I believed for 1 moment that your suggestions would get better results, then I would agree with you. But you are just ranting.

This is about as accurate as Towles passing. Towles had time to throw in the second half.

 

[rolaid]

I was there field level...UF front 7 looked like NFL players ....tall long & lean athletes. They kicked our a$$ all night.

That being said Towles is not a play maker...he is not quick twitch...has very little escapeability and is a slow decision maker and struggles with accuracy...but he can run the ball pretty good

Dawson decision to not let him be more of a runner is crazy. The fake handoff and bootleg was there all night

UF DB's got in our receivers grills & they couldn't separate in the 2 seconds Towles had to throw. Team game ... offensive problems came from everyone including Dawson

 

[Tskware]

I was there field level...UF front 7 looked like NFL players ....tall long & lean athletes. They kicked our a$$ all night.

That being said Towles is not a play maker...he is not quick twitch...has very little escapeability and is a slow decision maker and struggles with accuracy...but he can run the ball pretty good

Dawson decision to not let him be more of a runner is crazy. The fake handoff and bootleg was there all night

UF DB's got in our receivers grills & they couldn't separate in the 2 seconds Towles had to throw. Team game ... offensive problems came from everyone including Dawson

I would have thought a bubble screen or two would have been tried along with a draw play or two, play action pass, and maybe an old fashioned screen pass to the fullback or tailback.

I do think the reason that Dawson ran so many power plays right up the middle at the goal line was due to the fact that our tackles cannot block Florida and so running wide or off tackle was just not an option

 

[Blue Decade]

Because I have a brain, and I played football.

44 Blue Decade, 18 minutes ago
I don't know how you played football but I think you have a pretty good brain. Keep on keeping on, help needed.

I was an alright football player.

 

[Blue Decade]

This is about as accurate as Towles passing. Towles had time to throw in the second half.

Don't know what game you were watching. Again, read Justin Rowland's analysis, which can be accessed on the home page. He makes a lot more sense than anyone else today.

 

[Blue Decade]

Fair enough.



Yes I did.




I agree with a lot of what he said. He didn't give Towles a free pass, which is my main point of contention with some of the fans defending Towles on the board. Blame everyone but Towles. I'm not nor have I ever said it's all Towles' fault. I do believe Kentucky would have won the game yesterday if Towles had played better, but I also believe Kentucky would have won the game if the O-line played better and the receivers played better.



I'm not in the camp saying Barker should start. That would be dumb. Barker should get some series early in the game if for no other reason than to gain game experience. He may be awful. He may be great. No one, including the coaches, will know how Barker will play in a game until he's given the opportunity to actually play in one. Towles is a serviceable QB, but I view him as more of a liability than an asset unless he can show some improvement. It's on this point that you and I seem to disagree.

Now, assume for a minute that you agree with me; how do the coaches handle the QB situation? My answer would be to bring Drew along by giving him experience early in most of the remaining games on the schedule this year. It's still Towles' team, but Barker taking snaps will send a message to Patrick that it won't be his team next year unless he gets better.

The other thing to do is to recruit some tackles from the JuCo ranks (one on board, but they need one or two more) and pray we can win enough games despite the bad play at the tackle position.



I agree with you on this point. I never said to start Barker. I get too emotional when Patrick plays poorly and settle down a few days later. Patrick frustrates the hell out of me. If he didn't have talent, it wouldn't. He has talent. He doesn't have a good grasp on the mental aspect of the game and is inaccurate. I'm sure he can hit spots 30 yards downfield when he doesn't have pass rushers in his face and has 10 seconds to let a play develop. But he struggles unless the circumstances are ideal.

How many jump shots can Auburn's guards for example hit in practice? Probably a lot. But when they have a defender in their face or don't have time to set before shooting, they miss more than they make. The difference between a good shooter and a bad shooter at the college level is a good shooter scores WITHOUT having time to set and when a defender is in his face. Towles is not a good shooter. He's not the only poor shooter on the team, but he's playing a position where it's critical to have a good shooter.

Uh oh. The dreaded break your post into little pieces and review every sentence.

 

[CCSteamRoller]

Uh oh. The dreaded break your post into little pieces and review every sentence.

SA, I did that to help you. It won't happen again.

Go back and read what Maggard said before the season started about what we needed from the QB position. I was going to link it for you, but don't do that sort of thing for SAs.

 

[Tskware]

Don't know what game you were watching. Again, read Justin Rowland's analysis, which can be accessed on the home page. He makes a lot more sense than anyone else today.

Agree 100%

 

[meteordealer]

I hate it when people like you directly misquote another poster, because that shows you don't even understand what you are arguing for or against. Please show me where I said no backup quarterback has ever been successful. In fact, your sarcasm actually has nothing to do with anything I said.

What did i misquote? You stated emphatically and for a fact that Barker would do no better and probably worse than Towles, when in reality you have NO CLUE what Barker could have done.

You act as if the head coach is God and doesn't make mistakes. Just because Stoops thought Towles looked slightly better in practice and named him the starter doesn't mean that it will translate to an in game situation, and so far, it hasn't. Barker might be the better in game QB. Maybe Barker won't fall down every time a defender breathes on him. Maybe Barker won't look like a deer in the headlights and have a panic attack every time he gets forced out of the pocket. Maybe Barker won't throw the ball 15 feet behind or over the head of a wide open receiver.

We have played 12 quarters of football this season. Our offense has been stagnant and unable to move the ball for 8 of those quarters. At some point you have to try something different.

Football is a team sport. If our offense is stagnant and our QB is throwing terrible passes, give another QB some snaps and see if he can get something going.

You want to put all the blame on the OL and Florida's pass rush. What was your excuse for the 2nd half of the South Carolina game? What about the 2nd half of the UL Lafayette game? I don't think Florida's defense was on the field during those games and Towles was still throwing horribly inaccurate passes to wide open receivers.

 

[BleedBlue32]

Although I am in favor of trying Barker at QB from here on out, I have to agree. O-Line play was horrible last night.

 

[Blue Decade]

SA, I did that to help you. It won't happen again.

Go back and read what Maggard said before the season started about what we needed from the QB position. I was going to link it for you, but don't do that sort of thing for SAs.

Piss off.

 

[mrschwump]

6 sacks allowed, 10 tackles for loss. Guess where the problem lies?

 

[Blue Decade]

What did i misquote? You stated emphatically and for a fact that Barker would do no better and probably worse than Towles, when in reality you have NO CLUE what Barker could have done.

You act as if the head coach is God and doesn't make mistakes. Just because Stoops thought Towles looked slightly better in practice and named him the starter doesn't mean that it will translate to an in game situation, and so far, it hasn't. Barker might be the better in game QB. Maybe Barker won't fall down every time a defender breathes on him. Maybe Barker won't look like a deer in the headlights and have a panic attack every time he gets forced out of the pocket. Maybe Barker won't throw the ball 15 feet behind or over the head of a wide open receiver.

We have played 12 quarters of football this season. Our offense has been stagnant and unable to move the ball for 8 of those quarters. At some point you have to try something different.

Football is a team sport. If our offense is stagnant and our QB is throwing terrible passes, give another QB some snaps and see if he can get something going.

You want to put all the blame on the OL and Florida's pass rush. What was your excuse for the 2nd half of the South Carolina game? What about the 2nd half of the UL Lafayette game? I don't think Florida's defense was on the field during those games and Towles was still throwing horribly inaccurate passes to wide open receivers.

Like I said before, you are making a lot of stuff up. All I said was that Barker will have as much trouble as Towles with ineffective pass protection. I never suggested that back-up quarterbacks can't be successful, but I was just talking about this 1 particular situation and you know that. I did not put all the blame on the offensive line. I did not suggest Towles played well yesterday. I endorsed Justin Rowland's analysis of the game. If you want to rant, be my guest but just leave me out of it.

 

[Blue Decade]

6 sacks allowed, 10 tackles for loss. Guess where the problem lies?

+1

 

[.S&C.]

I can't believe some of you were watching the same train wreck at the qb spot that I was. I actually get paid for coaching high school football, and I can tell most on here don't.

Sure the offense is bad. The play calling is telegraphed. The coaches don't utilize time well (stoops never has). However, when someone has a heart attack and dies causing a ten car pileup where everyone dies, it wasn't the pileup that killed the initial driver....... It was the heart attack. Our qb play is causing tons of issues with play calling and game management. They don't Trust him, at all. Obvious people.

Towels is terribly inconsistent, has terrible accuracy, and just flat out isn't a good SEC qb. Now you can deny that all you want, the fact is, we will never play in a bowl as long as towels is leading this team. So enjoy feeling like you're smart and "above" only blaming a qb. You are going to be explaining away his issues night after night.

And you'll wonder why every single time.

Have fun!

 

[CCSteamRoller]

Piss off.

You just can't handle it when someone has an opinion that differs from yours yet can be backed up by multiple facts.

 

[Levibooty]

Like I said before, you are making a lot of stuff up. All I said was that Barker will have as much trouble as Towles with ineffective pass protection. I never suggested that back-up quarterbacks can't be successful, but I was just talking about this 1 particular situation and you know that. I did not put all the blame on the offensive line. I did not suggest Towles played well yesterday. I endorsed Justin Rowland's analysis of the game. If you want to rant, be my guest but just leave me out of it.

You have the power and only you have the power to "stay out of it"

I have watched the game today and Towles was consistently inaccurate whether he had time or not. On one play down near UF's goal he had 3.5 seconds and still made a bad throw. That was in addition to the bad throw to Bone.
Towles was as inaccurate whether he had time or not. Even Musberger talked about how Towles had time in the pocket on several misfires. Nobody is saying the OL played a great game they did not, but there were multiple times Towles had all he needed and just had to make a basic pass to a crossing WR and could not do it. On some of the sacks he held the ball way too long. The sad thing is this type of performance is not an anomaly for him.

 

[rabidcatfan]

This is the best and deepest group of receivers we have had in a while, and they are still young. Dorian Baker, who has dropped 2 important passes already, is a true sophomore who missed most of last November with an injury. He will get more consistent as he gains experience. People who watch a lot of football and understand technical aspects of how the game is played will tell you that Towles is a good enough quarterback to build around. Before the season, I pointed out that pass protection by Kentucky's tackles would be the potential make or break weakness for our team. Since Jordan Swindle struggled as a right tackle last year, it didn't take Einstein to see that he might struggle as a left tackle. On the other side, we are starting a true freshman. He is struggling too, but only an idiot would be surprised by that. In his analysis of yesterday's loss, Justin Rowland places the bulk of the blame on our offensive tackles. I agree with him. The existence of a vocal minority within our fan base that keeps beating the drum for Drew Barker creates noise and complicates perceptions. But throwing passes behind a bad offensive line, against a good SEC defense, is just as hard for Barker as it is for Towles. Towles is 20 pounds bigger than Barker, and better able to absorb the physical consequences of an offensive line that can't pass protect. After an emotional loss like this, all kinds of people will offer all kinds of criticisms and false answers. But the process of building a football team in a tough league is a marathon, not a sprint. Stoops has recruited well to the most difficult areas, offensive and defensive lines, linebackers, corners. In time, these high school stars will develop into solid SEC players. Landon Young will eventually become 1 of those, but not as a true freshman in 2016. This is a time consuming process that requires work and development, not a wave of the magic wand. Stoops won 2 games in 2013, 5 games in 2014. Now the consensus goal is to get to a bowl game in 2015. All along, I have predicted 6-7 regular season wins and a bowl for our 2015 team. I am still sticking with that prediction. I will not be discouraged by a game like last night, and I will not become irrationally exuberant when we beat Missouri next week either.

Great points.

 

[bigblueinsanity]

What was the dropped TD other than Baker?

Even that was well underthrown, and should have been defended if not intercepted had the DB not mistimed his jump.

-johnson had one drop through his hands in the 4th. Only great throw pt made all night.

That was overthrown. Johnson wouldve had to lay out for it, which would have placed him out of bounds.

Maybe he's referring to the end zone pass to a 6'6" Blake Bone that sailed 15 feet over his head.

This was the worst miss of the night.

But yeah, Towles is awesome and deserves no criticism.

This brings up an interesting point: why do some fans think Towles is above criticism when its obvious hes not playing well?

6 sacks allowed, 10 tackles for loss. Guess where the problem lies?

Like Ive posted in multiple threads, the OL was responsible for 2-3 sacks. Towles was responsible for the rest.

The OT's look like their playing bad to the basic observer, because most people dont realize theyre supposed to push the DE's upfield. The QB is SUPPOSED to step up in the pocket, letting the defender fly by. Instead, Towles back pedals, or rolls out; and it puts him right into the pass rushers hands for a sack. Then the casual fan who knows nothing about OL play screams OMG OUR LINE IS AWFUL DID YOU SEE THAT, when in reality Towles is the one at fault for the sack.

The OL got beat handily on a few plays. But the rest was a combination of holding the ball too long, and poor pocket presence. The last sack was a perfect example. More than enough time to throw the ball, yet he held onto it way too long, then tried to outrun a defender on a roll out rather than throwing it away.

Whats so frustrating is that Towles has terrific measurables and by all accounts SHOULD be a first day NFL draft pick. But the little things like pocket presence, progressions, etc are killing him; and the team.

We all want and need him to be successful. Hes a great kid and a fan of the program. However he isnt above criticism. Thankfully the criticism Ive seen has all been pretty valid, and nothing nasty (like it was with Boyd or Whitlow). Our fans need to be behind our QB and our staff, and trust them to play the player who gives us the best chance to win. But we should also be able to discuss reasonably criticism when its deserved.

 

[johnnyrockets]

1) Nobody is saying Towles is above criticism. That is a straw man argument.
2) Surely you aren't seriously suggesting the OL was only to blame for Towles' struggles on "2-3" sacks? Which "2-3," pray tell?

Towles has limitations, absolutely. He doesn't read defenses particularly well and he has yet to look comfortable standing in the pocket this season. He's made a lot of throws high and wide (likely related to footwork, related to not being comfortable in the pocket). But the key question is whether the reward is worth the risk to sit Towles and play Barker who a) has never taken a college snap and b) was beaten out for the job in camp.

I don't know the answer. But don't conflate "I'm not sure it's the right time to sit Towles" with "Towles is above criticism." That's lazy.

I'll remind everyone that the armchair OC's on this board were screaming bloody murder about how often Neal Brown was letting Towles run the ball last year. "Let him stand in the pocket," they insisted. "He's an NFL pocket passer," they insisted. Hell, there were posts about his being the best QB in the conference and a potential 1st round draft pick. Don't blame Patrick or Dawson because the offense hasn't lived up to the impossible expectations some of you put on it.

 

[bigblueinsanity]

1) Nobody is saying Towles is above criticism. That is a straw man argument.

Yes, they are. Apparently you havent been reading many threads.

2) Surely you aren't seriously suggesting the OL was only to blame for Towles' struggles on "2-3" sacks? Which "2-3," pray tell?

Absolutely. There were 1 or 2 times the OL allowed pressure up the middle as well as the edges (basically a total collapse). Then there was another where big George was completely blown up. That one, Towles maybe couldve escaped the pressure but thats alot to ask. So thats definitely on the OL.

The rest were due to holding the ball too long/bad pocket presence. This plagued him last season too. If you dont understand the concept of pushing the edge rushers up field so the QB can step up; thats fine. But I see alot of people on here that clearly dont know what theyre talking about.

 

[johnnyrockets]

Yes, they are. Apparently you havent been reading many threads.



Absolutely. There were 1 or 2 times the OL allowed pressure up the middle as well as the edges (basically a total collapse). Then there was another where big George was completely blown up. That one, Towles maybe couldve escaped the pressure but thats alot to ask. So thats definitely on the OL.

The rest were due to holding the ball too long/bad pocket presence. This plagued him last season too. If you dont understand the concept of pushing the edge rushers up field so the QB can step up; thats fine. But I see alot of people on here that clearly dont know what theyre talking about.

You are in the distinct minority, including people who played collegiate and professional football, of those who think the OL was anything short of manhandled Saturday. That doesn't excuse all of Towles' mistakes (because two things can both be true), but to suggest he wasn't consistently pressured is laughable. Maybe you're just the smartest poster on all of the Lair though.