AJ Long...

[Jake]

What really hurt him last night was his size. Other teams will try to keep him in the pocket and get their hands up. 3-4 passes batted down or deflected last night. I also think his last interception what a case where he just didn't see the defender because he couldn't see a guy hidden just beyond the LOS.

He's great when he can step up in a throwing lane and make a throw...but he can't see over people...which takes away opportunities under pressure.

And as far as mobility goes, he has good feel for pressure and some elusiveness, but in not sure he beats Hunt or Nassib in a foot race.

Good learning experience though.

 

[SmilinBob]

Passing lanes are tough for a player that height and talented DL's and teams that can force him into the pocket are going to give this offense a rough time. Clemson's speed on D would have made a lot of QB's look slow Jake, Long ran a little tentative imo but that is what happens when you face a D like that.

SU has to get a bit creative on offense to open up the lanes for him and those lb's of the Tigers closed quickly when he rolled out...they hit the open gap very quick and fast.

 

[Orangello]

Agreed on all counts. I counted at least 6 passes batted/touched by defenders. He also holds the ball too long instead of just throwing it away. He gets a pass on one level being a frosh but I'm not read to anoint him the second coming of Donnie Mac.

I still thought the play calling was poor especially the repeated end arounds to Phillips which wound up with zero gain or a loss. I have to believe we're limited to a large degree by what AJ can do but it's time to go and get a big time OC or I see rinse repeat for the future.

 

[longislandcuse]

I thought a screen play would be an ideal call against their ultra aggressive defense but I'm not sure Long is tall enough to throw over a Vic Beasley when the line lets them free release to set up the RB screen.

 

[SmilinBob]

Agreed on all counts. I counted at least 6 passes batted/touched by defenders. He also holds the ball too long instead of just throwing it away. He gets a pass on one level being a frosh but I'm not read to anoint him the second coming of Donnie Mac.

I still thought the play calling was poor especially the repeated end arounds to Phillips which wound up with zero gain or a loss. I have to believe we're limited to a large degree by what AJ can do but it's time to go and get a big time OC or I see rinse repeat for the future.

That's tough to do regarding throwing the ball. Think of a fast tidal wave coming at you and if he throws it where no one is (out of bounds) and is still in the pocket which they often forced him to be it could also be intentional grounding.

 

[reedny]

I like the kid. He has moxie and he can sling it. As far as our future, I don't see it. He's too small. He can't see or throw over big defenders (the ACC is full of those) and doesn't have enough elusiveness to make up for it. His arm is ok, but there's a reason why most of the better teams we face feature QB's that are 6'3 or 6'4/225. I'm not saying Hunt gets us in the top 25, even if we had the supporting cast (we don't). But at least he's tall enough to see his receivers fail to get open.

 

[Orangello]

That's tough to do regarding throwing the ball. Think of a fast tidal wave coming at you and if he throws it where no one is (out of bounds) and is still in the pocket which they often forced him to be it could also be intentional grounding.

Don't disagree that he faced a daunting task against a very very tough defense it just seems like he's not making his decisions fast enough and taking sacks when he should be getting rid if it. In fairness, he should not be facing as strong a pass rush the rest of the way this year.

 

[SmilinBob]

Don't disagree that he faced a daunting task against a very very tough defense it just seems like he's not making his decisions fast enough and taking sacks when he should be getting rid if it. In fairness, he should not be facing as strong a pass rush the rest of the way this year.

I agree but going from high school to that defense is such an extreme that you can not simulate until you actually face it. Long will face good defenses like BC and Pitt but not with that type of speed.

 

[cusesquad]

Not impressed with Long. Play Kimble!!! He's bigger, has a great arm, and is fast. Why are they saving the best for last!

 

[orange79]

Not impressed with Long. Play Kimble!!! He's bigger, has a great arm, and is fast. Why are they saving the best for last!

Thanks for your input, Mrs. Kimble

 

[Orangetradition44]

Certainly not while running backwards... I've never seen a quarterback back his way into a hole as often as AJ. At least not above the pop warner level.

AJ's young. He can be a good quarterback for us. Still not sure he beats out Hunt though.

And as far as mobility goes, he has good feel for pressure and some elusiveness, but in not sure he beats Hunt or Nassib in a foot race. Good learning experience though.

 

[Cuse'91]

AJ Long is the best hope for THIS season. But limiting his running for fear of injury, if in fact that's what we are doing, defeats the entire point of playing him. We have Mitch, and hopefully others back in relief, let AJ play freestyle.
For the future, to be that short and small a qb in P5 football, you have to have 4.3-4.4 speed and probably a once in a generation type throwing arm; it's unlikely that AJ has those qualities...
It's ok if you play Estime's position, but not qb.
The book is already out on AJ after one full game; he's short, put your hands up when he throws...

 

[newmexicuse]

I know AJ is only a frosh & he will improve over time if he continues to play. His first int was a tough one w a great play by the defender. I thought the 2nd int was really a game changer. He had a wide open receiver in the flat & only had to get the ball over the defenders head for a big gain. Maybe if we make the play & score the game has a bit of a different complexion.

However, this was my first look at him. Two criticisms:

1. He was not nearly the runner I was hoping he would be. He seemed to have very limited elusiveness both on running plays and on avoiding the pass rush.

2. Even with a young QB, you can usually tell if the "it" factor is present. Unfortunately, I did not see that in AJ.

Our defense played out of it's mind, I think with a healthy Hunt we would have won that game easy.

All that being said, aside from QB play, it is clear that this team lacks play makers, and until we can get a few our upside is mediocrity.

 

[NineOneSeven]

Three steps from long is the equivalent of 1 for some of these defensive ends, or at least it seems.

There are guys who don't seem like they are moving quickly when the run, but actually are, because their strides are so big (ie they are tall). Cam newton, terrelle Pryor, Etc.

Obviously he will never be as tall as these guys, but he certainly can add some weight and be a Russell Wilson type. By the way, designed QB draws by your 177 QB directly into one of the best fronts out there?

 

[anomander]

It's really hard to judge Long based on this game. Our offensive line got absolutely demolished. It got Long rattled to the point wherewhen he did have open guys he was missing them by 7 feet. I do think this the biggest difference between this and the FSU game was Clemson actually game planned against him. FSU played a very straight up defense. They didn't blitz, and just sat back and played a vanilla defense. How many passes were batted down last night? 4? 5?

 

[kcsu]

We can win with Long. He is a gamer who will make plays going forward. This is the best D we have faced in a very long time. Kid was playing HS ball last year

 

[OrangePA]

It was hard for me to judge Long's performance last night - way too much thrust by Clemson DL.

AJ was never comfortable - to the credit of the Tiger defense.

Lets see how he does against NC State.

 

[Ghost]

Frosh against that defense, couldn't expect much. I was certainly hoping for more, but not shocked to see him falter a bit.

That second interception was devastating. That's the one play that really turned my frown even farther down.

 

[Cuse Action]

What really hurt him last night was his size. Other teams will try to keep him in the pocket and get their hands up. 3-4 passes batted down or deflected last night. I also think his last interception what a case where he just didn't see the defender because he couldn't see a guy hidden just beyond the LOS.

He's great when he can step up in a throwing lane and make a throw...but he can't see over people...which takes away opportunities under pressure.

And as far as mobility goes, he has good feel for pressure and some elusiveness, but in not sure he beats Hunt or Nassib in a foot race.

Good learning experience though.

How can anyone say that AJ is an upgrade over Hunt? Neither one of them is the future if we want to be a top 25 team.

 

[Madbiker]

Agreed on all counts. I counted at least 6 passes batted/touched by defenders. He also holds the ball too long instead of just throwing it away. He gets a pass on one level being a frosh but I'm not read to anoint him the second coming of Donnie Mac.

I still thought the play calling was poor especially the repeated end arounds to Phillips which wound up with zero gain or a loss. I have to believe we're limited to a large degree by what AJ can do but it's time to go and get a big time OC or I see rinse repeat for the future.

Let's face it, our offense wasn't going to look very good going against Clemson's D which is one of the best in the nation. To play with top 20 teams we need to drastically improve our team speed. The difference in speed of both our line and skill players vs. Clemson and FSU is striking.

 

[O-pulse]

He just received a baptism under very heavy fire; he is a tough kid and will continue to grow and develop. It's also up to the O staff to develop schemes that play to his talent and where his height is less a factor.

 

[jekelish]

He just received a baptism under very heavy fire; he is a tough kid and will continue to grow and develop. It's also up to the O staff to develop schemes that play to his talent and where his height is less a factor.

Because of the fact this was written in all bold letters, I just assume that you growled it through SUPER clenched teeth.

I just wanted to share that with everyone.

 

[leftytg]

How can anyone say that AJ is an upgrade over Hunt? Neither one of them is the future if we want to be a top 25 team.

holy crap.

Long was supposed to red shirt this year. He has a lot of physical maturing and strengthening to do. He, abruptly, gets pushed into a starting role and faces a very tough defense that, as noted above, actually game planned for him, in an extremely tough environment.

Hunt is a physically developed QB in his 4th year in the program who isn't even accurate inside of 10 yards.

I know the team has no hope of being a top 25 team with Hunt. To say that of Long after 2 1/2 games is just stunning. I have no idea if Long will end up being all that, but there is simply no basis to make that proclamation right now.

 

[OrangeinBoston]

What really hurt him last night was his size. Other teams will try to keep him in the pocket and get their hands up. 3-4 passes batted down or deflected last night. I also think his last interception what a case where he just didn't see the defender because he couldn't see a guy hidden just beyond the LOS.

He's great when he can step up in a throwing lane and make a throw...but he can't see over people...which takes away opportunities under pressure.

And as far as mobility goes, he has good feel for pressure and some elusiveness, but in not sure he beats Hunt or Nassib in a foot race.

Good learning experience though.

Yawn......Doug Flutie

 

[Cuse'91]

Yawn...Doug Flutie

Yawn? So you're saying AJ is equal to Doug Flutie in all other attributes??? Including arm strength, vision, scrambling ability, et al?
Also it's 2014, not the Eighties. Even in 3 decades the physicality of football players has changed dramatically.