Tommys Record as a Starter

[mlbball99]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Tommy's record as a starter in the ACC is...

1-7.

With the lone win coming against unranked Duke. That is just not going to cut it. I really am a Tommy believer but I can't help but think he is holding this program back a bit. Yes we can blame the O-Line, but when the protection is there it's not like the throws are completely accurate.

I'd like to see how we look these next few games, but I wouldn't be so against seeing what Markieciwz might have at some point.

I also can't wait for Lamson to get on campus!

 

[gmoney44]

TD really needs a run game to emerge to take some pressure off him. He looks like a kid with the weight of the world on his back out there.

 

[SoBristol]

TD really needs a run game to emerge to take some pressure off him. He looks like a kid with the weight of the world on his back out there.

Yes, I think that is right. We aren't likely to see much change in what Tommy can do at this stage, year 4 in Dino's system. The improvement has to come from other guys, possibly Jordan and Queeley. Maybe that only happens when we play against defensive fronts that our OL can handle.

 

[OrangeDW]

Man. I forgot Welch played the Wake Forest game.

 

[AngryOtto]

Man. I forgot Welch played the Wake Forest game.

And looked good. Moved the ball around. Every body looks to the last three games that the oline improved but TD did not. Duke threw for a little over 100 yards. Not a lot with Louisville and did not play against wake.

 

[Trueblue25]

Why on earth do we think true freshmen are the answer? We had half a preseason for god sakes

 

[Entropic]

Why on earth do we think true freshmen are the answer? We had half a preseason for god sakes

I think its because people don't believe it can get any worse. To which I say... maybe?

 

[storange]

My biggest disappointment is that TD didn’t appear to have improved on any of his shortcomings . Does not feel pressure, move in the pocket to buy time, throw from out side the pocket or on the run,have a sense of when to zip the ball and when to put air under it. If we had great or even very good pass protection many of these things would not be a factor , we don’t so we’re left with this dilemma. No way am I blaming our problems all on TD.

 

[billsin01]

Man. I forgot Welch played the Wake Forest game.

This is the most discouraging thing about tommy, IMO. If you're ranking our wins last year, it's:

1) Wake -- not tommy
2) Duke -- didn't throw the ball all day.
3) Liberty -- put game away in the second half with tommy not throwing
4) Western -- tommy's best game
5) holy cross -- another good one from tommy.

I mean, if you want to cling to the western mich and holy cross games then that's OK but our three most legitimate wins (Liberty actually had a decent year) tommy played a very minimal role.

I think there are very legitmate arguments that we need a run game, better OL play and maybe improved receivers, but at some point a kid who is truly a good QB is going to make plays. I'm rooting for him but I was pessimistic before the season and am even moreso now.

 

[Eric15]

Man. I forgot Welch played the Wake Forest game.

Yeah he had that incredibly random 97 yard old TD throw.

 

[Ozcuse]

Didn't Welch almost bring us back in the Pitt game too?

I remember leaving that game thinking if Welch had gotten in sooner we would have won.

 

[billsin01]

Didn't Welch almost bring us back in the Pitt game too?

I remember leaving that game thinking if Welch had gotten in sooner we would have won.

Welch wasn't great overall but we moved the ball better with him. I think we would have won more games in general with him as the starter even though I'm sure most here would disagree. But the Pitt game was a winnable game that looked far more winnable after he came in.

 

[CousCuse]

Didn't Welch almost bring us back in the Pitt game too?

I remember leaving that game thinking if Welch had gotten in sooner we would have won.

Yes, and it was another Pitt game where they get a huge call which greatly influenced the outcome. I'm referring to the play that was ruled a fumble on the field, around the Pitt 40, and was reversed with zero video evidence. Syracuse had taken control of the game at that point and I think CW would have pulled out the win, and the Orange would have made a bowl. Every year this happens in the Pitt game.

 

[DoctorBombay]

Welch wasn't great overall but we moved the ball better with him. I think we would have won more games in general with him as the starter even though I'm sure most here would disagree. But the Pitt game was a winnable game that looked far more winnable after he came in.

Therein lies the rub. You actually notice a difference in offensive flow when another QB comes in, not so much w/ TD. Yes, the OL is sub-par, but make a play, for Pete's sake! Once the clock ticks to 4 secs, Tommy's lost and is either eating a sack or making for the sideline, or making a throw out of bounds. A few times he ran for positive yards, but obviously he's not Eric Dungey. He even came up a little slowly on a coupla those runs so that's not a recipe for success.

 

[JeffCuse]

Leave Tommy alone, this is a throwaway decade

 

[qdawgg]

The whole Welch thing is deceiving. He wasn’t the answer long term, the longer he played in any game you could see how bad he was. Balls thrown in to the ground in front of receivers, bad reads at times. But he did look over the field much better in general and attempted to get the ball to many different receivers/areas of the field. Welch just didn’t have the ability to play a whole season and look good. He did some very basic things very well though and that made DeVito’s inabilities look worse.

Welch wouldn’t start on any other team. But if you gave Welch just a little more quality/ability, he’d have been a decent QB and I think in a way that’s shows how bad Devito has actually been.

People want to blame the OL for all of DeVito’s struggles and it’s really a chicken/egg argument. Would the o-line be as bad (they would have still been terrible last year no matter what) if Devito did some things even a little better. Or was Devito headed to the NFL this year as people on here projected but was derailed by our o-line. I think Welch kind of helps answer this. Welch shouldn’t be a starter but he did show that a decent QB could have at least made us competitive in games by doing a few things better than Devito seems able to.

 

[Finwad32]

Well - depth chart says he’s our guy... let’s hope we find some rhythm Saturday and get a W.

start getting that record headin the right direction.

 

[syrBossHogg]

I do think TD's running/scrambling looked good on Saturday outside of the 4th down attempt in the 1st. But we need him to get much better going thru his progressions and finding open receivers.

Until the offensive line gets healthy, the key for the offense should be (besides scoring points obviously) to at least get a few first downs every drive and put the defense in good field position if we do punt.

 

[Orangezoo]

This of course will be the topic du jour good or bad all season I presume but I think there are multiple pieces to combine here.

First of all when you look at a guy like Dungey and his receivers you had guys who could make a play not just execute a good design. Big strong outside receivers who could go up and get it. In the same breath Eric could turn nothing into something. That combination alone is worth 14 pts or more a game. Now throw in the online and the ability to simply execute the play not doing anything special. That also was something you saw in the 10 win season for example. You also had WRs and a QB who could make the easy play at a high rate too. That wins games. It's a basic equation but compare it to now.

Tommy is not the whirling dervish helmet kicking runner that Eric was. He looks to be better at using a running lane that is there and that is good. That said he isn't the guy to often make something out of nothing. He also doesn't have a big strong WR down the sidelines to toss it up to like he had in his cameos in 2018 with Custis. So now you shrink the game down to the OL's ability to make room to run, Jordan's ability to be a problem in space and Tommy's ability to simply hit the basic throws short and deep. He wasn't able to do that much against UNC, the online wasn't able to do their part and the wideouts failed at times on their basics. The bright spots being Taj getting some good YAC in and clearly showing that can be a weapon.

Tommy needs multiple big targets on the field both as a safety valve in the middle and someone who can go up and get it. If we don't have that this year then the OL has to be better and give Jordan a lane. There are just so many pieces to this. Tommy not being a guy who is going to improv a lot certainly lowers his stock and ceiling along with the team's when you add in the other elements. Simply put though he has to hit the throws and wins that are there and guys like Sharod can't drop TD's. We don't have the margin of error without more guys who can just go out there and make a play.

 

[CU44SE]

I remember when TD committed to us, someone said that he is a workout warrior. Always threw a pretty ball and was one of the best QB's when only looking at training and camps. But when the lights turned on, he always seemed to struggle in game situations. I cant help but wonder if he is the problem. I understand the Offensive Line is not great, but sometimes the QB can help his O-LINE, and I don't believe Devito does that. Ultimately I think it is a double edged sword, I think the O-Line is not great, but I also believe that Devito puts them in bad situations. They are not good for each other, they are negatively synergistic. The next time Devito makes a play off a secondary read or find someone on a rollout may be the first time. He can not make plays once his primary read is taken. He can not ad lib, he needs everything to happen the way its supposed to, and if it doesn't then he breaks down and continues to drift further and further back in the pocket. When he decides to scramble, he doesn't even look downfield or acknowledge that he is still a threat to throw, he just runs blindly. I just don't think the coaches have anyone even remotely close to push him or even try out due to all the misses we have had on the recruiting trail with QB's. I personally think the coaches should have looked at some of the transfer options this year.

 

[Entropic]

I remember when TD committed to us, someone said that he is a workout warrior. Always threw a pretty ball and was one of the best QB's when only looking at training and camps. But when the lights turned on, he always seemed to struggle in game situations. I cant help but wonder if he is the problem. I understand the Offensive Line is not great, but sometimes the QB can help his O-LINE, and I don't believe Devito does that. Ultimately I think it is a double edged sword, I think the O-Line is not great, but I also believe that Devito puts them in bad situations. They are not good for each other, they are negatively synergistic. The next time Devito makes a play off a secondary read or find someone on a rollout may be the first time. He can not make plays once his primary read is taken. He can not ad lib, he needs everything to happen the way its supposed to, and if it doesn't then he breaks down and continues to drift further and further back in the pocket. When he decides to scramble, he doesn't even look downfield or acknowledge that he is still a threat to throw, he just runs blindly. I just don't think the coaches have anyone even remotely close to push him or even try out due to all the misses we have had on the recruiting trail with QB's. I personally think the coaches should have looked at some of the transfer options this year.

QB making quick decisions and a play calling quick developing plays and misdirections can vastly impact the Oline. Right now we are missing those critical parts. TD makes one quick decision every play and that is to throw to Taj. When Taj needed a break from running 3 straights fades then he would throw to someone else.