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Stewart has already been called our QB of the future and he is the only QB on the roster recruited by Fleck. Like it or not, I believe he will see the field this fall.

Like I said, I don't know that I really "like it or not".

I think I am leaning towards the, we will see him on the field this fall, as well.
But Belt brought up a good point, it is worth burning a year of eligibility in week 9, if the team is 2-6? And I also think that is a good question as well.

Ultimately, I don't believe that PJ is going to be looking ahead to 5 years from now with Stewart. I don't think he is at all concerned with burning red shirts or years of eligibility in hopes of any of these kids being able to still play for him in 2018. So while I totally get Belts point, I think what is ultimately going to happen with not only Stewart, but many of the incoming freshman, is that they are going to get plugged in early. Once the season is "lost" in terms of bowl eligibility or winning the MAC or whatever the scenarios are, along with guys having time to get more acclimated and earn time on the field. I think you will start seeing many more of these kids get on the field for the in game experience later in the season. Stewart included.

Stewart is going to play this season. It's just a matter of when and how soon.

(07-22-2014 06:12 AM)Hoekjeness Wrote:  Stewart is going to play this season. It's just a matter of when and how soon.

I would think the "how well" question has to come into the equation. It is not a given he is the best player. If he is, that makes the decision easy,doesn't it?

I don't know that Stewart is the best player at the position right now, but if Zach Terrell is still our QB in 2016 then we are in trouble.

I've spoken recently to a couple guys who played with Chance at Sturgis over the past couple seasons and they both believe that Chance will see the field this year... This is based on the fact that Chance was basically the heart and soul of the team over the past couple seasons and they way he carries himself both on and off the field. He's a born leader.

He comes in after the season starts shaky at QB and takes over as a leader of the offense. A QB that commands respect in the huddle regardless of his age. My money is that he sees the field early this season. I think its a two edge sword with regard to losing a year of eligibility. I think with a talent like Chance you need to keep him in the fire... you need to keep him on the field and learning with reps at game speed. I think if he sits a season he actually comes out as a R-Fr with a little rust.

(07-22-2014 07:19 AM)Hoekjeness Wrote:  if Zach Terrell is still our QB in 2016 then we are in trouble.

You not counting on Fleck's expert tutelage to develop Terrell over the next few years? No chance he can improve with coaching and experience?

Or are you admitting Fleck is a recruiter only?

Guys....logical thinking please.

Stewart didn't stick with WMU to redshirt

Peej didn't call him the best MAC recruit in X years, then just redshirt him.

The vast majority of these guys will play this year.

2017,2018 doesn't matter to Peej right now.

Stewart starts if he's anywhere close to Terrell day 1. If he's far behind Terrell he won't start till mid season.

The way things have gone under Peej though, one of the two will get injured for the year, well struggle and hell spin it on the QB situation.

(07-22-2014 08:10 AM)MajorHoople Wrote:  

(07-22-2014 07:19 AM)Hoekjeness Wrote:  if Zach Terrell is still our QB in 2016 then we are in trouble.

You not counting on Fleck's expert tutelage to develop Terrell over the next few years? No chance he can improve with coaching and experience?

Or are you admitting Fleck is a recruiter only?

No, I'm saying Stewart was recruited here to be the QB of the future. Terrell is a very good MAC backup at best. He's serviceable, but not an elite-level MAC quarterback. Stewart was a 4-star recruit heading to Wisconsin a couple years ago. If he doesn't see the field soon, something is wrong.

(07-22-2014 08:12 AM)Doo Wrote:  Guys....logical thinking please.

Stewart didn't stick with WMU to redshirt

Peej didn't call him the best MAC recruit in X years, then just redshirt him.

The vast majority of these guys will play this year.

You're asking to move mountains around here with that statement.

after a 1 win season I think PJ realizes the future is NOW... he can't afford to sit on some of these guys. I think the sooner you get Chance in there, the sooner we start having greater success at the QB position... Maybe not this year, but after a year under center at game speed he should be pretty well set.

Just don't want to see a pattern develop, ditch the guy you have then ditch that guy, then ditch the next guy. So you ditch Vantubbergen to develop Terrell, then you ditch Terrell because you think Stewart is the guy. Then if Stewart struggles trying to play with only a few weeks in the system, do you ditch him for the new flavor of the week?

At some point you have to believe in your program. You can't just recruit and ditch, recruit and ditch. You have to play what you have and develop your program. Somebody earlier said they feel sorry for the sophs, juniors, and seniors on this team. Admittedly not many of them are left, that is true.

(07-22-2014 11:07 AM)Dirty Ernie Wrote:  Just don't want to see a pattern develop, ditch the guy you have then ditch that guy, then ditch the next guy. So you ditch Vantubbergen to develop Terrell, then you ditch Terrell because you think Stewart is the guy. Then if Stewart struggles trying to play with only a few weeks in the system, do you ditch him for the new flavor of the week?

At some point you have to believe in your program. You can't just recruit and ditch, recruit and ditch. You have to play what you have and develop your program. Somebody earlier said they feel sorry for the sophs, juniors, and seniors on this team. Admittedly not many of them are left, that is true.

I don't necessarily feel sorry for the upperclassmen on the team right now. Most of them project to get a lot of playing time. I don't see a scenario where Atkins, Celicscar, Currie, Brant, Ash, Chance, Kristof, to name a few aren't playing a lot.

(07-22-2014 11:07 AM)Dirty Ernie Wrote:  Just don't want to see a pattern develop, ditch the guy you have then ditch that guy, then ditch the next guy. So you ditch Vantubbergen to develop Terrell, then you ditch Terrell because you think Stewart is the guy. Then if Stewart struggles trying to play with only a few weeks in the system, do you ditch him for the new flavor of the week?

At some point you have to believe in your program. You can't just recruit and ditch, recruit and ditch. You have to play what you have and develop your program. Somebody earlier said they feel sorry for the sophs, juniors, and seniors on this team. Admittedly not many of them are left, that is true.

Saying it is "ditching" is a stretch. In a year we will have Wassink, Thomas, Flacco, Stewart, and Terrell. That's pretty typical in a smart program. You can't have too many QBs. They know they can't all start, they have to earn it. A coach is not going to ditch anyone. I'm sure they'll evaluate what they see in practice on a daily basis (none of us experts have seen any of these kids other than Terrell) and make a decision that they think is best for the team and for their coaching careers.

It's not difficult to see who the best QBs are when you watch 7 on 7s in practice. Carder never looked that great in practice when he was playing behind Hiller. But when handed the reins and put on the field he developed quickly. Until you see them in real game situations (not garbage time) you really don't know what you have.

So yeah, he'll probably take some chances with the youngsters because that's the only way to truly know what you have. Sometimes it's just a crapshoot. Drew Nowak was moved to DT out of desperation. We pretty much had no bodies to fill the middle, but yeah, somebody got ditched in favor of Drew. He added some pounds and ended up being defensive player of the year.

I could be wrong about this, but I believe Terrell coming in had more to do with TVT getting hurt a few times. Terrell came in, performed better than TVT, and then eventually won the job.

(07-22-2014 11:57 AM)Hoekjeness Wrote:  I could be wrong about this, but I believe Terrell coming in had more to do with TVT getting hurt a few times. Terrell came in, performed better than TVT, and then eventually won the job.

I dont think TVT was ever fully healthy after the game against MSU.

(07-22-2014 12:00 PM)flushtheherd Wrote:  

(07-22-2014 11:57 AM)Hoekjeness Wrote:  I could be wrong about this, but I believe Terrell coming in had more to do with TVT getting hurt a few times. Terrell came in, performed better than TVT, and then eventually won the job.

I dont think TVT was ever fully healthy after the game against MSU.

Agreed. That's how I always kind of viewed it as well.

(07-22-2014 05:53 AM)WheresWaldo42 Wrote:  Like I said, I don't know that I really "like it or not".

I think I am leaning towards the, we will see him on the field this fall, as well.
But Belt brought up a good point, it is worth burning a year of eligibility in week 9, if the team is 2-6? And I also think that is a good question as well.

Ultimately, I don't believe that PJ is going to be looking ahead to 5 years from now with Stewart. I don't think he is at all concerned with burning red shirts or years of eligibility in hopes of any of these kids being able to still play for him in 2018. So while I totally get Belts point, I think what is ultimately going to happen with not only Stewart, but many of the incoming freshman, is that they are going to get plugged in early. Once the season is "lost" in terms of bowl eligibility or winning the MAC or whatever the scenarios are, along with guys having time to get more acclimated and earn time on the field. I think you will start seeing many more of these kids get on the field for the in game experience later in the season. Stewart included.

I think you hit it WW. PJ has proven he has a big ego and I suspect he is going to want to play with his team. He brought in a highly touted class and they are his own, so that is what he will run with if he can. If that does happen, lets hope they climb a steep learning curve and prove to be every bit as good as their rankings.

I know this is old school, but I think it was Woody Hayes who said that you should plan on losing a game for every freshman that you start. Of course, for the most part, he coached in the days of loaded rosters with no limits on scholarships.

(07-22-2014 08:10 AM)MajorHoople Wrote:  

(07-22-2014 07:19 AM)Hoekjeness Wrote:  if Zach Terrell is still our QB in 2016 then we are in trouble.

You not counting on Fleck's expert tutelage to develop Terrell over the next few years? No chance he can improve with coaching and experience?

Or are you admitting Fleck is a recruiter only?

Actually, I think Terrell improved over the course of last season as did several other players. A little premature to call him a recruiter only.

You can't go by last year anyway. Coach Fleck had a whirlwind year, this year we will be better stocked and deeper. As far as the QB question, who knows? Play the guy that gives you the best chance to win. I agree it is a decision though, if he needs the redshirt to be comfortable, give it to him. If we are winning with Terrell, let him keep winning. I want to see us have a chance to win.