As much as I wanted to see Rettig out there early in several games to see what he had in the tank, there's a lot of truth to DJ's comment.
Hayden Rettig
- Thread starter red sail
- Start date
Why are we re-litigating the QB situation from last year? Enough already and move on.
From APP:
Like last year, Chris Laviano got the first opportunity but Hayden Rettig's arm strength again stood out.
Would be fun to see retting back in the gun slinging it around yard. Flood was the king in dampening enthusiasm. Really had to struggle to be as proficient at it as he was. Just having something exciting to see in this new O will be enjoyable in and of itself.
While it may merit its own topic in RU fball urban legends (see Hairston as a fumbler), the concept of Retting and not being able to play because of unfamiliarity with the playbook is quite the doozy. We ran nothing of any real complexity last year and spiked the ball on 4th down to end a game. The idea that we had someone so sharp in the playbook and game scenarios that we couldnt sub in someone without that level is beyond rich. Further, we never saw proof of it mostly because there wasn enough data.
Here's to slinging it around the yard this year and trying to counter any talent differential schematically and using the one talent advanatage we may have--strong armed qb.
Like last year, Chris Laviano got the first opportunity but Hayden Rettig's arm strength again stood out.
Would be fun to see retting back in the gun slinging it around yard. Flood was the king in dampening enthusiasm. Really had to struggle to be as proficient at it as he was. Just having something exciting to see in this new O will be enjoyable in and of itself.
While it may merit its own topic in RU fball urban legends (see Hairston as a fumbler), the concept of Retting and not being able to play because of unfamiliarity with the playbook is quite the doozy. We ran nothing of any real complexity last year and spiked the ball on 4th down to end a game. The idea that we had someone so sharp in the playbook and game scenarios that we couldnt sub in someone without that level is beyond rich. Further, we never saw proof of it mostly because there wasn enough data.
Here's to slinging it around the yard this year and trying to counter any talent differential schematically and using the one talent advanatage we may have--strong armed qb.
Thank you. I, for one, had a lot of trouble believing that Rettig couldn't learn OUR playbook. Does he struggle with his classwork? Does he have a learning disability? If he does, then there could be some merit to this, but if he doesn't, can we please put this notion to rest?
Parts of your post make me question your understanding of football and what a complex offense looks like. If a person can't remember the play then it's complex for them. That's long before remembering who your second or third option is. It's a new staff, new O, and new year but I think many are going to be disappointed again. Here's to the best option taking over the offense.
There was an article is the app today where Rettig said he didn't think he struggled with the playbook last year, but he did say he feels much more at home with this new offense
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My comment has nothing to do with Flood and everything to do with people who claimed that Rettig didn't get a fair shake, that the coaching staff was biased against him and that we would have played better with him at the helm than with Laviano. What will these people then claim if Ash once again names Laviano the starter or even Rescigno? What will the excuse be then?
My understanding--sure ok. So now we need to add a memory problem to the urban legend list? Retting couldn't :
I realize you and some others may be invested in defending past issues and positions, but really, Retting has a memory and recall issue? Hard to believe one can pass a college class if one couldn't remember the play from the time called. Getting a little ludicrous, if not a little bit of a personal attack on a kid who if he actually had a learning disability, would be a low blow. If he doesn't then it's just a baseless attack on a kid who was a standup backup last year in trying times. Lets just see how this shakes out with fresh eyes.
I realize you and some others may be invested in defending past issues and positions, but really, Retting has a memory and recall issue? Hard to believe one can pass a college class if one couldn't remember the play from the time called. Getting a little ludicrous, if not a little bit of a personal attack on a kid who if he actually had a learning disability, would be a low blow. If he doesn't then it's just a baseless attack on a kid who was a standup backup last year in trying times. Lets just see how this shakes out with fresh eyes.
I have no vested interest in who the QB is outside of wanting the team to win. No, he doesn't have a learning disability and I didn't infer that. He actually does quite well in school. That being said, it's far from some "baseless attack" and you might be best suited being content knowing what you don't know rather than spouting nonsense and accusations.
It wasn't that Rettig didn't start....that's what you're not getting...it was the plain, simple fact, that he was never given a proper chance to prove himself out there despite the fact that Laviano simply wasn't getting the job done against D's with a pulse. Yes, "Michigan State," but take LC out of that game and it's another blowout with our other WR's doing very little. LC simply took advantage of a very, very green secondary, that night, we all know this, right?
If Ash feels Laviano is the starter, fine, but I'll bet you every single malt scotch on Earth (well, not really...) that he has no problem whatsoever yanking him, and putting Rettig in for meaningful playing time, as soon as it's glaringly obvious to the entire world that CL isn't getting it done (should that be the case).
Flood was so stupid telling the world "I decided he's my starting QB and that we won't make changes until the 4th quarter if we do" (or whatever it was he said...). That, in a nutshell, is 90% of the reason people were so pissed off about the situation: Because Elmer THOUGHT he knew what he was doing and insisted on keeping the poor kid in there regardless of the beatings he and the team were taking INSTEAD OF giving the other guy a REAL opportunity to prove himself.
Absolutely correct. If Laviano wins the starting job and plays well, great!
If any of our QBs, including Rettig, wins the starting job and we are unable to score a TD in four straight games, YOU HAVE TO TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
Rettig made the Academic All Big 10 team last year so lets stop the nonsense that he can't learn a playbook
I think it will be a different beast this year.
The prior staff made mistakes early on in the handling of Rettig/Laviano from a messaging standpoint. All reports out of camp were that these two guys were neck and neck, with no daylight between them. They set that expectation early for the fanbase, that the two QBs were essentially swappable without any loss in skillset.
Then, the staff announced Rettig as the starting QB. It seemed as though Rettig had won the competition, and fans were looking forward to him starting the first game.... and then seemingly hours later, the announcement of Laviano's suspension came down. So, was it that Rettig won, or was it that Laviano was being suspended? Either way, they were a 50/50 coin toss in terms of who was better, per the staff, who couldn't make up their mind until the very last moment. Neither outshone the other.
Rettig started and was stellar, completing passes to multiple targets and accounting for a TD in the air and another with his feet... without his starting WR.
Then halftime came... if Rettig had truly won the starting QB position, he'd come back out. If actual game performance meant anything, he'd come back out and get a chance to show what he could do with Carroo. He didn't come out... and that's when it was immediately apparent that the staff was either a) lying about how close the competition was or b) had chosen their QB and didn't care what the other guy did on the field.
When Laviano struggled in later games, the staff wouldn't switch horses - they had made their choice, and were sticking with it, for better or for worse. This is when all the smoke they were blowing over the summer about it being a "too close to call" competition started to bite them in the ass. Clearly they felt Laviano was far better and Rettig wasn't going to sniff the field for meaningful minutes.
BTW - just to set the record straight, I think that Gio may actually be the QB best suited for this O and who ends up our starter. Could be wrong, who knows, just wanted to get it out there.
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Which means absolutely jack sh$t. Savon was one of the nicest brightest kids in our program but he could never learn to let a play develop. He simply kept running into the backs of our linemen. Does that mean he isn't bright?
Spanky, I'm a little surprised at you, you should know better than that. If Laviano is named starter this year, it means nothing as far as most of us complaining about Elmer's handling of QBs last year. First off, Laviano is probably a better fit in some ways for this O as vs Rettig, since he is the more mobile of the two. That doesn't mean that CL was a better choice than HR for the pro set that RU used last year. Secondly, the issue that most of us had with Flood was not as much not naming him starter initially, but his reluctance to make a change when CL struggled. I doubt that we'll see Ash do that.
How are you a moderator?...... Seriously
See my post above.
If Ash talks all spring and summer, up to the few days before the game, that two of his QBs are equal in standing and neither has shown any edge over the other.... and then he chooses one, only to watch him do very well in the first half and then pull him at half time in favor of the other... and then refuses to give the first another opportunity to improve the team's fortunes while the second is struggling on the field...
...then we'll talk.
The Laviano/Rettig argument last year had its roots in Flood's soil (soil that was well fertilized with bullshit)... he practically guaranteed a QB controversy the way he was talking about the two of them up until game week, and then the way they were handled/performed in the season opener.
Had he said early on that one had an edge over the other, but he wasn't ready to name names or make a decision quite yet... and then named Laviano the starter prior to announcing his half-game suspension (resulting in an expectation that Laviano would enter the game after the half no matter what Rettig did in the first half)... a lot of the controversy would have been averted, just from better messaging.
When Laviano struggled, there still would have been people calling for a change - but they wouldn't have had the gallons of fuel provided by Flood in his mishandling of the messaging and first game.
Again this was an issue no matter who played qb and probably was more indicative of coaching
Yeah, that's what it means. :boxing:
Spank I know you have a place in your heart for Flood, I get it, but the bottom line is he handled this situation very poorly my friend.
[cheers][cheers]
It's got nothing to do with Flood and everything to do with why Laviano and not Rettig saw the field last year.
Vjk - see you are certainly digging yourself in. You can do that, but please don't tell anyone else what they should be content about because you have some Purported superior knowledge. It's a little silly and appears that way. We're all just talking football year and what we want to see for next year. No reason for the personal attacks
The real *why* behind one seeing the field over the other is secondary to the perceived *why not*, which was created by the terrible messaging during the spring/summer practices leading up to the first game. Without Flood blowing so much smoke about how neither had an advantage over the other, and without him naming Rettig his starter, the noise would have been much, much less.
He was an Academic All-B1G. Let's think about that for a moment and put 2+2 together.
Huh?
The only thing I'm "implying" is that I - most, actually - find it very hard to believe what others have implied about Rettig due to his academic standing (but, hey, you never know...).
Wow, that would really stink. Laviano is not a D1 QB, let alone B10 QB. But he could possibly win the job because Rettig has the IQ of retired HWT Boxer, lol.
Good Lord, say it ain't so, lol.
Rettig was an All-Academic B1G selection last year, as has already been stated in this thread, and you can stop attempting to put words in my mouth. Holy douche!
Flood did Laviano no favors last year. Human beings learn from adversity. His refusal to bench him guaranteed Laviano would not grow up. Given that Ash is a guy that considers both character and talent, the odds are low that Laviano is anointed early and starts the season. What Laviano does with that coming adversity is up to him; I wouldn't bet he does well.
I didn't say it was right. It was posted often here that he wasn't playing because he had difficulty with playbook. I'm not with team so don't know if true or not, but hsve trouble buying it for an academic all big 10 player.
A couple things that always bothered me about this Flood thing, with the QBs. We now know
about all the problems Flood had with the team off the field. We had an idea but later on
the ship hit fan. So when Flood had to suspend Laviano I now know the right thing to
do, would have been at least a game or two suspension. For two reasons, first to show the team
(the bad guys) he means business. Secondly, he could have taken advantage of this situation
and took a look at Rettig, especially knowing this was the soft part of the schedule. There was almost
no chance Rettig would have lost against the out of conference games. This is where I
lost faith completely with Flood for good. He handled this almost as bad as Schiano handled the
Cubit situation.
about all the problems Flood had with the team off the field. We had an idea but later on
the ship hit fan. So when Flood had to suspend Laviano I now know the right thing to
do, would have been at least a game or two suspension. For two reasons, first to show the team
(the bad guys) he means business. Secondly, he could have taken advantage of this situation
and took a look at Rettig, especially knowing this was the soft part of the schedule. There was almost
no chance Rettig would have lost against the out of conference games. This is where I
lost faith completely with Flood for good. He handled this almost as bad as Schiano handled the
Cubit situation.
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