Laviano is officially no longer the "safer" choice

[MikeRU1766]

One of the main unspoken reasons for choosing Laviano over Rettig to start the season was that he was the "safer" choice and he wouldn't put our defense in bad positions.

Well I think it has become blatantly obvious THAT HE IS NO LONGER THE SAFER CHOICE!!! HE IS A DANGER OUT THERE!

Reasons why:

1. He is fumbling snaps at a rate that I have never seen before. I believe the count is somewhere around 6-7 fumbled snaps and the fumbled snap today put our defense in a TERRIBLE spot with WISC starting on our own 4 yard line. These fumbled snaps are the MAIN reason he is not safe out there.

2. His lack of an arm is actually causing more "turnovers" because our passing downs ARE SO OBVIOUS! The coaches clearly do not trust him to throw on 1st or 2nd down and then when they are FORCED to throw on 3rd down it is so obvious and the defense is ready for it. Perfect example was the wheel route to Paul James that was picked off. The defensive player was right on James hip and then the safety was able to be in absolute perfect position to either crush James or catch the deflection. THIS IS PARTIALLY DUE TO IT BEING SO OBVIOUS WHEN WE WILL BE PASSING! This is partially on Ben McDaniels as well.

3. His throws get to our receivers FAR too slow. There was an example today where Patton ran a comeback route and literally had 5 yards of space around him, but the ball got to him SO SLOWLY that the second he caught the ball the defenders were RIGHT on him and he therefore did not have any time to make a play. Plays like this are the type that can go for BIG YARDAGE if you get the ball there fast enough and give the WR a chance to make a person miss.

4. Massive lack of big plays. In college football, unless you are one of the few elite teams who can dominate based on talent..... you MUST be able to make big plays on a regular basis in order to beat the teams at the top of the BIG10. The problem with Laviano is that he NEVER throws deeps unless to Carroo and even on short throws.... his arm is so weak that defenders are right on the WR's when they catch it and thereby limits the opportunity for the WR to make a defender miss and turn it into a big play. THE LACK OF BIG PLAYS FORCES US TO RUN MORE PLAYS WHICH LEADS TO EVENTUAL PENALTIES OR TURNOVERS!

5. Ball security. He seems to run with the ball pretty loose in his hand and this has already cost us 1 or 2 fumbles... most notably the famous dropped fumble against Penn State.

All of the above points HAVE SHATTERED the image of Laviano being the "safer, game manager" image. I am sorry Laviano I hope you work hard in the summer and get your focus on football and not the bars, but as for the rest of this season....... IT IS OFFICIALLY RETTIG TIME!

 

[AreYouNUTS]

Won't matter he'll be our starter next week. All you needed to hear was the idiotic comment about Laviano, from our MORON of a HC, in the post-game presser, to know this will be the case.

 

[Caliknight]

OP is spot on. Our great game manager is really a liability. But hey, Flood named him the starter so unless he quits football, that is his role on the team. Sort of like the kicker who misses chip shots. He is our kicker and that is that.

 

[NickKnight 1]

One of the main unspoken reasons for choosing Laviano over Rettig to start the season was that he was the "safer" choice and he wouldn't put our defense in bad positions.

Well I think it has become blatantly obvious THAT HE IS NO LONGER THE SAFER CHOICE!!! HE IS A DANGER OUT THERE!

Reasons why:

1. He is fumbling snaps at a rate that I have never seen before. I believe the count is somewhere around 6-7 fumbled snaps and the fumbled snap today put our defense in a TERRIBLE spot with WISC starting on our own 4 yard line. These fumbled snaps are the MAIN reason he is not safe out there.

2. His lack of an arm is actually causing more "turnovers" because our passing downs ARE SO OBVIOUS! The coaches clearly do not trust him to throw on 1st or 2nd down and then when they are FORCED to throw on 3rd down it is so obvious and the defense is ready for it. Perfect example was the wheel route to Paul James that was picked off. The defensive player was right on James hip and then the safety was able to be in absolute perfect position to either crush James or catch the deflection. THIS IS PARTIALLY DUE TO IT BEING SO OBVIOUS WHEN WE WILL BE PASSING! This is partially on Ben McDaniels as well.

3. His throws get to our receivers FAR too slow. There was an example today where Patton ran a comeback route and literally had 5 yards of space around him, but the ball got to him SO SLOWLY that the second he caught the ball the defenders were RIGHT on him and he therefore did not have any time to make a play. Plays like this are the type that can go for BIG YARDAGE if you get the ball there fast enough and give the WR a chance to make a person miss.

4. Massive lack of big plays. In college football, unless you are one of the few elite teams who can dominate based on talent..... you MUST be able to make big plays on a regular basis in order to beat the teams at the top of the BIG10. The problem with Laviano is that he NEVER throws deeps unless to Carroo and even on short throws.... his arm is so weak that defenders are right on the WR's when they catch it and thereby limits the opportunity for the WR to make a defender miss and turn it into a big play. THE LACK OF BIG PLAYS FORCES US TO RUN MORE PLAYS WHICH LEADS TO EVENTUAL PENALTIES OR TURNOVERS!

5. Ball security. He seems to run with the ball pretty loose in his hand and this has already cost us 1 or 2 fumbles... most notably the famous dropped fumble against Penn State.

All of the above points HAVE SHATTERED the image of Laviano being the "safer, game manager" image. I am sorry Laviano I hope you work hard in the summer and get your focus on football and not the bars, but as for the rest of this season....... IT IS OFFICIALLY RETTIG TIME!

Focusing on bars was a comment that was criticized on this board by many on this board.
But I had mentioned before, with all this crap going on, I would not have gone with the guy
that risked his reputation as a leader by illegal drinking.

 

[herdof3]

What is also overlooked is that he is really not that accurate on screens and short passes either. 1st 2 passes today were not unusual for him. For a guy who had accomplished nothing before this year he has a very long leash for some reason.

 

[MikeRU1766]

Focusing on bars was a comment that was criticized on this board by many on this board.
But I had mentioned before, with all this crap going on, I would not have gone with the guy
that risked his reputation as a leader by illegal drinking.

Excellent point. And also just in general, the quarterback needs to be ONE OF THE MOST SERIOUS AND DEDICATED players on the entire team. There are many reasons for this, but mainly because it sets the example for everybody else on the team.

So going back to the bar incident from earlier this season, it was bad enough for Laviano to be caught out drinking at the bar with a fake-ID. But it was actually much worse than you may have first thought because of the TIMING. This whole bar incident happened RIGHT BEFORE THE FOOTBALL SEASON WAS SET TO START! If this isn't a DEAD GIVEAWAY that a player is not necessarily 100% focused on the team and the season then I don't know what is.

And I believe the lack of dedication is beginning to show through the results on the field. After the OSU and WISC game results, he should be watching films and focusing on improving his own game and his team's playing level. Of course, he is in college and is allowed to party, BUT when he is getting blown out of the water then he should be so upset and care so much about this sport... that he would choose not to be out and instead be watching film.

So if anyone is a RU student please post if you see Laviano out at a party this weekend or if you saw him last weekend b/c I am curious the mindset and dedication of Laviano. This goes for ANY AND ALL players actually because they ALL should be so upset about these past 2 weeks.

 

[Ridge 22]

There is nothing to debate. Laviano will be starting next week. Anyone who doubts that hasnt been paying attention the past 4 years.

 

[cRURah]

Coach Flood has anointed Laviano with the title of "Starter for Life". Why should he worry about getting benched or improving his play? Hell he can party all night before the game and rest assured he will start the game and the next and the next.

 

[cohwx]

Laviano fumbled snaps == Nova illegal forward passes (though of course the fumbled snaps are potentially more damaging). Didn't someone earlier in the season refer to him as Lavianova? Seems accurate.

 

[MikeRU1766]

Laviano fumbled snaps == Nova illegal forward passes (though of course the fumbled snaps are potentially more damaging). Didn't someone earlier in the season refer to him as Lavianova? Seems accurate.

Nova was WAYYYYY better than Laviano. I still do not think Nova gets the proper amount of credit for what he pulled off last year in our first year in the BIG10. He played like a stud besides 1 or 2 very bad games and Rutgers fans really should give him his due.

But anyway, as for the comparison:

1. Nova could make ALL the throws on the field.
2. Nova has ZIP on his passes so when a receiver was able to get open he also was able to catch the ball with space to potentially make a move compared to Laviano throwing it soft and WR's having defenders right on them by the time the ball reaches them.
3. Nova cared A LOT! I can guarantee Nova was not out as a bar the week before the season opener.
4. Nova won. He went 8-5 with a bowl win in the BIG10 when everyone predicted us to win something like 3 games.

So anyway I understand the comparison between Laviano and Nova when it comes to making some boneheaded plays, but in general as a quarterback....there is no comparison as of now.

 

[cohwx]

No, of course...especially last year's Nova, there's no comparison there.

 

[RUMBA-JK]

Four completions out of Fourteen attempts ????? ....and a total of 31 YARDS ????

and yet Flood will consider no other options? .... no other Quarterback? won't elect to change things up even if only to give Laviano a break? Seriously ... what respectable coach would stubbornly lock-in on a decision like this?

Ouch ! the utter incompetence is painful to watch.

 

[MikeRU1766]

Four completions out of Fourteen attempts ????? ....and a total of 31 YARDS ????

and yet Flood will consider no other options? .... no other Quarterback? won't elect to change things up even if only to give Laviano a break? Seriously ... what respectable coach would stubbornly lock-in on a decision like this?

Ouch ! the utter incompetence is painful to watch.

Agreed. I have been a strong Flood supporter and still am a Flood supporter (for many reasons, but I do admit one place he needs to work on is being more creative with the game plan in general and the playcalling), BUT Flood is definitely making a mistake here with the QB situation.

If a quarterback is playing well, but just hits a rough patch then yes it is the smart thing to stay supportive of him and not make it so he is looking over his shoulder. The difference here though is that Laviano just seems to not be a capable enough player ON TOP OF recently hitting a very, very rough patch.

So this is where the issue lies because even if we give Laviano a long leash and we get through this rough patch and make it through to the other side...... what do we have? We still have Laviano who throws a WAY too soft ball, who doesn't necessarily seems as committed and focused on football as I would expect a Rutgers quarterback to be, who doesn't seem to be a natural at throwing the ball away when pressured, and who seems to get nervous and makes boneheaded plays.

So this is where a Head Football Coach is SUPPOSED to be able to step up and at least somewhat earn his large paycheck. He is supposed to realize that a mistake was made at the beginning of the year by going with Laviano and that for the rest of this season Rettig gives us the best chance of winning if only because he OPENS UP THE FIELD. Teams cannot just stack the box anymore against us on first and second downs because they know we won't throw on those downs with Laviano.

 

[RU62]

Rettig earned the opportunity to start the 2nd half based on what we saw from Laviano in the 1st half. But to continue with him throughout the 3rd quarter was a joke and a major coaching deficiency. And then to comment the way Flood did in the post game press conference was idiotic and makes one wonder if he values his job and those of his assistants. I honestly think he lost the team on this one. I know yesrs ago if it were a situation like this where the team captain(s) would have met with the head coach and voiced a strong opinion on how the team felt and perhaps someone else should be given an opportunity to start or at least play more as opposed to very late mop up duty. It certainly cannot get any worse. One can easily see at least 2 qb's transferring out at the end of the semester unless a coaching change is msdr.

 

[Pritz99]

Just admit it. You made a mistake. It's not the first and won't be the last. Everybody makes 'em. It's not a horrible reflection on you. Not attempting to correct the mistake is a far worse crime. Any change you make is not carved in stone. If it doesn't work, you can always make another change. A coach looking for the right player/combination happens all the time, everywhere. Take note of Urban Meier: Took a Heisman winning QB and made him 3rd string. Not even the backup -- 3rd string.

Maybe What Laviano needs is to sit on the bench and observe for a while. No one will accuse you of being disloyal. Not even Laviano. He more than anyone realizes he has not been playing well.

I don't know if it's an ego thing, or what. But a good coach will not sacrifice a game, the season, the program in the attempt to prove he was right. But he very well could sacrifice his job, maybe his future, in a futile persuit.

WAke up and smell the coffee.

 

[RUfromSoCal?]

QB controversy where we never needed to have a QB controversy. I said weeks ago, when KF returned to the sidelines, he should make sure to play Rettig a few series every game (and not just at the end) -- that way both QBs get real gametime experience and we'd all have a better idea who really is a better QB.

now, we just have a mess...

 

[ru75]

Just admit it. You made a mistake. It's not the first and won't be the last. Everybody makes 'em. It's not a horrible reflection on you. Not attempting to correct the mistake is a far worse crime. Any change you make is not carved in stone. If it doesn't work, you can always make another change. A coach looking for the right player/combination happens all the time, everywhere. Take note of Urban Meier: Took a Heisman winning QB and made him 3rd string. Not even the backup -- 3rd string.

Maybe What Laviano needs is to sit on the bench and observe for a while. No one will accuse you of being disloyal. Not even Laviano. He more than anyone realizes he has not been playing well.

I don't know if it's an ego thing, or what. But a good coach will not sacrifice a game, the season, the program in the attempt to prove he was right. But he very well could sacrifice his job, maybe his future, in a futile persuit.

WAke up and smell the coffee.

This.
I was all for letting KF learn on the job once he was hired. I admit I made a mistake.