Rutgers coach Greg Schiano on wishing he had never left, and why he'll end his career at Rutgers

[GoodOl'Rutgers]

Yes - pass behind WR to keep defenders away from the ball. A throw to outside or in front could be picked for a INT and TD.
That play wasn't going anywhere no matter what - Ohio read it from the start. RU blockers were dispatched with ease and Dremel was rag-dolled.

That play was typical of RUs red zone lameness.
A little Mahomes shovel pass up the middle would work better than a HS screen pass.
But oh no! Might get fumbled lol

What? That's crazy... OH YEAH.. back shoulder throw in teh middle, behind the LOS.. so very common.

Wait.. that's right, GW overthrows were pretty common... that did prevent that.

As for the play going nowhere.. true.. but play design and habits we had.. likely because we cannot count on accuracy from GW.. caused that. No one was concerned about a TE up the middle... they were free to go outside.. and no fake to the best RB in the Big Ten? Well.. 3rd and goal from teh 3.. that's pass territory.. if he fakes the pass and hands off or ran the other way.. that would have been best bet there. We probably blew it on earlier downs too.

Hopefully a more dependable passing game frees up a lot of stuff.

 

[yesrutgers01]

I’m not going to talk for Teel but it seems clear his is just saying that ww had a QB win 7 games in a season we were expected to win 4-5. He is not saying if a better QB wins 8 or if a worse one wins 3.
But our outcast actually was successful last year.

 

[Extra Point]

GW played terrible in the Maryland game. GW played good in the VT game, he gave the defense fits with his scrambling and basically is one of the reasons for that win.

 

[ashokan]

GW played terrible in the Maryland game. GW played good in the VT game, he gave the defense fits with his scrambling and basically is one of the reasons for that win.

He had a good pass to Washington.

 

[socaldave]

Notice how it's not someone defending Gavin that began this discourse. But I know I defended Gavin many times on this board. Not because I thought he was Joe Montana but because I felt he was helping the team have it's best season in a decade. Also because some on the board seemed to believe Evan Simon would have been better and the coaches only started Gavin because he was a 4 star or whatever other reason. This group ignored the fact that the coaches were obviously aiming for a run heavy offense and a rushing threat at quarterback. I actually thought he would develop more as a passer towards the end of the year, like the trajectory of a Jalen milroe from Alabama but he didn't. It is what it is but he still lead the team to a good season and broke the record for rushing yards as a QB. Provided Maybe the most electric offensive play last year with his 75 yard run vs Indiana and a bowl victory. And I had no idea who they'd be able to find in the transfer portal being that developmental program is the Rutgers mantra now. Didnt think a better option was in the budget. Now that Ive heard a little bit about AK-47 I feel he can be a more serviceable QB for this team and if not, speed up the timeline on Sheppard and surace. Things move fast this is a new year and a new roster. Last year you were wrong to want Evan Simon to start over Gavin..

Lots of assumptions, thanks for outing yourself!
The insufferability continues 😂
Not interested in your absurdity
7 minute mark on!

 

[Jerseylegends]

Lots of assumptions, thanks for outing yourself!
The insufferability continues 😂
7 minute mark on!

Lol I mean yes, I thought complaining about Gavin last year was pointless. Evan Simon starting would not have won you 7 games. Simple as that, you guys were complaining after wins calling for Simon to start. You were wrong, you're actually outing yourself here. He did a good job for the most part. Just terrible consistency with his mechanics which lead to inaccuracies, super inaccuracies lol the worst in d1 but again for what this team was trying to do he did an ok job last season and they won every game they would be expected to and then some more wins on top of that. A better option was found in the portal and the team moved on.

 

[yesrutgers01]

Lol I mean yes, I thought complaining about Gavin last year was pointless. Evan Simon starting would not have won you 7 games. Simple as that, you guys were complaining after wins calling for Simon to start. You were wrong, you're actually outing yourself here. He did a good job for the most part. Just terrible consistency with his mechanics which lead to inaccuracies, super inaccuracies lol the worst in d1 but again for what this team was trying to do he did an ok job last season and they won every game they would be expected to and then some more wins on top of that. A better option was found in the portal and the team moved on.

No QB on our roster was winning more than 7 games. But no WB on our roster last year would give us a shot at 8+ this year…

 

[Plum Street]

No QB on our roster was winning more than 7 games. But no WB on our roster last year would give us a shot at 8+ this year…

bs . A better QB wins the Ohio state game at minimum.

 

[yesrutgers01]

bs . A better QB wins the Ohio state game at minimum.

Who was the better QB on our roster?

 

[Extra Point]

bs . A better QB wins the Ohio state game at minimum.

Rutgers was not going to beat OSU even with a great QB.

 

[yesrutgers01]

Rutgers was not going to beat OSU even with a great QB.

Did you watch the game?

 

[Plum Street]

Did you watch the game?

Wimsatt missed Dremel for an easy TD early. The pick 6 changed the game

 

[yesrutgers01]

Wimsatt missed Dremel for an easy TD early. The pick 6 changed the game

Exactly- I also put some of this loss on the OC- we are running on them and they can’t stop us and he decides to call that pass play

 

[RULoyal]

 

[Jerseylegends]

Exactly- I also put some of this loss on the OC- we are running on them and they can’t stop us and he decides to call that pass play

Also give Wimsatt a game breaker at receiver that could have changed that game as well. Someone that you can't over throw or can make diving catches. But if if we're a fifth......

 

[MADHAT1]

Also give Wimsatt a game breaker at receiver that could have changed that game as well. Someone that you can't over throw or can make diving catches. But if if we're a fifth......

In other words Gavin needed a miracle worker that could make Wimsatt look like he had better accuracy then he shown while running the offense.😉

 

[Jerseylegends]

In other words Gavin needed a miracle worker that could make Wimsatt look like he had better accuracy then he shown while running the offense.😉

Wasn't even talking in terms of Gavin looking good lol. I'm talking about winning the game, Michigan was a winnable game as well. Ran all over them, and Wimsatt hit Dremel for that long td. But needed a little more passing to keep drives going and put up more points. Team was not built to pass, receivers included. No. 1 receiver last year is now no. 3. Again no one is saying Wimsatt deserves to still be starting at Rutgers. But if the infrastructure around him was built for an explosive passing offense, maybe you win games like that even with Wimsatt at QB. He can hit a 9 route to one of those top tier receivers..but Rutgers wanted to be safe and run the ball last year; now they recognize that they can take the next step with better passing, hence dymere miller and AK-47 being brought in. Gavin is battling another transfer from Georgia former 5 star for the QB job at Kentucky. They might want to run the ball this year if they can't get good QB pla, hence they brought in Gavin. It's about how you think your team can win games.

 

[MADHAT1]

Wasn't even talking in terms of Gavin looking good lol. I'm talking about winning the game, Michigan was a winnable game as well. Ran all over them, and Wimsatt hit Dremel for that long td. But needed a little more passing to keep drives going and put up more points. Team was not built to pass, receivers included. No. 1 receiver last year is now no. 3. Again no one is saying Wimsatt deserves to still be starting at Rutgers. But if the infrastructure around him was built for an explosive passing offense, maybe you win games like that even with Wimsatt at QB. He can hit a 9 route to one of those top tier receivers..but Rutgers wanted to be safe and run the ball last year; now they recognize that they can take the next step with better passing, hence dymere miller and AK-47 being brought in. Gavin is battling another transfer from Georgia former 5 star for the QB job at Kentucky. They might want to run the ball this year if they can't get good QB pla, hence they brought in Gavin. It's about how you think your team can win games.

Wimsatt's accurcy problem made the passing attack a hit and miss affair.
He'd look great on one, but the next few wouldn't be close to their target and the RU receivers really weren't talented enough to catch some of the passes that were a little off target

 

[Jerseylegends]

Wimsatt's accurcy problem made the passing attack a hit and miss affair.
He'd look great on one, but the next few wouldn't be close to their target and the RU receivers really weren't talented enough to catch some of the passes that were a little off target

Was super disappointed he wasn't showing any progress in that area. Lol I had grandiose visions of the RU offense in his later years. Then I'd see him struggle with a swing pass. Smh

 

[Jerseylegends]

Wimsatt's accurcy problem made the passing attack a hit and miss affair.
He'd look great on one, but the next few wouldn't be close to their target and the RU receivers really weren't talented enough to catch some of the passes that were a little off target

Also maybe wide receiver development in the program hadnt caught up to the rest of the team as opposed to the team purposely deciding they weren't focusing on passing. Idk if jaquae Jackson would have been better with a better QB but he didn't look good out there. So that was a miss in the portal and Brantley couldn't get cleared. So not like the coaches weren't trying to give Wimsatt weapons. The wr room just wasn't that good during his time here and now that it's looking good, team can't risk that Wimsatt won't be able to get these new improving weapons the football..it's the way the cookie crumbles.

 

[WasatRutgers]

Great interview. I noticed Greg’s face lit up with that coy confident smile when they talked about our WR room and how good it can be. Very telling on how good Greg feels they will be.

Accurate passing and a good WR corps and a D like we have makes for a chance in every game.

 

[RUbacker]

Accurate passing and a good WR corps and a D like we have makes for a chance in every game.

That’s what is different about this season , like you said , a chance in every game .

 

[GoodOl'Rutgers]

He had a good pass to Washington.

Notice the footwork.. he steps into that throw.. a rare occurrence for him. And he still rotates his body around. It is puzzling how good he could be if he only had good throwing form and habits. You know what.. Washington had a good lead.. no reason to make him turn around for that.. that was the rotation... hmm.. maybe that inside help could have gotten to it more inside... he was closing fast.

 

[GoodOl'Rutgers]

Lol I mean yes, I thought complaining about Gavin last year was pointless. Evan Simon starting would not have won you 7 games. Simple as that, you guys were complaining after wins calling for Simon to start. You were wrong, you're actually outing yourself here. He did a good job for the most part. Just terrible consistency with his mechanics which lead to inaccuracies, super inaccuracies lol the worst in d1 but again for what this team was trying to do he did an ok job last season and they won every game they would be expected to and then some more wins on top of that. A better option was found in the portal and the team moved on.

Simon could have handed off the ball to Monagai exactly as GW did. That's what won games. We have no idea what Simon could have done had he been given the spot but there was enough evidence that he would have completed more passes.

They both played a fair amount in 2022.

Wimsatt

2022	Rutgers	Big Ten	SO	QB	8	65	145	44.8	757	5.2	3.7	5	7	90.4

Simon

2022	Rutgers	Big Ten	SO	QB	9	79	137	57.7	777	5.7	4.3	4	6	106.2

As for rushing.. GW had a nice year.. in 2023 3.8 avg.. but that is tied for 2nd to last among Rutgers rushers. Give that ball to anyone not named Sam Brown (coming off injury) and you'd get those same yards. Now.. if he really ran an RPO and was a real threat as a dual-threat QB then we wouldn't be having an argument. Maybe GW will feel forced to figure that out now at Kentucky. And I hope he does.

Your Simon argument was previously pitched about Cole Snyder.. who did fine at Buffalo. Maybe Simon will prove the same at Temple and maybe Cole Snyder will continue to do well at Eastern Michigan.

 

[Jerseylegends]

Simon could have handed off the ball to Monagai exactly as GW did. That's what won games. We have no idea what Simon could have done had he been given the spot but there was enough evidence that he would have completed more passes.

They both played a fair amount in 2022.

Wimsatt

2022	Rutgers	Big Ten	SO	QB	8	65	145	44.8	757	5.2	3.7	5	7	90.4

Simon

2022	Rutgers	Big Ten	SO	QB	9	79	137	57.7	777	5.7	4.3	4	6	106.2

As for rushing.. GW had a nice year.. in 2023 3.8 avg.. but that is tied for 2nd to last among Rutgers rushers. Give that ball to anyone not named Sam Brown (coming off injury) and you'd get those same yards. Now.. if he really ran an RPO and was a real threat as a dual-threat QB then we wouldn't be having an argument. Maybe GW will feel forced to figure that out now at Kentucky. And I hope he does.

Your Simon argument was previously pitched about Cole Snyder.. who did fine at Buffalo. Maybe Simon will prove the same at Temple and maybe Cole Snyder will continue to do well at Eastern Michigan.

Listen, I don't really want to spend too much time on this because that season is over and neither is on the roster anymore. But you mean to tell me evan Simon would have gotten the same rushing stats as Wimsatt? You say hand the ball off to anyone to get 3.8 ypc but Wimsatt is a QB, which is the whole point. I don't understand how he can be a QB and have a "good season" rushing but not be considered dual threat. Don't even know if you guys are just trolling or if you're truly thinking this way. Snider transferred out of Buffalo now? Didn't know that hope he kills it at eastern Michigan. The teams Gavin qb'd had terrible wide outs, and offensive line was unproven at the time. I know you guys don't take into account the little things but Gavin did many of those things well and the team won 7 games last year. You guys want to qualify your constant bickering after wins last year by reacting this way any time someone mentions he might be doing well. Lol it's ok guys he will only start at Kentucky if the former 5 star transfer is a bust...Simon would not have won you the Indiana game for example. You think Simon would come in and the team would turn into USC or Oregon with jaquae Jackson and Christian Dremel as your top two wide outs?

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

Listen, I don't really want to spend too much time on this because that season is over and neither is on the roster anymore. But you mean to tell me evan Simon would have gotten the same rushing stats as Wimsatt? You say hand the ball off to anyone to get 3.8 ypc but Wimsatt is a QB, which is the whole point. I don't understand how he can be a QB and have a "good season" rushing but not be considered dual threat. Don't even know if you guys are just trolling or if you're truly thinking this way. Snider transferred out of Buffalo now? Didn't know that hope he kills it at eastern Michigan. The teams Gavin qb'd had terrible wide outs, and offensive line was unproven at the time. I know you guys don't take into account the little things but Gavin did many of those things well and the team won 7 games last year. You guys want to qualify your constant bickering after wins last year by reacting this way any time someone mentions he might be doing well. Lol it's ok guys he will only start at Kentucky if the former 5 star transfer is a bust...Simon would not have won you the Indiana game for example. You think Simon would come in and the team would turn into USC or Oregon with jaquae Jackson and Christian Dremel as your top two wide outs?

Impossible to say if he’s necessarily right, but what he’s saying is that Gavin didn’t run traditional RPO schemes which would have created the unique value your suggesting. Virtually all of his carries were QB keeps where Kyle paved a predesigned route with his blocking. Gavin’s a good runner - but what GoodOl is saying is that from the perspective of the D, those reps are essentially replacing reps that could’ve gone to RB 2 (Sam Brown, Benjamin, etc.) with Kyle blocking.

So he’s saying - you can’t look at it and say Evan wouldn’t have gotten as many yards as Gavin because Evan wouldn’t have gotten 10-11 carries a game. If we were keeping the ball on the ground, those carries would’ve gone to another back other than Kyle for change of pace. So you really have to compare it to that.

 

[Extra Point]

Did you watch the game?

Yes I watched. But say we scored 14 or 21 additional points. If OSU was playing from behind in the 2nd half, they would score 31 more points with their soon to be NFL running back who we struggled to stop, and their NFL draft pick #4 over all wide receiver who could score in a blink of an eye. Not to mention the other offensive weapons they had. The game was teasing us.

 

[GoodOl'Rutgers]

Listen, I don't really want to spend too much time on this because that season is over and neither is on the roster anymore. But you mean to tell me evan Simon would have gotten the same rushing stats as Wimsatt? You say hand the ball off to anyone to get 3.8 ypc but Wimsatt is a QB, which is the whole point. I don't understand how he can be a QB and have a "good season" rushing but not be considered dual threat. Don't even know if you guys are just trolling or if you're truly thinking this way. Snider transferred out of Buffalo now? Didn't know that hope he kills it at eastern Michigan. The teams Gavin qb'd had terrible wide outs, and offensive line was unproven at the time. I know you guys don't take into account the little things but Gavin did many of those things well and the team won 7 games last year. You guys want to qualify your constant bickering after wins last year by reacting this way any time someone mentions he might be doing well. Lol it's ok guys he will only start at Kentucky if the former 5 star transfer is a bust...Simon would not have won you the Indiana game for example. You think Simon would come in and the team would turn into USC or Oregon with jaquae Jackson and Christian Dremel as your top two wide outs?

Now it is suddenly all about rushing? You talked passing. I showed passing stats that clearly favor Simon.. and Snyder before him. I don't care if, for one year only, GW's rushing YPC matched that of our 2nd worst rusher. And somehow you give him dual-threat status when his true dual threat was when he'd not see open WRs or throw late and behind them or over their heads. He was single-threat.. that, occasionally, he'd run the ball on a designed run.

If you went back and looked at every play where you saw the defense honor a passing threat and then GW would run.. you can probably take the whole season and count those runs on your fingers. He was late throwing the ball and late deciding to scramble and very few of his scrambles were an attempt to gain yards.. or get out of pressure and throw a completion.. his scrambles were a few steps outside and backwards to get room to throw it out of bounds. Maybe some of that is avoiding turnovers because GS hates them so so much.. but it could also be because GW doesn't see the field all that well. And that's why there are so few truly good QBs.. but many can be competent enough to hit the short-open receivers that does not require a lot of the "vision thing".

You don't know how much I wish none of what I say was true. But it was.

A QB change was sorely needed.

 

[Jerseylegends]

Impossible to say if he’s necessarily right, but what he’s saying is that Gavin didn’t run traditional RPO schemes which would have created the unique value your suggesting. Virtually all of his carries were QB keeps where Kyle paved a predesigned route with his blocking. Gavin’s a good runner - but what GoodOl is saying is that from the perspective of the D, those reps are essentially replacing reps that could’ve gone to RB 2 (Sam Brown, Benjamin, etc.) with Kyle blocking.

So he’s saying - you can’t look at it and say Evan wouldn’t have gotten as many yards as Gavin because Evan wouldn’t have gotten 10-11 carries a game. If we were keeping the ball on the ground, those carries would’ve gone to another back other than Kyle for change of pace. So you really have to compare it to that.

Almost every handoff to monangai was a delayed handoff. Pretty sure I've pointed this out before and you guys told me that it was meaningless and done for no reason. So I'll just leave it at that...I don't know where in this thread I said Gavin was a good passer. @GoodOl'Rutgers the entire point I was trying to make is the coaches felt Gavin's overall abilities gave the team a better chance to win than any other QB on the roster. It's a completely different offense with a QB that the defense doesn't respect as a runner. On top of that the receiving corps was subpar...this year they feel the team is ready and brought in a new QB. It's simple man, don't try to speed up the future and live in the moment not in the past lol..

 

[GoodOl'Rutgers]

Almost every handoff to monangai was a delayed handoff. Pretty sure I've pointed this out before and you guys told me that it was meaningless and done for no reason. So I'll just leave it at that...I don't know where in this thread I said Gavin was a good passer. @GoodOl'Rutgers the entire point I was trying to make is the coaches felt Gavin's overall abilities gave the team a better chance to win than any other QB on the roster. It's a completely different offense with a QB that the defense doesn't respect as a runner. On top of that the receiving corps was subpar...this year they feel the team is ready and brought in a new QB. It's simple man, don't try to speed up the future and live in the moment not in the past lol..

First.. you idea of a delayed handoff makes people think of a true delayed handoff or a draw play... what we ran was an RPO where teh "delay" was a "mesh" of QB and RB both holding the ball and the QB reads the defense.. mainly the DE, to see if he is biting down on the RB handoff and opening the outside for a QB run and then teh QB either lets the RB keep the ball or he keeps it himself and takes it around OT where the DE vacated. GW was quite poor at this.. but Vedral before him was not any better at it. A true RPO QB who can do this well is a dangerous threat. GW was not that.

I honestly ask you this:

How many times were you watching Rutgers offense the past three years and thought.. "Gee, Wimsatt should have kept that one" or "Why did Gavin keep it when the DE was on him?"

That was on RPO.

Or how about this.. "Wimsatt could have scrambled for yards there.. why did he just throw it away. Are the coaches tell him not to run to reduce hits on him?"

Granted.. this last year where he had designed runs where he just follows Monangai into a hole behind blockers for every defender in the immediate area.. that did not exactly lower the number of hits he took.

But the point is.. GW was NOT a dual-threat QB and this idea that his running ability was enough to keep the position... just not true in objective analysis..

Maybe it was true.. based on the reality that he started every game.. but teh "dual threat QB" thing is a lie. And teh sad thing is that it did not have to be a lie.

There were plays where he was a clearly a passer who had no intention of running and everyone knew it. And other QBs could pass better.

There were plays where he'd just hand off.. anyone could do that.

There were plays where he was the running back. And we have better runningbacks than him. I get it.. a QB that runs like a runningback even on an obvious QB run (like Johnny Lagan's QB runs in short yardage) is a good thing. It is. But a real passing QB could more than make up the difference of not being a runner. A good passing QB can make all the RBs even better because defenses have to honor the pass.. cover the TE and RBs out of the backfield, etc.

There were plays that looked like real RPOs or playactions where he'd fake a handoff. But on RPOs GW seemed to just randomly side to give it to Monangai or take it himself. I suspect this because there seemed to be only random outcomes.. that is, GW kept it very infrequently and at least half the time he kept it the results indicate he did the wrong thing. And there were times he'd handoff and the DE would scrape down and get in on the RB. Lucky our OL played a lot better and Monangai had a monster season. And playactions? That results in GW trying to read the coverage and pick out a receiver and throw an accurate pass. Again, results show he was not good at this... DESPITE Monagai being an amazing threat to defenses where everyone should bite on the playaction.

But, after listing all my evidence that GW's "dual-threat" status should NOT have kept him under center I still have the ultimate bit of evidence... which is..

If GW was such a great runner and such a "dual-threat".. why is he now in Kentucky? Why did we replace him with someone who is not a "dual-threat"?

ANSWER: It is because anyone looking at objective evidence compiled over 3 seasons should arrive at the conclusion that GW needed to improve a lot more if Rutgers offense were to get beyond where they were in 2023... which was much better than they were in 2022.. based mainly on improved OL play and playcalling... not on QB play.

GW lost the starting spot and should have. Had he stayed he would have been a nice insurance policy this year bit it is what it is. I still think he has a lot of upside.. as a running QB if he really commits to the RPO and reading the defense he could rip teams up running if.. if he gets those couple step she needs to get going. As a true "dual-threat" he needs to get his feet quicker and get his footwork right and consistent on every pass... he needs to read defenses before the snap so he can figure out maybe 2 options to go to by predicting who will have single coverage and, based on the route, where they'd get open. He needs to know to hit that spot he needs X seconds and be looking in Y direction to hit it and get his feet and grip right so he can be ready.. and look off defenses in one way or another before he makes that throw. With better footwork.. and a more compact release.. he will be more accurate and less readable by defenses, lowering INTs because safeties won't have a read and then see his long arm motion to get a jump on where the ball is going.

If he cannot adjust his footwork or throwing motion.. then.. I still think, unconventionally, that GW should be throwing on the run.. always. He probably won't become less accurate and I think he'd end up running more and DB will have to ask themselves if they should be covering or coming up to stop him running. Based on how he seems to prefer to release the ball.. I think he'd feel more natural on the run. He just seems uncomfortable in the pocket.

 

[ashokan]

First.. you idea of a delayed handoff makes people think of a true delayed handoff or a draw play... what we ran was an RPO where teh "delay" was a "mesh" of QB and RB both holding the ball and the QB reads the defense.. mainly the DE, to see if he is biting down on the RB handoff and opening the outside for a QB run and then teh QB either lets the RB keep the ball or he keeps it himself and takes it around OT where the DE vacated. GW was quite poor at this.. but Vedral before him was not any better at it. A true RPO QB who can do this well is a dangerous threat. GW was not that.

I honestly ask you this:

How many times were you watching Rutgers offense the past three years and thought.. "Gee, Wimsatt should have kept that one" or "Why did Gavin keep it when the DE was on him?"

That was on RPO.

Or how about this.. "Wimsatt could have scrambled for yards there.. why did he just throw it away. Are the coaches tell him not to run to reduce hits on him?"

Granted.. this last year where he had designed runs where he just follows Monangai into a hole behind blockers for every defender in the immediate area.. that did not exactly lower the number of hits he took.

But the point is.. GW was NOT a dual-threat QB and this idea that his running ability was enough to keep the position... just not true in objective analysis..

Maybe it was true.. based on the reality that he started every game.. but teh "dual threat QB" thing is a lie. And teh sad thing is that it did not have to be a lie.

There were plays where he was a clearly a passer who had no intention of running and everyone knew it. And other QBs could pass better.

There were plays where he'd just hand off.. anyone could do that.

There were plays where he was the running back. And we have better runningbacks than him. I get it.. a QB that runs like a runningback even on an obvious QB run (like Johnny Lagan's QB runs in short yardage) is a good thing. It is. But a real passing QB could more than make up the difference of not being a runner. A good passing QB can make all the RBs even better because defenses have to honor the pass.. cover the TE and RBs out of the backfield, etc.

There were plays that looked like real RPOs or playactions where he'd fake a handoff. But on RPOs GW seemed to just randomly side to give it to Monangai or take it himself. I suspect this because there seemed to be only random outcomes.. that is, GW kept it very infrequently and at least half the time he kept it the results indicate he did the wrong thing. And there were times he'd handoff and the DE would scrape down and get in on the RB. Lucky our OL played a lot better and Monangai had a monster season. And playactions? That results in GW trying to read the coverage and pick out a receiver and throw an accurate pass. Again, results show he was not good at this... DESPITE Monagai being an amazing threat to defenses where everyone should bite on the playaction.

But, after listing all my evidence that GW's "dual-threat" status should NOT have kept him under center I still have the ultimate bit of evidence... which is..

If GW was such a great runner and such a "dual-threat".. why is he now in Kentucky? Why did we replace him with someone who is not a "dual-threat"?

ANSWER: It is because anyone looking at objective evidence compiled over 3 seasons should arrive at the conclusion that GW needed to improve a lot more if Rutgers offense were to get beyond where they were in 2023... which was much better than they were in 2022.. based mainly on improved OL play and playcalling... not on QB play.

GW lost the starting spot and should have. Had he stayed he would have been a nice insurance policy this year bit it is what it is. I still think he has a lot of upside.. as a running QB if he really commits to the RPO and reading the defense he could rip teams up running if.. if he gets those couple step she needs to get going. As a true "dual-threat" he needs to get his feet quicker and get his footwork right and consistent on every pass... he needs to read defenses before the snap so he can figure out maybe 2 options to go to by predicting who will have single coverage and, based on the route, where they'd get open. He needs to know to hit that spot he needs X seconds and be looking in Y direction to hit it and get his feet and grip right so he can be ready.. and look off defenses in one way or another before he makes that throw. With better footwork.. and a more compact release.. he will be more accurate and less readable by defenses, lowering INTs because safeties won't have a read and then see his long arm motion to get a jump on where the ball is going.

If he cannot adjust his footwork or throwing motion.. then.. I still think, unconventionally, that GW should be throwing on the run.. always. He probably won't become less accurate and I think he'd end up running more and DB will have to ask themselves if they should be covering or coming up to stop him running. Based on how he seems to prefer to release the ball.. I think he'd feel more natural on the run. He just seems uncomfortable in the pocket.

Recall that last season Kirk would be talking about GW's development and promising 2024 would be "the year for the mastery."
Of course if it wasn't the 'year of mastery' Kirk would have had a lot to answer for.
With that in mind, ending GW career and getting another QB off the discount shelf keeps Kirk safer.
He's making over a million a year despite a career that doesn't really stand-up to scrutiny.
I'm not sure he was ready to bank on GW - already knowing he couldn't coach the issues away.

As for running - GS hates running QBs and when asked why he didn't run more Teel said "coach told me not to."
Greg runs an old carnivore "prevent offense" that a reflection of GW's obsession with turnovers .
He might lose 2 TDs by playing safe and avoiding that 1 INT but hey that's his story and he's sticking to it.

"Dual threat" is not the kind of QB Schiano seeks.
Alas RU sucked a few years ago and GS wasn't recruiting studs - he was taking a 4* QB even if not pro set.
Greg letting a QB run 15-25 times a game would give him a nervous breakdown.
Yet even as a restricted runner he scored a TD every 12 carries and was in top 13 DTs in 2024.
With 20 combined TDs he could have had 25-30 pretty easily with the leash off
Gavin had Underwood's speed but better strength and cuts - if he got a tard past the LOS he just torched for big gains)

GW had offers from ND, Oregon, Nebraska, Michigan, TCU, WV, Michigan state, Maryland and other teams that don't just recruit cupcakes for QB. I'll bet they could have got more out of GW than RU did. Alas GW's parents really liked GS and RU was only place he took a visit.

Top 25 Returning Rushing Quarterbacks for the 2024 College Football Season Include Thomas Castellanos, Kaidon Salter

Dual-threat QBs have dominated the modern college football era, and the top 25 returning rushing quarterbacks are set to continue that trend.

collegefootballnetwork.com

 

[Extra Point]

Recall that last season Kirk would be talking about GW's development and promising 2024 would be "the year for the mastery."
Of course if it wasn't the 'year of mastery' Kirk would have had a lot to answer for.
With that in mind, ending GW career and getting another QB off the discount shelf keeps Kirk safer.
He's making over a million a year despite a career that doesn't really stand-up to scrutiny.
I'm not sure he was ready to bank on GW - already knowing he couldn't coach the issues away.

As for running - GS hates running QBs and when asked why he didn't run more Teel said "coach told me not to."
Greg runs an old carnivore "prevent offense" that a reflection of GW's obsession with turnovers .
He might lose 2 TDs by playing safe and avoiding that 1 INT but hey that's his story and he's sticking to it.

"Dual threat" is not the kind of QB Schiano seeks.
Alas RU sucked a few years ago and GS wasn't recruiting studs - he was taking a 4* QB even if not pro set.
Greg letting a QB run 15-25 times a game would give him a nervous breakdown.
Yet even as a restricted runner he scored a TD every 12 carries and was in top 13 DTs in 2024.
With 20 combined TDs he could have had 25-30 pretty easily with the leash off
Gavin had Underwood's speed but better strength and cuts - if he got a tard past the LOS he just torched for big gains)

GW had offers from ND, Oregon, Nebraska, Michigan, TCU, WV, Michigan state, Maryland and other teams that don't just recruit cupcakes for QB. I'll bet they could have got more out of GW than RU did. Alas GW's parents really liked GS and RU was only place he took a visit.

Top 25 Returning Rushing Quarterbacks for the 2024 College Football Season Include Thomas Castellanos, Kaidon Salter

Dual-threat QBs have dominated the modern college football era, and the top 25 returning rushing quarterbacks are set to continue that trend.

collegefootballnetwork.com

Not sure if Kirk totally safe. If we only win 5 games which is entirely possible Kirk will look like a fool doing a lateral swap of QBs, and for the year that GW would have shown the most improvement.

 

[GoodOl'Rutgers]

Recall that last season Kirk would be talking about GW's development and promising 2024 would be "the year for the mastery."
Of course if it wasn't the 'year of mastery' Kirk would have had a lot to answer for.
With that in mind, ending GW career and getting another QB off the discount shelf keeps Kirk safer.
He's making over a million a year despite a career that doesn't really stand-up to scrutiny.
I'm not sure he was ready to bank on GW - already knowing he couldn't coach the issues away.

As for running - GS hates running QBs and when asked why he didn't run more Teel said "coach told me not to."
Greg runs an old carnivore "prevent offense" that a reflection of GW's obsession with turnovers .
He might lose 2 TDs by playing safe and avoiding that 1 INT but hey that's his story and he's sticking to it.

"Dual threat" is not the kind of QB Schiano seeks.
Alas RU sucked a few years ago and GS wasn't recruiting studs - he was taking a 4* QB even if not pro set.
Greg letting a QB run 15-25 times a game would give him a nervous breakdown.
Yet even as a restricted runner he scored a TD every 12 carries and was in top 13 DTs in 2024.
With 20 combined TDs he could have had 25-30 pretty easily with the leash off
Gavin had Underwood's speed but better strength and cuts - if he got a tard past the LOS he just torched for big gains)

GW had offers from ND, Oregon, Nebraska, Michigan, TCU, WV, Michigan state, Maryland and other teams that don't just recruit cupcakes for QB. I'll bet they could have got more out of GW than RU did. Alas GW's parents really liked GS and RU was only place he took a visit.

Top 25 Returning Rushing Quarterbacks for the 2024 College Football Season Include Thomas Castellanos, Kaidon Salter

Dual-threat QBs have dominated the modern college football era, and the top 25 returning rushing quarterbacks are set to continue that trend.

collegefootballnetwork.com

Who was head coach when Teel threw for 3000 and Rice ran for 2000?

Forget this nonsense about GS holding back an offense.

Yes.. with leads in the 2nd half he has been conservative. Maybe that's because he has a hard time finding and keeping talented OCs. Maybe that's because the better OCs all become HCs or don't want to work for a former DC HC. Maybe he only hires OCs who will protect the ball above all else.. ot maybe OCs get here and realize that turnovers means job insecurity.

Furthermore.. Teel went from suspect QB to very very good QB. GS mishandled Savage. GS had Cubit as OC.. when he could make his son QB.. BEFORE GS had a great D to rely upon.. while he trained up that D and was not as concerned with wins and many of us thought he should be. But OC Cubit failed here and then went on to OC at Stanford (same 2-year span as here) then HC at Western Michigan where he did pretty good. So.. what was it? Did GS stop Cubit's offense? Did Bill Cubit's son, his QB, stop his offense? Did GS training up his D and not care about tactics for specific games but rather train teh defense to perform assignment defense perfectly.. did that result in score differentials that lead to poor offense? (many assumptions mixed in there but I am pretty sure I read it all correctly).

But GS was HC for a few great offensive seasons.

If the offense can move the ball AND protect possession.. I think GS will be 100% behind it.

I don't think that's too much to ask.

 

[GoodOl'Rutgers]

Not sure if Kirk totally safe. If we only win 5 games which is entirely possible Kirk will look like a fool doing a lateral swap of QBs, and for the year that GW would have shown the most improvement.

Agreed.

I think the idea that many find this, at best, a lateral move, is what needs to be questioned. GS clearly agreed with the move. Does he really care if Kirk or someone else is our OC? Is GS agreement a sign that he wants to protect Kirk's job? I don't think so.

If we assume real logic and reasoning are going on with this move, then it follows that to HC and OC this is NOT a lateral move. This is an improvement to what they need the offense to do.

 

[The RUT]

Who was head coach when Teel threw for 3000 and Rice ran for 2000?

Forget this nonsense about GS holding back an offense.

Yes.. with leads in the 2nd half he has been conservative. Maybe that's because he has a hard time finding and keeping talented OCs. Maybe that's because the better OCs all become HCs or don't want to work for a former DC HC. Maybe he only hires OCs who will protect the ball above all else.. ot maybe OCs get here and realize that turnovers means job insecurity.

Furthermore.. Teel went from suspect QB to very very good QB. GS mishandled Savage. GS had Cubit as OC.. when he could make his son QB.. BEFORE GS had a great D to rely upon.. while he trained up that D and was not as concerned with wins and many of us thought he should be. But OC Cubit failed here and then went on to OC at Stanford (same 2-year span as here) then HC at Western Michigan where he did pretty good. So.. what was it? Did GS stop Cubit's offense? Did Bill Cubit's son, his QB, stop his offense? Did GS training up his D and not care about tactics for specific games but rather train teh defense to perform assignment defense perfectly.. did that result in score differentials that lead to poor offense? (many assumptions mixed in there but I am pretty sure I read it all correctly).

But GS was HC for a few great offensive seasons.

If the offense can move the ball AND protect possession.. I think GS will be 100% behind it.

I don't think that's too much to ask.

Pretty important to note that Teel made an NFL team and was throwing to multiple NFL receivers with an NFL OLine and an All NFL RB.

Quite the opposite of the situation GW had. Not that GW would have been a 3k yard passer, but still.

GW is honestly the best RU QB I’ve seen at handling a rush in the pocket. It helped limit turnovers and get the team to a bowl game.

With all that said, I think Athan has more big play ability to him, but I do think there’s a higher turnover risk with him. I’m curious to see how GS and KC manage that.