Word is spreading around that Mike London has settled on giving Mike Rocco and David Watford more of the snaps in the upcoming practices. This is EXCITING and SIGNIFICANT news for a couple reasons:
1. It is imperative that our #1 guy get as many reps as possible with the first-team offense ASAP. All of these guys are relatively green, so whoever ends up starting against W&M needs to have as much preparation and practice as he can get, lest we forget how much this team needs to prepare for the Tribe. The worst thing for the future success of this offense and team was to continue to divide up the practices evenly.
2. In my humblest of opinions, this is the best-case way for the QB race to shake out. Rocco has the smarts and the arm to be an effective guy for us and has always seemed like the coaches’ pick to take the starting job. Now, he’ll have most of the pre-season to get going. David Watford, a true freshmen, enrolled back in January – so he’s not brand new to the program or this offense. However, no one in their right mind watched his Spring Game performance and though he had any chance to play significant minutes this season. Well, apparently we’re all fools (either that, or Mike London and Bill Lazor are), because D-Wat has turned it on this fall. He’s making the throws in practices so far and adding these reps in full-pads will help determine if Watford has the pacing and decision making to excel in a game. Watford brings a whole different level of athleticism to the position than the other guys, so his speed could be a big plus for the offense. However, it’s making the right reads at the right times that’s going to put Watford on the field (and keep him there if he does it well). Hopefully, his progress continues to impress and we’ll have a manageable/exciting QB race for the rest of practice, as opposed to the confusing/uncertain mess we’ve dealt with.
How does this all affect the depth chart going forward?
Small Picture Answer: Let’s just assume Metheny/Strauss transfer (or remain buried in the depth chart). This would set up Rocco as a Junior, Watford a Soph, and Greyson Lambert a Freshman next season. Redshirting Lambert would provide plenty of separation between he the others, providing him with an easy way to ease into the position and plenty of time to shine as the starter.
Big Picture Answer: It doesn’t matter. When Lambert and Mr. 2013 QB (Burns, Hodges, or Hackenburg) get here, all bets are off. They might be leagues above anyone on the roster from day 1.
Great post, Pierce.
ReplyDeleteI have it in my mind that these two guys have upside to two QBs we saw during the late-90s to mid-2000s: Mike Rocco to Dan Ellis and David Watford ("D-Wat," I like that) to Marques Hagans. Two QBs Virginia was able to win with. And that's all we can ask from these guys.
It's just good that some sort of decision has been made. Can't dick around and be ready for W&M. The Tribe will come in here and beat our asses if we throw garbage out at the QB position, as we've seen before.