Hey guys I know some of you have already weighed in on the subject but I figured I would chime in.
Got there early with the intent to watch the QB position. In line drills it was Malik 1 Perry 2 and Williams 3.
Charting their catch and release times with a stop watch I noted that on similar throws both Perry and Williams consistently had the ball out quicker on similar concepts. (Miami typically will have the same routes consecutively rotating the QB's and WR's around the drill) Rosier was essentially a little more lax in his drops and his ball out time was being bested simply because he takes a little bit longer to deliver.
The rest of the line drills were Above Average, some balls hit the turf vs air.
Rosier: Is what he is. I didn't see any relative improvement from a mechanical standpoint in his game. Rosier ran with the ones and I think it was pretty clear that the offensive line had some struggles. But when he had time, I still have some issues with his accuracy. In the stat sheet he was essentially at one point 2/2. The problem is he was late delivering a ball to Harley on a dig (immediately enveloped by defenders) and he had a drag where his receiver had to dive and catch the ball. Rosier needs to stop limiting run after the catch potential. It is a hidden aspect that really stalls this offense.
If I had to identify a cause of his accuracy concerns, as the play develops his base becomes more inconsistent. Simple formula here, the longer the play goes the more inaccurate Rosier becomes. He just isn't a flawless reset and gather QB. Nice when it's a bubble or slant on a one catch and throw, but when it isn't there he struggles maintaining good balance or throwing from different platforms. For a fifth year senior, he isn't head and shoulders above the following.
Perry: Really wanted to put to bed who had the best arm on the team and I still think it's him. Just the straight line angle on his balls is better. Don't see balls dipping or tapering off. And the deep ball to Hightower was not the first read. That proves he can wait in the pocket and still essentially have the arm to get the ball way down field if he needs to. Perry is not the guy who is going to underthrow Jeff Thomas. Ok that's the arm. His feet? I think he is the most dynamic runner on the team.
Some might say he is looking a little bit too much to run. But ultimately even in that "tag and your down" QB scenario, Perry showed the ability that when he ran, he was effective in doing so. Perry has this seeming rhythmic pentameter to his game. If he "feels it" and if he is operating in a bit more "up-tempo" mode, he seems to do much better. (Think fast break in offense vs half court sets) Some issues I have with Perry, like Rosier, some inaccuracy. Perry has a lot of moving parts. He generates a ton of spin on the ball but I see this "load up" phenomenon when he tries to thread the needle, he becomes more erratic.
This is a power pitcher that needs to learn to play within himself and just trust it IMO. Led a touchdown drive and threw a nice fade to Hightower. But then on his interception it was simply a rookie mistake. Jeff Thomas can "peek your interest" on that 9 route, but that safety was hashed over top and I think film will show you Langham was 1v1 back side and the right read. That was just Perry predetermined to hit Jeff and not reading the coverage right. Take what they give you young man. Your defense knows who Jeff Thomas is. ACC defenders will too.
Jarren Williams: Impressed. Most repeatable and consistent deliverer of the football. Nice Base. Nice compact stroke. Ultimately for me he had the "quarterbacking play of the day" when his first read was covered, he worked back into the pocket, found pocket freedom naturally, kept his eyes down field and then delivered a strike to extend the play. He did not drop the ball and look to run (which he can) and he didn't create the sense that he couldn't reset and gather. (He did just fine) Was it the wow play Perry was able to make? No. But it showed command beyond his years.
Plenty of arm. No issues there. Perry takes the edge but it isn't by much IMO. Jarren actually doesn't need all the moving parts like Perry to create torque. Williams really commands his base better than anyone. His front stride is compact. He had a vertical where he led the receiver inside. Sure it was a bad ball and that needs to be thrown away from the safety but he wasn't over striding or gearing up to make the throw. 50 yard throw, no huge gather, just threw it.
Jarren has the potential to be the most accurate quarterback of all three. I am 100% convinced of this. Even in warm ups I just watched someone able to replicate and hit spot after spot. My biggest compliment to Jarren is that he did not seem remotely like a freshman out there. And as a reminder tying into the quarterback offer series, Jarren showed the biggest improvement from his JR year to SR year that I have charted yet. He seems to really want to get better and improve. At one point on the field he clapped his hands in discuss at himself because he didn't hit something right. Can't say that about others.
In time as Jarren has more knowledge of the playbook, I think you'll see a really precise entity out there. Ultimately wrapping up the QB side of things, If all 3 were freshman, there is no way on God's green earth that Malik would be the starter over those two. He just needs to thank the lucky stars he has game experience and Jarren is a true freshman. Either way, if Rosier repeats a Pitt performance at some point (I think he will) I think by then one of those 2 will take his job.
Real quick stop on X/o because I don't want to be long. Richt was vanilla. But ultimately I think this offense needs to really think of ways to operate when the run game isn't there. Spring game or not, it is well documented in all of Richt's losses at Miami, they are one dimensional entities when the L's come. I have some concerns even now with the type of receiver talent that we have, no one ever seems to be operating with any kind of space. Credit the defense if you will, but when you got NFL open widows and not an NFL caliber qb pulling the trigger, Good luck and God speed.
Hope everyone had a good time at the game. Look Forward to checking back in to see what you guys have to say.
