Pitt Football: Todd Graham's Quarterback Dilemma
by CardiacHill on Oct 11, 2011 10:30 AM EDT
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It's been a while, but I had the chance to work on a feature for SB Nation Pittsburgh. With all the talk about quarterbacks these days, Todd Graham has worked himself into a bit of a mess. Moving Anthony Gonzalez to H-back to get him onto the field seemed like a good idea at the time, but now, Pitt is one option short at quarterback.
Graham has said that Tino will start against Utah, but there might not be a better chance for backup Trey Anderson to play since it's a non-conference game. If Pitt allowed Trey to play the majority of the game and it was a failure, it still wouldn't hurt the team's Big East title shot and Tino could come back against UConn.
Yeah, I know - I'm not a fan of juggling quarterbacks, either. But if Pitt is going to test the waters with Anderson (who, I don't necessarily believe is ready), then this week might be a good time to do it.
Here's the full article. See below for a 'preview':
When Todd Graham inherited the Pitt football team, Tino Sunseri quickly became the starting quarterback after a solid Spring. Anthony Gonzalez became the apparent, though unconfirmed backup, and the team's leadership was set.
But with the news of Gonzalez' arrest, things began to unravel a bit.
Gonzalez, if you'll recall, was arrested for a marijuana charge. With the now infamous Sports Illustrated report on the off-field issues that plagued Pitt, Graham did the right thing by suspending Gonzalez. But what he did afterwards is what may be haunting the team.
Graham relied on Mark Myers as the de facto backup in the wake of the Gonzalez suspension and, as a bit of insurance, brought in freshman Trey Anderson over the summer. Anderson was a lightly-regarded recruit with no major offers to play college football, despite the fact that he won a State championship in Texas. It wasn't believed that he would compete for immediate playing time, but that's exactly what happened.
Continue here for the full article.
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I just don't understand
I am not going to comment much on Sunseri v. Anderson, because, really, who the hell knows? It seems blatantly obvious that Graham thinks Anderson isn’t ready, or else he would have thrown him into the fire already, right? They are stuck with a mediocre QB who can’t make big throws when it counts for the time being…better get Ray Graham going early against Utah.
What I don’t understand are the last couple misses on top QB prospects. Could someone please shed some light for me? I know Myers was recruited for the pro set, but come on. Bostick and now Myers, who were big QB recruits, can barely sniff the field. I’m not calling for Myers to start, mainly because I have never seen him play, it is just frustrating that Pitt seemingly doesn’t even consider him an option.
I know Graham has emphsized Tino’s need to run in order for this offense to be successful. But that doesn’t mean all quarterbacks have to. This offense can be run with more of a pocket passer, and play calling wouldn’t really be limited all that much.
Myers
To be honest, as much as it sounds like an excuse, I really do think the system is the reason for it.
Tino isn’t the ideal guy, but he’s at least been around the players and was the incumbent. I think that went a long way with Graham, who knew he was coming into a bit of a tough spot. He didn’t replace a coach who had been floundering – he took over for one that averaged nine wins a year over the past three years. The focus was on results and Graham probably felt he couldn’t totally start from scratch.
That said (and trust me, take this as the opinion from someone who’s never seen Myers throw a single ball in person), Myers must really be struggling with the offense. He was passed up by Anthony Gonzalez in the Spring and then by a true freshman walk-on who just came to Pitt this summer. There’s got to be a reason for that.
Frankly, I’d be surprised to see Myers stick around. It would behoove him to be in a pro style system, obviously, but more to the point – he’s really going to have to fight to even get a sniff of the field. After this year’s debacle, Anthony Gonzalez could very well be headed back to QB IMO. There’s also Trey Anderson to contend with that Graham appears to like. And if that weren’t enough, Chad Voytik is coming in next year.
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Sad
The worst part is that none of these options sound good for NEXT YEAR.
Tino – He is who he is. He’s never going to get it (just my opinion). I’m unsure if he’s ever thrown a pass longer than 20 yards that was caught by one of HIS teammates in his two year college career. Indecisive. Takes bad sacks. Has shown he can protect the football at times and has serious brain farts at other times. Has some mobility but makes poor reads on read option plays.
Gonzalez – Never played a down as a QB in college. Said to be very inaccurate but very athletic. Missed an entire year of learning the offense as a QB because he was moved to H-Back. Big time unknown. Could be Pitt’s best option next season.
Myers – Never played a down as a QB in college. Said to have a seriously powerful arm and have good accuracy. Someone on the coaching staff has mentioned ‘he can really spin it.’ He’s supposedly slow and therefore not a good fit for an option oriented rushing attack. We don’t have the luxury of playing him because if he can’t move he’ll get killed behind this line regardless of if he can make all the reads and throws. He is likely to transfer because he was a highly touted recruit who has yet to sniff the field and doesn’t seem to be a favorite of the new coaching staff.
Anderson – True freshman. Said to be familiar with this type of offense from high school but apparently doesn’t have a good enough handle on the nuances of the Pitt offense. Wasn’t recruited elsewhere despite winning a Texas state title probably because he’s too short (or came on late in the recruiting process). Has mobility. Hasn’t played enough to allow for a solid evaluation. Isn’t gaining much experience by only getting in one or two series a game (not enough time to get into a rhythm).
Voytik – The next highly touted QB to come to Pitt. Supposedly fits the spread offense to a T. Had success at Elite 11 camp which bodes well for collegiate prospects. Supposedly not having a good season in HS, however, this could be due to poor/less talented teammates. Would be a true freshman starter next season if he gets the nod (see Trey Anderson problem).
So what do we do? I’ve made a proposition before and will do so again here. Immediately start playing either Gonzalez or Anderson (whichever is a better runner) and entirely become any option team. With Tino we have no passing attack and the option attack suffers too. With a better runner who can make option reads we’ll at least add another dimension to this offense. This would feed Graham and Brown the ball a lot more as well. There is no rule that the option needs to be run at a slow pace. Essentially, hold an open tryout within the team for whoever can be the best option QB and just run that offense the rest of the season. I think we’d win more games that way.
I'd be for going to Gonzo this year
Once the season was lost and the Big East title was out of reach. He apparently did enough in the Spring to win the backup job and would likely have it if not for the suspension.
With that in mind, if the conference gets out of reach, I’d be all for going to him to get him some game experience.
The wildcard is going to be Voytik. Normally true freshmen have little chance to play right away, but Graham went with Trey this year, a QB who was much less heralded than Voytik, so I think Graham would play him if he was the best option.
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