re: Does Shepard have a chance at starting qb?

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I just have problems believing that he suddenly "forgot" how to throw the football

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Especially after some of the incredible completions he made in HS.

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nonsense

someone in the other thread I made told me shep can't throw

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Well, this place is patronized mostly by athletes and coaches at every level.

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I just have problems believing that he suddenly "forgot" how to throw the football

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It's not that he forgot. One, there's just not nearly as much room for error in college as high school. Not only are defensive players coached better and in better position, but they are much faster and their closing speed is much greater. You have to be able to throw the ball in tight spots, with lots of velocity. So, you not only have to be accurate, you have to be accurate and fast 'cause you have a very short and rapidly closing window to make a completion. This is especially crucial at the end of games. Because of the cushion most Ds give you on final drives, you have to be able to hose the ball short of the receiver so they can come back and get it before the db can get there.



This is why Jamarcus was so good, especially in the 4th quarter. It wasn't how far he could throw it--that was almost never a factor--it was how hard he could throw it, and the tiny seams he could fit it in. Also, a strong-arm QB has the option of the entire field to work with, where Shep would likely have to cut it in half. Not saying that we couldn't design an offense that he could be successful in, but it just would be really limited in the passing game relative to what we could do with a strong-arm QB. And since we have one that's also tall and can run a little bit himself, Jefferson clearly gives us a chance to have a more versatile and complete offense.


And another thing that I think is a factor in Shep's relatively short stature is the size of his hands. I'm almost positive the college ball is bigger than the high school ball. I know 1st-hand this makes a huge difference. I'm about Shep's height(6'0") and can whip around a Jr. High or High School ball on a line with a perfect spiral. And hell, I might be able to throw one of those little rubber balls 75 yards( ). But that's only because my hands are big enough to grip them. Give me a college of NFL ball, and I can only throw a hard spiral about 20 yards. If I try anything longer, it has to be a straight up rainbow or the biggest duck you've ever seen. I'm certainly not saying I'm as good a passer as Shep, but big hands/long fingers are crucial in achieving velocity. It's why Pedro Martinez used to throw so damn hard at 160 pounds. His fingers are damn near 12 inches long. And it's allegedly why Alex Smith struggled so much when he first got to San Francisco. They said his hands were too small.


To summarize, throwing the ball in college is significantly more difficult than it is in high school. And for several reasons, having size is a huge advantage.

good post carl

It's too late to start him. We can't have another season of QB teething issues. We've already seen 2 straight yrs of them.

I watched Shep play in the Army game and during the QB competion he was horrible attempting to hit the rolling fake reciever in stride from many different angles and depths, and it was bad ,i was like damn im 46 and i coulda hit at least a couple outa sheer luck,lol. He is a slot ,pr,kr ,spec teams playa and i hope to see him soon because he made some moves in that game that ive never seen before,just give him the damn ball.

Carl what role do u think gonzo will play

Big Daddy i hope so because iv e been a huge fan of MILES and believe that his loyalty am
nd trust in his coaches over rides his own instincts and knowlegde, i mean damn he gotta lettem coach but then he also has to enforce his authority when its plain dummnb , i just refuse to believe that he has lost his mind realize that loyalty goeas only so far ,tell me bro

don't think so.