The emergence of Squirrel

#101
#101
Fullfillmer said:
These are the coaches that concluded Milton was better than Hooker. Based on that alone - I will go ahead and opine - don't forget Coaches determined JG was our best and only option for several years - coaches are not infallible, my point is just that Milton to this point isn't a polished qb - and that the jury is still out - if you read back this started with someone's statement that Milton would be the starting quarterback next season. He is a work in progress imho.
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You’re talking like “coaches” are a collective. BAD coaches stuck with JG.
 
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#104
#104
ABINGDON VOL FAN said:
He hasn’t done anything this year to warrant that criticism. He has played well in all of his opportunities.
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Im betting if one researched post history on VN the Milton naysayers of today were the most vociferous post Ole Miss last year.

Dogging Milton for todays performance is them hoping if they say it enough now it will be true next year. Because being right is more important to some than being supportive of your team.

Just my opinion of course but Milton will be fine next year. Also its my opinion that annointing a kid that isnt even on campus as the next great thing isnt wise.
 
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#105
#105
Mccage said:
Milton will be the QB next year
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Milton is the front-runner. But there will be competition and if Jackson can make huge strides, he has a shot. Nico is ultra-thin and needs to put on weight. Ideally, he gets to sit a year, then takes over in 2024. But if he does add weight and is one of those special freshmen, he has a shot too.

Regardless, with Heupel and Halzle developing them, one of those talented QBs will win the job and be very, very good.
 
#106
#106
Ramel Keyton came in and beat Squirrel out, just sayin'! One gets the headlines and one gets on the field and catches almost everything within in his grasp.
 
#107
#107
Remy said:
Ramel Keyton came in and beat Squirrel out, just sayin'! One gets the headlines and one gets on the field and catches almost everything within in his grasp.
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A) Ramel Keyton didn't "come in" and beat Squirrel out. He's a senior. He's been in Knoxville for a long time. Squirrel just arrived as a true freshman.
B) They play different positions.
C) Why marginalize Squirrel and his vast potential by pointing to the fact that Ramel turned a corner in his 4th year?
D) They play different positions.
E) Ramel was actually 2nd team at his position, just like Squirrel is at his position, but Tillman got hurt, so Ramel got bumped up by default. If Hyatt had gotten hurt, Squirrel would be a starter.
F) They play different positions.
G) Squirrel has shown a lot more as a freshman than Ramel did as a freshman (or even as a sophomore or junior). That's not a knock on Ramel...he's been vital this season. But Squirrel's upside is worth getting very excited about.
H) Did I mention they play different positions?
 
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#108
#108
butchna said:
You’re talking like “coaches” are a collective. BAD coaches stuck with JG.
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Coaches are a collective and there are more bad ones than good ones it seems. I would add " very BAD coaches or EXTREMELY BAD coaches stuck with JG. What a disaster, it still makes me twitch when I think back at those days. QB's can in some cases be reborn with a new team. There are a couple of examples out there now at Oregon and a few other locations but that is extremely rare. We were blessed with HH. The natural instincts and decision making, abilities to read the field, see things in your peripheral vision, etc. required to be a great qb are not typically taught by coaches. JG under these coaches would certainly be a lot better, but he would not be HH because he had qb processing and physical release flaws that are not fixable by the greatest coaches.
 
#109
#109
Squirrel came up with a gimp hammy at the end of his TD catch yesterday. Not sure if they showed it on tv or not. Hopefully it’s minor and will be ready to go next weekend.
 
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#110
#110
DrTNT said:
You’re basing that on what? & you say “based on what you’ve seen”, what exactly are you looking for? On the season in his limited action:

16 of 22 (not close to a full game worth of attempts for most QB’s) = 72.72% completions, 360 yards, 16.36 yards per attempt, 22.5 yards per completion,
Most importantly: 4 TD’s & 0 Int’s

Based on the numbers alone, he’s playing great when the opportunity comes.
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You still have people that will argue that JG's stats were pretty good. I hope Milton does start and balls out. I am just passing on my observations. I may have been the first - certainly one of the first that said HH should be starting over Milton. I am not a qb whisperer, but played qb in a million pick up games, played it in high school (not well) and have observed both good and bad while watching college football for a number of years. The position is very cerebral and less physical than most people understand. There is a constant chess match going on between the qb and the defense. We will see how this plays out next season. GBO
 
#111
#111
DrTNT said:
You’re basing that on what? & you say “based on what you’ve seen”, what exactly are you looking for? On the season in his limited action:

16 of 22 (not close to a full game worth of attempts for most QB’s) = 72.72% completions, 360 yards, 16.36 yards per attempt, 22.5 yards per completion,
Most importantly: 4 TD’s & 0 Int’s

Based on the numbers alone, he’s playing great when the opportunity comes.
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Please don't confuse the LOM with facts and definitely not stats. It makes their poor minds start to smoke and spark. It can lead to catastrophic neural shutdown if illogical rants are not quickly administered.
 
#113
#113
GetYouSomeofThat said:
Peyton took the job because of injuries to the two qbs ahead of him. He did win it over another freshman phenom but he would likely not have seen the field had Jerry Colquitt not had a season ending injury in the first game of the season.
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Yep and he had his growing pains that first year. The thing that Peyton had that some didn't was the mind for football combined with the drive to be the very best. Physically, Peyton can't hold a candle to Milton. What sets him apart and above are the intangibles.
 
#114
#114
Fullfillmer said:
Coaches are a collective and there are more bad ones than good ones it seems. I would add " very BAD coaches or EXTREMELY BAD coaches stuck with JG. What a disaster, it still makes me twitch when I think back at those days. QB's can in some cases be reborn with a new team. There are a couple of examples out there now at Oregon and a few other locations but that is extremely rare. We were blessed with HH. The natural instincts and decision making, abilities to read the field, see things in your peripheral vision, etc. required to be a great qb are not typically taught by coaches. JG under these coaches would certainly be a lot better, but he would not be HH because he had qb processing and physical release flaws that are not fixable by the greatest coaches.
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How can you make that assessment? It is comparing oranges to bowling balls. The same bad coaches that stuck with JG are the same bad coaches that created to disaster that he became. No development, no OL, no real offense. He was one of the highest rated QBs out of high school. I believe our coaching staff could have made him far better. As for his football IQ, it is hard to make a good decision when the offensive play calling appeared to be based on plays on index cards randomly pulled from a hat. Can you guys not just let it go? Hendon had admitted flaws in his mechanics as well.
 
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#115
#115
SoFoVol said:
Squirrel came up with a gimp hammy at the end of his TD catch yesterday. Not sure if they showed it on tv or not. Hopefully it’s minor and will be ready to go next weekend.
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A bigger watch for me is what they do with Tillman. Is he ready? If he is, do we play him vs UK? Maybe we jump out early and he can sit one more week then be full bore vs UGA? Keyton has been a tremendous surprise for me. He's got rock solid hands and if it's anywhere close, he's going to catch it. Adding squirrel is a great change up due to his speed. Give Heupel toys to play with and I can't imagine all the things he can come up with in his mad coaching scientist lab.
 
#116
#116
Fullfillmer said:
Certainly hope and pray " Not ". Milton reminds me of the Florida qb only worse - great athlete - has no ability to read or dissect what is occurring on the field. He handed off 10 times today when the play was stuffed and he could have kept it and still been running. He has NOOOOOOOO feel for playing quarterback, no feel for reading defenders and defenses, the rush, etc. He is a remarkable athlete though. How anyone ever thought that he should be starting ahead of Hooker .... including coaches - I find maddening. QB's absolutely have to be the smartest guys on the field -


He is not the answer IMHO.
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Agree to disagree on this one. I have seen a lot of growth in Milton this year. Better long ball by far. He will have a shot next year for the job, and I hope he earns it—both on the practice and game field.
 
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#117
#117
GregAmsler said:
A) Ramel Keyton didn't "come in" and beat Squirrel out. He's a senior. He's been in Knoxville for a long time. Squirrel just arrived as a true freshman.
B) They play different positions.
C) Why marginalize Squirrel and his vast potential by pointing to the fact that Ramel turned a corner in his 4th year?
D) They play different positions.
E) Ramel was actually 2nd team at his position, just like Squirrel is at his position, but Tillman got hurt, so Ramel got bumped up by default. If Hyatt had gotten hurt, Squirrel would be a starter.
F) They play different positions.
G) Squirrel has shown a lot more as a freshman than Ramel did as a freshman (or even as a sophomore or junior). That's not a knock on Ramel...he's been vital this season. But Squirrel's upside is worth getting very excited about.
H) Did I mention they play different positions?
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If Tillman returns and Hyatt gets hurt, do you think squirrel would start instead of them moving one of the other 3 guys into the slot?
 
#120
#120
GetYouSomeofThat said:
Im betting if one researched post history on VN the Milton naysayers of today were the most vociferous post Ole Miss last year.

Dogging Milton for todays performance is them hoping if they say it enough now it will be true next year. Because being right is more important to some than being supportive of your team.

Just my opinion of course but Milton will be fine next year. Also its my opinion that annointing a kid that isnt even on campus as the next great thing isnt wise.
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I see a lot of the same problems, so far, in Milton that I saw with JG. He ha a very good athlete, who has trouble in quickly making wise decisions . Any offense has to have the QB make split second decisions which Hooker has done the day he took over the job. JG never could do it and I have not yet seen Milton do it. He may be an All American TE if he played that position. I just see a bigger stronger JG when he is on the field and we know what happened when he was here.
 
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#122
#122
We will not be able to replace our current QB with anyone available to us. We might find a better passer or better runner but not a better decision maker. Hooker can mix all 3 and is the best decision maker I have seen in this offense. Hopefully the overall team strength will be higher to make up for this loss.
 
#123
#123
Pepe_Silvia said:
Why can't he?

Who's gonna stop him from coming back?
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The proper word would be that he won't come back if he continues to blow up.

If Hyatt is getting late 1st / early 2nd round consideration, I would think he is gone. He's a deep threat going to a league that is starved for them, he has nothing to gain by coming back, especially with a new QB here.
 
#125
#125
VOLtaism said:
We will not be able to replace our current QB with anyone available to us. We might find a better passer or better runner but not a better decision maker. Hooker can mix all 3 and is the best decision maker I have seen in this offense. Hopefully the overall team strength will be higher to make up for this loss.
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Comments like this are absurd, no offense. Hooker had three years at Va. Tech and I don't ever recall him being touted as a great decision maker - hell, I had never even heard of the guy, period. He came in here to a system that fits his strengths, and learning from a coach who clearly knows how to develop QB's.

We have one of the highest rated HS QB's committed here. Who's to say he won't be even better, especially with the influx of talent and depth we will have on the entire roster? Milton has had an entire year under Heupel and will have a full off season, and Nico will be learning right from the start of his college career.

We finally have a coach and an administration with vision and a real plan - just enjoy the ride. The difference moving forward is having more talent throughout the roster, meaning we won't be as dependent on QB heroics to win every week. But with Heupel, I have no doubt that Hooker won't be the last Heisman-level QB that comes through here.
 
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