We hope you enjoy our final QB preview, finishing with the highly touted freshman, Shon Mitchell. Mitchell was one of the most decorated high school athletes in VA High School history.
Now that we are finished, who do YOU think will start at QB for the Green and Gold this year?
Check out the final preview here:
https://wmsportsblog.com/2017/07/23/quar...-mitchell/
ROLL TRIBE!!
I'm really hoping its Mitchell
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Other than one or two sarcastic contributors to this board, most Tribe supporters I know are avidly
hoping that Mitchell makes it big. Rarely does William & Mary land a quarterback, or any player for that matter, with Mitchell's pedigree and, frankly, a grest quarterback will do wonders for the program.
It's not going to be easy, and his youth and inexpeprience at the college level are against him, but many are hoping he is our starter.
I'm excited Shon is in the program. I could care less if he starts this year. I want the most prepared/best guy to play. Anything less hurts the team. It wouldn't be fair to him or his team mates if he is thrown out there prematurely.
(07-24-2017 05:15 AM)BigTribe3 Wrote: [ -> ]Other than one or two sarcastic contributors to this board, most Tribe supporters I know are avidly
hoping that Mitchell makes it big. Rarely does William & Mary land a quarterback, or any player for that matter, with Mitchell's pedigree and, frankly, a grest quarterback will do wonders for the program.
It's not going to be easy, and his youth and inexpeprience at the college level are against him, but many are hoping he is our starter.
If you honestly interpret my comments (which are fed from your hyping of him) as me wanting him to not make it big then I pity you.
(07-24-2017 05:20 AM)mrjoolius Wrote: [ -> ]I'm excited Shon is in the program. I could care less if he starts this year. I want the most prepared/best guy to play. Anything less hurts the team. It wouldn't be fair to him or his team mates if he is thrown out there prematurely.
For me, it's really that I don't want a QB controversy every season. McKee would be one thing but Battle, Hefter, and Rotger are all young and have tons of eligibility left. If one of them starts over Mitchell this season, wouldn't they start over him next season once they have a year's experience under their belt?
If Battle, Hefter, Rotger, or McKee are playing over Shon, it means they are the most ready to help the team. The public push and expected starter is for Mitchell. It would take a lot more coaching guts to play the less heralded guy if you felt he ran the offense better. I hope Mitchell is that guy, and I think he will be a good one. However, I have no problem if he sits 2 years, 4 years, or transfers if there are better qbs behind him.
As much as everyone says that Laycock will play the player who is best prepared for them to win, I have to believe that he's also looking at a situation where he may have a kid for four years as a starter which almost never happens for true freshmen. In my book, he either starts or redshirts unless Laycock does some sort of rotation in the beginning. Just because Battle, Rotger, and Hefter were all great in high school is irrelevant. Every player on the roster was great in high school. That's the nature of D1 football.
(07-24-2017 07:30 AM)mrjoolius Wrote: [ -> ]If Battle, Hefter, Rotger, or McKee are playing over Shon, it means they are the most ready to help the team. The public push and expected starter is for Mitchell. It would take a lot more coaching guts to play the less heralded guy if you felt he ran the offense better. I hope Mitchell is that guy, and I think he will be a good one. However, I have no problem if he sits 2 years, 4 years, or transfers if there are better qbs behind him.
I think I land on the other side of this. If Mitchell is "that guy", he should be starting over the other freshmen and sophomore. Even if Battle/Rotger/Hefter are more ready to help the team this season because they have a year or two of experience under their belt, if Mitchell is going to be the starter down the road get him the game experience now.
Obviously if another QB is better that is a different issue, but I think you have to evaluate the starting QB decision outside of just this season.
(07-24-2017 08:49 AM)zablenoise Wrote: [ -> ] (07-24-2017 07:30 AM)mrjoolius Wrote: [ -> ]If Battle, Hefter, Rotger, or McKee are playing over Shon, it means they are the most ready to help the team. The public push and expected starter is for Mitchell. It would take a lot more coaching guts to play the less heralded guy if you felt he ran the offense better. I hope Mitchell is that guy, and I think he will be a good one. However, I have no problem if he sits 2 years, 4 years, or transfers if there are better qbs behind him.
I think I land on the other side of this. If Mitchell is "that guy", he should be starting over the other freshmen and sophomore. Even if Battle/Rotger/Hefter are more ready to help the team this season because they have a year or two of experience under their belt, if Mitchell is going to be the starter down the road get him the game experience now.
Obviously if another QB is better that is a different issue, but I think you have to evaluate the starting QB decision outside of just this season.
Agreed with you here...They have to look at QBs on a wins above replacement scale, right? Unless Hefter/Rotger/McKee have a WAR of more than 0.5-1+ game, I don't see the reason to not go with Mitchell if he's deemed to have the highest upside. Particularly if the competition is that close with Mitchell only being around six months vs. the other guys having 1+ years.
I don't know how you calculate wins above replacement in summer practice, but it seems like something they can do. I don't think you can look at this on a game-by-game, season-by-season vacuum.
Either way, we've got a strong receiving corps this year--I'd love to see a QB in there that can take advantage of that. Its exciting to see this much hype and interest around a battle for the position.
(07-24-2017 05:20 AM)mrjoolius Wrote: [ -> ]I'm excited Shon is in the program. I could care less if he starts this year. I want the most prepared/best guy to play. Anything less hurts the team. It wouldn't be fair to him or his team mates if he is thrown out there prematurely.
Pretty much my thoughts exactly.
The flipside to this is if Mitchell is only "I hope he's that guy" and you put him in a starting role right away above guys that are producing and have put in work. Players aren't blind and you risk losing the team. Talent overcomes all, but an atmosphere where work and results get playing time must exist for a team to work.
All that said, I'm definitely of the mind that unless any of these upperclassmen are clearly better, you go with Mitchell.
The guy who starts on Sept. 2 will be the one most ready to lead the team, and make plays on the field. There are no other considerations.
I trust the coaches. They've been doing this a long time. They want to win and need to win.
If you look at the landscape of the league most everyone has a roster filled with returning players in key positions that have consistently performed at a high level.
We are not one of them this year. We have an uphill battle this year, not an impossible one, but it is going to take everyone in the program to perform at their best to have success this year. I mean everyone from the training staff to, the strength staff, to the coach and players. This undoubtedly, will be one of the biggest decisions of the year.
I look for this competition to go well into camp, unless one of them just come screaming out of the gate.
(07-24-2017 11:02 AM)tribefbfan Wrote: [ -> ]I trust the coaches. They've been doing this a long time. They want to win and need to win.
If you look at the landscape of the league most everyone has a roster filled with returning players in key positions that have consistently performed at a high level.
We are not one of them this year. We have an uphill battle this year, not an impossible one, but it is going to take everyone in the program to perform at their best to have success this year. I mean everyone from the training staff to, the strength staff, to the coach and players. This undoubtedly, will be one of the biggest decisions of the year.
I look for this competition to go well into camp, unless one of them just come screaming out of the gate.
Completely agree here and I don't want to cast aspersions on the decision before it was even made. Truly, the staff could decide to start a currently unknown walk-on and I would give them the benefit of the doubt. You don't run a program for over 30 years without knowing what you're doing.
(07-24-2017 10:51 AM)Tribe4SF Wrote: [ -> ]The guy who starts on Sept. 2 will be the one most ready to lead the team, and make plays on the field. There are no other considerations.
With all due respect, Tribe4SF, there are DEFINITELY other considerations.
(07-24-2017 12:41 PM)WM Beancounter Wrote: [ -> ] (07-24-2017 10:51 AM)Tribe4SF Wrote: [ -> ]The guy who starts on Sept. 2 will be the one most ready to lead the team, and make plays on the field. There are no other considerations.
With all due respect, Tribe4SF, there are DEFINITELY other considerations.
This is very true. It doesn't account for bribery and blackmail
Is the ability of the O line to protect the QB a consideration this year as to who gets the QB nod?
Or the fact that none of them have any experience and whoever you put out there in game one is going to be doing it for the first time. Whoever Laycock puts out there needs to be able to take some lumps and grow into the slot.
(07-24-2017 10:51 AM)Tribe4SF Wrote: [ -> ]The guy who starts on Sept. 2 will be the one most ready to lead the team, and make plays on the field. There are no other considerations.
Silly talk!
Side note: Mr J, it's "couldn't" care less. Honestly, screwing that up is right up there with loose/lose.
