Driskel=Kaepernick

[Go2gtr]

Breakaway speed, excellent arm. Don't see why not.

[UFFL]

Driskel is going to be very good this year, I believe.

[SailinGator]

Honest question - what can the coaches do to improve his pocket awareness? Because if he can't improve it, I see continued problems for our offense.

[bposs]

Honest question - what can the coaches do to improve his pocket awareness? Because if he can't improve it, I see continued problems for our offense.

Plus 1. We all know he can run, but his presence in the pocket is really bad.

[Minister_of_Information]

Honest question - what can the coaches do to improve his pocket awareness? Because if he can't improve it, I see continued problems for our offense.

I think we should cut him some slack until he's had another year under Pease, the WR ability level and execution is ratcheted up a notch, and our protection issues are fixed. Then there will be no more excuses.

[GatorAvatar]

I think we should cut him some slack until he's had another year under Pease, the WR ability level and execution is ratcheted up a notch, and our protection issues are fixed. Then there will be no more excuses.

So the problem is not enough time with Pease, WR corp, OL and poor special team play...etc? LOL

[orangeblueorangeblue]

Honest question - what can the coaches do to improve his pocket awareness? Because if he can't improve it, I see continued problems for our offense.

Time and experience.

[Minister_of_Information]

So the problem is not enough time with Pease, WR corp, OL and poor special team play...etc? LOL

We don't know the problem exactly, we only know some of the symptoms. We need better information before we can properly evaluate the root causes.

[gatordee]

I think we should cut him some slack until he's had another year under Pease, the WR ability level and execution is ratcheted up a notch, and our protection issues are fixed. Then there will be no more excuses.

This.

[amangator08]

So the problem is not enough time with Pease, WR corp, OL and poor special team play...etc? LOL

Special teams play?

His point is valid. If a QB has limited time with his OC, terrible protection from his OL, and low quality WRs, the cards are already stacked against him being successful.

Now, that may all improve and we see that JD performs the same. But, the point is that we can't close the book on his improvement until we've seen him get help in those other areas.

[sgtfury]

I think we should cut him some slack until he's had another year under Pease, the WR ability level and execution is ratcheted up a notch, and our protection issues are fixed. Then there will be no more excuses.

You are the starting QB at UF you are cut zero slack from the get go. You were signed to lead the team and win. Pretty cut and dry no matter the circumstances or team around you.

[SwampFox]

So the problem is not enough time with Pease, WR corp, OL and poor special team play...etc? LOL

It's called experience...he will get it in time or not..that is how it works...kind of like you..in time we hope your "negative nelly" attitude becomes more "positive polly"..but we can only hope, you have to do the work.. :whoa:

[GatorJeff]

Driskel has all the physical tools to be a superstar, but he's still raw, still green. He's 19 years old. He's the same age as Manziel, but JFF has been playing QB since he was five. Just needs further development, coaching, experience and confidence.

[UFFL]

You are the starting QB at UF you are cut zero slack from the get go. You were signed to lead the team and win. Pretty cut and dry no matter the circumstances or team around you.

He led the team to 11 wins in 13 tries. Sounds damn good to me

[Minister_of_Information]

You are the starting QB at UF you are cut zero slack from the get go. You were signed to lead the team and win. Pretty cut and dry no matter the circumstances or team around you.

No doubt many feel the same. Poor buggers.

[Lawdog88]

The notion that some think / imply that this kid does not have it between the ears, is laughable.

Kid is articulate, poised, and obviously intelligent.

If anything, I think he simply tried TOO hard TOO often, instead of "relaxing" in the right way. We all know he can count to two Mississippi in his head just like anybody else. He just needs to be coached up and get more experience.

Kid is a gamer with a big heart, a team player, and plays hurt without complaining. I'm all in with Jeff.

[rserina]

Honest question - what can the coaches do to improve his pocket awareness? Because if he can't improve it, I see continued problems for our offense.
It is a thoroughly valid question, but there is a danger in taking these things as mortal flaws as many on these boards do. There is also a danger in taking the last game of the season as more indicative of his play over the course of a season than it actually was.

Part of the problem this year was the quality of pass rush we faced. Texas A&M, LSU, South Carolina, Georgia, and FSU all had either great team rushes or great individual rushes. That not only bothers a young quarterback during the course of a game, but can carry over in terms of shaking his confidence, making him hear footsteps, etc. Our schedule this year should afford him a little less of that consistent pressure.

Another problem was the new offense. It is easy to say by the end of the year Driskel should have complete command of it, but when you are learning your second system in as many years things just aren't that simple. We were still adding to the offense heading in December. A little more absorption will help.

Yet another problem was Driskel's own fit for the system. The kid by all accounts did not receive great coaching as a signal caller at the prep level (if you recall, most of his film was running around and making plays when everything else broke down). He was recruited for a spread option system, spent his first year learning a more pro style, two tight end type of look, then went to more of a multiple heavy set/imbalanced line sort of an offense. We integrated some read option to make him comfortable and it worked well at times. But he just isn't a natural pocket passer. That's not his game, so the staff will certainly adjust the system to bring out what he does best since the offense will pretty much revolve around him next year.

One more issue was the talent around him, in particular the lack of pass protection and ability to beat man coverage at receiver. Teams weren't afraid to play bump and run us last year with a safety up in the box because our receivers weren't beating their jams. It was complicated by the fact that our line just wasn't very good in pass protection. Harrison I thought was the best on the year. Halapio is a great run blocker, but not as good in protection. Green I thought did not play as well as he is capable of. Nixon and Wilson were obviously weak links on the left side. Hopefully the influx of OL transfers and maturation of some of the younger guys, along with the arrival of some pretty nice freshman receivers and the last gasp of Debose to take bull by the horns will ameliorate this tandem problem. I am less optimistic about it happening in 2013 than I am in 2014.

Finally, some of the blame for the sacks reflects what the staff expressly dictated to Driskel: don't throw interceptions. We committed 15 turnovers on the season, nine alone in our two losses. The staff knew our best chance of success this season was to rely on a strong rushing attack and stellar defense and special teams. That also meant the worst thing Driskel could do was throw a dangerous pass. Though he may not be natural pocker passer, Driskel is very cerebral and responds very well to coaching. For instance, he nearly eliminated those scrambles into the boundary that hurt him so often early in the year. His willingness to take a sack rather than throw a contested ball directly resulted in a minimum of interceptions (5) and an efficient completion percentage (63.7%). Four of his five interceptions came in our two losses, but he only threw one pick the rest of the season. Given the sort of defenses we can expect here under Muschamp, I think this staff will make the trade of interceptions for sacks ever day of the week plus Saturdays (for obvious reasons).

So, I think it is a fair question to ask, but you also have to balance that out with what Driskel did well and what sort of obstacles he faced. Most of those obstacles will be removed or at least reduced this year. I am still skeptical that our playmaking at receiver has sufficiently improved to provide Driskel with easy throws against softer coverage or to make coordinators less likely to send pressure the way they did a year ago. That, in my opinion, will have to wait for 2014. But without question Driskel will be improved next year on the other counts.

[pcolafan]

Valid points or excuses depending on your perception. But why did our offense....including Driskel....look so aweful against the cupcakes and lesser teams we played this season. We played several games where we had the distinct mechanical advantage and completely laid an egg on offense.

[Minister_of_Information]

Valid points or excuses depending on your perception. But why did our offense....including Driskel....look so aweful against the cupcakes and lesser teams we played this season. We played several games where we had the distinct mechanical advantage and completely laid an egg on offense.

Um. Injuries?

[theghost]

Yeah, Manziel needs more time with his new coaching staff too....

[Minister_of_Information]

Yeah, Manziel needs more time with his new coaching staff too....

Well Manziel is the Heisman winner so maybe there is something special about him. Plus he was sitting behind an all world OL throwing to a talented WR corps. Put Driskel in that scenario and he may not win the Heisman, but I bet his apparent level of success improves dramatically.

Sometimes our fans are just plain ludicrous.

[Gatorrick22]

So the problem is not enough time with Pease, WR corp, OL and poor special team play...etc? LOL

I see no "problems" with Driskel's play at QB. 11-2 isn't good enough for you? Ridiculous!

[rserina]

Valid points or excuses depending on your perception. But why did our offense....including Driskel....look so aweful against the cupcakes and lesser teams we played this season. We played several games where we had the distinct mechanical advantage and completely laid an egg on offense.
Ask yourself this: Is our performance against elite defenses normative for the offense or are the struggles against poor teams?

It is pretty hard to argue that the effectiveness in games against better teams were in general a combination of fluke factors, whereas our struggles against poor teams are more representative of the quality of the offense.

What separates the two is ultimately the specificity of the game plan suited to the opponent, the deployment of new packages in the offense, and the general intensity of preparation for the better opponents or the games we desperately needed to win (A&M, Tennessee, LSU, Vandy, South Carolina, UGA, FSU). You can believe it nor not, but we without question sandbagged certain games, at least in the sense that we did not prepare to use as much of our playbook against some teams as against others. Though it absolutely breaks coaching code to admit it, Muschamp did as much in his rant after the A&M game.

In the past, we have been able to get by with skeleton game plans and a general lack of intensity because our playmakers at the skill positions, in particular receiver, were so good. But the quality of athlete we had at receiver this past season was probably the lowest since the late 80s. Hopefully that will be rectified in the next couple of years through recruiting.

You can believe those are "excuses" if you want, but I don't see the point in doing so if they are actually true.

[rserina]

I see no "problems" with Driskel's play at QB. 11-2 isn't good enough for you? Ridiculous!
Don't worry about him. He pretty much hates Florida players and coaches. It's his "schtick."

[beanfield]

Honest question - what can the coaches do to improve his pocket awareness? Because if he can't improve it, I see continued problems for our offense.

They (coaches) can recruit offensive lineman who can give him some time....He's been running for his life since he stepped om campus.

[regurgigator]

Other than the fact that Driskel can run the read option, keep the ball, and has the speed to perhaps go all the way, he remind doesn't me of Kaepernick.

If Driskel becomes as successful as I hope he will, I think he'll play much more like Roethlisberger: standing tall in the pocket, sometimes too long, but often extending plays by shrugging off tacklers and throwing strikes after the original play has broken down.


It is a thoroughly valid question, but there is a danger in taking these things as mortal flaws as many on these boards do. There is also a danger in taking the last game of the season as more indicative of his play over the course of a season than it actually was.

Part of the problem this year was the quality of pass rush we faced. Texas A&M, LSU, South Carolina, Georgia, and FSU all had either great team rushes or great individual rushes. That not only bothers a young quarterback during the course of a game, but can carry over in terms of shaking his confidence, making him hear footsteps, etc. Our schedule this year should afford him a little less of that consistent pressure.

Another problem was the new offense. It is easy to say by the end of the year Driskel should have complete command of it, but when you are learning your second system in as many years things just aren't that simple. We were still adding to the offense heading in December. A little more absorption will help.

Yet another problem was Driskel's own fit for the system. The kid by all accounts did not receive great coaching as a signal caller at the prep level (if you recall, most of his film was running around and making plays when everything else broke down). He was recruited for a spread option system, spent his first year learning a more pro style, two tight end type of look, then went to more of a multiple heavy set/imbalanced line sort of an offense. We integrated some read option to make him comfortable and it worked well at times. But he just isn't a natural pocket passer. That's not his game, so the staff will certainly adjust the system to bring out what he does best since the offense will pretty much revolve around him next year.

One more issue was the talent around him, in particular the lack of pass protection and ability to beat man coverage at receiver. Teams weren't afraid to play bump and run us last year with a safety up in the box because our receivers weren't beating their jams. It was complicated by the fact that our line just wasn't very good in pass protection. Harrison I thought was the best on the year. Halapio is a great run blocker, but not as good in protection. Green I thought did not play as well as he is capable of. Nixon and Wilson were obviously weak links on the left side. Hopefully the influx of OL transfers and maturation of some of the younger guys, along with the arrival of some pretty nice freshman receivers and the last gasp of Debose to take bull by the horns will ameliorate this tandem problem. I am less optimistic about it happening in 2013 than I am in 2014.

Finally, some of the blame for the sacks reflects what the staff expressly dictated to Driskel: don't throw interceptions. We committed 15 turnovers on the season, nine alone in our two losses. The staff knew our best chance of success this season was to rely on a strong rushing attack and stellar defense and special teams. That also meant the worst thing Driskel could do was throw a dangerous pass. Though he may not be natural pocker passer, Driskel is very cerebral and responds very well to coaching. For instance, he nearly eliminated those scrambles into the boundary that hurt him so often early in the year. His willingness to take a sack rather than throw a contested ball directly resulted in a minimum of interceptions (5) and an efficient completion percentage (63.7%). Four of his five interceptions came in our two losses, but he only threw one pick the rest of the season. Given the sort of defenses we can expect here under Muschamp, I think this staff will make the trade of interceptions for sacks ever day of the week plus Saturdays (for obvious reasons).

So, I think it is a fair question to ask, but you also have to balance that out with what Driskel did well and what sort of obstacles he faced. Most of those obstacles will be removed or at least reduced this year. I am still skeptical that our playmaking at receiver has sufficiently improved to provide Driskel with easy throws against softer coverage or to make coordinators less likely to send pressure the way they did a year ago. That, in my opinion, will have to wait for 2014. But without question Driskel will be improved next year on the other counts.

Great stuff.

Two things concern me:

(1) Sometimes Driskel doesn't seem to see rushers breaking free even when they're approaching from directly in front of him (not the blind side). I sometimes think the same thing about Roethlisberger BTW, but I hope that's at least partially correctable for Driskel - who may have some downfield tunnel vision on some plays.

(2) Getting Driskel to throw quicker: even on the few plays where he got good protection, a lot of his throws seemed to be thrown a half-count too late. I think this is correctable with coaching and repetition, but is there enough time? I hope they spend spring practice working on that one facet of Driskel's passing over and over and over and.... :joecool: I know Driskel can work on timing with his WR's all summer, but I think improving this particular issue requires seeing a defense also so he gets better at recognizing quickly when a route will be open and getting the ball out at the correct, optimal moment.

As someone who leaned toward wanting Brissett to start when the season started, I will say I was greatly impressed (and somewhat surprised) by the accuracy Driskel showed this season - along with the great arm strength which was never in question. If he can combine that accuarcy with better timing on passes that need to get there before the safeties can react (for example) then we're going to be very happy indeed. :yes:

[gators1422]

In Kapernick's worst year he threw for more yards and TD's tjan Driskel. He never put up mind blowing numbers but if Driskel is half the QB he was we will be in good shape. As for Manziel "breaking records" almost everyone recruited him for the secondary, not QB. It's about measurables now not what kids actually can do on a football field.

[rserina]

Two things concern me:

(1) Sometimes Driskel doesn't seem to see rushers breaking free even when they're approaching from directly in front of him (not the blind side). I sometimes think the same thing about Roethlisberger BTW, but I hope that's at least partially correctable for Driskel - who may have some downfield tunnel vision on some plays.

(2) Getting Driskel to throw quicker: even on the few plays where he got good protection, a lot of his throws seemed to be thrown a half-count too late. I think this is correctable with coaching and repetition, but is there enough time? I hope they spend spring practice working on that one facet of Driskel's passing over and over and over and.... :joecool: I know Driskel can work on timing with his WR's all summer, but I think improving this particular issue requires seeing a defense also so he gets better at recognizing quickly when a route will be open and getting the ball out at the correct, optimal moment.
Those are both legitimate concerns. My only response would be that I think Tebow struggled with the exact same things (true also for McCaron at Bama). The difference, I suspect, was that the staff gave him far more latitude on point 1 to improvise when things broke down and the fact that on point 2 the spread created more space in the route trees, not to mention the quality of receiver who could get an extra step on defenders.

As I said in my initial response, there is a real danger in atomizing a kid's flaws to the point of making them mortal (not that you were really doing so with these pretty fair points, but in general it is the case). At the next level those issues might give NFL scouts pause, but at this level I think you can get away with it a little. Driskel won't ever be Brees in terms pocket presence and release. He can still be a terrifically effective collegiate quarterback along the lines of a Klein from KSU who can compensate for his lack of prototypical pocket skills with great athleticism and a willingness to use his size and strength to his advantage.

I would personally rather dwell on what he did well this season: efficient thrower with few interceptions, great athlete who can create with his feet and break off long runs, and a ton of poise and competitive grit in big games. To win so impressively in College Station, Knoxville, and Tallahassee, not to mention against LSU and South Carolina, in your first season says a lot about this kids potential. Outside of the sacks, he was rather effective in those games.

[Gatorrick22]

In Kapernick's worst year he threw for more yards and TD's tjan Driskel. He never put up mind blowing numbers but if Driskel is half the QB he was we will be in good shape. As for Manziel "breaking records" almost everyone recruited him for the secondary, not QB. It's about measurables now not what kids actually can do on a football field.

And how do you compare Tom Brady's college career to Kaepernick's college career? Judging from your assumptions about college QB's TB would have even made it to the pros. There are several other great pro QB's that had unspectacular college careers, but Driskel, a first year starter, has two full years to make his mark.

He still can be as good as anyone now playing pro football. We'll just have to wait and see what next year brings.

Lets see how good, or bad, Driskel does next year with an upgraded line and receiving corp.

[Tebowism0823]

So the problem is not enough time with Pease, WR corp, OL and poor special team play...etc? LOL

That'd be a good place to start. I know you'd rather hate on everything Gator right now but the truth is he doesn't have receivers who get open, he doesn't have a line that can block with any consistency, and this was his first year with Pease. I believe his entitled to a little more before a firm opinion can be made.

[Tebowism0823]

You are the starting QB at UF you are cut zero slack from the get go. You were signed to lead the team and win. Pretty cut and dry no matter the circumstances or team around you.

Right. That's spoken like a true person who's never played the game before. Armchair QB I believe is how its put.

[Tebowism0823]

The notion that some think / imply that this kid does not have it between the ears, is laughable.

Kid is articulate, poised, and obviously intelligent.

If anything, I think he simply tried TOO hard TOO often, instead of "relaxing" in the right way. We all know he can count to two Mississippi in his head just like anybody else. He just needs to be coached up and get more experience.

Kid is a gamer with a big heart, a team player, and plays hurt without complaining. I'm all in with Jeff.

Well said.

[GatorByte]

Don't worry about him. He pretty much hates Florida players and coaches. It's his "schtick."

Kind of similar to how your "schtick" is constantly hating on the Gator fanbase.

[4everaGator]

I see no "problems" with Driskel's play at QB. 11-2 isn't good enough for you? Ridiculous!

I am happy with the status quo, going 11-2 was great even though we had the stuff to go undefeated this year. But I sympathize with those who would like to see Florida be a bit better than the 118th passing offense in the country. I wouldn't mind moving into the 50s or 40s myself. But I also understand our offense is about ball control and we aren't going to score in 2 or 3 minutes like we did with Fun and Gun under SOS. I love it that we can play keep away and hold a lead if we need to.

[diehardgator1]

You are the starting QB at UF you are cut zero slack from the get go. You were signed to lead the team and win. Pretty cut and dry no matter the circumstances or team around you.

Lets see 11-2 first year as a starter Co Champs of the Eastern division and played what many considered the toughest schedule in the country Oh yes one fumble away from maybe beating Georgia Seems to me he did dam good job of leading

[irish2u2]

Rserina makes excellent points. As usual. :joecool:

So let's concentrate on plays where JD had time to throw and the receivers were doing their job and were open.

Without empirical data to back up this statement I guess some trust has to be extended to my powers of observation but Driskel's main issues were inconsistent accuracy and locking in to a primary receiver.

Logically both issues are solved with experience and a lot of work with his receivers. I am sure Pease has Jeff concentrating on finding second and third options on pass plays and looking off primary receivers. Driskel has to spend as much time as possible throwing to his receivers and getting to know what they can and cannot do.

Obviously other factors come into play. We had a good offensive line that still made a lot of mistakes. Next season we have some new guys stepping in and they have to do a job better of protecting Jeff. But Jeff has to do a better job of decision making. We had our fair share of coverage sacks but with a QB as mobile as Driskel that shouldn't be an issue. He should be able to get out of the tackle box and throw the ball away. Jeff has the ability to make plays and sometimes not losing a down and yards is a positive play.

Wideouts have their issues too. They need to run better, sharper routes. They need to get off the bump cleaner and they need to make plays to help their young QB.

It's really a simple formula.

The offensive line does it's job. Florida is able to run the ball effectively giving the offense dimension. Driskel gets better protection. The wideouts, under a new and highly accomplished coach, do their job too. They get off the LOS cleaner. They run better, sharper routes. They do a better job of helping their young QB out by making plays.

Experience, practice and good coaching let's Driskel use the extra time he gets in the pocket to make smart decisions. Running or throwing the ball away comes easier to him and the decision when to throw the ball away or run is more automatic. Less sacks. More positive plays because when Jeff runs he is very, very effective.

Because of all the work done by Jeff, his receivers and the offensive line the Gators are better able to use more of the field in passing situations. Florida doesn't have to be as predictable. The Gators can be more vertical and Driskel can distribute the ball to more receivers because he has the confidence in them earned in long workouts with them and because of the work of Joker Phillips. Brent Pease has the time to put his stamp on Driskel too. Play smart. Use the skills you have and the skills of the people around you. Relax and let the game come to you. Have fun. :joecool:

I don't care if Jeff Driskel can become the next Colin Kaepernick or not. I just want Jeff to be the best Jeff Driskel he can be. He isn't as fast as Kaepernick but he is fast enough. JD has great running instincts which he needs to use. Judiciously. :joecool: I don't want our QB taking the beating Tebow did as a Gator. I do want that ability to run to be an issue with opposing defenses because that gives Driskel time to get the ball downfield with his arm. In the little bit of watching Kaepernick he seems accurate enough though not Brady/Brees/Rodgers/Mannings type accurate. He's got a strong arm and he makes pretty good decisions. Most of all he seems supremely confident and I like that a lot so on second thought... yea.... lets all hope Driskel is a lot like Kaepernick. :joecool:

[fox]

It is a thoroughly valid question, but there is a danger in taking these things as mortal flaws as many on these boards do. There is also a danger in taking the last game of the season as more indicative of his play over the course of a season than it actually was.

Part of the problem this year was the quality of pass rush we faced. Texas A&M, LSU, South Carolina, Georgia, and FSU all had either great team rushes or great individual rushes. That not only bothers a young quarterback during the course of a game, but can carry over in terms of shaking his confidence, making him hear footsteps, etc. Our schedule this year should afford him a little less of that consistent pressure.

Another problem was the new offense. It is easy to say by the end of the year Driskel should have complete command of it, but when you are learning your second system in as many years things just aren't that simple. We were still adding to the offense heading in December. A little more absorption will help.

Yet another problem was Driskel's own fit for the system. The kid by all accounts did not receive great coaching as a signal caller at the prep level (if you recall, most of his film was running around and making plays when everything else broke down). He was recruited for a spread option system, spent his first year learning a more pro style, two tight end type of look, then went to more of a multiple heavy set/imbalanced line sort of an offense. We integrated some read option to make him comfortable and it worked well at times. But he just isn't a natural pocket passer. That's not his game, so the staff will certainly adjust the system to bring out what he does best since the offense will pretty much revolve around him next year.

One more issue was the talent around him, in particular the lack of pass protection and ability to beat man coverage at receiver. Teams weren't afraid to play bump and run us last year with a safety up in the box because our receivers weren't beating their jams. It was complicated by the fact that our line just wasn't very good in pass protection. Harrison I thought was the best on the year. Halapio is a great run blocker, but not as good in protection. Green I thought did not play as well as he is capable of. Nixon and Wilson were obviously weak links on the left side. Hopefully the influx of OL transfers and maturation of some of the younger guys, along with the arrival of some pretty nice freshman receivers and the last gasp of Debose to take bull by the horns will ameliorate this tandem problem. I am less optimistic about it happening in 2013 than I am in 2014.

Finally, some of the blame for the sacks reflects what the staff expressly dictated to Driskel: don't throw interceptions. We committed 15 turnovers on the season, nine alone in our two losses. The staff knew our best chance of success this season was to rely on a strong rushing attack and stellar defense and special teams. That also meant the worst thing Driskel could do was throw a dangerous pass. Though he may not be natural pocker passer, Driskel is very cerebral and responds very well to coaching. For instance, he nearly eliminated those scrambles into the boundary that hurt him so often early in the year. His willingness to take a sack rather than throw a contested ball directly resulted in a minimum of interceptions (5) and an efficient completion percentage (63.7%). Four of his five interceptions came in our two losses, but he only threw one pick the rest of the season. Given the sort of defenses we can expect here under Muschamp, I think this staff will make the trade of interceptions for sacks ever day of the week plus Saturdays (for obvious reasons).

So, I think it is a fair question to ask, but you also have to balance that out with what Driskel did well and what sort of obstacles he faced. Most of those obstacles will be removed or at least reduced this year. I am still skeptical that our playmaking at receiver has sufficiently improved to provide Driskel with easy throws against softer coverage or to make coordinators less likely to send pressure the way they did a year ago. That, in my opinion, will have to wait for 2014. But without question Driskel will be improved next year on the other counts.

Nice job. Please save it and be prepared to repost about a hundred times in the next 8 months.

[GatorinNYC]

Rserina, great post(s). Honest question though, what do you make of JD's inability to find the open man? I recall numerous games where we had WRs breaking free downfield and Jeff just didn't pick them up. It appeared to many an amateur eye that when his first read wasn't there, the play was sunk and he went into improv mode. There could be a ton of reasons for this, many of which you mentioned (piss poor protection, still learning the offense and thinking rather than just letting it rip), but lesser talents and guys as freshman have proven that it can be done. I mean, shouldn't the starting QB at Florida come into the position with an already established understanding of how to make progressions? Perhaps I'm focusing too much on the poor games and ignoring his successes in this area. It is certainly easier said than done and lord knows I haven't had to ever do it myself, notwithstanding my flag football glory days.

Don't get me wrong, I'm excited about his potential and think most are. His physical attributes are off the charts. And I believe you are spot on with your comments on how Muschamp emphasized not making TOs. Unfortunately, I don't think that will cut it next year bc we aren't likely to have a defense as dominant as it was in 12, which I suspect was arguably the best we've fielded in 20 yrs.

[mac4lyfe]

I'm not convinced that Driskel is cut out for a proset. I really think he would be better in a spread offense like Kaepernick was in. Time will tell...

[RealDeal]

driskel had one decent RB, a mediocre Oline and no good wide receivers---hard to evaluate him after 1 year.

[GataBaitx3]

driskel had one decent RB, a mediocre Oline and no good wide receivers---hard to evaluate him after 1 year.

This.

[rserina]

Rserina, great post(s). Honest question though, what do you make of JD's inability to find the open man? I recall numerous games where we had WRs breaking free downfield and Jeff just didn't pick them up. It appeared to many an amateur eye that when his first read wasn't there, the play was sunk and he went into improv mode. There could be a ton of reasons for this, many of which you mentioned (piss poor protection, still learning the offense and thinking rather than just letting it rip), but lesser talents and guys as freshman have proven that it can be done. I mean, shouldn't the starting QB at Florida come into the position with an already established understanding of how to make progressions?
Well, there are two things here. First, I honestly think the thing about Driskel missing open guys is a little overstated. I think it was Herbstreit who beat it like a dead horse in the A&M game. The old coaching adage is that every receiver thinks he is open until he watches the film. The same can be said about us watching it. Are the receivers live options in the play? Are they open or has the coverage shifted away from them because of where the ball is going or where Driskel's eyes are? Is Driskel able to see them or is the rush obscuring his vision? All of those are considerations in determining whether the receivers were actually open on a regular basis but Driskel kept missing them or whether it might have been an occasional thing that seems more prominent than it actually was.

The second I tend to think is easier to dissect. Coming out of high school, Driskel was unbelievably raw. Great arm, good mechanics, good head on his shoulders, but you could tell he had no idea what he was seeing on the field. I don't want to get into the specifics of why that is the case publicly, but suffice it to say Driskel was very unprepared for football at this level and was way behind Brissett coming to campus (one reason I think Weis pressed for the latter's recruitment). Changing systems twice in your first two years while adapting to this level of play hardly helps matters. The only quarterback who dealt with that to any degree was Leak, but Fedora stayed largely with the same system and Zaunbrecher was still on staff at any rate. Driskel was always going to be a work in progress. The Meyer staff knew it, but they saw the appreciable upside and knew it was too good to pass up. Muschamp and Pease could have easily cut bait, too, but they didn't for the same reason.

Again, I completely understand the reservations at this stage, but I see plenty of reason to be optimistic about his ceiling going forward. The problem is that he won't be able to hit it until 2014 when this unbelievable receiver class earns its wings.

[rserina]

I'm not convinced that Driskel is cut out for a proset. I really think he would be better in a spread offense like Kaepernick was in. Time will tell...
Yes, he would be better in a spread option, but the great thing about the system Pease is running is that there are enough spread elements in it to be adaptable to Driskel's strengths. They will need to expand it some more this offseason, including the quick pass game to the perimeter and some of the sprint option stuff.

[Gatorrick22]

driskel had one decent RB, a mediocre Oline and no good wide receivers---hard to evaluate him after 1 year.

.......sums it up best.

[tegator80]

A lot of really good points. I would put his results on 1) mediocre Oline play 2) a running back who is not as big of a threat as Gore is for SF (opens up the play calling) 3) the quality of the receivers and 4) a BMOC in HS but now needs to learn how to play with other talented people and not just try to do it all himself or try to be perfect (and that is all about experience).

But overall I would put this discussion in our incessant need for making sense of something that doesn't have to make sense. He is going to mature his way and on his time frame, whether others are quicker to the mark or not. And I think that a stable coaching staff is going to do wonders for all aspects of our O in the next year or two.

[GatorAvatar]

Yeah, Manziel needs more time with his new coaching staff too....

Next year he will have a new OC, and according to the logic of some posters here, he is going to suck.

[GatorAvatar]

That'd be a good place to start. I know you'd rather hate on everything Gator right now but the truth is he doesn't have receivers who get open, he doesn't have a line that can block with any consistency, and this was his first year with Pease. I believe his entitled to a little more before a firm opinion can be made.

I don't hate anything Gator. Our football team is one heck of a team. Great defense, exceptional special teams, decent WRs, great tight ends and RBs, decent Oline. I love that team. If it gets decent QB play it will win a NC.

[mikehev]

By next season JD should be given the ability to check down at the line. This, IMO, will cause his production to improve immensely.

Hopefully his pocket awareness improves with more experience (I believe it will).

I look forward to him having a big year next year.

In Christ forever,
Mike
John 3:16

[gtr2x]

Can't believe we have a thread comparing JD to a current starting NFL qb. No disrespect to the kid either.

[rserina]

Can't believe we have a thread comparing JD to a current starting NFL qb. No disrespect to the kid either.
I think the thread is more discussing the type of quarterback he is and how effective he might be at the collegiate level. Didn't really catch where anybody was comparing him qualitatively to Kaepernick. Regardless, if someone had floated this last summer, I bet A) most would not have known who Kaepernick is and B) they would not have wondered why we were comparing a kid from Nevada with few scholarship offers to such a good prep prospect and Florida quarterback like Driskel.

[GeomatGator]

I think the reason a lot of us are questioning whether Driskel will ever be good enough is that after a month of bowl preparation and a year of experience as a starter, he looked like a true freshman playing his first game. And he didn't exactly set the world on fire before that either.

[whitelakegator]

Well, there are two things here. First, I honestly think the thing about Driskel missing open guys is a little overstated. I think it was Herbstreit who beat it like a dead horse in the A&M game. The old coaching adage is that every receiver thinks he is open until he watches the film. The same can be said about us watching it. Are the receivers live options in the play? Are they open or has the coverage shifted away from them because of where the ball is going or where Driskel's eyes are? Is Driskel able to see them or is the rush obscuring his vision? All of those are considerations in determining whether the receivers were actually open on a regular basis but Driskel kept missing them or whether it might have been an occasional thing that seems more prominent than it actually was.

The second I tend to think is easier to dissect. Coming out of high school, Driskel was unbelievably raw. Great arm, good mechanics, good head on his shoulders, but you could tell he had no idea what he was seeing on the field. I don't want to get into the specifics of why that is the case publicly, but suffice it to say Driskel was very unprepared for football at this level and was way behind Brissett coming to campus (one reason I think Weis pressed for the latter's recruitment). Changing systems twice in your first two years while adapting to this level of play hardly helps matters. The only quarterback who dealt with that to any degree was Leak, but Fedora stayed largely with the same system and Zaunbrecher was still on staff at any rate. Driskel was always going to be a work in progress. The Meyer staff knew it, but they saw the appreciable upside and knew it was too good to pass up. Muschamp and Pease could have easily cut bait, too, but they didn't for the same reason.

Again, I completely understand the reservations at this stage, but I see plenty of reason to be optimistic about his ceiling going forward. The problem is that he won't be able to hit it until 2014 when this unbelievable receiver class earns its wings.

This is twice you say we have to wait until 2014. That's crazy. If JD is anywhere near 80 or lower it is time to jettison him. Welcome to the real world. Let's not mistake effort for results.

[rserina]

This is twice you say we have to wait until 2014. That's crazy. If JD is anywhere near 80 or lower it is time to jettison him. Welcome to the real world. Let's not mistake effort for results.
I said on one point we needed to wait until 2014: an improvement in receiver play. Did you miss the rest of the initial post where I ran through a half-dozen factors, of which all but receiver play should be improved next year?

Besides, where you do want to go to find a replacement? A freshman Grier? You got any other options up your sleeve?

Fortunately, the staff knows player development better than these boards

[whitelakegator]

JD looked horrific vs louisville...a whole year and extra week to prepare. He looked worse than the beginning of the year. Excuses are easy but he needs major improvement. Our defense will struggle. Jd will have to throw next year. I don't believe he can. Any proof to show that he'll be able to?

[UFFL]

This is twice you say we have to wait until 2014. That's crazy. If JD is anywhere near 80 or lower it is time to jettison him. Welcome to the real world. Let's not mistake effort for results.

Who would you rather have at QB than JD

[Minister_of_Information]

JD looked horrific vs louisville...a whole year and extra week to prepare. He looked worse than the beginning of the year. Excuses are easy but he needs major improvement. Our defense will struggle. Jd will have to throw next year. I don't believe he can. Any proof to show that he'll be able to?

It's difficult to separate the hogwash from the malarkey here.

[rserina]

I think the reason a lot of us are questioning whether Driskel will ever be good enough is that after a month of bowl preparation and a year of experience as a starter, he looked like a true freshman playing his first game. And he didn't exactly set the world on fire before that either.
How did the rest of the team look? That should give you some indication of the dynamics behind that game. The staff was busting its tail on the 2013 class and obviously let a number of things fall through in the process. Did Leak improve by leaps and bounds against Iowa in 2003? No, but he sure as heck was improved the next season despite losing his top three receivers from the previous year (Troupe, Perez, Kight).

You guys are just looking for a reason to be pessimistic about Driskel and the offense. The worst thing about losing the bowl game is that the final impression from them was a bad one and it will now become the standard that overrides everything we accomplished the entire season. Never mind the effective rushing attack, the improved run blocking, the diverse and creative system Pease put in place, the success previously underused kids like Gillislee and Hines had, the improvements young players like Dunbar and Jones made during the season, or the simple fact that Driskel won ten games due to his taking care of the ball and executing the offense without making terrible mistakes.

For my part, I see a young, green, immature football player (and team, for that matter) with a load of potential that is going to benefit from the most continuity the offense in several years, probably going back to 2008. I laid out a number of reasons why I think Driskel can easily improve and I suspect he will. Sorry if that is too optimistic for the general constitution of these boards.

[rserina]

JD looked horrific vs louisville...a whole year and extra week to prepare. He looked worse than the beginning of the year. Excuses are easy but he needs major improvement. Our defense will struggle. Jd will have to throw next year. I don't believe he can. Any proof to show that he'll be able to?
How can one provide proof of something that hasn't happened yet? Is that even possible? Good luck next year. Hopefully all goes according to plan. This thread has given me a headache because of the obstinacy reflected by some and the inability to grant a single damn point, even though I granted a number of concerns along the way.

Have fun in life. Hope you find happiness.

[Minister_of_Information]

Sorry if that is too optimistic for the general constitution of these boards.

rserina, I feel that last sentence is over the top. There are plenty of good fans here to go along with the others. Insulting everyone out of frustration serves no purpose whatsoever.

[gatormater]

And how do you compare Tom Brady's college career to Kaepernick's college career? Judging from your assumptions about college QB's TB would have even made it to the pros. There are several other great pro QB's that had unspectacular college careers, but Driskel, a first year starter, has two full years to make his mark.

He still can be as good as anyone now playing pro football. We'll just have to wait and see what next year brings.

Lets see how good, or bad, Driskel does next year with an upgraded line and receiving corp.

Dude for every Tom Brady (only 1) there's hundreds of college QBs who had unspectacular college careers and couldn't last in the NFL. I'm not trashing Driskel, just think it's a bit wishful thinking to compare him to Kaepernick let alone Brady. At this point, I'm just hoping he can be more AJ McCarron. Our defense and running back crew should be pretty elite.

[tommyuf21]

Coming out of high school, Driskel was unbelievably raw. Great arm, good mechanics, good head on his shoulders, but you could tell he had no idea what he was seeing on the field. I don't want to get into the specifics of why that is the case publicly, but suffice it to say Driskel was very unprepared for football at this level and was way behind Brissett coming to campus (one reason I think Weis pressed for the latter's recruitment).

I'll hazard a guess. Hagerty is a young school that has only played varsity football for a few years. If I'm not mistaken, Driskel was a part of maybe the second senior class in the school's history.

I'm going to also guess that Jeff's high school coaching left a lot to be desired. They basically relied on Jeff's athleticism for their success as a team. He truly was a one man show.

[rserina]

rserina, I feel that last sentence is over the top. There are plenty of good fans here to go along with the others. Insulting everyone out of frustration serves no purpose whatsoever.
Congratulations. I've never understood why people don't send PMs rather than clogging up these threads with commentary on someone else's posting etiquette.

[dawny]

How does Saban/Miles just reload, there QBs look great not green,Baylor just reloaded, Meyers went into a new system ,works good, Louiville looked good,dont blame our QBs for everything, maybe a teaching /coaching QB problem,bet Brissett will shine where he goes.

[Minister_of_Information]

Congratulations. I've never understood why people don't send PMs rather than clogging up these threads with commentary on someone else's posting etiquette.

Yeah, I know.

Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that you directed your remarks at everyone.

[Tebowism0823]

JD looked horrific vs louisville...a whole year and extra week to prepare. He looked worse than the beginning of the year. Excuses are easy but he needs major improvement. Our defense will struggle. Jd will have to throw next year. I don't believe he can. Any proof to show that he'll be able to?

Our defense will struggle?

[Tebowism0823]

Yeah, I know.

lol

[whitelakegator]

Our defense will struggle?
Struggle for them will be top thirty or so. You don't lose what we're losing without some drop off. Losing floyd is huge. Bostic...slam. plus the others. Even bama has drop off. Jd will have to win us games with his arm. Has he shown he can do that yet? No.

Crowd the box and make jd throw it. The blueprint is obvious. I mean did anyone see the la game or Missouri game? Uga? Louisville? We barely passed for 145 yes a game. Sorry but that's crazy. But its everyone but jds fault on here. Sure.

[whitelakegator]

How can one provide proof of something that hasn't happened yet? Is that even possible? Good luck next year. Hopefully all goes according to plan. This thread has given me a headache because of the obstinacy reflected by some and the inability to grant a single damn point, even though I granted a number of concerns along the way.

Have fun in life. Hope you find happiness.

Wow...didn't mean for you to give up on humanity. It's just a message board and maybe you are taking it a tad bit too seriously. What does my life have to do with our friendly conversation. Oh...you are one of those...gotcha.

It is all good. I'll be sure to only post good things from now on. Sunshine and happiness. Sorry boss.

[Juggernautz]

Valid points or excuses depending on your perception. But why did our offense....including Driskel....look so aweful against the cupcakes and lesser teams we played this season. We played several games where we had the distinct mechanical advantage and completely laid an egg on offense.

In the Sugar Bowl every aspect our team looked awful including the coaching.

[UGator]

Playing down to competition, like we did several times this year, is the sign of a team less motivated and probably undisciplined to boot. It's both on the players and coaches and needs to be dealt with and improved for our return to Atlanta and the MNC.

Saban seems to get his team to play all out and win in a dominant fashion and Bama rarely comes up flat for games. He has the talent and depth to keep everyone hungry for playing time.

Muschamp has done tons to get the players to play, but he is also building depth which should greatly improve the issue. If it's hard to motivate a player, then sit him for another who wants to play and not just show up. It's all about life, not just football.

[gatorich]

You are the starting QB at UF you are cut zero slack from the get go. You were signed to lead the team and win. Pretty cut and dry no matter the circumstances or team around you.

11-2

[GatorAvatar]

11-2

People like to use the 11-2 record as if it was all Driskel. 11-2 has as much to do with Kyle Christy, Matt Elam, Purifoy etc as it was with Driskel's play.

[orangeblueorangeblue]

It's never "all" one player. It's about doing your part on a winning team.

[GatorAvatar]

It's never "all" one player. It's about doing your part on a winning team.

True

[Gatorrick22]

Dude for every Tom Brady (only 1) there's hundreds of college QBs who had unspectacular college careers and couldn't last in the NFL. I'm not trashing Driskel, just think it's a bit wishful thinking to compare him to Kaepernick let alone Brady. At this point, I'm just hoping he can be more AJ McCarron. Our defense and running back crew should be pretty elite.

I'm not comparing the two - I'm pointing out the fact that players that were not great can get great in short order. Driskel has two more years to prove the doubters wrong.

Cut him some slack already. Not saying you are one of these people, but there are way too many fainting goats posting on this subject/thread.

[orangeblueorangeblue]

Both Kaepernick and Brady were good in college.

[Gatorrick22]

Both Kaepernick and Brady were good in college.

And after two more years so can Driskel.

[orangeblueorangeblue]

No doubt.

I'm just saying the narrative about Tom Brady really was never true. And Kaepernick was a 4-year starter and pretty good all 4 years.

[kellgator]

His point is valid. If a QB has limited time with his OC, terrible protection from his OL, and low quality WRs, the cards are already stacked against him being successful.

Agreed. It's likely that Driskel and the rest of the offense spent their time learning what to do, rather than working on skills that improve how they do it. With the offense already installed, Pease can work on developing Driskel's QB.

[GatorJeff]

Playing down to competition, like we did several times this year, is the sign of a team less motivated and probably undisciplined to boot. It's both on the players and coaches and needs to be dealt with and improved for our return to Atlanta and the MNC.

Saban seems to get his team to play all out and win in a dominant fashion and Bama rarely comes up flat for games. He has the talent and depth to keep everyone hungry for playing time.

Muschamp has done tons to get the players to play, but he is also building depth which should greatly improve the issue. If it's hard to motivate a player, then sit him for another who wants to play and not just show up. It's all about life, not just football.

These are 18, 19, 20 year old kids........it's amazing that they were about to get up emotionally for as many games as they did, beating four teams in the final BCS top 12. Bobby Bowden used to say that he could only get his players up for games about three times a season, but you claim (despite the inevitable mental, emotional and physical exhaustion) that they are probably "undiciplined" if they aren't jacked up every weekend while playing the most demanding schedule in the country. Come on, man.

[Gatorrick22]

No doubt.

I'm just saying the narrative about Tom Brady really was never true. And Kaepernick was a 4-year starter and pretty good all 4 years.

Well, Tom Brady didn't even start till his junior year.... So when he finally started he was good - Yes. Hope Driskel has two good years for us as well.

[SouthsideGator]

Driskel will show improvement just from being in the system another year if the Oline comes together. The new receivers coming in the fall will have a difficult time standing out. Remember that reps are limited in the Fall so we will be counting on the returning receivers plus Demarcus Robinson who will have gone through Spring practice. With limited contact with position coaches outside Spring ball, Pease and Joker don't have a lot time with QB's and receivers. When Fall practice starts, time for individual development is even more limited.

[orangeblueorangeblue]

Two years in the same system + great O-line + good corps of backs + a bunch of young receivers = a much better Driskel.

By 2014 he'll be in a pretty amazing spot if our incoming wideouts develop.

[orangeblueorangeblue]

Really, we might be looking at a 2001esque group of receivers in 2014. It would be nice to have Jones, Taylor etc be established and Driskel to be here in his senior season.

[deebo65]

He'll be here his senior year. Unless he has a 2007 Tebow year, he will still be here I am betting. Honestly, I look for very big improvements next year just from how I "believe" our offensive line will be improved. We had a very good groud game this past year. It really helped Jeff. Next year I expect to have the same type of ground game plus much improved pass blocking. If this receiveing corp turns out to live up to the potential they have (here already + what's coming in) I expect to have improvment in our passing game as well. I believe Pease will have Jeff really working on his progressions this offseason. He will not be splitting reps with anyone to the degree he did last offseason, so the timing alone should be better also. I am not predicting Heisman stats or anything like that, but I believe he will be a much much improved QB due to just things like the new line and a bigger stable of backs. If Jeff works his tail off like we expect, I think we will all be pleased with our QB play next year

[BobbyGator72]

I like what Driskell did in his first year as a starter. Does he have room for improvement sure he does but I think he gets a pretty bad rap here. What I saw was an inexperienced quarterback who was instructed not to take chances, not to force balls into coverage and on some plays he did not have but one or two options to throw to, so checking down or looking off his main receivers were much harder or impossible to do. I also think that a summer throwing to his receivers will help immensely. From all accounts that I heard last summer it was Briskett who got to spend the time working with most of the receiving core. WM is a conservative coach, I dont see him allowing Pease to open up the offense like a Boise or Nevada offense. I do hope that with improvement and increased confidence in Driskell you will see more play action and passes on firsrt down.

[DawgFanFromAlabam]

He was #10 in the SEC in passing efficiency and #12 in passing yards per game. Some folks with better rankings had poor line/WR play too.

You guys said all off-season your Oline would be much improved. I questioned it and some of you agreed to wait until the season started. Perhaps waiting again before making the same claims would be reasonable again? Same goes for WRs.

Driskel seems to have the physical tools. Will he be a Gator great? Time will tell.

[orangeblueorangeblue]

I don't think we'll see a huge improvement in the WRs next year unless one of the frosh breaks out big time.

But the o-line will be good. I didn't say that last pre-season, btw.

[rserina]

You guys said all off-season your Oline would be much improved. I questioned it and some of you agreed to wait until the season started. Perhaps waiting again before making the same claims would be reasonable again? Same goes for WRs.
The offensive line was much improved, at least in the run game. The pass protection was terrible on the whole, but we were pretty effective running the ball, whether in specialty packages or in the base offense. The fact that we lose our two worst pass blockers leads me to believe we stand a chance of improving in pass protection again next year, though admittedly neither Halapio nor Green was very good last season, either.

I agree on the receivers. We have a long way to go. The incoming class will rectify that, but I am not convinced they will do so very easily as freshmen.

[orangeblueorangeblue]

I also think it's worth mentioning that Jeff was 3rd or 4th in the conference through the first 6 games, which one could argue were our most difficult.

I can't explain that, necessarily, but I've argued that our team was a tale of two offenses in 2012.

[socraticsilence]

I'm not convinced that Driskel is cut out for a proset. I really think he would be better in a spread offense like Kaepernick was in. Time will tell...

This, more than anything Driskel reminds of OSU when they had Pryor and they tried to force him into an offense similar to the one the Muschamp wants to run- a Big 10, 3 yards and a cloud of dust scheme- its the same hesitancy with flashes of brilliance that almost always occur when a play breaks down- Pryor never looked all that good except when he was running or OSU shifted into a read-option approach, the same is true of Jeff- I just hope we go all spread option like the Redskins do with RG3 instead of trying to slam a square peg into a round hole for 2 more years.

[orangeblueorangeblue]

One would be hard pressed to describe what we ran this year as a pro set.

[rserina]

This, more than anything Driskel reminds of OSU when they had Pryor and they tried to force him into an offense similar to the one the Muschamp wants to run- a Big 10, 3 yards and a cloud of dust scheme- its the same hesitancy with flashes of brilliance that almost always occur when a play breaks down- Pryor never looked all that good except when he was running or OSU shifted into a read-option approach, the same is true of Jeff- I just hope we go all spread option like the Redskins do with RG3 instead of trying to slam a square peg into a round hole for 2 more years.
Except that we don't run a "Big 10, 3 yards and a cloud of dust scheme." We run a multiple offense similar to the one Harbaugh runs with Kaepernick under a guy who ran the Air Raid at Kentucky and Baylor and the West Coast-inspired multiple offense package in the Belotti-Koetter-Hawkins-Pedersen line at Boise, none of which have ever been confused with a "Big 10, 3 yards and a cloud of dust scheme." Last year, we integrated plenty of zone read and iso runs for Driskel and those should only increase as the staff develops the offense around him rather than the senior thousand yard rusher we had last season.

[NoahBeanBizzel]

Driskel has a long way to go before him and Kaepernick can be mentioned in the same sentence.

I understand that Jeff clearly didn't have elite talent around him at the skill positions, and the pass blocking was once again suspect. That's not his fault, and I agree with Chris Leak that it's hard to do a whole lot when you don't have much around you. But there's something about Driskel's ability-or inability-to see the field that's disconcerting. He's very raw as a passer, locks onto receivers, his "mental clock" needs some serious work, and he routinely got away with some awful throws. His QB rating was actually similar to Leak's in his first season as a starter; only Driskel is obviously a far better runner.

The good news is that he's got all the talent in the world. With good coaching, improved play from the receivers and tight ends and better pass blocking I'm sure he'll be better. That recipe would make any QB better. Hopefully he'll sharpen up insofar as the mental aspect of the game is concerned. He needs work.

[gtr2x]

I think the thread is more discussing the type of quarterback he is and how effective he might be at the collegiate level. Didn't really catch where anybody was comparing him qualitatively to Kaepernick. Regardless, if someone had floated this last summer, I bet A) most would not have known who Kaepernick is and B) they would not have wondered why we were comparing a kid from Nevada with few scholarship offers to such a good prep prospect and Florida quarterback like Driskel.

The thread has evolved in the direction you indicate, which makes it just one of many threads attempting to analyze JB as a qb. I think the original post compared him to Kaepernick. If not why the reference?

I agree with A and disagree with B. After his freshman year, many didn't think JD would even be the starting qb at UF much less be in the NFL. Might as well compare him to Alex Smith, makes as much sense.

[geauxgator1]

He led the team to 11 wins in 13 tries. Sounds damn good to me

Yup.......His last outing was a fiasco, but it can happen to even experienced QB's (ask Peyton)..He needs some more experience, some more coaching, a better OL, and wide receivers.. Next year will likely tell the tale, but he's still young. I was a little disappointed he didn't paly better against Louisville, but we could have said that for a lot of players.

[Gatorrick22]

I don't think we'll see a huge improvement in the WRs next year unless one of the frosh breaks out big time.

But the o-line will be good. I didn't say that last pre-season, btw.



I don't know about that, Joker P. is an excellent receivers coach.

[Tebowism0823]

Struggle for them will be top thirty or so. You don't lose what we're losing without some drop off. Losing floyd is huge. Bostic...slam. plus the others. Even bama has drop off. Jd will have to win us games with his arm. Has he shown he can do that yet? No.

Crowd the box and make jd throw it. The blueprint is obvious. I mean did anyone see the la game or Missouri game? Uga? Louisville? We barely passed for 145 yes a game. Sorry but that's crazy. But its everyone but jds fault on here. Sure.

Of course losing those players sting but if we are out of the top 10 for defense I'd be surprised. We have depth; very talented depth.

As far as your Driskel comment goes, I believe the majority here are saying to give him a little time before crucifying him. He had no receivers to speak of, an oline that couldn't pass block most of the time, and a first year OC. Jeff came from a school with a new program and he came in with very raw talent. There's no question he has the physical talent and arm strength to be successful. The only thing left is the mental aspect which I think the spring and summer will do miracles for him. I think most people are going to be shocked come September. We have some great talent coming in at the skill positions and a lot of them will see the field early. I wouldn't be surprised if we have a Sammy Watkins type player show out next year. Our offense is on the rise and it starts next year. Get ready, I guarantee its coming!! I'm looking forward to the practices.

[Tebowism0823]

Wow...didn't mean for you to give up on humanity. It's just a message board and maybe you are taking it a tad bit too seriously. What does my life have to do with our friendly conversation. Oh...you are one of those...gotcha.

It is all good. I'll be sure to only post good things from now on. Sunshine and happiness. Sorry boss.

lol.....

[Tebowism0823]

Playing down to competition, like we did several times this year, is the sign of a team less motivated and probably undisciplined to boot. It's both on the players and coaches and needs to be dealt with and improved for our return to Atlanta and the MNC.

Saban seems to get his team to play all out and win in a dominant fashion and Bama rarely comes up flat for games. He has the talent and depth to keep everyone hungry for playing time.

Muschamp has done tons to get the players to play, but he is also building depth which should greatly improve the issue. If it's hard to motivate a player, then sit him for another who wants to play and not just show up. It's all about life, not just football.

Agree completely. I love Muschamp, and I'm ecstatic that he coaches our Gators, but he's obviously still learning and that's fine. The man can recruit and the man can coach. Player motivation is still an issue regarding playing down to competition but he'll shore that up. The type of players he's bringing in fit that lunch pale mentality except with loads of talent to go with it.

[Tebowism0823]

People like to use the 11-2 record as if it was all Driskel. 11-2 has as much to do with Kyle Christy, Matt Elam, Purifoy etc as it was with Driskel's play.

I think people are just pointing out that if he was as terrible as some say, we wouldn't have been 11-2 regardless of how our defense played.

[Tebowism0823]

I'm not comparing the two - I'm pointing out the fact that players that were not great can get great in short order. Driskel has two more years to prove the doubters wrong.

Cut him some slack already. Not saying you are one of these people, but there are way too many fainting goats on posting on this subject/thread.

Very true. Those same goats will be the first ones acting like they knew it the entire time when he proves them wrong.

[Tebowism0823]

Both Kaepernick and Brady were good in college.

Brady was a decent college QB but not great. There's a reason he was drafted where he was.

[Tebowism0823]

He was #10 in the SEC in passing efficiency and #12 in passing yards per game. Some folks with better rankings had poor line/WR play too.

You guys said all off-season your Oline would be much improved. I questioned it and some of you agreed to wait until the season started. Perhaps waiting again before making the same claims would be reasonable again? Same goes for WRs.

Driskel seems to have the physical tools. Will he be a Gator great? Time will tell.

Care to name these other QB?

[Tebowism0823]

Driskel has a long way to go before him and Kaepernick can be mentioned in the same sentence.

I understand that Jeff clearly didn't have elite talent around him at the skill positions, and the pass blocking was once again suspect. That's not his fault, and I agree with Chris Leak that it's hard to do a whole lot when you don't have much around you. But there's something about Driskel's ability-or inability-to see the field that's disconcerting. He's very raw as a passer, locks onto receivers, his "mental clock" needs some serious work, and he routinely got away with some awful throws. His QB rating was actually similar to Leak's in his first season as a starter; only Driskel is obviously a far better runner.

The good news is that he's got all the talent in the world. With good coaching, improved play from the receivers and tight ends and better pass blocking I'm sure he'll be better. That recipe would make any QB better. Hopefully he'll sharpen up insofar as the mental aspect of the game is concerned. He needs work.

I agree but it's hard to have a good mental clock when the pass rush is always on you.

[orangeblueorangeblue]

Brady was a decent college QB but not great. There's a reason he was drafted where he was.

Right, I said "good," not "great." The oft-repeated narrative was that Brady was a nobody in college, and that isn't true.

He plummeted largely due to his combine performance / measurements.

[NoahBeanBizzel]

Right, I said "good," not "great." The oft-repeated narrative was that Brady was a nobody in college, and that isn't true.

He plummeted largely due to his combine performance / measurements.

True. He was far from special as a Wolverine.

[orangeblueorangeblue]

But he was far from nothing. All Big 10 Honorable Mention, won the Big 10 in 1998.

What people like to say is that he barely played in college and when he did he played poorly. It isn't really true.

The combine really hurt Brady.

[RattlerGator]

He led the team to 11 wins in 13 tries. Sounds damn good to meTruth.

[DawgFanFromAlabam]

Care to name these other QB?

USCe had one less sack than UF, no WR in the top 100 in the nation yet Shaw was #3 in the SEC and 10th in the nation in passing efficiency.

Ole Miss had 5 less sacks and one WR in the top 100 (#69) yet Wallace was #7 in the SEC. Wallace was #37 in the nation, Driskel #61.

Murray's line was average and he had no WR in the top 100. He finished higher too. Bray, Tyler Wilson, Rodgers - their lines weren't great, they did have better WRs. Russell from MSU finished higher, his line was OK.

[socraticsilence]

True. He was far from special as a Wolverine.

He did win an Orange Bowl.