Not necessarily, but there's not much point into getting into all of that because people are worrying about a problem that won't be a problem. Tennessee will not have a true two quarterback system, no matter how things play out. In fact, there are two scenarios that seem most likely to play out. I'm going to touch on those two scenarios and move on because camp is coming and we'll finally get to have the answers to the many lingering questions.
First and probably the most likely scenario is this: Quinten Dormady wins the starting job outright and the staff finds ways to take advantage of Jarrett Guarantano's athleticism with special packages designed to utilize his skill set. The staff continues to be consistent in stating that ball security and decision making are the top prerequisites for the starting quarterback job this season, and Dormady has frequently been described as having the best command of the offense and the fewest mental mistakes. Of course, that's great and all but Guarantano is obviously an excellent athlete who can do spectacular things with his legs. While Dormady isn't a statue, he's been timed in the high 4.7 range in the forty, which doesn't really compare well to Guarantano's 4.51 forty out of high school. Ultimately, if Dormady wins the job outright, you still have to find a way to use Guarantano's skill set by giving him a set package with a handful of plays that don't really change too much from week to week. In other words, you have to look to the 2006 Florida Gators for inspiration. Tim Tebow didn't throw a lot that season, but when he did he made it count. He didn't run a lot that season, but when he did he made it count. Chris Leak handled the bulk of the responsibility running the offense. That would be the playbook for Tennessee this year under this scenario.
The second possibility is that Jarrett Guarantano outright wins the job and he handles almost all the snaps outside of garbage time work or unless he gets hurt. From a depth perspective down the line, this is probably not the best news because there's little chance Dormady would return for his senior season. For those wanting a single quarterback to handle all the work, this might be the best case scenario for them. While Guarantano is certainly able to bring an element of speed to the table that Dormady can't match, if Guarantano is the man he's certainly capable of passing. This likely leaves Dormady stuck sitting on the sideline because he isn't able to offer up a good reason to rotate him in. There is reason to think that this particular scenario doesn't bode well for the overall prospects of the team as Guarantano will be learning on the job since he's yet to take a snap in live action in a college game, but if the current staff feels secure enough in getting at least two more seasons in Knoxville, this may be worth the growing pains to develop what they would hope will be something special for the 2018 season.
Either way, there's no doubt that Tennessee has talent at the quarterback position, but for anyone messing their pants worrying that Tennessee will be swapping quarterbacks drive by drive, don't. If that is going to happen, it would be in the first two games of the season. After Indiana State, they'll have things settled in time for the Florida game. I'm not even entirely certain they'll rotate that much in the first two games, instead splitting things up more by quarter as opposed to by drive, allowing the guys to get into a rhythm. I know this is pretty short, but it's also not something I think has been worth all the hand wringing that has been happening.
No comments:
Post a Comment