Exactly. And Dawkins is a one year guy. The other guys will still have their opportunities. I'm sure Allen, DeBord, Sheridan et al. have stressed the importance of patience - - - and readiness.
QB Brandon Dawkins to IU...
- Thread starter RBB89
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Tronti is just going to be a RS Freshman. We have four scholarship quarterbacks. That’s normal.
This also puts another year between Ramsey and Penix (assuming Penix redshirts) which is a good thing.
Everyone comes to IU thinking they have a chance to play. Everyone still has a chance to play. Next year we will have a Jr., Soph., RS Freshman, and (presumably) true freshman scholarship QBs - a normal and healthy scholarship distribution. All will have an equal chance to play, and the best will emerge and play. Welcome to sports.
Dawkins is not here to be a gimmick/wildcat QB.
I get that Dawkins does not throw like Russell Wilson. Last I checked we are not Wisconsin in the '00s.
You have to read between the lines.
If Mike DeBord simply said "we’re going to run the ball and use field position and special teams to win ballgames”, that would clear things up, but he's not likely to do that.
You have to read between the lines.
If Mike DeBord simply said "we’re going to run the ball and use field position and special teams to win ballgames”, that would clear things up, but he's not likely to do that.
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Dude. These are the letters I'm seeing at the bottom of your eye chart:
W T F
Never discourage enthusiasm when it's directed towards INDIANA FOOTBALL
If we could just get about 51,000+ more IUeyedoc99's inside the stadium on a regular basis we might just be able to out Oregon the Highly Regarded Oregon football crowds and actually do the one thing we can all do to actually help make INDIANA a tough team to beat...
I'm delighted with the Dawkins' news. His film is PAC film...NOT HIGH SCHOOL!! Let's don't forget that very important reality. He's an exceptional athlete that happens to play QB.
I can see IU winning more games because he's on our side and that's a good thing. He was brought in to win NOW, and win the Bucket back come November. If you can't get behind that, you simply don't like IU football. It's really that simple, plus, Allen knows he must win now. Wilson was the coach who got years and years to achieve a bowl, that will not happen going forward.
I can see IU winning more games because he's on our side and that's a good thing. He was brought in to win NOW, and win the Bucket back come November. If you can't get behind that, you simply don't like IU football. It's really that simple, plus, Allen knows he must win now. Wilson was the coach who got years and years to achieve a bowl, that will not happen going forward.
Dawkins has the physical tools to thrive in this offense if Deboard runs a similar offense to what he ran with Dobbs at UT. The question for Dawkins will Be how fast can he master the playbook. What you never really know when you bring a guy in is how well he can figure it out. Sometimes Freshman come in and figure things out quickly. Sometimes 5th year grad transfers don’t. It’s difficult to know because you don’t know them. I think TJ Simmons is a great example because he was a guy who came in instantly and knew the playbook as a True Freshman mid-year enrollee. Other guys who came in as older players struggled. So for Dawkins the key is how fast can he “get it”, and what kind of learner is he, because the physical tools are there.
I haven’t watched a lot of film on him, but from what I’ve seen throwing wise he has great ball placement on short and intermediate throws. He also has good velocity. That’s critical because so much of what Luke Timian does revolves around whether or not the QB can get it to him in a tight window, and give him room to run after the catch. The ball placement is also critical for our 6’4” guys on the edge, because it gives them a chance on every comeback/back shoulder fade. I expect Hale and Westbrook to get everything. We have a few other guys in that 6’2-6’4 range as well, along with TJ Ivy who I expect to see in the slot as a TE. That makes a guy like Dawkins more valuable in this offense than he may have been at other schools. The system just fits his skillset, and the personnel happens to fit what he does nicely.
Again, the key will be the offensive line. I’d expect IU to go with more read option plays, similar to what we saw with Tre Roberson, and similar to what Deboard ran with Dobbs at UT. They likely got this guy because he has a similar skillset to Dobbs. That means the O-line will have to be dramatically improved, or else he won’t last 12 games. It also means the Tight End blocking is CRITICAL, because they’ll likely have to sway block and be lead blockers on read options. How well the Tight Ends block will be critical. If you look at UT from Deboards Time there, and Dawkins film from Arizona, the tight ends were viscious blockers, and that often times is the difference between the QB getting a solid gain, or getting smacked in the mouth by a DE or OLB.
In the end I think that it’s a good insurance policy at worst, and that he’s a legitimate starter at best. My comments are based off of what I’ve seen on film, but it’s hard to project where he ends up. I really believe that 1. You never know if coaches will be able to teach a guy for various reasons, which makes it difficult to project what a guy will do before he plays. The bright side is that physically this guys in the 99th percentile of QB’s you’ll see in college. His stats (or lack thereof) don’t bother me, at all. Really it comes down to how DeBoard and the staff bring him along, and his willingness to work, because it’ll likely take extensive work for him to master the offense in 2-3 months.
I haven’t watched a lot of film on him, but from what I’ve seen throwing wise he has great ball placement on short and intermediate throws. He also has good velocity. That’s critical because so much of what Luke Timian does revolves around whether or not the QB can get it to him in a tight window, and give him room to run after the catch. The ball placement is also critical for our 6’4” guys on the edge, because it gives them a chance on every comeback/back shoulder fade. I expect Hale and Westbrook to get everything. We have a few other guys in that 6’2-6’4 range as well, along with TJ Ivy who I expect to see in the slot as a TE. That makes a guy like Dawkins more valuable in this offense than he may have been at other schools. The system just fits his skillset, and the personnel happens to fit what he does nicely.
Again, the key will be the offensive line. I’d expect IU to go with more read option plays, similar to what we saw with Tre Roberson, and similar to what Deboard ran with Dobbs at UT. They likely got this guy because he has a similar skillset to Dobbs. That means the O-line will have to be dramatically improved, or else he won’t last 12 games. It also means the Tight End blocking is CRITICAL, because they’ll likely have to sway block and be lead blockers on read options. How well the Tight Ends block will be critical. If you look at UT from Deboards Time there, and Dawkins film from Arizona, the tight ends were viscious blockers, and that often times is the difference between the QB getting a solid gain, or getting smacked in the mouth by a DE or OLB.
In the end I think that it’s a good insurance policy at worst, and that he’s a legitimate starter at best. My comments are based off of what I’ve seen on film, but it’s hard to project where he ends up. I really believe that 1. You never know if coaches will be able to teach a guy for various reasons, which makes it difficult to project what a guy will do before he plays. The bright side is that physically this guys in the 99th percentile of QB’s you’ll see in college. His stats (or lack thereof) don’t bother me, at all. Really it comes down to how DeBoard and the staff bring him along, and his willingness to work, because it’ll likely take extensive work for him to master the offense in 2-3 months.
I figure he's really got until the M$U game to "figure it out".
The QB wear and tear really starts showing up during the Big Ten schedule and that's when we'll "really" need him (in my opinion).
snowling
Hall of Famer
He throws it like a baseball.crazy mechanics that lead to his passes having little touch to them. Dude does.have a cannon though yet if his mechanics are still this akward I am in agreement the improvement maybe limited.
Two words: depth and experience. He gives us both, and we needed both.
He runs like a deer and can throw it long. The TD/INT ratio is a concern but, hopefully with additional experience, coaching and some nice, tall weapons to throw it to, this will improve.
The guy has a wealth of experience against P5 competition. He was a 4-star (Scout) coming out of high school and was offered by, among others, ND and LSU. We've now got two 4-star QBs on the roster. Somebody pinch me.
It depends ALOT. If you have a minute or two of tape I would agree but when tape goes on and on and on for some of these kids then you know you have a playmaker. The corner we took at the end of the recruiting cycle Noah Pierre had maybe 5-10 clips??? Some of these guys tapes go for awhile which means they make a ton of plays during games. Tronti's tape for instance had 20-30 a clips per game. The Arizona kid is a solid, experienced get that gives our young QB stable time to grow. Next year Ramsey will be a junior, Tronti will be a soph, Penix and Taylor will have a year and we will get another this year. Pipe full! The more I thought about Dawkins the more it makes sense. Great job by the staff!
Don't get me wrong...I like the pick up... very much. Its just tapes don't tell the story and you know it...still he has a lot of potential...better to have him as not imo.
I don't think I was very clear in my post, or i got confused and thought the poster was reffering to Pentix(sp?) and not the juco transfer. His throwing motion seems fine to me overall.
Now, if he can just do the same thing with Linebackers, the key to the defense. Right now it bares close resemblance to the QB situation of last season. We will be counting on true freshmen to solidify this position. Not a good indicator for the upcoming season. Lots of rebuilding to do.
Saw a few upperclassman back there at LB. Walton SR, Jones JR, TD Roof...Man I wish he could play this year he is all around the ball. Stamm was in there RS soph, McGinnis Sr. Its not like the pipe is bare. There will be a learning curve of course but alot of these guys saw snaps last year. Regardless, it will be tough replacing what we had.
I agree that experience is an issue, but some of these guys are good. I think that Walton is more talented than people know, but injuries have plagued him. The key will be Can he finish an entire season. I know that he was the starting safety our first couple of games in 2015 as a True sophomore, but he had some kind of “freak injury”. It was more so a health issue than a football injury if I remember correctly, so he should be good to go. Last year I think that he saw limited snaps for the simple reason that he had only been playing Linebacker for a few months, and Scales was a machine. I think that with the pseudo “redshirt” year he will be fine and ready to role. In the 2017 spring game I remember him being around a lot of plays, and he’s an active guy with a nose for the ball. Due to his speed and quickness, it wouldn’t shock me if he has 100 tackles from his weakside linebacker position.
The Mike Linebacker position is what concerns me. There isn’t really a guy with the Speed, power and athleticism of Covington coming in. Marcus Oliver didn’t have Covington’s physical ability, but made up for it with power and a HIGH LEVEL football IQ. His football IQ was unusually good, which is what helped him survive. There are certainly guys with great athletic ability who can step in, but i’m the lack of experience could hurt them. It’s VERY difficult to know though. Oliver came in as a True Freshman with a high football IQ, and was ready to play. We may have a guy who comes in early with that ability. I think that it’s been noted that McGinnis is a guy who has a high football IQ, and with a year in the system he should be ready, but my concern with him is playing speed and athleticism. That’s where he will be tested, because from what I saw on the field/reports, he has the power and background knowledge of the game to be successful. At the very least we have BODIES at that position, which is at least good. I think that having Ball back at Husky, which is almost an outside linebacker position, having a serviceable D-line, and having Walton on the weakside can “mask” any issues that we have at the Middle LB position. If McGinnis can simply be serviceable, I think that the defense will be fine. Their success really depends on how “clean” the D-line can keep them.
Yes. Dawkins went out injured on their first series against us (CU) in their 5th game. All Khalil Tate did in 3 1/2 quarters was rush 14 times for 327 yards to set an NCAA record. Dawkins couldn't get back in the rest of the year as Tate rushed for something like 1500 yards on the year in virtually 7 games of meaningful playing time.
Tate is a beast but Dawkins is no slouch either: 6.8 yards per carry, 20 rushing TDs and 69 rushing yards per game. And a big arm to go with it, for a true dual threat. Decision-making and INTs are areas for improvement. Can't wait to see this guy in action.
Most worried about the D-line. Will Skykes pick up the slack and do we have interior guys to get better push? Sounds like Head will not redshirt.
I'm worried about the Defensive Line and the Linebackers...
I agree with you on this but adding playmakers on both sides of the ball is important. It is great to see another at QB. Important position.
Jeeez jay that game made me sick. The Buffs had no answer for Tate. He just waltzed.
Oh, I'm with you on that. I think this could very well be a season changing pickup on the offensive side of the ball. Now we have experience and depth at QB. ///Very happy he's here...///
I was responding to Crimson Crush saying he was concerned about the D Line...
I know. We could not stop Tate - not even once. That's the same game Phillip Lindsey rushed for 281 yards in. He'd bust a big run, we'd score, then UofA would just go down and score at will. I don't think they punted once. That is a home game we shouldn't have lost and is what kept us out of a bowl game and what made Mike MacIntyre the only National College Coach of the Year who had a sub .500 record the next season - and had many calling for his head.
Oh, I'm with you on that. I think this could very well be a season changing pickup on the offensive side of the ball. Now we have experience and depth at QB. ///Very happy he's here...///
I was responding to Crimson Crush saying he was concerned about the D Line...
Dawkins may help the D line by keeping them off the field. That would be the best case scenario IMO. I know IU does not run a slow methodical ground and pound offense, but three and outs kill a group like the D-line. With that being said, turnovers also hurt the defense and I hope those will be addressed/cleaned up with Dawkins.
If IU gets out to early leads due to a fast hitting offense, they change the game plan of the opponent. Less ground game and more pass looks to keep the run stoppers off the field. My point is that a good offense/QB helps the D more than you would think.
I think the one silver lining is that while we have several losses there, we have more guys in the hopper with regard to developed depth than we did before. We have guys that have been here 3 years waiting in the wings for their turn, many with significant time rotating in. I think back to those early seasons under Wilson and we were playing so many true frosh. We had zero depth and it was a complete learning curve in a frying pan.
