Hudspeth rethinks QB decision

[NewsCopy]

Instead, save for limited action when Gautier got banged up, the new Ragin' Cajuns head coach waited until the fourth quarter. "Looking back," Hudspeth said at his Monday media gathering, "I probably would have put Chris in maybe a tad earlier."

The rest of the story

[Benchwarmer]

Now he sees what we saw on TV and could have told him during the 1st quarter.

[CajunRed]

Yeah...I THOUGHT he would rethink it.

[Turbine]

5-stars for sharing his thought process.

[CajunZ1]

5-stars for sharing his thought process.

I agree. It shows the fans (and more importantly the players) that coach Hud is level-headed and fair in his approach. Some coaches are "my way or the highway" in all phases, but I think it's benificial to the team for the HC to show that he's not above some mistakes. It grows mutual respect, imo.

[alum81]

I don't know if it's the left handed delivery or what, but it seems like the ball reached the receivers awkwardly and it made it more difficult to catch. It's not just the accuracy but Mason's passes seemed to have a better touch on them.

[Turbine]

I don’t know if it’s the left handed delivery or what, but it seems like the ball reached the receivers awkwardly and it made it more difficult to catch. It’s not just the accuracy but Mason’s passes seemed to have a better touch on them.

Well you might be onto something because I remember when Desormeaux subbed for Babb, some of the same recievers who were catching Babb's throws, had the drops for Des.

It wasn't until Mike became the full time starter that the situation fully reversed itself. Of course that doesn't expalin why they can catch the same LH throws in practice.

[alum81]

He should switch the wide receivers and the defensive backs. The defensive backs can catch and the wide receives look pretty good at getting in good position to knock down a pass attempt.

[nathancpike]

He should switch the wide receivers and the defensive backs. The defensive backs can catch and the wide receives look pretty good at getting in good position to knock down a pass attempt.

+1

[Just1More]

Well you might be onto something because I remember when Desormeaux subbed for Babb, some of the same recievers who were catching Babb's throws ,had the drops for Des.

It wasn't until Mike became the full time starter that the situation fully reversed itself. Of course that doesn't expalin why they can catch the same LH throws in practice.

There is something to the opposite rotation of the ball. But, MD's passes weren't good spirals 80% of the time. Blaine does throw a spiral, but he rockets the throw. It is very difficult to pick up on the path and speed of a throw when the ball comes at you so hot. Blaine needs to work on his touch. I'm sure he can do it in a pitch and catch at practice. The only time it counts is gametime. You cannot revert to over-adrenalizing and firing a dart at a receiver. "Timing routes" are just that. It isn't just about the WR being in a position at a certain point. It is also having the ball in flight, in a specific trajectory, at a certain time. OSU, of course, is a bad overall assessment game. Adrenalin should have been at a premium for Blaine for a variety of reasons. Also, OSU's defense has good coverage and although I was impressed with our OL giving Blaine some time... it wasn't the same for Blaine as it was for Weeden... for example. Weeden has way too much time and was as smooth as if he was in game 7 of the season.

One downside to having two fairly oppositely skilled (and the left hand and right hand is part of it) to our receiving corps, is that they have to make a fairly fast mental adjustment to the different ball flight pattern when these two guys rotate. There's some argument that a key receiver, especially a short route guy that runs underneath patterns, should be assigned to one or the other QB. It may sound unrealistic, but it has been done before. Some route running WRs are much better at catching rocket balls and lefties... and some are not. We are talking college at the midmajor level... not the NFL.

Another peculiarity of a lefty versus righty is not just the rotation of the ball. One tends to roll out one way and the other the opposite. The lead foot throw is different and it changes from one side of the field to the other. Dropped balls cannot be looked at as purely a WRs issue.

I like Hud's open assessment of the game. That is going to serve the program well. He doesn't seem to be an old school stubborn mule coach that barks out the old football BS and doesn't adjust to the reality of the circumstances. He's got serious leadership qualities and he apparently doesn't have to mask his "head coach role" with a lot of typical dumbass head coaching mouthy BS that so many others hide behind. Very cool.

[geo_cajun]

I was thinking his reason was exactly what he said, you have to give a young QB the chance to make some mistakes without taking him out. If you keep switching QB's you will erode their confidence, and they will play afraid to make a mistake. Also, it is tough for the recievers, going from right to left handed throws, the ball has opposite rotation, so if your muscle memory is prepared for clockwise, and it comes in counter clockwise, it will just bounce out of your hand. All of these things are Hud trying to get the best out of a team that is not yet his. I think he will have a well oiled machine 4-5 games into the season, it is just getting to that point with a decent record. I liked a lot of what I saw (despite the score) and saw a lot of potential. He needs to name a starter and let the first team get ued to the pass. It is easy to monday morning QB, I will just trust that Hud knows what he is doing and can't wait for the Kent State game to see the adjustments, and the players coming out with a hunger to win! Geaux Cajuns!!

[jayrr]

There is something to the opposite rotation of the ball. But, MD's passes weren't good spirals 80% of the time. Blaine does throw a spiral, but he rockets the throw. It is very difficult to pick up on the path and speed of a throw when the ball comes at you so hot. Blaine needs to work on his touch. I'm sure he can do it in a pitch and catch at practice. The only time it counts is gametime. You cannot revert to over-adrenalizing and firing a dart at a receiver. "Timing routes" are just that. It isn't just about the WR being in a position at a certain point. It is also having the ball in flight, in a specific trajectory, at a certain time. OSU, of course, is a bad overall assessment game. Adrenalin should have been at a premium for Blaine for a variety of reasons. Also, OSU's defense has good coverage and although I was impressed with our OL giving Blaine some time... it wasn't the same for Blaine as it was for Weeden... for example. Weeden has way too much time and was as smooth as if he was in game 7 of the season.

One downside to having two fairly oppositely skilled (and the left hand and right hand is part of it) to our receiving corps, is that they have to make a fairly fast mental adjustment to the different ball flight pattern when these two guys rotate. There's some argument that a key receiver, especially a short route guy that runs underneath patterns, should be assigned to one or the other QB. It may sound unrealistic, but it has been done before. Some route running WRs are much better at catching rocket balls and lefties... and some are not. We are talking college at the midmajor level... not the NFL.

Another peculiarity of a lefty versus righty is not just the rotation of the ball. One tends to roll out one way and the other the opposite. The lead foot throw is different and it changes from one side of the field to the other. Dropped balls cannot be looked at as purely a WRs issue.

I like Hud's open assessment of the game. That is going to serve the program well. He doesn't seem to be an old school stubborn mule coach that barks out the old football BS and doesn't adjust to the reality of the circumstances. He's got serious leadership qualities and he apparently doesn't have to mask his "head coach role" with a lot of typical dumbass head coaching mouthy BS that so many others hide behind. Very cool.

The rotation from a left-footed punter generally has an even greater effect on punt returners. There definitely is something there.

[Turbine]

I was thinking his reason was exactly what he said, you have to give a young QB the chance to make some mistakes without taking him out. If you keep switching QB's you will erode their confidence, and they will play afraid to make a mistake.

It was mentioned to me this morn, how the quick yank was one of Robert Lee's biggest weaknesses.

[raginsaints]

It would be a mistake to change starters now. See if Blaine has anything against Kent State first before rethinking your decision. That wasn't a fair game to make an assessment, receivers should not be dropping passes though.

[zephyr]

There is something to the opposite rotation of the ball. But, MD's passes weren't good spirals 80% of the time. Blaine does throw a spiral, but he rockets the throw. It is very difficult to pick up on the path and speed of a throw when the ball comes at you so hot. Blaine needs to work on his touch. I'm sure he can do it in a pitch and catch at practice. The only time it counts is gametime. You cannot revert to over-adrenalizing and firing a dart at a receiver. "Timing routes" are just that. It isn't just about the WR being in a position at a certain point. It is also having the ball in flight, in a specific trajectory, at a certain time. OSU, of course, is a bad overall assessment game. Adrenalin should have been at a premium for Blaine for a variety of reasons. Also, OSU's defense has good coverage and although I was impressed with our OL giving Blaine some time... it wasn't the same for Blaine as it was for Weeden... for example. Weeden has way too much time and was as smooth as if he was in game 7 of the season.

One downside to having two fairly oppositely skilled (and the left hand and right hand is part of it) to our receiving corps, is that they have to make a fairly fast mental adjustment to the different ball flight pattern when these two guys rotate. There's some argument that a key receiver, especially a short route guy that runs underneath patterns, should be assigned to one or the other QB. It may sound unrealistic, but it has been done before. Some route running WRs are much better at catching rocket balls and lefties... and some are not. We are talking college at the midmajor level... not the NFL.

Another peculiarity of a lefty versus righty is not just the rotation of the ball. One tends to roll out one way and the other the opposite. The lead foot throw is different and it changes from one side of the field to the other. Dropped balls cannot be looked at as purely a WRs issue.

I like Hud's open assessment of the game. That is going to serve the program well. He doesn't seem to be an old school stubborn mule coach that barks out the old football BS and doesn't adjust to the reality of the circumstances. He's got serious leadership qualities and he apparently doesn't have to mask his "head coach role" with a lot of typical dumbass head coaching mouthy BS that so many others hide behind. Very cool.

I have no idea if the throwing hand of a particular QB has much to do with a WR catching a ball truthfully BUT, I would argue that it had NOTHING to do with the 40+ yard bomb that Lawson dropped in the first half. Also, this team had some major issues early last year with drops and that was with Masson at QB, not Gautier. Lawson mentioned in his comments that it awas all focus and nothing more that really plagued the WR corp. I don't know if that is just player speak but I would tend to agree with that statement.

[ULBouzi]

Let Gauthier have his chance at Kent. I remember seeing Blaine run up to LG after he dropped a pass in the middle, slapped his helmet and probably told him something like "We'll get it next time, don't worry about it." This was already after 4 drops in the game. He'll be fine.

[CajunZ1]

Drops usually happen because subconciously they know a big hit is coming. Repetition of "high risk" catches yields numbness to that fear.

jmo

[HoustonCajun]

I don’t know if it’s the left handed delivery or what, but it seems like the ball reached the receivers awkwardly and it made it more difficult to catch. It’s not just the accuracy but Mason’s passes seemed to have a better touch on them.

I watched a replay on tv Sunday night. One play in particular stood out when Gautier threw a bullet to Green that was batted down. Had he lobbed it, Green was 3-5 yards behind the D backs and might have scored. A few other observations. Our kick-offs were terrible and OSU had great field position all night. We have got to find a kicker that can get the ball beyond the 15 yard line and keep kick-offs in bounds. Defensive back #22, White, seemed to be the one OSU picked on most and successfully. With 10 seconds left in the first half and UL in prevent defense, how did OSU get a receiver behind our D backs with a wide open catch at the 3 yard line that resulted in a field goal? Our tight ends, other than Green, made some nice catches after Masson went in the game. Lawson dropped 2-3 easy passes, but the JC transfer Peoples looked good, as did Surgent as a receiver and a kick returner. Other than a few plays where our O line just got beat badly resulting in a sack, they appeared to give Gautier the time he needed to throw. Gautier seemed to stay in the pocket moreso than rolling out and he is not a pocket passer. I was surprised that Coach Hud didn't put in Masson for the second half as Gautier was not too effective in the first. Masson had a really nice drive to end the game. Looks like Hud is questioning that decision per today's paper.

3 interceptions with 2 for touchdowns against one of the best QBs in the nation looked good. Although we gave up too many big plays, our defense held up well in the red zone several times forcing OSU to go for a field goal. The big plays should be correctable although we were playing one of the best offensive teams in the country. Scoring 34 points was a big positive to take away. I look for us to eliminate the big plays against Kent State and come home with a win.

[ram1fan]

Now he sees what we saw on TV and could have told him during the 1st quarter.

I hope what you saw was the #9 ranked team in the nation playing a team that's picked to finish last in the Sun Belt Conference. Now with that said, let me say some things that you may not have seen or didn't want to see. Blaine was 13 of 26, with the 4 drops he would've been 17 of 26 (65%) with a touchdown. 2 of the incompletes were because there was nothing there, add them in and he could've been 19 of 26 (73%); not real bad.... He did throw an interception and those are mistakes that QB's will make (Weeden threw 3 pics)..... Now I'm not saying he had a perfect game but I think he did pretty good considering the situation. I do know that he took a pounding physically that IMO Masson couldn't withstand....

But here's what I saw,,,, I saw a team that didn't give up. I saw a team that will not see that kind of talent again this season (Arizona included). I also saw a team that can go on to win at least 9 or maybe 10 games this season. So for those of you who may think that the QB was the problem all I can say is that I'm sure glad you're not the ones coaching...

[raginsaints]

You realize Masson played against all of Oklahoma State's backups in the 4th quarter, right?