CougarCorner

Re: What we KNOW about Riley Nelson

2011-10-05T09:11:08-06:00

Pretty sure I could guess Riley Nelson's reaction to this thread.

script

Seriously, though, let's wait 'till the kid dies before we start burying him.

Statistics: Posted by Dcr36 — Wed Oct 05, 2011 9:11 am

Re: What we KNOW about Riley Nelson

2011-10-05T06:00:07-06:00

I reviewed the game again and noticed a difference in Riley from last year. When setting up in the pocket to pass, he was able to use his legs and bide time, in order to allow the receivers to gain separation. He seemed calm in waiting for an opening despite having to face the incoming pass rush. His pocket presence allowed for some good passes to be completed and his ability to side step the opponents was a thing of beauty. When he ran designated QB draws, he ran with determination and actually delivered some hits - he displayed no fear and tenacity. This is what motivated the team, everyone stepped up to match his intensity. He is different than Heaps in his purely athletic ability - which is a quality that Jake doesn't presently possess. This is what Bronco means when he styes Riley is a football player first, and a QB second. While not the prettiest passer, he gets it done, and is willing to take risks - he is a gunslinger with cajones. We need this attitude and swagger as it carries over to all aspects of play. Bronco loves the underdog, the guy who no one thinks has talent to get it done, and for right now, Riley fits this description. It is his time to prove what he can do with his skill set and see how the team responds - my guess is they are more than happy to try something different as it has produced a new mindset and attitude that we can win no matter how dire the circumstances.

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Statistics: Posted by byucougar1 — Wed Oct 05, 2011 6:00 am

Re: What we KNOW about Riley Nelson

2011-10-05T05:46:03-06:00

Ah, the old "Nelson is no good" post.

I say lets let the guy work out his salvaation with fear and trembling before his fans before we come to such a certain conclusion. Like I've been saying, if Moore at BSU can run an offense efficiently, there is no reason that a more athletic and equally capable arm strength QB can't do it. It all comes down to game planning and Nelson using his brain.

Statistics: Posted by BroncoBot — Wed Oct 05, 2011 5:46 am

Re: What we KNOW about Riley Nelson

2011-10-05T05:11:50-06:00

My thoughts... not that they matter.
I was listening to 1320 this week, and I thought what the powerhouse guys had to say was ironic, funny, and true about dumb cougar fans... something to the affect of "the same fans that had Nelson on their shoulders after the game, were the same ones that were calling for Heaps last year"

Ironic... you know who you are...

Nelson, has NO arm.
Nelson, has game, and heart. And by what it looks like, the team behind him.

As I was sitting in the stands at the game on Friday (the stands is where I stayed because honestly, it was utah state, why, would you EVER rush the field after a win against utah state?) the Idiot behind me, after every incomplete pass would yell NELSON! PUT IN NELSON! Thats fine, the ironic thing was, after Nelson threw one of his "dying ducks" he would say, "ah, thats ok!" As sad as it is, thats whats happening with cougar fans. Heaps has a bad game, call for nelson, the fact that some people want Lark to play shows how ridiculous some BYU fans are... Why would they want Lark? Because Bronco said he had a few good practices... when everyone started thinking that Lark was going to be number 2 what did Bronco say? That it was still Heaps then Nelson and basically said as much as Lark wouldnt see the field.

What is it? Heaps just sucks in games? Its gotta be, I thought he looked great in fall. Nelson, has heart, I'll take it. But lets not pretend he's a good QB... seriously. The nice thing is he runs... thankfully, because if he wasnt mobile... we'd probably have fans calling for Lark, or Apo or Juice. Seriously guys, why did Bronco and Doman pick Heaps? Why were they so confident in him? Sucks for Heaps because the team has lost confidence in him. They're done with him. If Heaps throws that 30 yard (I dont even want to call it a throw because it was about as good as I throw it) lob on that last drive, I'd bet my car that Jacobsen doesnt catch it....

Nelson won us one game... against a team that hands games over to teams in the fourth quarter. Who's to say that Heaps doesnt do that?

The attention on Nelson has been close to that of Jimmer... and that is sad... He's just not that good.

I'm not picking sides, I'm just saying, everyone, take a breath, realize that Nelson is not going to lead us anywhere... Heaps wasnt though either... Welcome to one sad season of BYU football

Statistics: Posted by shakavaka — Wed Oct 05, 2011 5:11 am

Re: What we KNOW about Riley Nelson

2011-10-04T21:15:03-06:00

Anyone who has followed most of my comments on Heaps either in threads or in game chat would know that I am really unsure if Heaps will ever be the QB that we thought we were getting. I don't buy the lack of experience excuse. It is very common in college football now to have true freshmen starting and playing well. Heaps was more experienced as a Soph than Max Hall was.

Having said all of that, and all my other comments in this thread, if my choices are Heaps or Nelson, and those are my only choices, I take Heaps every time.

I am glad you could live with 4 straight losses to Urah and Utah State - and I am glad that Brandon and Bronco finally wised up and made a better choice - result - we narrowly avoided being 2-3 with 4 straight in-state rival losses.

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Statistics: Posted by Cougarbib — Tue Oct 04, 2011 9:15 pm

Re: What we KNOW about Riley Nelson

2011-10-04T20:14:23-06:00

Riley has the weakest arm of any BYU starting QB since the pre-Lavell era. Not even debatable.

Did Bob Jensen have a strong arm? I don't remember him having one. Charlie Peterson was no gunslinger either. Jackson Brown had a sub-par arm too.

Statistics: Posted by SpiffCoug — Tue Oct 04, 2011 8:14 pm

Re: What we KNOW about Riley Nelson

2011-10-04T18:47:12-06:00

Anyone who has followed most of my comments on Heaps either in threads or in game chat would know that I am really unsure if Heaps will ever be the QB that we thought we were getting. I don't buy the lack of experience excuse. It is very common in college football now to have true freshmen starting and playing well. Heaps was more experienced as a Soph than Max Hall was.

Having said all of that, and all my other comments in this thread, if my choices are Heaps or Nelson, and those are my only choices, I take Heaps every time.

Statistics: Posted by stuckinbig10country — Tue Oct 04, 2011 6:47 pm

Re: What we KNOW about Riley Nelson

2011-10-04T10:58:08-06:00

Riley has the weakest arm of any BYU starting QB since the pre-Lavell era. Not even debatable. And let's not compare Riley to Doman. Similarities in style of play, but Doman could throw it and got drafted in the 5th Round, and saw time on an NFL roster. Riley will not.

Having said that, I take performance right now over arm strength. Jake is not getting it done, especially in the red zone. If Jake's red zone performance improved, his PER would improve dramatically. But Jake can not, or has not, consistently got us into the end zone. Bottom line, that is the QBs main responsibility.

I think RIley should start, and Jake should get some series. Doman should have specific goals for Jake in game for him to prove. For one, go through a progression. No more of this one read, lock-in and throw crap. Riley showed better pocket awareness than Jake vs. USU, and that was not something that happened last year. Last year, Riley was one read and pull it down and run it. Vs. USU, he went through a progression. Riley has progressed in a way Jake now needs to. And as long as Riley shows the ability to buy time and throw it down field rather than run it every time, I say let him play. If he falls back to run first tendency, then let Jake have another go. Fact is, having a QB that either one reads and locks-in, or one reads then runs it, neither of those options works. So let's see who wants it more and is willing to give it up to make the required changes to get it done.

Statistics: Posted by Lawboy — Tue Oct 04, 2011 10:58 am

Re: What we KNOW about Riley Nelson

2011-10-04T10:54:55-06:00

Here's what I know:
1-An injured Riley played neck n' neck with a healthy Heaps last year.
2-This year we have won one game because of Riley, and we've won two in spite of Heaps.
3-Riley is an athlete, who is unafraid to take a hit, whether that's while running the ball or stepping up in the pocket to make a throw.
4-Riley's PER is much better than Heaps' this year.
The injury thing is so overblown. People now make it sound like he was walking around with his right arm held on by a thread. And people actually watching practice last year knew that Heaps was outperforming Nelson. It wasn't hurt to the point of surgery until the first quarter of his third start last year.

I apologize, I had no idea you were the team doctor It's obvious that the injury affected him, and it's obvious now that he should start.

Statistics: Posted by Schmoe — Tue Oct 04, 2011 10:54 am

Re: What we KNOW about Riley Nelson

2011-10-04T10:44:43-06:00

To me, it is not the wobbles and floating duck bit...it is the limited range combined with rather erratic accuracy.

But the bottom line is if the receivers make the plays, then I don't give a rats how accurate the throw was or how it looked. I don't really care that the game winning pass was terrible, tipped, then caught...bottom line is that it was caught.

However, I think those of us who have concerns about Nelson have really said enough. What happens on the field from this point forward will be the measuring stick, and if we are proven wrong, then it should be a good year.

Yes, you expressed my point. Sometimes I think some are for HYu not Byu. It's whoever can get the job done. I may like one over the other but far more than my preference for qb is my preference for Byu winning. I have always liked Nelson but if Heaps can beat him out by WINNING I'll vote for him. I too do not give a hoot which one has the best arm or has the most types of passes. It's winning that matters.

Statistics: Posted by nuk13 — Tue Oct 04, 2011 10:44 am