2017 Receivers - Should We Be Worried?

[techdawg28]

I agree; techdswg28 brought up a major factor. Tech has a secret weapon that goes by the name: Tim Rattay! But back to my pecimism - how much time has Master Po had to teach Grasshoppper? How much time is available/left?

The early phases of bowl practice are often used to work with expected starters for the following year, so I'm sure they got some time in there. I don't think spring practice has started yet, and I'm sure they'll get plenty of time there. This would be the only phase where baseball could interfere, but again, I don't think he's gonna be missing practice for baseball. Then of course there's the spring game. Lastly, fall camp, where baseball shouldn't interfere at all. All in all, that feels like plenty of time to me!

[THEarmada]

PLEASE do not overreact--this is just my concern and not meant to be anything but personal concern--- Bradshaw to Spinks went back to Terry / Tommy years of playing and practice together--Tim and Troy hours and hours of developing timing --CC and Quinton the same . our last 3 qbs with TT and even even CH. So my concern is that the hours needed to develop that timing will be cut short while our expected qb is playing and practicing Baseball. I think the timing will be off ( at least at first) .. CH was wide open for td vs Arkansas and timing was off-- Craft was wide open on swing pass and timing was off etc. Bad enough when you have 2 solid ( great ) receivers but trying to assimilate with 5-8 potential wrs.... can not overestimate the importance of working together ... again, I trust our coaches 100 % but I am concerned...

I would image that QB's and WR spend WAY MORE time together throwing and catching in the spring and summer OUTSIDE of official practices. I can see where J'Mar wouldn't have as much time to devote to throwing and catching if he's playing ball potentially into mid-June.

[ETxBullDawg]

From reading the posts in this thread so far, it seems that almost everyone else has more confidence in J'Mar than I do. I would be more confident about our receiving stable if we had an experienced QB. I'm not convinced yet that J'Mar can fill the bill on the throwing end. Only Dogsince65 has said he too is concerned about this. Even HogDawg qualified his confidence in our receiving by saying, "if we truly have a QB..." So apparently I'm not completely alone. The fact remains that for four consecutive years we have been blessed with very experienced QBs, and now that experience is absent.

I have concerns about lack of time together as well. QB's/WR's throw most everyday at JAS not just during spring drills but everyday including all summer. IF Tech baseball makes the post season and makes a long run how will that affect the remainder of the football off season? Guess we will cross that bridge when/if we get there.

[JAMROB]

1. Veal 2. Tarzan 3. Bonnette 4. Kam 5. Hardy 6. Gaines 7. Watts 8. Woodard 9. Oliver 10. Cousar; Then the recruits. It is a much different look without Carlos. I think we should be OK if the top six perform as expected.

[Terence32]

From reading the posts in this thread so far, it seems that almost everyone else has more confidence in J'Mar than I do. I would be more confident about our receiving stable if we had an experienced QB. I'm not convinced yet that J'Mar can fill the bill on the throwing end. Only Dogsince65 has said he too is concerned about this. Even HogDawg qualified his confidence in our receiving by saying, "if we truly have a QB..." So apparently I'm not completely alone. The fact remains that for four consecutive years we have been blessed with very experienced QBs, and now that experience is absent.

Yawn, move along

[Houston Techsan]

Except for his freshman season Higgins had very little experience. This is J'Mar's third year - red shirt sophomore, so he should be all right on that account.

[DocMarvin362]

I agree; techdswg28 brought up a major factor. Tech has a secret weapon that goes by the name: Tim Rattay! But back to my pecimism - how much time has Master Po had to teach Grasshoppper? How much time is available/left?

Redshirted in 2015... Tim was here.
Started 1 game and had some mop-up duty in 2016.... Tim was here.
2017-2019.... Good Lord willing, Tim will be here.

Calm down chicken Little.

[Tech77]

I will be surprised if there is not a drop in receiving next season. The combo of Taylor-Henderson was a very rare one, IMO.

[PawDawg]

I will be surprised if there is not a drop in receiving next season. The combo of Taylor-Henderson was a very rare one, IMO.

still no reason "we should be worried".

[Tech77]

still no reason "we should be worried".

Nope. We are instructed not to worry. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage...thew+6%3A25-34

[Gooddawg]

Teddy Veal will immediately be a stud, I hope they play him outside and move tarzan inside to Trent's spot. I think tarzan fits better there and could be a weapon inside, provided he continues to make strides catching. He did improve in that area as the season went along. Adrian Hardy is going to make a push for someone's snaps immediately if you talk to any coach. I hope we will run the ball more next season and take some pressure off the WRs, QB, and Defense but I am afraid that is just wishful thinking. We also have some depth and experience in McKnight, Watts, and Bonnette. I am not a believer in Gaines but he will contribute some here and there, he is just too small to be a major factor.

If you are concerned about J'Mar Smith, you were not watching the snaps he played this season. He has "it"- is poised, calm, and in command plus the physical tools to get it done. And that was as a RS FR getting his first snaps and game experience of his career.

[HogDawg]

If you are concerned about J'Mar Smith, you were not watching the snaps he played this season. He has "it"- is poised, calm, and in command plus the physical tools to get it done. And that was as a RS FR getting his first snaps and game experience of his career.

AT THE TIME of the Arkansas game, I thought J'Mar played pretty well in Fayetteville. However, like many of us here on BB&B, my expectations were low for a first time starter, and I was just hoping for a non turnover performance. Looking back --and knowing now what kind of "NFL weapons" J'Mar had at his disposal that day-- J'Mar's performance was actually rather unimpressive. Clearly, he should have scored a lot more points than he did. It ended up being the LA Tech offense's lowest output of the season.

No, I'm not down on J'Mar. But if we are truly honest with ourselves, J'Mar's performance that day more closely resembled a Ross Jenkins "game manager" performance rather than a "fun 'n gun" Ryan Higgins or Cody Sokol performance. J'Mar finished that game 19 of 31 for 212 yds and 1 INT. Even worse, we lost to a team that I truly believe we should have beaten.

I understand all the "first start" crap and all that. And frankly, I don't care. But when J'Mar hits the field this fall, my expectations of him will be much greater than they were a year ago. It will be HIS team. It will be SHOWTIME! And this time, no excuses.

[DogsWin]

I am ABSOLUTELY concerned about our QB for next season and have stated so many times on BB&B. QB and OL are the positions that take the longest to DEVELOP a player at. Ryan Higgins was a 5th YEAR SENIOR with multiple spring practices, and summers, and offseason weekends,... Sokol played 2 years as a JuCo All-American QB before going to Iowa and then to LA Tech as a 5th YEAR SENIOR. Driskel started most of his career in the SEC before eventually going to LA Tech as a 5th YEAR SENIOR.

J'mar and our WRs need tons of reps together and not just during official spring practices. His two TDs at Arkansas were both set up by a Xavier Woods interception and a Prince Sam interception, and he also turned the ball over. Tim Rattay is an excellent QB coach and HOPEFULLY he will be able to get J'mar ready in time.

A lot of Tech fans were very confident that Brian Stallworth would step right in and be successful after Tim Rattay graduated because Stallworth threw the TD pass that beat Alabama. Stallworth was in truly phenominal physical shape and could run like the wind. He also led NCAA Div 1 football in pass interceptions thrown the season after Tim Rattay left.

[dawg80]

I am concerned too, DW. I can't imagine there not being a drop off in our passing game. Heck! no matter who was slated to be QB, there just has to be some drop off. How do you improve on what we did this past season? BUT! there are other ways for an offense to be productive. A running game, with a QB who is a real running threat, can open up an otherwise mediocre passing attack. Bottom line is lighting up the scoreboard, not piling up passing yardage. Heck! just look at the Saints! No team even comes close to the total passing yards, 15,000+ yards, over the past 3 seasons. Yet, the Saints went 21-27 over those same 3 seasons.

This will be the 5th straight season Tech will have a new #1 QB starter. Nothing new for Skip & staff. I trust they'll find a way to score points.

[Houston Techsan]

But need I remind you Higgins was not answer and a whole lot of people were screaming for J'Mar last year, especially after the Texas Tech Game.