Serious question for the writers or anyone more in the know.
What are the chances going forward that Jones, Jefferson, or both will be the premiere QB’s going forward?
I don’t want to knock Hicks or Starkel. I respect anyone wanting to put on the Razorback uniform and represent our school/state. But in my opinion, Hicks isn’t going to be here anymore after the next 4 games and Starkel seems to have lost his confidence. I believe it’s time to move on and I say that believing we can beat 3 of our next 4 opponents.
None of you know how JSJ will perform with a larger array of plays. I am telling you he’s a winner and can play. I’ve seen him play live in about 20-25 high school football games. He has instincts, can move around, and can at least run a real RPO and be a threat with his legs. Run the damn football with JS Jones and the RBs. Play action off that. Dink and dunk. Jones can throw it well enough. Make it simple. Do that, you get manageable O line play and it may fall into place. You might win a couple.
I don’t know why we keep trotting out Starkel. Head case. Can’t play. Period.
We are working for several hours after the games, trying to put out a newspaper, a magazine and provide as much content as possible on this website. When that work has ended, I’ve been on here answering questions after every loss this year.
Starkel still has another year on the Hill which was part of the argument for him over Hicks who is a doner. Flashes only so far, gotta find one QB leader who can stick. Nick lost out at College Station, so what does that mean for our talent pool? Commend Nick for his Laufenberg role and make fun of him for Bieber? definitely seems to be Manziel like in many ways that make him hard to understand. KJ vs his home state is an angle I would play and I do like the legacy of JSJ. Finding an extra rooting interest for Hicks or Starkel is tough and what corner has Nick painted himself into is yet to be resolved.
I think both Hicks and Starkel lack talent and don’t realize their limitations. They make bad plays because of it. Hicks less so. But I think both get you beat. Bad QBs and that will never change.
If you tell JSJ what the game plan is, he will play within his limitations, follow the game plan to the letter, and give us the best chance to win this year. He’s smart and, again, a gamer and a winner. I have no idea about KJ. Hell, let’s see what he has too. But no more of this Hicks and Starkel exercise. My goodness they are just awful.
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Clay was driving back from Tuscaloosa and I was getting the magazine stuff.
If you want my opinion, Arkansas sucked, Starkel was horrible again, Hicks was hurt, JSJ gave then a spark although it was against some of their reserves, who are nevertheless still very good.
And now it is time to see KJ although I wouldn’t be surprised to see Hicks start if he is healthy or JSJ if he is not.
The history of QBs under Morris’ leadership: someone looks good in a reserve role, grabs a start the next week, and stinks up the joint. Rinse. Repeat.
JSJ introduced something Bama was not used to seeing from UA. Certainly, the starters who might have seen the RPO in other games were already chatting up post-game plans by the time JSJ trotted onto the field.
Give a team a week to prep and see what happens. JSJ has an “it” factor that I have to acknowledge. It is not accompanied by discernable SEC skills. He is 5-8, or so (my 5-9 daughter had him in class and said she was taller, in flats, than JSJ) and (while faster than Hicks or Starkel) runs about a 4.8 40-yard dash. His legs work like all get out but they are so short they don’t make a lot of progress.
When we needed a downfield pass we brought Starkel back on the field. Not a ringing endorsement that his arm strength magically improved over last year (when it was substandard, even by 2018 UA standards).
We NEED KJ to emerge as an option going forward. KJ is heralded as the future and what everything is building towards. Might as well get him 4 games of experience. And, in the process, hopefully indicate that JSJ is “not it” despite his gumption to go out there vs the Bama reserves and give it his all. If JSJ is in any way a part of a QB controversy that only makes the “going forward” more challenging.
I am not anti-JSJ, just not seeing a big-time arm, or big-time speed. I see a QB who seems to know the playbook and has the moxie to mix it up. Maybe the “nice guy to have around in an emergency” but not your #1 option for 2020.
What will ultimately decide whether Morris is fired is tickets sold. Right now, there are about 20000 tickets not sold per Fayetteville game and It might get worse. The real danger lies in ticket sales for next year. If you lose another 10-15 thousand ticket sales per game, the Foundation will be really strapped for cash. All the fancy new sports venues have to be paid for and the stadium expansion and its 160 million dollar price tab will loom large in the upcoming athletic budgets. Another financial factor is that donations to the Foundation are no longer tax deductible.
Unless Morris can coach up some wins, reinvigorate the ticket sales, and create enthusiasm among the donor class, he’s all done. Money talks and it’s screaming that Razorback football now is a pi++ poor investment.