Cal Strong had forgotten about the Ben Finley transfer until he noticed the interview today. At the time of Finley's transfer announcement, Cal Strong recalls that he (like others) thought he was basically coming in to compete for a backup job.

Sam Jackson has gotten so much hype on this board, it just sort of seemed like Cal was a place for Finley to get a Masters degree and serve as an insurance policy if Jackson goes down and if Mendoza stinks.

Cal Strong fairly certain there were strong posters who took more notice than this. But he just recalling the general vibe on the board.

Cal Strong just watched the full highlights of the 2022 UNC / NC State game. He no longer thinks this. Bonus: it was great to watch him beat a Mack Brown ranked team.

Remember all of those years with Tedford where we just needed a good but not necessarily great QB and couldn't find one? Well, Finley would have knocked us all on our backsides if we had him back then.

Cal Strong has no seen any film on Jackson. Maybe he is as good as we all hope he will be. But if he not, Finley will definitely get the job done if he is coached right.

Of course there are surely reasons why he wasn't a regular starter at NC State. And Cal Strong did see a few poor throws. But overall, he saw a solid D-1 starter.

Cal Strong now just watched his interview in the BI article. A few thoughts about that interview, after having watched his game against UNC:

Dude looks and sounds like the best quarterback we have had dealing with the press in at least 25 years. Goff, Webb, and Garbers were different shades of boring. Rodgers had a few good lines, but he wasn't interesting with the press until he became an NFL star. Zach Kline was good, but he was never here long enough for us to really enjoy that. But Finley is awesome with the media.

Of course, if he can't throw a football as good as Sam Jackson, then none of this matters. But Cal Strong is rooting for him now. We have a really boring coach, so it would be nice to have someone worth listening to in postgame interviews.

Finley also gave off the impression that he had just eaten a hotdog and drank a soda way too quickly before talking.

If our QB plays well, I don't give a fig what kind of media interviews he gives. A good interview subject would be nice, but it's near the bottom of the wish list for me.

Plus extra points for the hair. Finley looks like a blonde Rick Astley,

+1000


Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up (Remastered 4K 60fps,AI) - YouTube

I'm just happy there is a post about actual football, rather than doomscrolling the latest conference drama.

These posts should be OT.

By Cal Strong preemptively embracing the usual BI love affair with the back up QB with "good hair" he may rally support for Jackson. Well done.

The starting QB job is Jackson's to lose. But if that happens, Finley will be good to have. In fact, he's good to have any way you look at it! Same with Fernando Mendoza. (Too bad he had to spend his first five months here learning Musgrave's offense.)

Agree about getting sick of all the conference realignment speculation. I'm ready for some football!

Cal Strong! said:

---

Cal Strong had forgotten about the Ben Finley transfer until he noticed the interview today. At the time of Finley's transfer announcement, Cal Strong recalls that he (like others) thought he was basically coming in to compete for a backup job.

Sam Jackson has gotten so much hype on this board, it just sort of seemed like Cal was a place for Finley to get a Masters degree and serve as an insurance policy if Jackson goes down and if Mendoza stinks.

Cal Strong fairly certain there were strong posters who took more notice than this. But he just recalling the general vibe on the board.

Cal Strong just watched the full highlights of the 2022 UNC / NC State game. He no longer thinks this. Bonus: it was great to watch him beat a Mack Brown ranked team.

Remember all of those years with Tedford where we just needed a good but not necessarily great QB and couldn't find one? Well, Finley would have knocked us all on our backsides if we had him back then.

Cal Strong has no seen any film on Jackson. Maybe he is as good as we all hope he will be. But if he not, Finley will definitely get the job done if he is coached right.

Of course there are surely reasons why he wasn't a regular starter at NC State. And Cal Strong did see a few poor throws. But overall, he saw a solid D-1 starter.

---

There's not nearly as much film on Jackson since he didn't get many snaps, but you should at least watch the limited action he did get at TCU and check out the highlights:

StillNoStanfurdium said:

---

Cal Strong! said:

---

Cal Strong had forgotten about the Ben Finley transfer until he noticed the interview today. At the time of Finley's transfer announcement, Cal Strong recalls that he (like others) thought he was basically coming in to compete for a backup job.

Sam Jackson has gotten so much hype on this board, it just sort of seemed like Cal was a place for Finley to get a Masters degree and serve as an insurance policy if Jackson goes down and if Mendoza stinks.

Cal Strong fairly certain there were strong posters who took more notice than this. But he just recalling the general vibe on the board.

Cal Strong just watched the full highlights of the 2022 UNC / NC State game. He no longer thinks this. Bonus: it was great to watch him beat a Mack Brown ranked team.

Remember all of those years with Tedford where we just needed a good but not necessarily great QB and couldn't find one? Well, Finley would have knocked us all on our backsides if we had him back then.

Cal Strong has no seen any film on Jackson. Maybe he is as good as we all hope he will be. But if he not, Finley will definitely get the job done if he is coached right.

Of course there are surely reasons why he wasn't a regular starter at NC State. And Cal Strong did see a few poor throws. But overall, he saw a solid D-1 starter.

---

There's not nearly as much film on Jackson since he didn't get many snaps, but you should at least watch the limited action he did get at TCU and check out the highlights:

---

got a desean look to him, but bigger.

Rushinbear said:

---

StillNoStanfurdium said:

---

Cal Strong! said:

---

Cal Strong had forgotten about the Ben Finley transfer until he noticed the interview today. At the time of Finley's transfer announcement, Cal Strong recalls that he (like others) thought he was basically coming in to compete for a backup job.

Sam Jackson has gotten so much hype on this board, it just sort of seemed like Cal was a place for Finley to get a Masters degree and serve as an insurance policy if Jackson goes down and if Mendoza stinks.

Cal Strong fairly certain there were strong posters who took more notice than this. But he just recalling the general vibe on the board.

Cal Strong just watched the full highlights of the 2022 UNC / NC State game. He no longer thinks this. Bonus: it was great to watch him beat a Mack Brown ranked team.

Remember all of those years with Tedford where we just needed a good but not necessarily great QB and couldn't find one? Well, Finley would have knocked us all on our backsides if we had him back then.

Cal Strong has no seen any film on Jackson. Maybe he is as good as we all hope he will be. But if he not, Finley will definitely get the job done if he is coached right.

Of course there are surely reasons why he wasn't a regular starter at NC State. And Cal Strong did see a few poor throws. But overall, he saw a solid D-1 starter.

---

There's not nearly as much film on Jackson since he didn't get many snaps, but you should at least watch the limited action he did get at TCU and check out the highlights:

---

got a desean look to him, but bigger.

---

Cal Strong no want to be overly critical. And he saw at least one bad throw in the Finley highlights. But he not sold on Jackson based on the clip StillnoStanfurdium posted:

1st snap - Left the pocket for absolutely no reason. Then he under-threw his receiver.

2nd snap - dropped the snap. that not strong. but picked it up and gained a few yards with his athleticism, but didn't get the first down.

3rd + 4th snap - looked great.

5th snap - first strong throw in his highlights. very strong dart. but the receiver was wide open.

6th snap - another athletic but short run. This time for a TD.

7th snap - very simple WR screen pass for a seven yard gain when his team is up 52-17 against Tarleton

8th snap - decent run against Tarleton when his team was up 59-17. Found a way to get tackled the first time anyone came anywhere near him. Let's cool down with the Desean comparisons. Desean would have housed this run in his sleep.

9th snap - nice first down pickup. But again, his strength was gaining yards when no one was near him. Didn't have any jukes when the defense got anywhere near him.


Bottom line - There not much tape on Jackson. He only got in during garbage time when his team was up big time. There quite a lot more tape on Finley. Finley looked a lot better, playing against much stronger opposition.

Jackson was in a pass-friendly offense, but in his highlights he only throws three passes. One was underthrown, the other was very strong when the receiver was wide open, and the third was a normal ho-hum wide receiver screen pass.

Cal Strong hope this no true. But the tape looks more like Brendan McIlwain or Luke Rubenzer (previous Cal running QBs who couldn't throw too well) than Davis Webb or Johnny Manziel (previous Spav QBs).

Cal Strong! said:

---

Rushinbear said:

---

StillNoStanfurdium said:

---

Cal Strong! said:

---

Cal Strong had forgotten about the Ben Finley transfer until he noticed the interview today. At the time of Finley's transfer announcement, Cal Strong recalls that he (like others) thought he was basically coming in to compete for a backup job.

Sam Jackson has gotten so much hype on this board, it just sort of seemed like Cal was a place for Finley to get a Masters degree and serve as an insurance policy if Jackson goes down and if Mendoza stinks.

Cal Strong fairly certain there were strong posters who took more notice than this. But he just recalling the general vibe on the board.

Cal Strong just watched the full highlights of the 2022 UNC / NC State game. He no longer thinks this. Bonus: it was great to watch him beat a Mack Brown ranked team.

Remember all of those years with Tedford where we just needed a good but not necessarily great QB and couldn't find one? Well, Finley would have knocked us all on our backsides if we had him back then.

Cal Strong has no seen any film on Jackson. Maybe he is as good as we all hope he will be. But if he not, Finley will definitely get the job done if he is coached right.

Of course there are surely reasons why he wasn't a regular starter at NC State. And Cal Strong did see a few poor throws. But overall, he saw a solid D-1 starter.

---

There's not nearly as much film on Jackson since he didn't get many snaps, but you should at least watch the limited action he did get at TCU and check out the highlights:

---

got a desean look to him, but bigger.

---

Cal Strong no want to be overly critical. And he saw at least one bad throw in the Finley highlights. But he not sold on Jackson based on the clip StillnoStanfurdium posted:

1st snap - Left the pocket for absolutely no reason. Then he under-threw his receiver.

2nd snap - dropped the snap. that not strong. but picked it up and gained a few yards with his athleticism, but didn't get the first down.

3rd + 4th snap - looked great.

5th snap - first strong throw in his highlights. very strong dart. but the receiver was wide open.

6th snap - another athletic but short run. This time for a TD.

7th snap - very simple WR screen pass for a seven yard gain when his team is up 52-17 against Tarleton

8th snap - decent run against Tarleton when his team was up 59-17. Found a way to get tackled the first time anyone came anywhere near him. Let's cool down with the Desean comparisons. Desean would have housed this run in his sleep.

9th snap - nice first down pickup. But again, his strength was gaining yards when no one was near him. Didn't have any jukes when the defense got anywhere near him.


Bottom line - There not much tape on Jackson. He only got in during garbage time when his team was up big time. There quite a lot more tape on Finley. Finley looked a lot better, playing against much stronger opposition.

Jackson was in a pass-friendly offense, but in his highlights he only throws three passes. One was underthrown, the other was very strong when the receiver was wide open, and the third was a normal ho-hum wide receiver screen pass.

Cal Strong hope this no true. But the tape looks more like Brendan McIlwain or Luke Rubenzer (previous Cal running QBs who couldn't throw too well) than Davis Webb or Johnny Manziel (previous Spav QBs).

---

"got a desean look to him, but bigger." As you said, there's little tape on him. Can you restrain your nit-picking until, at least, the guy has had a decent chance and you have enough tape to critique?

Rushinbear said:

---

Cal Strong! said:

---

Rushinbear said:

---

StillNoStanfurdium said:

---

Cal Strong! said:

---

Cal Strong had forgotten about the Ben Finley transfer until he noticed the interview today. At the time of Finley's transfer announcement, Cal Strong recalls that he (like others) thought he was basically coming in to compete for a backup job.

Sam Jackson has gotten so much hype on this board, it just sort of seemed like Cal was a place for Finley to get a Masters degree and serve as an insurance policy if Jackson goes down and if Mendoza stinks.

Cal Strong fairly certain there were strong posters who took more notice than this. But he just recalling the general vibe on the board.

Cal Strong just watched the full highlights of the 2022 UNC / NC State game. He no longer thinks this. Bonus: it was great to watch him beat a Mack Brown ranked team.

Remember all of those years with Tedford where we just needed a good but not necessarily great QB and couldn't find one? Well, Finley would have knocked us all on our backsides if we had him back then.

Cal Strong has no seen any film on Jackson. Maybe he is as good as we all hope he will be. But if he not, Finley will definitely get the job done if he is coached right.

Of course there are surely reasons why he wasn't a regular starter at NC State. And Cal Strong did see a few poor throws. But overall, he saw a solid D-1 starter.

---

There's not nearly as much film on Jackson since he didn't get many snaps, but you should at least watch the limited action he did get at TCU and check out the highlights:

---

got a desean look to him, but bigger.

---

Cal Strong no want to be overly critical. And he saw at least one bad throw in the Finley highlights. But he not sold on Jackson based on the clip StillnoStanfurdium posted:

1st snap - Left the pocket for absolutely no reason. Then he under-threw his receiver.

2nd snap - dropped the snap. that not strong. but picked it up and gained a few yards with his athleticism, but didn't get the first down.

3rd + 4th snap - looked great.

5th snap - first strong throw in his highlights. very strong dart. but the receiver was wide open.

6th snap - another athletic but short run. This time for a TD.

7th snap - very simple WR screen pass for a seven yard gain when his team is up 52-17 against Tarleton

8th snap - decent run against Tarleton when his team was up 59-17. Found a way to get tackled the first time anyone came anywhere near him. Let's cool down with the Desean comparisons. Desean would have housed this run in his sleep.

9th snap - nice first down pickup. But again, his strength was gaining yards when no one was near him. Didn't have any jukes when the defense got anywhere near him.


Bottom line - There not much tape on Jackson. He only got in during garbage time when his team was up big time. There quite a lot more tape on Finley. Finley looked a lot better, playing against much stronger opposition.

Jackson was in a pass-friendly offense, but in his highlights he only throws three passes. One was underthrown, the other was very strong when the receiver was wide open, and the third was a normal ho-hum wide receiver screen pass.

Cal Strong hope this no true. But the tape looks more like Brendan McIlwain or Luke Rubenzer (previous Cal running QBs who couldn't throw too well) than Davis Webb or Johnny Manziel (previous Spav QBs).

---

"got a desean look to him, but bigger." As you said, there's little tape on him. Can you restrain your nit-picking until, at least, the guy has had a decent chance and you have enough tape to critique?

---

Pointing out Finley looks a lot better on tape and that he not much like Desean not nit-picking, it simply discussing football.

Cal Strong! said:

---

Rushinbear said:

---

Cal Strong! said:

---

Rushinbear said:

---

StillNoStanfurdium said:

---

Cal Strong! said:

---

Cal Strong had forgotten about the Ben Finley transfer until he noticed the interview today. At the time of Finley's transfer announcement, Cal Strong recalls that he (like others) thought he was basically coming in to compete for a backup job.

Sam Jackson has gotten so much hype on this board, it just sort of seemed like Cal was a place for Finley to get a Masters degree and serve as an insurance policy if Jackson goes down and if Mendoza stinks.

Cal Strong fairly certain there were strong posters who took more notice than this. But he just recalling the general vibe on the board.

Cal Strong just watched the full highlights of the 2022 UNC / NC State game. He no longer thinks this. Bonus: it was great to watch him beat a Mack Brown ranked team.

Remember all of those years with Tedford where we just needed a good but not necessarily great QB and couldn't find one? Well, Finley would have knocked us all on our backsides if we had him back then.

Cal Strong has no seen any film on Jackson. Maybe he is as good as we all hope he will be. But if he not, Finley will definitely get the job done if he is coached right.

Of course there are surely reasons why he wasn't a regular starter at NC State. And Cal Strong did see a few poor throws. But overall, he saw a solid D-1 starter.

---

There's not nearly as much film on Jackson since he didn't get many snaps, but you should at least watch the limited action he did get at TCU and check out the highlights:

---

got a desean look to him, but bigger.

---

Cal Strong no want to be overly critical. And he saw at least one bad throw in the Finley highlights. But he not sold on Jackson based on the clip StillnoStanfurdium posted:

1st snap - Left the pocket for absolutely no reason. Then he under-threw his receiver.

2nd snap - dropped the snap. that not strong. but picked it up and gained a few yards with his athleticism, but didn't get the first down.

3rd + 4th snap - looked great.

5th snap - first strong throw in his highlights. very strong dart. but the receiver was wide open.

6th snap - another athletic but short run. This time for a TD.

7th snap - very simple WR screen pass for a seven yard gain when his team is up 52-17 against Tarleton

8th snap - decent run against Tarleton when his team was up 59-17. Found a way to get tackled the first time anyone came anywhere near him. Let's cool down with the Desean comparisons. Desean would have housed this run in his sleep.

9th snap - nice first down pickup. But again, his strength was gaining yards when no one was near him. Didn't have any jukes when the defense got anywhere near him.


Bottom line - There not much tape on Jackson. He only got in during garbage time when his team was up big time. There quite a lot more tape on Finley. Finley looked a lot better, playing against much stronger opposition.

Jackson was in a pass-friendly offense, but in his highlights he only throws three passes. One was underthrown, the other was very strong when the receiver was wide open, and the third was a normal ho-hum wide receiver screen pass.

Cal Strong hope this no true. But the tape looks more like Brendan McIlwain or Luke Rubenzer (previous Cal running QBs who couldn't throw too well) than Davis Webb or Johnny Manziel (previous Spav QBs).

---

"got a desean look to him, but bigger." As you said, there's little tape on him. Can you restrain your nit-picking until, at least, the guy has had a decent chance and you have enough tape to critique?

---

Pointing out Finley looks a lot better on tape and that he not much like Desean not nit-picking, it simply discussing football.

---

Jackson! I said it's Jackson who has a desean look about him.

Rushinbear said:

---

Cal Strong! said:

---

Rushinbear said:

---

"got a desean look to him, but bigger." As you said, there's little tape on him. Can you restrain your nit-picking until, at least, the guy has had a decent chance and you have enough tape to critique?

---

Pointing out Finley looks a lot better on tape and that he not much like Desean not nit-picking, it simply discussing football.

---

Jackson! I said it's Jackson who has a desean look about him.

---

Strong correction. Cal Strong made a typo. But Cal Strong no see a lot of Desean Jackson in Sam Jackson.

Desean was elusive and had amazing jukes. Cal Strong never saw Sam juke anybody in his tape. He always got tackled just as soon as he came near a defender.

Jackson's playing style does not lend itself to longevity. We need capable backups and several of them. From what I've seen I think Mendoza has greater upside and we are fortunate Finley is on the roster.

UrsineMaximus said:

---

Jackson's playing style does not lend itself to longevity. We need capable backups and several of them. From what I've seen I think Mendoza has greater upside and we are fortunate Finley is on the roster.

---

Has UrsineMaximus seen Mendoza in person, or is there some useful tape on him?

Thus far, Jackson's playing style has lent itself to him sitting on the bench at TCU . . . so that not too bad for longevity.

From his tape, he got tackled a lot whenever a defender was able to track him. But he went down easy and didn't seem to take hard hits. He was also happy to run out of bounds instead of going for two more yards for a first down.

Cal Strong no see why this style would hurt his collegiate longevity. But from the tape, Finley was simply a better quarterback. We will see how this transfers to Cal and how Jackson does now that he has more first team opportunities.

May the strongest bear win.

Remember Mayor Art Finley?

Cal Strong no remember anyone saying anything whatsoever about Mendoza until Kai Millner bolted . . . to Northern Arizona.

So the board was more committed to a guy who is now fighting for a starting job at NAU than it was to Mendoza. This no seem all too promising. It rather seem like the traditional Cal attention shift to whatever backup we happen to have at the time.

Cal Strong! said:

---

Cal Strong no remember anyone saying anything whatsoever about Mendoza until Kai Millner bolted . . . to Northern Arizona.

So the board was more committed to a guy who is now fighting for a starting job at NAU than it was to Mendoza. This no seem all too promising. It rather seem like the traditional Cal attention shift to whatever backup we happen to have at the time.

---

Mendoza is good. You will see.he moved up on the depth chart last year. I predict he will be the QB after we lose a few games and the season is over.

oskidunker said:

---

Cal Strong! said:

---

Cal Strong no remember anyone saying anything whatsoever about Mendoza until Kai Millner bolted . . . to Northern Arizona.

So the board was more committed to a guy who is now fighting for a starting job at NAU than it was to Mendoza. This no seem all too promising. It rather seem like the traditional Cal attention shift to whatever backup we happen to have at the time.

---

Mendoza is good. You will see.he moved up on the depth chart last year. I predict he will be the QB after we lose a few games and the season is over.

---

This sounds both strong and weak at the same time! This hard feat to pull off, as strength not a natural roommate of weakness.

Could oskidunker help Cal Strong understand why he think this? Is there some tape Cal Strong can watch, or did oskidunker see him practice in person?

Cal Strong! said:

---

UrsineMaximus said:

---

Jackson's playing style does not lend itself to longevity. We need capable backups and several of them. From what I've seen I think Mendoza has greater upside and we are fortunate Finley is on the roster.

---

Has UrsineMaximus seen Mendoza in person, or is there some useful tape on him?

Thus far, Jackson's playing style has lent itself to him sitting on the bench at TCU . . . so that not too bad for longevity.

From his tape, he got tackled a lot whenever a defender was able to track him. But he went down easy and didn't seem to take hard hits. He was also happy to run out of bounds instead of going for two more yards for a first down.

Cal Strong no see why this style would hurt his collegiate longevity. But from the tape, Finley was simply a better quarterback. We will see how this transfers to Cal and how Jackson does now that he has more first team opportunities.

May the strongest bear win.

---

I've seen him practice in person on several occasions, kid has a lot of upside. While I wasn't at the last practice, Mendoza took the majority of the snaps with the 1's. For several weeks, Spav will give Mendoza and Finley their fair shot. Then in about 3 weeks we shall see what Spav is thinking by which QB is practicing with the 1's. I don't think Jackson is a lock at this point and his style of play will get him crunched at some point. Hell any QB is susceptible to getting whacked on any given play.

UrsineMaximus said:

---

Cal Strong! said:

---

UrsineMaximus said:

---

Jackson's playing style does not lend itself to longevity. We need capable backups and several of them. From what I've seen I think Mendoza has greater upside and we are fortunate Finley is on the roster.

---

Has UrsineMaximus seen Mendoza in person, or is there some useful tape on him?

Thus far, Jackson's playing style has lent itself to him sitting on the bench at TCU . . . so that not too bad for longevity.

From his tape, he got tackled a lot whenever a defender was able to track him. But he went down easy and didn't seem to take hard hits. He was also happy to run out of bounds instead of going for two more yards for a first down.

Cal Strong no see why this style would hurt his collegiate longevity. But from the tape, Finley was simply a better quarterback. We will see how this transfers to Cal and how Jackson does now that he has more first team opportunities.

May the strongest bear win.

---

I've seen him practice in person on several occasions, kid has a lot of upside. While I wasn't at the last practice, Mendoza took the majority of the snaps with the 1's. For several weeks, Spav will give Mendoza and Finley their fair shot. Then in about 3 weeks we shall see what Spav is thinking by which QB is practicing with the 1's. I don't think Jackson is a lock at this point and his style of play will get him crunched at some point. Hell any QB is susceptible to getting whacked on any given play.

---

Thanks for the strong reply UrsineMaximus. Did you happen to see Cal Strong's analysis of Jackson's tape (above)? If so, can you please fill Cal Strong in on whether or not Jackson has shown more upside as a passer than his limited tape suggests, and/or if he has demonstrated that he has any jukes (he didn't seem to have any on the tape)?