Did we see enough today to evaluate him?

The game under AB today looked much different from Oregon.

I don't remember how many fumbles there were. It was hard to tell who was at fault.

It seemed like they were calling runs for all 1st and 2nd downs (running game was there all day) and he had his chances on 3rd downs. I think I read he was 1-3 so it's a really small sample.

Some seem to be hanging the fumbles on him.

What do you think? Wet ball? Bad snaps? Miscommunication?

Wet ball. The fumbles disappointed me, but I can excuse them to a degree for that reason.

Two of the three passes were really on target, though - one hit Keenan in the hands and was dropped. So maybe he's as accurate as advertised. Not enough sample size to tell.

IMHO it was coming in cold off of an injury... in rain etc etc.

I think this because how the hell could ANYONE fumble that many times otherwise? it had to be an issue with him being warmed up...


That said, he ran the wrong way a couple of times...


The entire thing was a shot to show Tedford whats what, and he didn't, for whatever excuse.

I don't think we learned anything much about Bridgford today. It was pouring rain, and he was in mop up duty. I'd be fine to continue to be in the dark on AB if Zach continues to play adequate ball like he did today.

Nice win- feels good to be back in the W column. Let's build on this.

In my view bridgford hasn't been given a reasonable chance to show how he could lead the team

He sucked, but no

but my god, can we ever have a backup QB come in and just play? I watched Oregon do it. WSU is doing it. OSU is doing it. UCLA is doing it. Our backup QBs look worse than if we just picked them up from high school and threw them in the game. Maybe Bridgford is horrible. But Mansion was too, last year, Sweeney the year before. And Hinder is 4th string. Boehm showed so little that they are redshirting him. Jesus Tedford, prepare a backup QB, get him some meaningful playing time, treat him like you expect him to come in and play without missing a beat. It is GD embarrassing. He is one play from being your starter, as tonight showed. Get him ready, already!!!!!

Phantomfan;616522 said:

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The entire thing was a shot to show Tedford whats what, and he didn't, for whatever excuse.

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It's really frustrating that JT can't let AB loose in these games where there is really no way to lose just to see. If he sucks, it's not going to harm anything in his development (because he won't be playing in the future), but if he's good, then it's just another option to fall back on in the future if needed.

Running him a couple of times in the zone read? Yeah, that's sure kicking the tires. Play a normal offense. Try to go deep. Who cares if wulff doesn't like it? It's a live game and why not use it for something that obviously isn't happening in practice.

He had a grand total of 3 attempts..no way we can pass REASONABLE judgement on him.

The fumbles were bad, but it was POURING when he was in. Give the kid a break.

ZM's first pass was a INT....remember!!!! He threw a pick 6 against PRESPY!!!

Lets give AB some slack.

:bravo but he must be 2nd string for a reason

The fumbles sucked, but are somewhat understandable given that he was coming in cold to play in the rain. Galas also may not have been used to snapping to a different-handed QB.

His passing looked decent, but no, we didn't get to see enough to evaluate one way or the other.

This thread is really funny.

Tedford's smart enough to know the fumbles were caused by the rain; however, I'm sure he wasn't happy about it since they practice with wet balls when they expect rain.

sycasey;616555 said:

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The fumbles sucked, but are somewhat understandable given that he was coming in cold to play in the rain. Galas also may not have been used to snapping to a different-handed QB.

His passing looked decent, but no, we didn't get to see enough to evaluate one way or the other.

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........isn't this how the conversation about ZM started?

yes, lets give him time. but if JT keeps putting QB in situations where they are bound to fail (e.g. not give them any reps in any of the blowouts BEFORE the wet soaked 3 attempts) then why is anyone surprised they fail?

this is the worst possible game for us: mediocre win. if you watched the game, at least. look at the stats, they look decent.

bottom line: ZM is not a passing QB. I can't see how anyone can refute that. It's not a bad thing, unless we want a passing QB. he's had 2.5 years to become a NCAA passing QB.

instead of trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, why not just tailor the offense to a completely option/wildcat oriented offense?

He played terribly against Oregon. ZM is and should be our #1 option. Bridge's poor performance today should shut up the people calling for him.

Agureghian;616590 said:

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He played terribly against Oregon. ZM is and should be our #1 option. Bridge's poor performance today should shut up the people calling for him.

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so mop up duty @ oregon and a couple bad snaps today cancel out any shot of AB starting..

ZM can go out and throw 3 picks against sc and 4 picks against Fucla and he is still without question our #1 guy.

Can we please see more of AB in order to make a FAIR judgement on him. All i've seen from ZM is terrible mechanics, footwork, horrendous accuracy, etc..

ZM can throw a decent pass to KA time to time, and that's about it. He is the definition of a one trick pony.

I think it's fine if Maynard starts again (he did play decently against WSU), but if he has another craptastic performance like against UCLA, he needs to come out, preferably before the game is already lost.

calgo430;616554 said:

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:bravo but he must be 2nd string for a reason

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correct, Keenan Allen. Thank goodness Maynard beats out Hays as the worst qb in the Pac:bravo

POS bowl here we come

GoBears58;616617 said:

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correct, Keenan Allen. Thank goodness Maynard beats out Hays as the worst qb in the Pac:bravo

POS bowl here we come

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It takes a true stubborn idiot to make this post after watching our backup QB today.

Bravo, sir. Bravo.

It's interesting how people see what they want to see.

People who were high on AB say it's not a fair evaluation.
People who were skeptical see today as proof that he is not the answer.

Maybe there's some truth to both stances. (For example, it's not a totally fair evaluation and he may not be ready to take over the starter because he's had way fewer reps with the 1s.. and so you fix that by giving the guy real reps.)

Some objective analysis would be useful.

Let AB get some more snaps with the first team in practice before judging him. I have zero concern that if he became our starter he wouldn't be able to handle the snaps. This definitely wasn't a great showing but I'm glad he got in there and he should have been in there earlier. This stint told us that AB was ill-prepared to get in the game this week and that's 100% on Tedford. Zach doesn't need more than 50% of the first team snaps in practice anymore so I'm hoping that AB gets more run in practice. Winning next week and getting to a bowl game will be invaluable. Also, even if we lose next week, I wouldn't count out a desperation win against ASU to end the season.

Also - this has come up a few times on here tonight but people were clapping Zach off the field the way you always do when an injured players walks off. Ridiculous to assume that people were cheering for him to be replaced by AB.

Unit2Sucks;616632 said:

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...Also - this has come up a few times on here tonight but people were clapping Zach off the field the way you always do when an injured players walks off. Ridiculous to assume that people were cheering for him to be replaced by AB.

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I believe the criticism was directed to people "cheering" on this Board for Zach to be replaced.

In any event, he deserved applause when he exited the game for his heroic recovery of Isi's fumble, a heads-up, selfless play.

freshfunk;616626 said:

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It's interesting how people see what they want to see.

People who were high on AB say it's not a fair evaluation.
People who were skeptical see today as proof that he is not the answer.

Maybe there's some truth to both stances.

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Indeed there is. Bridgford didn't look great, obviously. He fumbled snaps, handoffs, and turned the wrong direction to hand off the ball at least once. On the other hand, those are the kinds of things that you'd expect to be ironed out once a guy has played enough. At least a decent part of the reason for that stuff is that he hasn't played much.

He was only 1/3 passing, but it was also only THREE passes, and one of those was pretty much on the money but Allen dropped it (perhaps thrown a bit too hard). It's not really enough to evaluate the guy. Personally, I was never sure that Bridgford would be better, only that if Maynard really stunk like against UCLA, we ought to play him.

southseasbear;616640 said:

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I believe the criticism was directed to people "cheering" on this Board for Zach to be replaced.

In any event, he deserved applause when he exited the game for his heroic recovery of Isi's fumble, a heads-up, selfless play.

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It was a fantastic gamer play by Zach - maybe the fastest I've ever seen him run! Didn't realize that's the "cheering" people were referring to was just on BI but makes sense.

The guy played for over a quarter of the game and got 3 freaking pass attempts. No way to really tell anything from that...and that in and of itself is inexcusable.

As far as the fumbled snaps go...when was the last time we saw a Cal QB take a snap from under center? Mayndard doesn't do it at all this year...its always shotgun or pistol formation. Bridgford was under center almost every snap. One fumble looked like it was a miscommunication between Bridgford and the running back (they both seemed to think the other had it). The other two that I remember were both from under center. I'd wager that that is as much on the center snapping the ball as it is on Bridgford...no rhythm established whatsoever.

All I know is this when I see Bridgford vs when I see Maynard. Maynard looks panicky in the pocket. He vibrates standing still. When he steps into a pass and gets his legs underneath him he seems to have no idea whatsoever where the ball is going. When he's on the run he seems to have an idea of where its going...its just whether or not he should be throwing it there.

Bridgford is the exact opposite. He looks calm and cool and collected in the pocket. He plants his feet and makes quick decisions. It was also interesting watching him on roll outs (which were all hand offs). He stayed committed to the play, not looking back at the running back to see whats happening until the whistle blew. That said, the knock on him having the long wind up played itself out on the pass that was batted down. The dropped pass to Allen was on the money in stride though...just a shame it was dropped.

I have no clue why Tedford is so damned scared of a QB competition...but he is doing everything he possibly can to avoid the perception of one. I always thought competition was a good thing...but apparently Tedford is scared of it, or even the perception of it...

~MrGPAC

southseasbear;616640 said:

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I believe the criticism was directed to people "cheering" on this Board for Zach to be replaced.

In any event, he deserved applause when he exited the game for his heroic recovery of Isi's fumble, a heads-up, selfless play.

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The fumble recovery was awesome... I am firmly in the camp of I want to see what Bridford's got, and don't feel like we saw that today...however, I would NEVER wish injury on anyone and hope nothing but the best for Maynard.

~MrGPAC

MrGPAC;616684 said:

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The guy played for over a quarter of the game and got 3 freaking pass attempts. No way to really tell anything from that...and that in and of itself is inexcusable.

As far as the fumbled snaps go...when was the last time we saw a Cal QB take a snap from under center? Mayndard doesn't do it at all this year...its always shotgun or pistol formation. Bridgford was under center almost every snap. One fumble looked like it was a miscommunication between Bridgford and the running back (they both seemed to think the other had it). The other two that I remember were both from under center. I'd wager that that is as much on the center snapping the ball as it is on Bridgford...no rhythm established whatsoever.

All I know is this when I see Bridgford vs when I see Maynard. Maynard looks panicky in the pocket. He vibrates standing still. When he steps into a pass and gets his legs underneath him he seems to have no idea whatsoever where the ball is going. When he's on the run he seems to have an idea of where its going...its just whether or not he should be throwing it there.

Bridgford is the exact opposite. He looks calm and cool and collected in the pocket. He plants his feet and makes quick decisions. It was also interesting watching him on roll outs (which were all hand offs). He stayed committed to the play, not looking back at the running back to see whats happening until the whistle blew. That said, the knock on him having the long wind up played itself out on the pass that was batted down. The dropped pass to Allen was on the money in stride though...just a shame it was dropped.

I have no clue why Tedford is so damned scared of a QB competition...but he is doing everything he possibly can to avoid the perception of one. I always thought competition was a good thing...but apparently Tedford is scared of it, or even the perception of it...

~MrGPAC

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The only thing I have noticed from the small sample we've had from Oregon and Wazzu is that AB seems to gun it in there and our receivers find his throws too hot to handle. I think Boller had that problem early on -- it was just trying to gun everything in there without any touch.

I kinda noticed that too...the ball was right at KA in stride but KA wasn't expecting it to have that much zip on it. The one completion to KA was a floater with touch over the line...but he does seem to throw it harder than he has to, though that may have something to do with being over amped.

~MrGPAC

We will never be able to evaluate AB reasonably until he plays the whole game with a clean slate.

I remember Mike Pawlawski coming in to mop up for Troy Taylor here and there and he looked absolutely horrible. So when Taylor graduated, the Daily Cal pretty much handed the starting job to Perry "46 for 49 in a game in HS" Klein. The DC said Paws had the mechanics of a shot putter. Well, Bruce Snyder thought pretty highly of Paws and he beat out Klein and the rest is history.

Agureghian;616590 said:

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He played terribly against Oregon. ZM is and should be our #1 option. Bridge's poor performance today should shut up the people calling for him.

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In both games Bridgford planted his feet, looked downfield, was poised in the pocket yet aware of the pass rush, made solid and accurate throws to the right places with zip. The Oregon game was against a defense dropping back 7 to take away the pass, and this game he made a total of three passes.

But of course, none of that matters to you.

MrGPAC;616684 said:

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The guy played for over a quarter of the game and got 3 freaking pass attempts. No way to really tell anything from that...and that in and of itself is inexcusable.

We ran for 6.0 yards per attempt and you think it's inexcusable that AB wasn't asked to pass much? ZM himself only had 17 attempts.

As far as the fumbled snaps go...when was the last time we saw a Cal QB take a snap from under center? Mayndard doesn't do it at all this year...its always shotgun or pistol formation. Bridgford was under center almost every snap. One fumble looked like it was a miscommunication between Bridgford and the running back (they both seemed to think the other had it). The other two that I remember were both from under center. I'd wager that that is as much on the center snapping the ball as it is on Bridgford...no rhythm established whatsoever.

Maynard has taken quite a few snaps under center this year. Not a majority, but enough that the offense should be able to execute.

All I know is this when I see Bridgford vs when I see Maynard. Maynard looks panicky in the pocket. He vibrates standing still. When he steps into a pass and gets his legs underneath him he seems to have no idea whatsoever where the ball is going. When he's on the run he seems to have an idea of where its going...its just whether or not he should be throwing it there.

We all know ZM is not a pocket passer, but 5 games this year have shown that one is not needed to pull off the W.

Bridgford is the exact opposite. He looks calm and cool and collected in the pocket. He plants his feet and makes quick decisions. It was also interesting watching him on roll outs (which were all hand offs). He stayed committed to the play, not looking back at the running back to see whats happening until the whistle blew. That said, the knock on him having the long wind up played itself out on the pass that was batted down. The dropped pass to Allen was on the money in stride though...just a shame it was dropped.

I agree with you that his limited attempts aren't enough to judge his quality as a passer. In fairness then, any positive observations like his presence and field sense also need to be taken with a grain of salt. He has only seen the field during garbage time when there was no pressure and the game was already won or lost.

I have no clue why Tedford is so damned scared of a QB competition...but he is doing everything he possibly can to avoid the perception of one. I always thought competition was a good thing...but apparently Tedford is scared of it, or even the perception of it...

~MrGPAC

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I realize AB didn't have much to work with, but I'm going to agree with the others who say we are better right now with ZM. If ZM is hurt and AB is forced to take over, then the result is going to look much like the end of last year, I'm afraid.

^ that's a pretty dumb comment, imo. the result would look like the end of last year if bridgford were mansion. but he's not. mansion's accuracy is (maybe) a touch better than maynard's. bridgford, though his sample set is tiny by tedturd's design, has superior accuracy by my eyes, your eyes, and by the eyes of most who have watched more than 5min of practice.

the mistakes we saw would correct with more than a few plays in a garbage time monsoon.

on a bit of a separate note, someone said it earlier in this thread - show a little fking confidence in the kid sometimes. let him air it out. 3 attempts in 1.5 quarters??? come on...

Haashole;616706 said:

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^ that's a pretty dumb comment, imo. the result would look like the end of last year if bridgford were mansion. but he's not. mansion's accuracy is (maybe) a touch better than maynard's. bridgford, though his sample set is tiny by tedturd's design, has superior accuracy by my eyes, your eyes, and by the eyes of most who have watched more than 5min of practice.

the mistakes we saw would correct with more than a few plays in a garbage time monsoon.

on a bit of a separate note, someone said it earlier in this thread - show a little fking confidence in the kid sometimes. let him air it out. 3 attempts in 1.5 quarters??? come on...

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Drunk posting not recommanded. QBs may appear better than actual.

You can't have it both ways. Either the sample size is too small or it's not. If it's too small no conclusions can be drawn.

spelling mistakes also not recommanded when criticizing someone's logic, either.

if you read my post, i'm not saying the sample size is too small...what i said was from what i've seen AB's accuracy is FAR better than mansion's and certainly by extension better than maynard's. this is backed up by reporting around practices and frankly maynard's terrible, terrible accuracy throughout the season.

this game did nothing to change that perception, imo. the boys ran all over wsu tonight; none of it maynard's doing. he literally is unable to throw the ball more than 10 yards to a receiver.

my point stands: accuracy is certainly more difficult to teach than getting handoffs right or not turning the wrong way. those things will be fixed, and AB (if given the opp) i'm convinced would look NOTHING like BM in a couple games

Haashole

recommanded? Not the recommended spelling. Just sayin'