Poll: Should Mack Offer Russell Shepard at QB?

by mikey 4 on Feb 22, 2008 8:20 AM CST Comment 15 comments

I've seen a lot of debate over whether Mack should offer Russell Shepard at QB. Here are a few of the pros and cons:

Pros (pretty obvious, imo)

He's a fantastic QB. As a junior, he put up 794 yards and 8 TDs passing, and 1525 yards and 18 TDs rushing.
We need a backup plan in case GG has problems recovering from surgery.
He's versatile, and he has already said he'd be happy to play WR or DB if he loses in the QB competition.

Cons

We already have GG on the roster, and signing up two highly ranked QBs could lead to discontent on the team and among the fans.
We can't afford to "waste" a scholarship on a position we don't need right now.
If we offer Shepard, Gilbert may not come here.
Although he's young and has great feet, his passing rate is only 40%.

This list obviously isn't exhaustive; it's just what comes immediately to mind. So, what do you think?

Poll

Should Mack offer Russell Shepard at QB?

Yes

122 votes

No

37 votes

159 votes | Poll has closed

All comments, FanPosts, and FanShots are the views of the reader-authors who create them.

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Comments

Re:

Is there an option for "oh hell, yes!"

My adopted kid is pure genius at the Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model.

by jc25 on Feb 22, 2008 9:21 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Heh

I thought about adding several intermediate options, or options with snarky comments, but I thought it would dilute the vote ;)

by mikey 4 on Feb 22, 2008 9:25 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I think

You have his passing and rushing stats reversed. Source: Rivals.

by expendable on Feb 22, 2008 9:42 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Good catch, fixed

Those were actually the numbers from John Chiles's first year at QB! The numbers are all listed together here (in the comments), and I copied the wrong ones.

by mikey 4 on Feb 22, 2008 9:57 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

When I watch him on video, he looks like only 6' tall, not 6'2" as listed. He also doesn't look like he has true 4.4 speed (more like 4.5 or 4.6 but is extremely quick to change direction, strong in the grasp, and usies his blockers amazingly well. He also has solid passing mechanics but lacks confidence in reading coverage (the receiver has to be open by 10 yards). We all know that athletes, especially those 6' or less, inflate their height. Why does this matter? The likelihood that he will succeed at QB is likely directly related to his height. If he's only 6', I think Mack is uncomfortable taking him as a QB.

There is also next year's recruiting to consider:

Gilbert has a shoulder injury that could become chronic
Shepard is a project for an offense that likes a 50:50 pass mix
That means that the success of the Longhorns in 2010 and beyond will depend on who they recruit next spring. If they already have 2 RS freshman QB's at the top of the roster, no top-flight QB will commit in 2009, leaving the cupboard once again bare.

On the other hand, a bird in hand..., avoid overthinking this and offer a QB scholarship, figuring that you'll find a way to turn him into Antwan Randle-El (who was only 5'10").

by burnt in ny on Feb 22, 2008 10:22 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

How can I vote "yes"...

... more than one thousand times?

Growing up, I only fed Jared Norton paper. That's why he eats plays.

by Horn Brain on Feb 22, 2008 10:28 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Cons

One other 'con', and biggest one IMO is that if we offer Shepard, Gilbert may not come here.

Also, 40 percent passing rate is NOT acceptable for a quarterback. He hasn't shown that he can even be a dual threat (passing + rushing) quarterback.

Get your ass going! You ain't hurt!

by Cyrus on Feb 22, 2008 11:02 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Updated

by mikey 4 on Feb 22, 2008 11:11 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

ok i voted yes but

How is he really better than chiles? Chiles was a 5-star athlete at one point.
I wish these athletes didn't all want to be QB's there's lots of opportunity at other positions. Look at Percy Harvin, or Joe Mcknight, Jeremey Maclin (sp?). They can, run, catch, take a direct snap etc. You dont have to be the quarterback to be the star. In fact, I'd go as far as to say you have a far smaller chance in the pros as a quarterback, than say a receiver, RB, tightend and so on.

Vince Young was truly something/someone unique, and may never be duplicated. Of all the duelthreats I've seen, none appear to be as elite as Vince. Pat White is short, and can't really throw a whole lot aside from playaction, Tebow is more of a bruiser than finesse, Dixon, well he was to skinny and so on.

VY was an outlier from the mean and people need to see that running fast/elusively doesn't automatically make you a good quarterback. A playmaker in certain situations? absolutely, but not someone who takes all the snaps.

by owenh on Feb 22, 2008 11:23 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

TP

As of right now, I only see Terrelle Pryor having the potential to do what VY did. He has the size, the strength, etc. We'll see how he develops. He's an impressive physical specimen.

by Sunkist on Feb 22, 2008 12:59 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Doesn't matter

We recruit him and give him a shot. That's what he wants. If he develops his passing somewhat in the next year or so, great, if not, great. If we don't take him, TP better not go to Michigan, because who are two of Shep's top choices right now? OU and A&M. F that! I do not want to see this kid in any shade of red/purple that I'm familiar with. Recruit him!

Growing up, I only fed Jared Norton paper. That's why he eats plays.

by Horn Brain on Feb 22, 2008 6:58 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Shep is a talent...

...but Gilbert is a QB.

John Chiles - I'm your foster daddy!

by BMG on Feb 22, 2008 1:11 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Yes.

Gilbert had 52 TDs on 555 attempts as a junior (1 per 10 attempts? Yes please), and dropped his INT rate significantly.

Its hard to tell anything from high school stats, but on the flip side, theres not much better stats you could ask for in a QB.

Still I see no problem letting the kids compete. May the best player win.

by BoddickerIsClutch on Feb 22, 2008 5:02 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

See, whatcha do is...

Offer Shep a scholarship to play for the football team. Tell him he will have a fair shot at the starting QB job. And that's it.

You can't make any promises you can't keep, and you can't tell someone one thing and another guy another thing if they want to play the same position in college.

Personally, I think Gilbert would beat out Shep for the starting job. He passes the ball as well as any other player in Texas high school history. With our offense, you have to be able to win with the passing game. I don't know if we could win a game relying on Shep's arm.

atsmahboy Kelson

by BigTexBD on Feb 22, 2008 3:25 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Just......

....a thought. Perhaps Mack doesn't have a feel for how many QBs he'll have on campus in August. He might have a better feel for the situation after March 29. I can't help but believe he is asking for some time to evaluate. I just don't want to see us slow-play him like we did Chase Daniels.

--- All roads to the Big-XII Championship lead through OU/RRS. It's not just another game! We're all about championships here. ---

by HornChamps on Feb 22, 2008 7:59 PM CST reply actions 0 recs