Keeton announced as new QB coach

[tetoncat]

Would really like to see us bring in a portal QB that has the ability to come in and play the roll that Chambers did. Not saying that the guys behind Tommy aren’t good, but I think maybe they need a little more time to learn.

we need to play those existing QBs and find out who can play and who cant before we start complaining about needing a transfer.

I'll go ahead and trust the coaching staff that sees these guys in practice every day to decide whether or not MSU needs a QB transfer. Chambers was a very unique player, you can't just go out in the portal and find another guy as good as he was.

Then there's also the question of whether the available QB transfers who would consider coming to MSU knowing they won't be the starter are worth one of the few roster spots they still have open to fill for next year.

It was a special circumstance that got Chambers to MSU. You can’t rule it out happening again but it’s unlikely.

It’ll be interesting to see how the offense operates with Mellott as the sole starter at quarterback. The coaches obviously know that he’s injury prone so they’ll have someone ready if he goes down.

We’ll find out how they feel about Reed, who looked good last year in mop up duty, this spring. It’ll be interesting to see what they think about Wilson after his second spring session. If MSU comes out of spring ball without a solid backup, then they will certainly be looking. However, it doesn’t seem likely. I don’t think you can rule out Abshire or Duchein but it seems like the #2 spot is between Reed and Wilson.

I think the passing game will open up a lot next season with Alexander on the field. He and McCullouch will be tough to defend downfield. It’s going to be interesting seeing how the offense changes and develops.

Is he injury prone or unlucky?. I would think injury prone would be more non contact or nagging injuries. His ankle, concussion, first knee of 23 and last knee of 23 seem to all be hit related. Maybe they are things others could bounce back from quicker than he did. Seems like he has had so.e bad luck.

I think it would be bad luck if he was a traditional QB and had that many injuries. He's injury prone due to his style of play. He's not going to stop playing the way he does and he's not going to stop getting injured.

That's fair. And probably also applies to our RB room as well. The number of games last 2 seasons with Mellot, Chambers and 1 or more RB out or limited due to injury has been staggering.

[imacat]

I will be curious to see if Coach Keeton refines Tommy’s passing skills.
As far as getting a portal QB … I much prefer developing and bringing players up through the system. I think Reed is ready.

[CodyCat]

I think Im in the minority. But, I don't see Tommy's passing skills needing that much work. He has improved significantly and I'll take the NDSU Tommy all day everyday.

[catsrback76]

I think Im in the minority. But, I don't see Tommy's passing skills needing that much work. He has improved significantly and I'll take the NDSU Tommy all day everyday.

I would agree. Tommy in that game was lights out and dominant. Now, he has to simply show that as a pattern and not an anomaly but I wouldn’t want to change his passing techniques, only his processing of what he’s seeing.

[grizzh8r]

I think Im in the minority. But, I don't see Tommy's passing skills needing that much work. He has improved significantly and I'll take the NDSU Tommy all day everyday.

...and twice on Saturdays!

[GoCats18]

If Tommy could stay healthy for an entire season, I would be fine with the guys behind him. The way he plays and the way he play him, I would want a QB that has experience and can step in and take over. Reed should definitely be the #2 if we don’t add another QB before the season.

[GoldstoneCat]

I think Im in the minority. But, I don't see Tommy's passing skills needing that much work. He has improved significantly and I'll take the NDSU Tommy all day everyday.

I'll take that Tommy all season, all day, all the way to Frisco. My hesitation is, that's the only time we've ever seen that Tommy, to my eye. He needs better weapons, no doubt, or healthier ones, but if he can play consistently on time from the pocket like he did that day we're in good shape. Hopefully coach keeton can help him find that consistency in trusting what he's seeing and letting it rip.

[BLACKnBLUEnGOLD]

Question I have is typically when someone becomes the oc from a position coach they typically lean on the position they coached. So do we think there will be a hyper focus on highlighting the TEs as opposed to highlighting the best attributes of our best players?

I'm a Steelers fan, and I can remember a string of about 10 years where they were churning through offensive coordinators and every time they promoted their previous TEs coach to be the new OC. They didn't start throwing to TEs until they drafted a new one in the first round and then hired a former QB and WR coach to run the offense. (That was despite already having a former first rounder at TE for almost all of that time--poor Mark Bruener.)

Some teams will put the guy they're developing at TE coach just because they're involved in installing both the entire blocking scheme and the entire route tree, which together makes up the bulk of the offense.

My guess is that the TEs will definitely block a lot, but unless one emerges as a dynamic receiver, they will not catch as many passes as Ty, Taco, at least one other WR, or the backs.

[technoCat]

I think Im in the minority. But, I don't see Tommy's passing skills needing that much work. He has improved significantly and I'll take the NDSU Tommy all day everyday.

I'll take that Tommy all season, all day, all the way to Frisco. My hesitation is, that's the only time we've ever seen that Tommy, to my eye. He needs better weapons, no doubt, or healthier ones, but if he can play consistently on time from the pocket like he did that day we're in good shape. Hopefully coach keeton can help him find that consistency in trusting what he's seeing and letting it rip.

I've seen that Tommy before. Against SHSU, after we got behind at SDSU in 2022, and when it counted against NAU. I'm firmly of the opinion that Tommy was either hinted at strongly or outright told that he needed to be as safe as possible with every throw when we were ahead or close. The only time he was allowed to open up the throttle was when we were behind or when Housewright thought his job might be on the line. Maybe a lot of that was confirming what I wanted to see but I've felt like Tommy has had "it" for years, he just needs to be unleashed to show it.

[tetoncat]

I think Im in the minority. But, I don't see Tommy's passing skills needing that much work. He has improved significantly and I'll take the NDSU Tommy all day everyday.

I'll take that Tommy all season, all day, all the way to Frisco. My hesitation is, that's the only time we've ever seen that Tommy, to my eye. He needs better weapons, no doubt, or healthier ones, but if he can play consistently on time from the pocket like he did that day we're in good shape. Hopefully coach keeton can help him find that consistency in trusting what he's seeing and letting it rip.

I thought there were several 2 minute drives he looked fantastic, they just didn't run that offense most of the time and several games some key drops slowed the throttle.

[NavyBlue]

Great hire! Chuckie is loved in Logan. Some Chuckie Keeton highlights.

[BelligerentBobcat]

I think Im in the minority. But, I don't see Tommy's passing skills needing that much work. He has improved significantly and I'll take the NDSU Tommy all day everyday.

I'll take that Tommy all season, all day, all the way to Frisco. My hesitation is, that's the only time we've ever seen that Tommy, to my eye. He needs better weapons, no doubt, or healthier ones, but if he can play consistently on time from the pocket like he did that day we're in good shape. Hopefully coach keeton can help him find that consistency in trusting what he's seeing and letting it rip.

I thought there were several 2 minute drives he looked fantastic, they just didn't run that offense most of the time and several games some key drops slowed the throttle.

One should also note that like most 2 minute offense's are different, most 2 minute defense's play different as well.

[tetoncat]

I think Im in the minority. But, I don't see Tommy's passing skills needing that much work. He has improved significantly and I'll take the NDSU Tommy all day everyday.

I'll take that Tommy all season, all day, all the way to Frisco. My hesitation is, that's the only time we've ever seen that Tommy, to my eye. He needs better weapons, no doubt, or healthier ones, but if he can play consistently on time from the pocket like he did that day we're in good shape. Hopefully coach keeton can help him find that consistency in trusting what he's seeing and letting it rip.

I thought there were several 2 minute drives he looked fantastic, they just didn't run that offense most of the time and several games some key drops slowed the throttle.

One should also note that like most 2 minute offense's are different, most 2 minute defense's play different as well.

Agreed but it showed he can complete more than just back shoulder fades. I was confused all year why when Chambers was in we had what appears to be more diverse route trees with crossing patterns and double moves. Not so much with Mellot.

[CatBlitz]

I think Im in the minority. But, I don't see Tommy's passing skills needing that much work. He has improved significantly and I'll take the NDSU Tommy all day everyday.

I would agree. Tommy in that game was lights out and dominant. Now, he has to simply show that as a pattern and not an anomaly but I wouldn’t want to change his passing techniques, only his processing of what he’s seeing.

Yeah, there's some nuance to CodyCat's post.
NDSU Tommy was great. But he is far from consistent. He still has a lot of development to do as an overall passer.

[GoldstoneCat]

I think Im in the minority. But, I don't see Tommy's passing skills needing that much work. He has improved significantly and I'll take the NDSU Tommy all day everyday.

I'll take that Tommy all season, all day, all the way to Frisco. My hesitation is, that's the only time we've ever seen that Tommy, to my eye. He needs better weapons, no doubt, or healthier ones, but if he can play consistently on time from the pocket like he did that day we're in good shape. Hopefully coach keeton can help him find that consistency in trusting what he's seeing and letting it rip.

I've seen that Tommy before. Against SHSU, after we got behind at SDSU in 2022, and when it counted against NAU. I'm firmly of the opinion that Tommy was either hinted at strongly or outright told that he needed to be as safe as possible with every throw when we were ahead or close. The only time he was allowed to open up the throttle was when we were behind or when Housewright thought his job might be on the line. Maybe a lot of that was confirming what I wanted to see but I've felt like Tommy has had "it" for years, he just needs to be unleashed to show it.

I would quibble a little with the shsu game, those were 50/50 balls to Lance that he caught 80% of. But your perspective is certainly a valid one, and i suppose it's truly a matter of everyone's own opinion and what our own eyes see or maybe as you said, want to see. And play calling could certainly play a role. I loved some of the hard play action, half-field levels stuff we were running with Chambers, but we never ran it with Tommy. To me, he has always looked robotic and lacking in QB instincts when he's asked to read it out and throw on time from the pocket. It's when he's on the edge as a dual threat where his natural instincts show up and he gets dangerous. But again, I'm not saying I'm right or you're wrong, just voicing an opinion.

[ThoughtUKnew14]

Would really like to see us bring in a portal QB that has the ability to come in and play the roll that Chambers did. Not saying that the guys behind Tommy aren’t good, but I think maybe they need a little more time to learn.

No!!! We have RB’s to play that role. Let Tommy build off his momentum from last game and be the guy every snap (assuming he plays well).

[imacat]

I simply like the idea of having a position coach who has played QB. I think it may bring an extra layer of knowledge.

[BelligerentBobcat]

I simply like the idea of having a position coach who has played QB. I think it may bring an extra layer of knowledge.

How is it any different than Housewright? He played QB too.

[Long Time Cat]

I simply like the idea of having a position coach who has played QB. I think it may bring an extra layer of knowledge.

How is it any different than Housewright? He played QB too.

The difference is that Housewright was not a position coach.

[AFCAT]

I simply like the idea of having a position coach who has played QB. I think it may bring an extra layer of knowledge.

How is it any different than Housewright? He played QB too.

The difference is that Housewright was not a position coach.

Uh, what? Who do think was coaching quarterbacks at MSU?