There are other similar articles but if you don't think the shovel pass or touch pass or short bubble screen weren't a big part of inflating Geno's production, then you weren't watching. I'll find and post more if you want. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/01/s...ises-heisman-hopes-at-west-virginia.html?_r=0 Perfect Storm for Smith’s Heisman Bid MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — If there exists a formula for winning the Heisman Trophy, West Virginia seems to have found it: Surround quarterback with fast, slippery receivers. Necessitate scoring with young, permeable defense (perhaps not by design). Abet quarterback with creative offense designed around him. From this, quarterback Geno Smith has emerged as the presumptive Heisman front-runner. Mountaineers Coach Dana Holgorsen refined the formula further. Drop eight defenders in coverage? Smith will pick whichever open receiver he pleases. Blitz? Smith will hit Tavon Austin, an electrifying slot receiver, on a quick route. What other options exist? “You only get so many players on the field at a time,” Smith said, sympathizing with Baylor, which West Virginia beat Saturday, 70-63. Smith passed for 656 yards and 8 touchdowns in the victory. In four games, he has thrown for 1,728 yards and 20 touchdowns, with no interceptions, statistics unrivaled in college football Holgorsen’s air raid offense so caters to Smith that on a common, rather successful play, Austin motions in front of Smith, and when Smith receives the snap, he immediately pushes the ball with his palms, a touch pass, to Austin, who sprints around the edge and up the field. Statistically, this is considered a pass. Effectively, it is a handoff. Before Saturday’s barnburner, Smith had credited much of his success this season to quick screen plays or passing plays meant to spring Austin or Smith’s best friend, receiver Stedman Bailey. The screen passes are safer, more reliable alternatives to Smith’s airing the ball downfield; but he excelled at both Saturday. On one long touchdown, Baylor simply forgot Bailey, Smith said. On another, Bailey acknowledged he had given up on his route when Smith hurled a pass toward him and two defenders. “I’m going to keep getting better,” Smith said after the game. “Up to this point, it’s one of many games. I think I’ve had better games, but statistically, it’s my best game ever. But, like I said, I got a lot of games left.” Asked if he felt sorry for defensive coordinators in the Big 12, Smith laughed, then said, “Hmm, I don’t know. No, I don’t, actually. I know they’re going to come up with some crazy schemes, and we got to be prepared for it.” In the coming weeks of West Virginia’s inaugural Big 12 season, Smith will face five teams — Texas Tech, Kansas State, Texas Christian, Oklahoma and Iowa State — that have thus far allowed fewer than 16 points a game on average. The Mountaineers average 53. And No. 11 Texas, their opponent next week, possesses the athletes and system to slow West Virginia’s offense. The Mountaineers’ breakneck pace worked against Baylor because the Bears preferred that tempo, too. “Not every Big 12 game is like this,” Holgorsen said. “It’s not going to be like this next week. Texas has got an unbelievable defense.” The best way to defend Smith, it seems, is to disrupt that easy, flowing pace by simply keeping the ball away from him. This season, only Maryland has come close to accomplishing this. The Terrapins disguised their defenses, showed Smith exotic looks and forced him to throw 13 incompletions. West Virginia was limited to 31 points and punted seven times. Though his statistics did not exactly show it — Smith threw for 338 yards and 3 touchdowns — he was momentarily flummoxed Less than enthused, Holgorsen joked on Yahoo Sports radio that at least he napped during the 31-21 victory over Maryland. Against Baylor, Holgorsen’s offense could not afford to rest. On the game’s final drive, J. D. Woods made a spectacular one-handed catch, preventing a rare errant pass by Smith from being intercepted and possibly returned for a touchdown. Such a play would have put Baylor in position to tie the game, 70-70. “It makes it scary on offense, having to try and make plays all the way to the final drive,” Bailey said. “When you look at it and say 70 points is not safe, man, it gets crazy.” Playing with urgency should pad Smith’s statistics. Robert Griffin III threw for 4,293 yards and 37 touchdowns and his team was 9-3 when he won the Heisman Trophy last season. West Virginia’s defense could cost Smith wins, but it should also lead to heightened production by him in pursuit of them. Griffin’s defense, which allowed 488 yards a game, was the fifth worst in the country. Chris Huston, who is the founder of Heismanpundit.com, noted that the last four quarterbacks to win the Heisman reached or approached 50 total touchdowns before their bowl games that season, a mark that “seems to be the slam dunk” for Smith, Huston said. Tim Tebow had 51; Sam Bradford, 53; Cam Newton, 48; and Griffin, 45. After four games this season, Smith has 21. Other Heisman candidates — quarterbacks E. J. Manuel of Florida State and Collin Klein of Kansas State, and Oregon running backs Kenjon Barnerand De’Anthony Thomas — may star for better teams. Smith’s team, imperfect as it is, may win him the Heisman. _
Deny it all you want, this play was a staple for WVU. The table didn't paginate but it's in the article. I watched this for 3 years with Geno. http://www.footballstudyhall.com/20...nia-geno-smith-heisman-box-score-manipulation The Manipulation of Passing Statistics, West Virginia Edition Sometimes, nothing can be more misleading than the typical box score. As I recently prepared to chart last season’s match up between West Virginia and Cincinnati, I decided to take a quick look at the box score ahead of time. What I learned was that West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith had simply lit up the Bobcats: 29 of 43, 372 yards, and one touchdown. After learning of Smith’s big day, I was extremely eager for the aerial assault I was about to witness. Sadly though, my excitement quickly wore off once the game tape started to roll. Upon watching the game in its entirety, I was left with just one question: Was that it? There was little on the recording that led me to believe I had just witnessed the type of performance that has made Smith a 2012 Heisman contender. A shovel pass here, a shovel pass there. A screen pass here, a screen pass there. Maybe even a shallow crossing pattern was mixed in every once in awhile for a decent gain. But to my recollection, there was only one big passing play by West Virginia throughout the entire game. How could Smith have possibly thrown for 372 yards? I knew I needed to take a deeper look at the numbers. Due to the fact ESPNU skips ahead at times (due to time constraints), only 31 of Smith’s 43 pass attempts were shown on the recording. Of those 31 attempts, Smith completed 22 of them for 252 yards and a touchdown. At first glance, that’s a very solid game by Smith. Throughout the nation, almost every coach would gladly take a 70% completion rate at 11.5 yards per completion. But despite the strong numbers, something still felt off, almost manipulated. I then looked further at the underlying numbers… Attempt Distance Of Pass Yards After Catch Total Yardage 1 10 INC 2 -12 INC 3 -4 11 7 4 29 30 59 5 2 0 2 6 10 0 10 7 -2 23 21 8 4 4 8 9 -1 9 8 10 19 INC 11 11 INC 12 -6 14 8 13 4 INC 14 0 3 3 15 12 3 15 16 12 INC 17 -3 0 -3 18 10 0 10 19 11 1 12 20 13 0 13 21 -5 5 0 22 0 24 24 23 14 INC 24 13 0 13 25 3 INC 26 -1 24 23 27 -3 6 3 28 -6 14 8 29 12 INC 30 -2 4 2 31 0 6 6 TOTAL 71 (completed passes only) 181 252 After charting Smith’s passing numbers, I decided to put them into three categories focused around PYD (The yardage of the pass from the line of scrimmage to where it is caught or supposed to be caught). In breaking down the numbers, several key things were revealed: Smith accumulated 44% of his charted passing yards without ever throwing the ball more than two yards downfield. Smith’s completion percentage dropped from 93% to 53% to 33% as his PYD increased throughout the categories. Of the 31 passing plays charted, Smith threw the ball further than 13 yards downfield just three times. So how are such gaudy passing numbers accumulated while rarely taking shots downfield? I’m glad you asked. The video below is just one example of how West Virginia can rack up a high completion percentages and easy passing yards without throwing the ball vertically. When simply looking at the box score, the above play would read: Smith - 1-for-1, 38 yards. What the box score doesn’t tell is how Smith did little more than ‘shovel/touch pass’ the ball to his talented wide receiver, Tavon Austin, and then simply watches Austin rack up some gaudy stats. This isn’t a post meant to condemn the way passing statistics are viewed, but simply meant to show that not all passing yards are created equal. Throughout much of the West Virginia/Cincinnati game, Smith was simply getting the ball to his fellow playmakers as quickly as possible and became a bystander who racked up passing statistics. I understand that getting the ball to your playmakers is the point of a coaching. But statistically speaking, the way that is done can be misleading to the casual box score-reading fan. When inflated stats can be the tiny difference needed to earn an All-American honor or even the Heisman Trophy, the way certain players accumulate stats should enter the equation. Obviously, West Virginia isn’t the only team to rack up passing stats off these ‘glorified handoffs’, they just happened to be the one I was recently charting. To sum it up, this West Virginia example simply demonstrates that there is a lot more to the overall statistical story of a game than what is generally portrayed in a simple box score. _
Impressive work Stokes. I'll counter with a video of Geno's pass attempts versus Baylor, to include incompletes and the shovel passes. Looks like a lot of down field passing to me
Not impressive at all considering I saw it with my own eyes most of his career. I wish I could find the video where someone strung together about 30 shovel touch passes for massive gains. Too funny that they counted as completions and passing yardage. Besides I don't need to watch your video because I saw that game against an awful awful Baylor defense. Besides, I've never said he didn't throw a nice ball, he's just a stupid player with limited upside. And he's not half the player Mariota was in college. Stop looking at the stats. _
I think it's BS that the play is considered a pass and goes towards passing stats. But, it is what it is. That said, it wasn't that big a part of WVU's offense. The point is, whether you like it or not, a LOT of Geno's production was in down the field passes, not in shovel passes that went for 80 yards. As for Smith being stupid, well, I don't disagree with you there. Mariota is smarter and seems to have a much higher football IQ. Question still remains whether that will translate to on field success in the NFL. I mean, Ryan Fitzpatrick is a freaking genius with a high football IQ. That doesn't make him a good QB.
Pass on Hundley. If Mariota or Winston are there at 6, don't think twice. I don't like any other QB in the draft.
But...If Brees can be had that takes all the pressure off the QB spot for a couple of years, he is 36 after all. Trade that number six for a first rounder next year from a team that will be pure, unadulterated crap this year nail Cardale Jones next year as the face of the future.
Why would you trade the 6 in a draft that seems so deep in edge rushers? QB's and edge rushers are two of the three positions that a high draft pick is good for with LT being the third.
Uhh, because you're trying to lock in an early first rounder next year to get a franchise QB. (Unless you think Smith or Fitzpatrick can take you to the promised land for a decade.)
If you're going to do this you're getting at least 2 1sts back and a player. Even then you have no way of knowing where that pick is going to be next year. The 6 pick in this draft is very valuable. There is going to be a good player sitting there for the Jets. Potentially a 20 sack guy. Giving that up for a random shot in the lottery next year is kind of crazy, particularly given the fact that the Jets do not now have and have not for a decade had a good edge rusher.
While there may be no guarantees you can still have a pretty good opinion based on fact and experience of which teams will stink up the joint and end up in the top three or four picks. The Jets do not now have and have not for a decade had a good quarterback.
Right and you are postulating that the pick they acquire will be good enough to trade up for a QB and that the QB will actually be there in the first place. All I'm saying is that a good pass rusher will be there on the 6 this year and the Jets will be in position to take him.
How about this: Bradford to New Orleans, Brees to Jets, #6 pick to Philly. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Postulating or planning that if you don't have the number one it's easier to get to number one or two from three or four than from 18 or 24. And you can have a handful of excellent DE's or OLB's but without an excellent QB you're not going to the dance.
I was thinking the other day is it fair to compare RG3 to Mariotta because they played in the same type of offense and have a very similar skillset.
I think it's a very fair comparison if you add in the football IQ of Mariota and the fact that he's a respectful eager young player likely to lead by hard work and example and not be a diva like RG3 and split a lockerroom. _
