SC QB - Best one two punch in the nation, ESPN

[AtlGAMECOCK]

Originally Posted by CWall2001

There is a whole camp that still thinks Dylan is unproven. I kind of don't get that. I used to think the same after UAB, but here's the deal. He comes in, usually makes a bonehead play or two and then wins. The kid seems to have grown A LOT as a QB this season. And those bonehead decisions or plays he seems to make before settling down could probably be eliminated with more practice reps as we saw against Clemson (yes I know Clemson's D is bad, but that's a huge game on the road too). I for one am thrilled to have them both.

I am in this camp , Dylan has proven he can play and throw the ball well. I would love to see him against a Uga,Lsu,uf defense before I crown him proven. I like Dylan and feel he improves the team , if he can do what he does against those teams then obviously he is proven period .

[treys1986]

Originally Posted by cofcgamecock9

I think this is where we are all continually getting in trouble. The poster you are quoting didn't even mention Shaw's name. So what does Shaw have to do with whether or not he feels comfortable with Dylan at this point? If Shaw came out this year and completely forgot how to throw the ball because of some sort of head injury and Dylan was automatically named the starter, it still wouldn't change that the poster you were responding to would still have the same thoughts about Dylan's lack of experience. But then you, for some reason, had to bring Shaw into the conversation.

That is the part I don't get.

You don't have to compare Dylan to Shaw to say that "Dylan still hasn't proven himself." People might very well also say "Connor Shaw hasn't proven himself in away games." But that would have nothing to do with Dylan Thompson.

Dylan Thompson has only started a handful of games. How many has it been? Two starts? And then playing time in some other games in which he did really well in one (Michigan) and not so well in the other (Florida). That is not a ton of experience. So I think it would be a fair statement for any fan to say "I am still in a wait and see mode with Dylan because I just haven't seen enough out of him in different situations." I don't see how anyone can say that isn't at least a fair opinion for someone to have.

I am SURE that after Andrew Luck's second start of his career, there were plenty of people saying "well, he really looks good, but I don't want to say he is a great quarterback just yet."

It is not a knock against Dylan that some people just haven't seen enough of him yet to feel like they know how he is going to respond in different situations.

True...he didn't mention Shaw by name. However, considering this is essentially a Shaw and Thompson discussion, wouldn't it be fair to think that Shaw is the measuring stick for Thompson? Personally, I don't care who starts. As long as we are winning. I'm not on anybody's side. Just pointing out that Thompson played VERY well, in a pretty doggone tough place to play.

[Cock Kool-Aid]

lol... I just feel like a lot of posters have the attitude of "throw Thompson in there, he'll carve 'em up". It's easy to feel that way after the way he played vs Clemson and Michigan. Those were two huge and emotional W's that he sealed for us. I just feel that some of the confidence seems a bit premature.

I am in no way comparing him to Shaw.

[qcgamecock]

Originally Posted by me4USC

I don't think so.

http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?id=322940057

Against Florida, Thompson was our passing leader with 83 yards. Davis and Miles were our rushing leaders (combined 35 yards). We had scored two field goals in the first half when Thompson went in. Shaw had 72 yards.

Florida had 183 yards of total offense but scored 44 points. They were the first FBS team this century to score 40 points while having fewer than 200 yards. In that game, Gators quarterback Jeff Driskel became the first FBS player since 2000 to throw at least four TD passes in a game with less than 100 passing yards.

We had 191 yards, but scored no touchdowns.

South Carolina fumbled four times (Shaw, Sanders, Byrd) and lost three, two of which led directly to Florida touchdowns. (I couldn't find the fourth fumble.) Had it not been for two personal fouls on Florida on one drive, and another senseless penalty on another drive, the score would’ve been 21-0. As it was, Florida led 21-6 at the end of the first half because of three turnovers - three short fields given up to the Gators.

"The Gators put the game away by scoring on all three possessions in the third quarter, getting a 6-yard TD run by Omarius Hines, a field goal and a 6-yard pass from Driskel to Frankie Hammond Jr.


"They made South Carolina's defensive front, which dominated in the first half, look suspect. They also better controlled standout end pass-rusher Jadeveon Clowney, who gave them fits early. And they kept South Carolina off balance with creative play-calling that included tight end Trey Burton in the Wildcat."


In other words, our defense was worn out after the first half. I'm a little confused as to why people want to blame that on Thompson. By the way, I got all this information on the internet, and I'm not blaming anyone for anything. I'm just cutting and pasting what I've researched.

Just off of memory I remember Shaq Roland with a drop, Nick Jones dropped a 1st down and could not stay end bounds for another though it would have been a heck of a catch, Smith had a high one go through his hands again would have been a good catch but should have been caught and I also remember, Smith also missed the next pass....it was not a good day to be a WR if my memory serves me correct but it was a long season but I will try to take a look at the game if I can stomach it.

[me4USC]

Originally Posted by CWall2001

There is a whole camp that still thinks Dylan is unproven. I kind of don't get that. I used to think the same after UAB, but here's the deal. He comes in, usually makes a bonehead play or two and then wins. The kid seems to have grown A LOT as a QB this season. And those bonehead decisions or plays he seems to make before settling down could probably be eliminated with more practice reps as we saw against Clemson (yes I know Clemson's D is bad, but that's a huge game on the road too). I for one am thrilled to have them both.

In the Outback, he had no time for a couple of bonehead decision or plays. He came straight off the bench after sitting two quarters and threw two passes that were instrumental in winning the game. I am a fan of his, and I didn't think he could do it. I was yelling at my TV set, saying it wasn't fair to throw him into that situation - 26 seconds on the clock with us trailing. And then, he surprised me by nailing what he had to do in 15 seconds. If that didn't impress the ones who have no confidence in him (and I'm not talking about you), nothing ever will.

[highpockets12]

OK..OK! Riddle me this. Do we have a backup QB or two QB`s that have each others back ??

[me4USC]

Originally Posted by highpockets12

OK..OK! Riddle me this. Do we have a backup QB or two QB`s that have each others back ??

At this point, I have no idea. My guess would be two QB's that have each other's backs.

It's possible that Spurrier could start either one, depending upon who we play.

Right now, I think of Nosovitch as the backup.

[cofcgamecock9]

Originally Posted by me4USC

In the Outback, he had no time for a couple of bonehead decision or plays. He came straight off the bench after sitting two quarters and threw two passes that were instrumental in winning the game. I am a fan of his, and I didn't think he could do it. I was yelling at my TV set, saying it wasn't fair to throw him into that situation - 26 seconds on the clock with us trailing. And then, he surprised me by nailing what he had to do in 15 seconds. If that didn't impress the ones who have no confidence in him (and I'm not talking about you), nothing ever will.

See these are the things that you say that I just can't wrap my head around. I honestly just don't understand where you are coming up with these ideas. You say above "the ones that have no confidence in him."

Where are these people? I haven't talked to one personally and I certainly haven't read anything on this message board in a while where someone has stated "I have no confidence in Dylan Thompson."

Saying that you are "unsure of someone" at this point because of a lack of experience is COMPLETELY and UTTERLY different than saying that you have "no confidence" in someone.

I haven't seen one place where ANY poster has said "I have no confidence in Dylan's ability to be our QB." The only thing I have seen is that some people say they need to see a little more, because he doesn't have a lot of experience. Those are COMPLETELY different things.

Erik Kimrey came into a game that was on the line against Mississippi State and it was 4th down and he threw a PERFECT fade route into the endzone on his very first play from scrimmage. That pass was INSTRUMENTAL in winning the game (using the words you used above). Now, let me be clear and say that I realize Dylan has a bigger body of work than Erik Kimrey did.

But I am sure you would have thought it fair if someone said "well Erik Kimrey did a great job at a very important moment, but I still need to see more before I can really form an opinion on him." Take the exact same situation above that you wrote about and insert Erik Kimrey. He "nailed what he had to do" in a situation where his team was down and he "had to get it done." So are you saying that people shouldn't have still wanted to see more before they would decide if he was an excellent QB at the SEC level?

Dylan has played all of about three FULL games in his career if you add it all up. He has done pretty doggone well in those three games. But why in the world do you continually, and yes you do, get defensive when someone says that three full games is not all they need to know what kind of QB he is going to be over the long term?

You obviously have some emotional reasons that you really like Dylan (from your comments about yelling at the tv and your posts on here). I get it. But think about it this way. If you were at a restaurant a couple of years ago and you met a Stanford fan after the third game and you started talking to him and said "wow, that Andrew Luck guy looks really impressive." Would you start arguing with him or get defensive if he said "yes, he has looked good when he has played, but I want to hold judgement a little because it has only been three games." I would certainly hope not. That doesn't sound like anything ludicrous to me. My guess would be that you would just shake your head and understand where the fan was coming from.

But if someone says the same thing about Dylan, you seem to have a problem with it.

I hate to say this and I am sure you are not going to agree with me. But if you will take a step back, you will see that you are creating this idea that people are against Dylan. I read this board carefully and it simply is not there. I haven't seen any of the things that you constantly report are being said about Dylan. I haven't seen one person say they have no confidence in Dylan.

[bryarx]

I'm a Dylan Thompson supporter. I think he should start, and play til we're ahead. Then put in Shaw to run clock with his 5 yard scampers for first downs.

I don't know how many times a friend and I have said to each other, with the other person nodding their head knowingly:

"Dylan Thompson throws to where the receiver is going to be. Shaw has to see someone standing wide open in order for him to feel comfortable letting go of the ball. Sure, that gives you a high completion percentage and low interceptions, but it leads to less overall yards."

Dylan takes his steps, while surveying the field, and throws to where receivers are supposed to go. It's a much more exciting offense to watch, for one, which is partly why I'm prejudice, but it also seems like a 'safer' game when DT is back there. You know there aren't going to be 7 seconds after the snap a QB dancing around getting us a holding call, or having him scramble for 3 or less yards. He's going to drop back and throw, pretty accurately.

This past season, I don't know if going with DT would have changed our record, but I do believe he gives us the best chance to win. Our defense will be elite again next year thanks to Ward, and I would love, at minimum to see a bigger role for DT.

[cofcgamecock9]

Originally Posted by bryarx

I'm a Dylan Thompson supporter. I think he should start, and play til we're ahead. Then put in Shaw to run clock with his 5 yard scampers for first downs.

I don't know how many times a friend and I have said to each other, with the other person nodding their head knowingly:

"Dylan Thompson throws to where the receiver is going to be. Shaw has to see someone standing wide open in order for him to feel comfortable letting go of the ball. Sure, that gives you a high completion percentage and low interceptions, but it leads to less overall yards."

Dylan takes his steps, while surveying the field, and throws to where receivers are supposed to go. It's a much more exciting offense to watch, for one, which is partly why I'm prejudice, but it also seems like a 'safer' game when DT is back there. You know there aren't going to be 7 seconds after the snap a QB dancing around getting us a holding call, or having him scramble for 3 or less yards. He's going to drop back and throw, pretty accurately.

This past season, I don't know if going with DT would have changed our record, but I do believe he gives us the best chance to win. Our defense will be elite again next year thanks to Ward, and I would love, at minimum to see a bigger role for DT.

I think all of your comments are very fair and there is nothing wrong with expressing them. But I do have a question for you since you seem pretty "confident" in your opinion.

You say pretty confidently that you think Dylan "gives us the best chance to win."

So if Steve Spurrier ends up starting Connor (just saying if that happens) then would you think Steve Spurrier doesn't want to put in the QB that gives us the best chance to win? Would you think that he just doesn't see the things that you see? I am honestly curious as to what your thoughts would be if that happens.

I would ask the EXACT same thing if someone posted a post just like yours but had Connor Shaw in there instead of Dylan. If someone was "confident" that Connor gives us the best chance to win, etc. The same things you said. I would wonder how they would feel if Spurrier instead started Dylan.

I ask because I just don't know how any of us can be "confident" about anything that has to do with the playing time of these guys when we only see about 5% of all that goes on. We don't see fall practices, we don't know what they discuss with coaches, and we don't know what the coaches have in mind when it comes to preparing for a defense.

So to me personally (just my opinion), I would feel a little conceited if I had this notion that I thought I knew who should start over Spurrier and GA Mangus.

Now, I am not saying that you said that in your post above. But that is why I asked the follow up question. If Spurrier does start Shaw, then what would your reaction be regarding this knowledge that you feel you have (the things you mentioned in your post) compared to Spurrier's obviously different opinion if he started Shaw? Would you feel like Spurrier "got it all wrong?"

[me4USC]

Originally Posted by cofcgamecock9

See these are the things that you say that I just can't wrap my head around. I honestly just don't understand where you are coming up with these ideas. You say above "the ones that have no confidence in him."

Where are these people? I haven't talked to one personally and I certainly haven't read anything on this message board in a while where someone has stated "I have no confidence in Dylan Thompson."

Saying that you are "unsure of someone" at this point because of a lack of experience is COMPLETELY and UTTERLY different than saying that you have "no confidence" in someone.

I haven't seen one place where ANY poster has said "I have no confidence in Dylan's ability to be our QB." The only thing I have seen is that some people say they need to see a little more, because he doesn't have a lot of experience. Those are COMPLETELY different things.

Erik Kimrey came into a game that was on the line against Mississippi State and it was 4th down and he threw a PERFECT fade route into the endzone on his very first play from scrimmage. That pass was INSTRUMENTAL in winning the game (using the words you used above). Now, let me be clear and say that I realize Dylan has a bigger body of work than Erik Kimrey did.

But I am sure you would have thought it fair if someone said "well Erik Kimrey did a great job at a very important moment, but I still need to see more before I can really form an opinion on him." Take the exact same situation above that you wrote about and insert Erik Kimrey. He "nailed what he had to do" in a situation where his team was down and he "had to get it done." So are you saying that people shouldn't have still wanted to see more before they would decide if he was an excellent QB at the SEC level?

Dylan has played all of about three FULL games in his career if you add it all up. He has done pretty doggone well in those three games. But why in the world do you continually, and yes you do, get defensive when someone says that three full games is not all they need to know what kind of QB he is going to be over the long term?

You obviously have some emotional reasons that you really like Dylan (from your comments about yelling at the tv and your posts on here). I get it. But think about it this way. If you were at a restaurant a couple of years ago and you met a Stanford fan after the third game and you started talking to him and said "wow, that Andrew Luck guy looks really impressive." Would you start arguing with him or get defensive if he said "yes, he has looked good when he has played, but I want to hold judgement a little because it has only been three games." I would certainly hope not. That doesn't sound like anything ludicrous to me. My guess would be that you would just shake your head and understand where the fan was coming from.

But if someone says the same thing about Dylan, you seem to have a problem with it.

I hate to say this and I am sure you are not going to agree with me. But if you will take a step back, you will see that you are creating this idea that people are against Dylan. I read this board carefully and it simply is not there. I haven't seen any of the things that you constantly report are being said about Dylan. I haven't seen one person say they have no confidence in Dylan.

You have an emotional response to me, and I'm beginning to have one to you. I would not disagree with anyone in person. This is a message board with a fair amount of anonymity, so I am saying what I really think. I actually dread posting anything at this point, because I know you will be right behind me, picking my posts apart and taking shots at me. You tried to run me off this forum a few days ago. You are very close to succeeding.

I am not the only person who yelled at his or her TV that day, and I'm sure there was a good bit of yelling going on in the stadium. Emotional responses are fairly common in sports.

I helped with an elementary writing class today. The children wrote about people they would like to meet. One child wrote about Zack Mettenberger, another about Peyton Manning, and a third about Tahj Boyd. All of those boys thought that those guys were the best quarterbacks who ever lived, and I didn't argue with any of them. I actually talked with them about the things which stand out about each of those players. None of them chose any of the Gamecock quarterbacks, and we didn't talk about them. I do not push Thompson.

This is a Gamecock board, and I am a Gamecock fan. Please allow me the same freedoms that you allow other posters. Please allow me to have and defend my opinion. Please leave me alone. Please pick on one of these guys who will be happy to tell you where to go.

[me4USC]

Originally Posted by cofcgamecock9

I think all of your comments are very fair and there is nothing wrong with expressing them. But I do have a question for you since you seem pretty "confident" in your opinion.

You say pretty confidently that you think Dylan "gives us the best chance to win."

So if Steve Spurrier ends up starting Connor (just saying if that happens) then would you think Steve Spurrier doesn't want to put in the QB that gives us the best chance to win? Would you think that he just doesn't see the things that you see? I am honestly curious as to what your thoughts would be if that happens.

I would ask the EXACT same thing if someone posted a post just like yours but had Connor Shaw in there instead of Dylan. If someone was "confident" that Connor gives us the best chance to win, etc. The same things you said. I would wonder how they would feel if Spurrier instead started Dylan.

I ask because I just don't know how any of us can be "confident" about anything that has to do with the playing time of these guys when we only see about 5% of all that goes on. We don't see fall practices, we don't know what they discuss with coaches, and we don't know what the coaches have in mind when it comes to preparing for a defense.

So to me personally (just my opinion), I would feel a little conceited if I had this notion that I thought I knew who should start over Spurrier and GA Mangus.

Now, I am not saying that you said that in your post above. But that is why I asked the follow up question. If Spurrier does start Shaw, then what would your reaction be regarding this knowledge that you feel you have (the things you mentioned in your post) compared to Spurrier's obviously different opinion if he started Shaw? Would you feel like Spurrier "got it all wrong?"

I am beginning to think you have become more than a little emotionally invested in Shaw. Why do you feel the need to respond in this way to anyone who says anything good about Thompson?

Plenty of people have said that they think that Shaw gives us the best chance to win because of his experience. I haven't seen you argue with any of them.

[cofcgamecock9]

Originally Posted by me4USC

You have an emotional response to me, and I'm beginning to have one to you. I would not disagree with anyone in person. This is a message board with a fair amount of anonymity, so I am saying what I really think. I actually dread posting anything at this point, because I know you will be right behind me, picking my posts apart and taking shots at me. You tried to run me off this forum a few days ago. You are very close to succeeding.

I am not the only person who yelled at his or her TV that day, and I'm sure there was a good bit of yelling going on in the stadium. Emotional responses are fairly common in sports.

I helped with an elementary writing class today. The children wrote about people they would like to meet. One child wrote about Zack Mettenberger, another about Peyton Manning, and a third about Tahj Boyd. All of those boys thought that those guys were the best quarterbacks who ever lived, and I didn't argue with any of them. I actually talked with them about the things which stand out about each of those players. None of them chose any of the Gamecock quarterbacks, and we didn't talk about them. I do not push Thompson.

This is a Gamecock board, and I am a Gamecock fan. Please allow me the same freedoms that you allow other posters. Please allow me to have and defend my opinion. Please leave me alone. Please pick on one of these guys who will be happy to tell you where to go.

First, I didn't mean that you yelling at your tv was something that was odd. I was just using it as an example because of the REASON you said you were yelling at the TV. But I didn't mean much by it.

Look I understand all of that and I am sorry that I "pick" on you. You are right that you can say whatever you want. But I am also sorry in that I am going to respond when you continually say these things that are just not being posted. I am not the only person that has also pointed this out to you.

Look, you post what you want. Just like you said, you have that right. But I am here to tell you that NO ONE is bashing Dylan like you keep saying happens on a regular basis. It ISN'T happening. Not one person has said ANYTHING even remotely close to your comment where you said people say "they have no confidence in Dylan."

I am still trying to figure out why you want people to believe that these negative things are being said about Dylan. I am not sure of the reason.

But if you post them, I am going to respond. Just giving you fair warning. Because I don't think it is right to have someone post things that are simply not accurate and someone else not have the ability to point it out.

[cofcgamecock9]

Originally Posted by me4USC

I am beginning to think you have become more than a little emotionally invested in Shaw. Why do you feel the need to respond in this way to anyone who says anything good about Thompson?

Plenty of people have said that they think that Shaw gives us the best chance to win because of his experience. I haven't seen you argue with any of them.

Haha. Did you NOT READ the part of the post where I said I would say the same thing about Shaw???? Did you skip that paragraph???

So let me spell it out for you just to make sure you are clear. That poster was pretty "confident" in his opinion that Thompson should be the starter.

If someone posted the same post that said they were confident that Shaw gave us the best chance to win and that he should be the starter, I WOULD SAY THE SAME THING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I WOULD ASK THE SAME QUESTION!!!!!!!!!!!

I have absolutely ZERO favorite. I trust whoever Spurrier plays because he knows more than I will ever know about the game. I have defended Shaw on this board because he is the only one I have seen trashed and criticized. Again, as I have said a million times already, you actually SHOW ME where this is being done regarding Dylan and I will defend him just like I defend Shaw.

But as I said in the post above, it isn't happening even if you continually pretend like it does. You can't even show me one freaking post where someone is bashing Dylan. I am telling you that it isn't happening.

[me4USC]

Originally Posted by cofcgamecock9

First, I didn't mean that you yelling at your tv was something that was odd. I was just using it as an example because of the REASON you said you were yelling at the TV. But I didn't mean much by it.

Look I understand all of that and I am sorry that I "pick" on you. You are right that you can say whatever you want. But I am also sorry in that I am going to respond when you continually say these things that are just not being posted. I am not the only person that has also pointed this out to you.

Look, you post what you want. Just like you said, you have that right. But I am here to tell you that NO ONE is bashing Dylan like you keep saying happens on a regular basis. It ISN'T happening. Not one person has said ANYTHING even remotely close to your comment where you said people say "they have no confidence in Dylan."

I am still trying to figure out why you want people to believe that these negative things are being said about Dylan. I am not sure of the reason.

But if you post them, I am going to respond. Just giving you fair warning. Because I don't think it is right to have someone post things that are simply not accurate and someone else not have the ability to point it out.

If you think I'm going to go back through the threads searching for the things that were said, you are nuttier than a fruitcake. Besides, knowing that you keep some sort of collection of my posts, I'm not giving you more ammunition if I can help it.

I haven't used the word "bash" in a couple of months at least. Things have calmed down on the boards.

People's feelings and opinions change over the course of time, and mine have in some respects. Please stop quoting what I may have said two months or more ago. You ARE the only person hounding me. Others have disagreed from time to time, but that's the nature of a board. It's for discussion. You have moved past stating a disagreement with my opinion into attacking me personally.

[cofcgamecock9]

Originally Posted by me4USC

Plenty of people have said that they think that Shaw gives us the best chance to win because of his experience. I haven't seen you argue with any of them.

Ok, this is a perfect example of what I am talking about with you. You say "plenty of people have said that Shaw gives us the best chance to win because of his experience" and then you try to say that I only want to defend Shaw and not Dylan.

Do me a favor. Go read the post that I responded to where I asked the person the question about what would they think about Spurrier's decision if he started Shaw. Seriously, I know you don't like me, but go back and read it. Read the way it is written and read how confident the poster is in who he thinks should start. NOW, if you go back through this ENTIRE thread, you will not find anywhere that someone has stated anything even close to that regarding Shaw. If they had, I would have asked the EXACT same question as I stated.

But the thing is that IT ISN'T THERE!!!!!! Yet, you ask me why am I not saying the same things??? Because they aren't there.

Again, and I will say it over and over, you are making up this stuff about how people talk about Dylan and what they say about Shaw that simply is not there. I can't ask the same question about Spurrier and Shaw that I did above because IT ISN'T THERE!!!!!!!!!

But yet you call me out on something that doesn't exist!!!!

Do you want me to make it up??? Ok,

Random message board poster- I think Shaw is head and shoulders above Dylan and he should start because he gives us the best chance to win. ....Lets be very clear that this is not my thought and I am making it up.

Now my question and response would be the EXACT same...... "so mr random message board fan, I am just curious as to what you would say if Spurrier ended up starting Dylan instead of Shaw. Would you think he got it wrong?"

So that is my answer. I am sorry I didn't give it sooner but I hope you could understand since that post was NEVER THERE!!!!!!!!!! No one has said that in this thread.

[Jubjub Bird]

Originally Posted by me4USC

You have an emotional response to me, and I'm beginning to have one to you. I would not disagree with anyone in person. This is a message board with a fair amount of anonymity, so I am saying what I really think. I actually dread posting anything at this point, because I know you will be right behind me, picking my posts apart and taking shots at me. You tried to run me off this forum a few days ago. You are very close to succeeding.

I am not the only person who yelled at his or her TV that day, and I'm sure there was a good bit of yelling going on in the stadium. Emotional responses are fairly common in sports.

I helped with an elementary writing class today. The children wrote about people they would like to meet. One child wrote about Zack Mettenberger, another about Peyton Manning, and a third about Tahj Boyd. All of those boys thought that those guys were the best quarterbacks who ever lived, and I didn't argue with any of them. I actually talked with them about the things which stand out about each of those players. None of them chose any of the Gamecock quarterbacks, and we didn't talk about them. I do not push Thompson.

This is a Gamecock board, and I am a Gamecock fan. Please allow me the same freedoms that you allow other posters. Please allow me to have and defend my opinion. Please leave me alone. Please pick on one of these guys who will be happy to tell you where to go.

Hi, me4USC, I just want to pipe up and say that I really enjoy your posts. I appreciate what Connor and Dylan have both brought to the table as Gamecocks, but I do really like Dylan's style of play and his personality, so I enjoy reading your positive posts about Dylan.

Regarding another poster on this board who thinks it is his job to make sure Connor and Dylan are discussed on Cockytalk only in a manner that exactly corresponds to what he thinks is appropriate and correct, well, I stopped reading his posts a long time ago. For whatever it's worth.

Keep posting, if you want to.

[Cock Kool-Aid]

This escalated quickly.

It's clear from CofC's posts that he is honestly angry about this.

It's just football and they're just football players.

[LegalCock]

I like how he comes in cold off the bench with the game on the line and throws a 30+ yard strike for a TD. Like a boss.

[bryarx]

Originally Posted by cofcgamecock9

I think all of your comments are very fair and there is nothing wrong with expressing them. But I do have a question for you since you seem pretty "confident" in your opinion.

You say pretty confidently that you think Dylan "gives us the best chance to win."

So if Steve Spurrier ends up starting Connor (just saying if that happens) then would you think Steve Spurrier doesn't want to put in the QB that gives us the best chance to win? Would you think that he just doesn't see the things that you see? I am honestly curious as to what your thoughts would be if that happens.

I would ask the EXACT same thing if someone posted a post just like yours but had Connor Shaw in there instead of Dylan. If someone was "confident" that Connor gives us the best chance to win, etc. The same things you said. I would wonder how they would feel if Spurrier instead started Dylan.

I ask because I just don't know how any of us can be "confident" about anything that has to do with the playing time of these guys when we only see about 5% of all that goes on. We don't see fall practices, we don't know what they discuss with coaches, and we don't know what the coaches have in mind when it comes to preparing for a defense.

So to me personally (just my opinion), I would feel a little conceited if I had this notion that I thought I knew who should start over Spurrier and GA Mangus.

Now, I am not saying that you said that in your post above. But that is why I asked the follow up question. If Spurrier does start Shaw, then what would your reaction be regarding this knowledge that you feel you have (the things you mentioned in your post) compared to Spurrier's obviously different opinion if he started Shaw? Would you feel like Spurrier "got it all wrong?"

When I say I think DT gives us the best chance to win, to put it into perspective, Let say we have an 82% chance of winning with Shaw starting, and an 84% chance of winning with DT starting. That is why I included the statement that I don't think our record would have been any different last year.

I would also like to point out that I never said I was 'confident,' that is something you inferred. I give a very slight edge to DT in terms of determining the outcome of the game as a starter (the W or L), but admitted that I personally prefer seeing a pocket passer.

Both QB's definitely have their place, but I like DT as someone that we can score with quickly, whereas Shaw is good at keeping drives alive. There is a place for both, and I'm not saying that DT can't keep a drive alive or that Shaw can't score quickly, I'm saying one is stronger in one area than the other. This of course also depends on things they can't control, like playing calling and game situations (like needing to run or conserve clock, etc.).

Would I second guess who Spurrier starts? Sure. Does my opinion, having no formal education in athletics on the college level, give me any validity that he should be concerned about? Nope.

I think we have 2 skilled QB's. I think Shaw holds onto the ball, and gives up on plays to run quicker than DT would. I think he's done this for a season and a half now. This is just what I see in games, I don't go to practices. Of course, one could argue that game time performance is the only stats worth keeping track of, because they are the only stats that anyone keeps track of. If Shaw could use his scrambling ability to buy time more often than to tuck and run, it would gain more personal favor with me. I would like to see him trust his receivers more, and throw to where he supposed to. I'm not saying throw into triple coverage, but if a receiver is inside a defender with a step, throw it to him inside. Shaw will just pass him over as 'covered' and move on.

Again, this is my personal opinion. I would prefer to see DT the majority of the time. I think the QB's are equally football smart, but DT trusts the receivers (and his arm) more than Shaw does. If Shaw's hurt (has shoulder bothering him like last season) I would think DT defintely moves ahead of him, skill wise.

To address why I think Shaw will start -> because he's been the starter. He doesn't make big enough mistakes to pulled, he's not a problem player off the field either. With Spurrier calling DT a 'potential NFL quarterback' in an interview earlier this off season, I imagine he's going to be playing a lot more this year.