Bray is on the Manning Award watch list...

[BigOrange Maniac]

But since there are 2 other SEC QBs and 30 others overall on the list, it doesn't matter.

[BanditVol]

Wishing him all the best, of course, but I still want to see what he does when all the defenses he faces are not in the bottom 20% of the country. 

[BanditVol]

Rather than just saying it, here are the actual stats:

Team          Pass Efficiency D Rank               Bray Att/Comp   Yds      Avg   TD    Int 
Ole Miss                           109                                                     18/34       323   9.5   3   0
Memphis                           120 (dead last)                                     19/33     325   9.8   5   0
Kentucky                           49                                                     20/38     354   9.3   2   2                                 
Vandy                               95                                                     16/27       232   8.6   2   2
UNC                                  47                                                     27/45       312   6.9   4   3

His best days by far were Ole Miss and Memphis...simply two of the worst pass D's in the country and in the case of Memphis, THE worst.  His stats against two average defenses in UK and UNC were much worse.   What stands out about all three of his last games is the number of int's, unfortunately.    It seems he would have done better against Vandy.

None of his stats are horrible, however he didn't have to face a top notch D either. I think UF will be his first real test.

Here are the pass D ranks for our first 3 opponents:

Montana  - 7 (in FCS)
Cincy - 106
Florida -12

Montana might actually be an interesting test.

Other factors....Moore and Jones had outstanding seasons.  Sometimes veteran WRs can pull a young QB along.  OTOH, our line suxed and thus we lacked a running game.  At least he might have more time to throw and we might have a better run game to take some of the heat off.  Also we are talented though inexperienced at WR.

I am definitely not expecting an all-SEC performance by any means.  I think it's realistic to expect him to perform overall at about the level he did vs. Kentucky and UNC.   If he can cut down on the ints, he could have a really good season.

My expectations are relatively low though.  I have a feeling he will struggle early but have another nice run at the end of the season, creating even greater expectations for 2012.   

But I hope he proves me completely wrong.  5 TD passes against UF would be excellent.   

[BigOrange Maniac]

[BanditVol]

Really?  Just providing stats.  Sorry you feel that way. 

BDM is right about your yard.  LOL!

[BigOrange Maniac]

Really?  Just providing stats.  Sorry you feel that way. 

BDM is right about your yard.  LOL!

But isn't it obvious to everyone by now that Bray's good performances at the end of last season came against weak defenses? Does it really have to be rehashed every time his name is mentioned?

[BanditVol]

Not every occasion...only when expectations seem out of kilter.  Here you mention he is cited as being on the Manning Award watch list and on a different occasion someone mentioned he was ... wait for it ... top five on the 2013 draft list (holy shizzle, I didn't even know there was such a thing, lol!)

You do point out that it's no big deal.  We will find out if he is for real soon enough.

[BanditVol]

But to really beat the horse...I notice you mention he is on the award list and then mention it's not that exclusive.  I think that's very appropriate.  What I hate to see are unrealistic expectations that he may not be able to meet, leading to a very nasty backlash against him.   It has certainly happened before.  I am not saying you are in that category at all.

So there are 30 others on the list?  Good.  It should be that way.  He ain't done shizzle so far.   

[BanditVol]

Do you get it yet?

 

[BigOrange Maniac]

Do you get it yet?

 

I think so... the next time Bray is named to an award watch list, we should ignore it because we don't want it to lead to unrealistic expectations. Right?

My point is simply this: the expectations are what they are. No one on this board is ramping up their expectations of Bray because he's on a few preseason watch lists. On VolQuest and VolNation, maybe. But the average poster here is more intelligent than that. We KNOW that he faced weak defenses against Memphis, Ole Miss, UK and Vandy. We KNOW he looked a little suspect at times against UNC. We KNOW he's been inconsistent in spring and fall camps. That doesn't mean the watch list recognitions aren't worth mentioning. As I said the last time this subject came up, Simms and Crompton certainly weren't on watch lists. So the fact that we have a QB who, for the first time in 4-5 years, is on the watch list...that's noteworthy. It changes nothing, but it's noteworthy.

[BanditVol]

Okay, that's not a bad point of view.  The average poster on here might be more intelligent than those on Volquest or Volnation (which seems a low standard, from what I have heard, lol) but I have seen posters on here be quite negative on Simms and Crompton.  I hope Bray lives up to expectations, but I am tempering mine until he faces a real D.

Part of the reason I posted all those stats is that it shows everyone exactly what he did last season in one convenient location, with the team D performance.  It shows I am not just blowing smoke, but it also quantifies things, which is always better than just talking about it.  It's the only place on the interwebz you can find such info (lol!).

But seriously, UNC was not that good either.  That was one of the reasons I looked all the information up.  I kept hearing their pass D was good, but the stats don't say it was that great.  Also, UK didn't just flat out suck, they were average, really close to UNC.   The stats show that he did struggle against average Ds more than the sucky ones.

Coupled with Dooley's remarks from yesterday, that we are going to air it out and take our chances with interceptions by going long a lot, it seems we might be in for a few of those early in the season.  But at least if the throws are down the field, it's as good as a punt in some situations.  I can live with that.

[PirateVOL]

Okay, that's not a bad point of view.  The average poster on here might be more intelligent than those on Volquest or Volnation (which seems a low standard, from what I have heard, lol) but I have seen posters on here be quite negative on Simms and Crompton.  I hope Bray lives up to expectations, but I am tempering mine until he faces a real D.

I was one of those bashing Crompton.  One good thing came out of the loss to Auburn (and Crompton't horrific 1st 3 quarters) is that the staff saw something they could work with Crompton to make him a serviceable QB - you saw the results against the pups the next week.  Yes they got him moving around which helped but look at how many back side throws he attempted in the first five games vs from 10 October on (I would submit he completed more back side throws to the opposition than to Orange jerseys in those five games).  Oh, and the end of the bamer game hurts to this day.