Quarterback Battle??

cycloneman003 · 01-15-2008, 03:56 PM

whats your take on the battle for the QB job in spring ball...
Is Austen Arnaud a lock for the spot or will Philip bates, Jerome Tiller, or Josh Jordan shock us all and steal the position?

clonefan_80 · 01-15-2008, 04:01 PM

Every year we expect too much from our incoming freshman and then get disappointed. And Bates can be better used elsewhere, so I say it's Arnaud.

cycloneman003 · 01-15-2008, 04:03 PM

i think bates should be a WR, he showed promise versus iowa. and yes i dont think josh jordan poses much or a threat for the job, but jerome tiller intrigues my... my bet is arnaud will start the next 3 season and potentially be great

cyclonez7 · 01-15-2008, 04:03 PM

I've never seen Bates throw so I don't know how good of a passer he is. Arnaud will probably get the spot, but I would love to see us run a 2 QB offense like Florida's with Tebow and Leak.

cycloneman003 · 01-15-2008, 04:07 PM

it would be nice, i think bates could be much more of a runner than a passer, so if we kept austen in the pocket it would make our offense much tougher to stop and we be fun to see

ISUFan22 · 01-15-2008, 04:10 PM

We only saw some of Arnaud on the field fall and for that minimal time we saw him - I liked most of what we did see.

I've seen the guys a few times in practice - fundamentally - he's going to be very tough to beat. He is sound in that regard. Will just boil down to decision making and how he handles the pressure. If he can do well in those areas - I think it's damn tough to beat him out.

Bates is all but an unknown at the position. Same for Tiller and Jordan. Sure, we saw highlights of them in high school, but that's it.

It's a no-brainer that Arnaud is the favorite based on his experience over the others - however - it's not like he's a veteran. He could easily be "unseated" by one of the other 3.

The best part about this situation is the competition - it will be fierce and that almost always breeds success. I'd venture to guess by the end of next fall, we'll have lost one of the 3 that doesn't get the job to a transfer unless we can miraculously convince all 3 to switch positions and/or are in a 2 QB system.

cybsball20 · 01-15-2008, 04:11 PM

are Tiller or Jordan on campus yet?

cycloneman003 · 01-15-2008, 04:12 PM

arnaud to me looks like the best natural passer... plus bates and tiller could be used at other NEED positions such as saftey and wideout

cycloneman003 · 01-15-2008, 04:15 PM

Originally Posted by cybsball20

are Tiller or Jordan on campus yet?

im not certain... anyone know for sure?

gocubs2118 · 01-15-2008, 04:15 PM

Its Arnaud's to lose. If Tiller or Bates come in and out play him then thats who Gene has to play. Its as simple as that. But we are in a tough situation since Bates has said he would only play QB for us, we will see what he does.

AlanAldaClone · 01-15-2008, 04:16 PM

I'll tell you what, that 90-yard drive for a score Arnaud led us on against, I think, Kansas State sure made me feel a lot better about our prospects in 2008.

I think the QB battle in spring should be something to watch. It will also be interesting to see if Tiller redshirts because I think he has the same kind of talent as Bates and could be used in the same situtations.

I am just really impressed by Arnaud's arm strength. I always thought Meyer had an underrated arm, but after seeing Arnaud throw, I came to the conclusion that Meyer has a pretty mediocre arm.

cycloneman003 · 01-15-2008, 04:19 PM

meyer was just an all around bust
not for a career, but after what we saw as a sophmore he just got worse and never stepped his game to a star level

its a shame he was picked preseason offensive mvp as a junior

snowcraig2.0 · 01-15-2008, 04:28 PM

Arnaud wins the job. I see Arnaud / Bates being used like Reesing / Meier from KU. Arnaud is the starter, and Bates the back-up. Bates will be on the field alllot (much more than he was this year) as a receiver, like Meier for KU, and will still be the second string QB.

CyCy · 01-15-2008, 04:31 PM

I have seen nothing about Tiller and Jordan being here for spring ball. In order to do so they would have needed to graduate from high school at the semester and enroll at ISU Monday.

I see Chizik telling both Bates and Arnaud that the job is up for grabs during spring ball. The competition between the 2 for the starting job could easily stretch into part of the fall drills. Giving somebody a starting job without a lot of competition doesn't seem to be the Chizik way.

Tiller and Jordan could be part of the mix during the fall, but realistically it's pretty rare for a true freshman to start at QB.

CyclonesRule · 01-15-2008, 04:33 PM

I think Jordan will be moved to another position, possibly safety. I don't see Tiller comming in here as a freshman and outplaying Bates or Arnaud. I believe it will be a two man race between Bates and Arnaud. Right now I give the advantage to Austin just because he had gotten the playing time and has 1 more year under Chizik and McFarlands system.