For Harrell, Consistency is Key

Wasn't my read. I think he is saying that he has what it takes to be a great QB. The question is what he will do with that talent - Harrell thinks he is going to continue to grow and develop and start at SC some time down the road.

 

Who were you reading? That’s all I heard.

 

Clearly he thinks the kid is special. But he didn't just say he has what it takes to be great. Here is the quote from Erik's piece:

“Kedon’s a special talent,” Harrell said. “Talent-wise, he’s as good as I’ve ever seen. That obviously helps his cause, and then I think with Kedon, what he probably did the best was he came in and expected to play well, came out here and didn’t hesitate.”

That is a remarkable statement, and I'm trying to figure out what it means. Is he saying Slovis more talented than Aaron Rodgers and other NFL quarterbacks he played with and against? That would be an amazing statement. Even saying he's as talented as any college QB Harrell has seen is a big deal. He doesn't seem to be saying that Slovis has talent. He seems to be saying he has remarkable and unusual talent. It sounds like JT shouldn't get too comfortable in the big chair.

 

"Littrell and Harrell watched Fine's highlights and immediately noticed how accurate he was. He wasn't big, but he stepped into throws and put plenty of zip behind it."

Height is not a requirement.

Having an edge or a chip is a plus.

 

One thing that we should all try to avoid this year...Coach Talk. It's impossible to decipher.

Coaches say one thing to build up a player's confidence, but they usually go overboard.

We take the comment literally and hold it against them, questioning the message being delivered.

Bryce will be a special talent next year, guaranteed. Maybe as good as anyone has ever seen. Still doesn't mean diddly shite.

 

How many guys start as a Freshman or Sophomore. Those that do...isn't that an indication that there wasn't much returning talent? One or 2 years as an experienced starter is enough. See: Sanchez, Mark.

 

Of course "escapability" isn't the biggest thing. Why would you think it would be? Sometimes a coach values passing ability as well in a QB.

 

Well...we’ll see.

If reality is negative, then who wants to be positive. Btw, Starbucks has a new safe space waiting for you. Enjoy your butterscotch latte with sprinkles.

 

You’re being argumentative Counselor, move on.

 

Harrell might have gotten carried away with the Helton Hyperbole Train.

 

A coach who uses hyperbole? That never happens, does it?

 

WHAT??? Naw...

 

Hey sport. Bryce committed July 25, 2018 Harrell was not here then. Please try and keep up. Maybe Eric can explain to you when Bryce committed. What did Harrell recruit him to North Texas.

Bryce YoungMater Dei (Santa Ana, CA)
5-11 / 183
0.9822
36 2 4
Commit 7/25/2018

DUAL

 

Has he signed? Has Alabama stopped recruiting him?

Maybe look into the history of verbal commitments and what that means...nothing.

I guess Tee Martin is still recruiting him to USC, right?

 

What a strange post. I wasn't arguing with Harrell at all. It's an interesting statement, and if Harrell really means it, then I feel very good about having Slovis in the fold.

Still, thank you for your unflagging attention to what I write. So few people have their own stalker; I'm flattered more than I could ever express.

 

You should remember that much of the practices were not available to the knowing eyes on this site and other respected USC sites. Nor were the skull sessions and other aspects of the football program available. In the end none of the other three QBs showed enough to displace the incumben. starter from last season, and two of them lost out twice under different OCs. I truly believe GH was allowed to make the decision without any forced decision from CH.

 

Helton says productivity and consistency were the determining factors and referenced the past 30 practices. If that is the case than the best measuring stick is game like situations and scrimmage results. Basically there have been 3 scrimmages in that time frame. Fink was the most consistent over the past 2 scrimmages and if you go back 3 scrimmages the nod goes to Sears. Everybody agrees that Slovis would be 4th if judging based on game like situations - scrimmages.

These coaches change the criteria and spew rhetoric about how depth charts are decided and it's a joke. How about some statistics that back up the decisions? They aren't there. This depth chart was decided last spring and the coaches hoped the fall camp would back them up. What they didn't count on waa Fink & Sears playing so well and JT and Slovis having as mediocre a fall as they did. Check the practice notes this fall and you will see that JT and Slovis got the most reps with the first string. It was predetermined which is fine, just stop with the deception.

 

I don't know what this means, exactly. I don't doubt that Harrell and Helton were on the same page on this decision. So I agree it's highly unlikely that anything was forced on Harrell. But Harrell didn't make the decision, if what you mean is that Helton left it up to him. There's no way Harrell made this decision unilaterally. Helton was involved. It's his team and his career on the line. He's the head coach and a QB coach to boot; it would be malpractice not to be involved in the decision as to who his QB will be. Apparently, they both agree that Daniels and Slovis are the two best QB's. I have no problem with that.

 

Most fans don't even know what "consistency" means in the coaches' eyes. It's not just completion percentage, ypp, and TDs/INTs. It's consistently going through the correct read progression, doing it quickly, passing on time, etc, etc. Maybe you're right and GH is wrong. Time will tell if JT was a good decision.

 

I think people are reading too much into the "Talent-wise, he’s as good as I’ve ever seen." First off, he was speaking off the cuff to a gaggle of reporters about the QB competition. I took it to mean he felt he meant in the context of the competition and QB's he's coached, Slovis is special.

Secondly, there was a recent Harrell interview (I can't find the link) where he's sitting in his office discussing his thoughts and the QB's. In it he states that USC's talent matches up with anyone we play, but more importantly it's not talent that wins games, it's execution and consistency. So saying Slovis is super-talented might not be an overstatement. Will he put that talent and potential to its max capabilities is the challenge for him and the coaches.

Lastly, based on all reports Slovis has something speical. A recent LA Times piece described him as being even-keeled, never getting too high nor too low. Remind you of anyone?

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