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USC Morning Buzz: The Receivers Always Know

I’ve written before about the wide receivers preferring Jack Sears as the starting QB.

But recently a highly regarded tailback recruit ran into some of the current receivers and said they were unanimous in saying they wanted Sears because he was a better passer/leader.

It seems to happen regularly. Remember I wrote during the season some captains went to Clay Helton and asked for Sears to start. Helton declined to listen to them.

21 thoughts on “USC Morning Buzz: The Receivers Always Know”

  1. Wolfie the dolphin fish herder strikes again! The board quieting down and traffic diminishing…conjure up the JT/Jack combo and let it roll! [and if I see this as someone who personally agrees that Jack is the better option…]

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    1. I trust Harrell to pick the better guy, James. He knows what he’s doing. Whoever gets the nod will be Harrell’s guy, not Helton’s.
      #HeltonIsNotAGreatCoachButHe’sNotSuicidal….
      #…TheReasonHeltonBroughtHarrellToUSC….Is….
      #…..ToSaveOffenseFromHeltonHimself….
      #…[AndDon’tBeTooSurprisedIfJ.T.TurnsOutToBeTheGuy]….

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      1. MG

        I agree entirely with your logic (as a more than general matter the self-preservation/betterment motive begats predictable behavior)…and the fact is we haven’t really seen enough of Jack to draw major conclusions…but…

        The outstanding issue in all of this is, assuming Sears is more athletic/mobile/creative is that this style of offense is predicated on those attributes (all things being equal, it will win because defenses generally can’t account for the “extra attacker”)…

        I still hate the fact that, like scheduling down, USC is “dumbing down” the offense…but if so, then do it all the way…

        So comes down to “I hope you’re right…” about JT being the more capable player…and the odds are, especially given that the wolves are howling at a door that surely can’t hold up forever…that the coaches will pick the one who gives them the best chance…

        Hope…you’re right! And if you are, the next round at Mama’s will be on me!

        JM

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      3. What bothers me is Helton has a history of putting a guy in and then never taking him out no matter what. (Toa) Like it is going to reflect on him that he made a bad choice, but hell, he does that routinely. Me, I am still a Fink fan, he is the King of the LA river.
        #NeverTakingMyStarterOut

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  2. It doesn’t matter who the WR’s want, it’s the head coach who has the say but in this case, they know better than Gomer.

    Just remember, Gomer picked Browne over Darnold, which one got picked in the 1st round ?

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  3. The whole Daniels thing is so puzzling. It’s obvious the kid doesn’t have the size, strength, skill and leadership traits to be the starter. Some kids peak in high school. It happens.

    Helton has blown this situation. He can’t make the tough call. Look at Meyer and Saban. They just make the call and move on with best player for the role.

    I just keep thinking about the dropped TD by Tyler Vaughns in the ASU game. He catches that and SC likely wins that game. Would have been hard to bench Sears then. I still hope he gets his shot.

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  4. SCooter,

    Whatever you do, do not let Helton choose the starting qb. He is 0-2 in this decision making process. For an offensive coordinator, he can’t choose the right guy to run his offense.

    Also, did you find out why Helton’s hands were tied in regards to starting Daniels? Either politic’s are involved or he is of weak mind to make change. Scooter, go find out and let us know.

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  6. Debatable which position group is the strongest at USC right now. QB or WR. Neither will be the cause if USC underperforms this season.

    Or one can play Qb girly gossip,

    Which QB has the hottest girlfriend?
    Which QB has the hottest Mom?
    Which QB has the hottest sister?
    Which QB has the hottest Econometrics tutor?

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  7. So of course JT will be the starter. And it’s painfully obvious he just isn’t going to get the job done. As an earlier poster pointed out, the best coaches don’t hesitate to put the best player in there. What in the hell does Clay see in JT? We all saw what happened on the field last year. It was cringe worthy seeing him throw off his back-foot last year, looking like a little kid in an over sized helmet and knowing the pass would be woefully under-thrown or off target.

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    1. The Notre Dame game last year may be the best indicator of QB performance. In that game SC had like 300+ yards passing and a high pass completion ratio, but a measly one TD, together with several turnovers. So look for continued high yardage production with a high pass completion ratio but very puny TD production. That is UNLESS SC puts a dual QB threat out on the field. What is so hard about the decision? Darnold already showed what a dual threat QB can do for an underperforming OL. A big problem is SC started the freshman last year and stuck with him even if they were losing and the frosh QB could not single handedly win against any games against tough competition. What is SC going to do when they face Washington on the road? Stanford with a likely good pass rush? The point is to WIN not keep developing a player for some hypothetical Heisman award. To state this differently, if SC does not win, say, 9 to 10 games, they will once again lose new recruits to better coached programs. Can SC afford to have another losing season because the head coach wants to “develop” a player into a starter and putative all American instead of winning games?

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  8. I Was AT THAT ARIZONA/USC game where SEARS’s QB NATURAL ABILITIES and ACCURACY were on display… The offense showed EXCELLENT Promise & EFFECTIVENESS! even Stevie Wonder could see it! So what gives??? -The Lord’s Percy! 7/17/19.

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  9. So in analyzing the premise that the running backs prefer Jack Sears I came to an interesting conclusion. It is simple; the natural handoff angle of a taller person is higher up, making the vision for attacking the line higher. Daniels might throw a deeper ball, but Sears has the advantage of being able to see where the ball must be thrown on the short routes. The closer to the line the receivers are the harder it is for Daniels to see them. Unlike other “short” quarterbacks in recent past, Daniels likes to press his luck and makes the throw based on where the receiver is supposed to be.
    In the preHelton era, USC had the luxury of being able to audition quarterbacks in a real game. This won’t happen again until we play UC Davis. The choice the coaches make needs to be right and they need a strong backup plan.
    A flash in the pan refers to the flintlock rifle. Powder was poured into a shallow pan and the flint striking steel would throw sparks into powder. The ignition of the powder in the pan would make a flash that was supposed to ignite the powder in the barrel to fire the rifle. If the touchhole (the hole between the pan and barrel) was plugged the flash was all you got. (Including no dinner usually)
    Daniels is the closest thing to that flash in the pan analogy I have seen in a long time.

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  10. Hoping that Harrell makes the final call on the QB, particularly since he is picking the offense. It would seem odd that he would take the job if he wasn’t allowed this level of responsibility.

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  11. “some captains went to Clay Helton and asked for Sears to start. Helton declined to listen to them.”

    That’s because Clay Helton is an idiot.

    Errand Boy fell in love with J.T. “Porn-stache” Daniels and the only chemistry that matters is one between Helton, J.T. and J.T.’s daddy.

    Helton promised J.T.’s daddy that his son would be the starting QB no matter what and Helton is going to see that through.

    It’s not like Helton is worried about losing his job because if he hasn’t been fired by now for being incompetent…he’s not going to be.

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