QB Report From 8-5-06 Practice

[FaninAma]

Halzle was very quick in his reads and ususally made the correct decision. PT seemed hesitant. Halzle threw the better deep passes hitting Chaney in stride on a deep sideline pass. PT underthrew a couple of receivers who had a step on the defender.Joey called an audible to a draw to #24 that went 50+ yards. Neither QB threw an int. that I saw.

I do think Kevin Wilson's syytem will help Thompsom immensley but the coaches have to give him the freedom to keep the ball instead of predesignating handoffs to Peterson.

Guitierrez was running 3rd team but didn't look like he had any residual effects from the injury. Of course this was a shoulder pads and shorts only practice.

AD caight a few passes out of the backfield. Madu looked pretty good catching passes out of the back field.

The OL looked pretty good on pass protection and allowed the QBs to make their reads. Thompson did a lot more scrambling. In fact I don't remember Halzle scrambling any.

The punters really need to improve and looked inconsistent at best.

IMO, I think Stoops is closing practice in order to avoid a QB controversy like we had last year. I think he perceives that PT has a lot of fan support right now and he doesn't want day to day comparisons by fans and the media to hurt any of the much needed confidence Thompson needs to build up before the first game. Right now PT looks rusty. Hopefully he'll knock some of that rust off and take charge of the offense.

[Octavian]

how bout the D?

[FaninAma]

The defense is definitely the strong part of the team. Even on the short passes the receivrs were pretty well covered and none of the running plays went anywhere except for the draw called on the audible. The DL look very,very athletic. Walker got lot of time at one of the CB slots.

Also, alot of the practice was spent on punt and kickoff return coverage. Hartley looks good with the kicking duties but the punters looked very shakey, even with no pressure.

The one thing I took from the practice was that Halzle gives us a solid #2 guy and the OL looks very serviceable.

[The Consumate Showman]

To play devil's advocate: If PT starts to struggle, let's say mid-way through the season and we are on the verge of losing a close game to someone like...ISU, would the staff put in Halzle to bring that change of pace? Apparently, form all of the early reports I've heard, Halzle can really throw the deep ball but has problems rolling out and running it.

I think ENA will be fine. 2000 all over again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[The Consumate Showman]

OUr D should be outstanding this year. We have 3 legit CB's and 4 legit safeties. People won't be trying to get pass happy on us this year...Did any of you hear DJ and Reggie betting on how many INT's and TD returns they would have this year???????

[jk the sooner fan]

IMO, I think Stoops is closing practice in order to avoid a QB controversy like we had last year. I think he perceives that PT has a lot of fan support right now and he doesn't want day to day comparisons by fans and the media to hurt any of the much neede confidence Thompson needs to build up before the first game.

good point, Stoops was also quoted in the DO this morning as saying they were installing some new stuff for Thompson and didnt think everybody needed to see it

[FaninAma]

To play devil's advocate: If PT starts to struggle, let's say mid-way through the season and we are on the verge of losing a close game to someone like...ISU, would the staff put in Halzle to bring that change of pace? Apparently, form all of the early reports I've heard, Halzle can really throw the deep ball but has problems rolling out and running it.

I think ENA will be fine. 2000 all over again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think PT will be OK in Wilson's offense. Halzle seemed to be able to get a read on the defensive alignment before the ball was snapped and was getting his passes off much quicker than PT. This allowed the receiver to get some YAC. Again, yesterday PT just seemed to be hesitant and this allowed the LB's to cover the short receivers.

I think Stoops has made up his mind and I hope we stay injury free, especially at the RB position because the worst thing that coud happen is for Thompson to not gain any confidence leading to the ovruse of AD and a possible early season injury.

I think Wilson will burn the midnite oil to develop a gameplan that best utilizes Thompson's abilities but , IMO, it will involve Thompson running the ball a lot and learing to hit the recievers in stride so they can get some decent YAC. And Thompson has to improve his deep ball enough to make defenses respect the deep threat.

[kelloggOUballa]

PT plays against the ones, Halzle against the twos. Just FYI.

[FaninAma]

PT plays against the ones, Halzle against the twos. Just FYI.

I didn't notice any wholesale substitution of the teams yesterday in the 11 on 11 drills at the end of practice, just the QB's.

Listen, I am not against PT being the stating QB in fact I support it. I am just of the opinion that Paul does not have the intangibles that a QB needs to be a good QB. And by intangibles I don't mean he's not a good team leader or he's not a hard worker because he is. Yesterday he looked stiff and very mechanical..... sort of reminded me of a WR playing QB. Wilson is going to have to work overtime developing a gameplan that prevents defenses from ganging up on AD and loading the box with 8 and 9 defenders. The best PT can do, especially early on, isnot to lose games with turnovers and allow the defense to win the tough games.

[Octavian]

Wilson is going to have to work overtime developing a gameplan that prevents defenses from ganging up on AD and loading the box with 8 and 9 defenders. The best PT can do, especially early on, isnot to lose games with turnovers and allow the defense to win the tough games.

agreed on the Wilson comment.

It will help Paul a whole lot if his OLine is adequate this time around and his receiving corps plays to their potential.

[umberto]

I didn't notice any wholesale substitution of the teams yesterday in the 11 on 11 drills at the end of practice, just the QB's.

Listen, I am not against PT being the stating QB in fact I support it. I am just of the opinion that Paul does not have the intangibles that a QB needs to be a good QB. And by intangibles I don't mean he's not a good team leader or he's not a hard worker because he is. Yesterday he looked stiff and very mechanical..... sort of reminded me of a WR playing QB. Wilson is going to have to work overtime developing a gameplan that prevents defenses from ganging up on AD and loading the box with 8 and 9 defenders. The best PT can do, especially early on, isnot to lose games with turnovers and allow the defense to win the tough games.

I know the TCU game is not a good measuring stick, but that is what I noticed from him in that game. He looks very afraid to make a mistake, so he wasn't making decisions quickly. Maybe lots of time behind center will help him pick up that rhythm. If not, then I think he needs to be running quite a bit, making the defenses fear his legs so he has more time to throw.

[TheUnnamedSooner]

Good read. Thanks for the update!

[Rogue]

I'm sure we need to change some things with 2 players leaving the team, but what would you install for PT that Bomar wouldn't have run? Bomar was pretty quick when he tucked it and ran.

[umberto]

I'm sure we need to change some things with 2 players leaving the team, but what would you install for PT that Bomar wouldn't have run? Bomar was pretty quick when he tucked it and ran.

It was just the sliding thing he had a problem with. :D

[Big Red Ron]

PT plays against the ones, Halzle against the twos. Just FYI.For the most part, true.

Also, Halzle has been working at QB for two years non stop. It should take Paul some time to be totally ready (more than one week less than two). Good thing we have time.

[tbl]

Well, I'm officially pumped.

[Collier11]

PT plays against the ones, Halzle against the twos. Just FYI.


NOt really, I was at practice and he got snaps against the ones

[Blue]

I'm sure we need to change some things with 2 players leaving the team, but what would you install for PT that Bomar wouldn't have run? Bomar was pretty quick when he tucked it and ran.


I liked to know this too.

[Tear Down This Wall]

To the Thompson/TCU bashers - Thompson played QB that day not OL.

Look at AD's rushing stats that day. The problem for everyone involved was the OL. No run blocking, no pass blocking. Stoops then got an intchy trigger finger and named Bomar the number one guy for the rest of the season ala Gibbs/Gundy circa 1990.

[FaninAma]

To the Thompson/TCU bashers - Thompson played QB that day not OL.

Look at AD's rushing stats that day. The problem for everyone involved was the OL. No run blocking, no pass blocking. Stoops then got an intchy trigger finger and named Bomar the number one guy for the rest of the season ala Gibbs/Gundy circa 1990.

The thing that stuck in my memory about that game was the fact that PT looked horrible. He couldn't hit the short passes and was throwing the ball into the ground. And it was the first time I had seen him in extended, non-mop up action and he looked very uncomfortable at the position. He misread the sprint-draw play multiple times. And this should be viewed with the understanding that Paul had been in the system for 3 full years.

My observations from practice haven't changed my opinion. He doesn't look comfortable at the position. He isn't fluid and he looks very mechanical. I know he's an intelligent guy and knows the plays but the instincts just don't appear to be there.

Somebody said the reason he looked like he was hesitant in the practice was because he was making his 2nd , 3rd and 4th reads. Maybe. I think it's because he doesn't get a decent read of the defense before the ball is snapped and he hesitates as he tries to read the defense after the ball is snapped. Halzle just seemed to be more aware at the line of scrimmage and seemed to know where the pressure was comng from and where the quick open receiver would be.

I know if I'm an opposing defensive coordinator I will be sending all kinds of pressure PT's way until he shows me he can read where it's coming from.

Now, to PT's advantage are the facts that I think the OL will be significantly better than at the start of last year(how can they not be?) The receivers(excluding Travis Wilson) will be much improved. So PT should get a little more time than he did in the TCU game and OU's receivers should be running better, more complete routes than they did in the TCU game.

But what does this translate into? I think it translates into OU beating the teams we should beat, but without improvemnt from PT, losing or struggling with the more difficult teams on our schedule. (UO, UT and possibly at TAMU).

[sooneron]

I'm sure we need to change some things with 2 players leaving the team, but what would you install for PT that Bomar wouldn't have run? Bomar was pretty quick when he tucked it and ran.
The annexation of Puerto Rico!:texan:

[sooners00]

Have they practiced in pads yet?

[IronHorseSooner]

With ENA and the TCU game, was it the situation of him being that bad, or the OL being a sieve and causing him to rush decisions? What ENA needs is confidence and reps. He has the natural God-given talent to run this system and be a headache for defenses. BTW, our two most difficult opponents this year (UO, UT) also have QB questions. We have a senior and a junior competing for the starting job. UT has two (pardon the pun) greenhorns competing for the QB job. As a matter of fact, really only ISU has a locked-in, stable QB situation for the opponents on our schedule. Nobody, excepct UT, has a defense close to what we have, and nobody has anybody like AD. Naming ENA #1 and having Halzle a clear #2 is critical. Halzle was recruited as a #2 and he understands that, unlike Bomar last year. The first two games are very winnable and can give ENA confidence. Look for the defense, AD, and the return game with Reggie and DeMarco to be the difference. Remember what Coach Stoops said back in 2000 and 2001, opponents cannot win if they cannot score!

[WP76]

Nobody wants Paul to do better than I do. That said, I can't remove the images of PT overthrowing a wide open Travis Wilson on the first play of the TCU game nor him fumbling at the three yard line in the same game. Either of those plays would've changed the outcome of the game IMO.

Even with a horrible OL those were both plays a D-1 QB should convert. Hopefully, he'll have the confidence this year to avoid those types of mistakes. If not, we're screwed.

[sooneron]

^^^^This is getting f'ing ridiculous! ^^^^
With the exception of Larry Csonka, NO ONE would have held onto the ball after the tcu defender put his helmet on it. Maybe you should go watch the tape and see for yourself, it may be the first time you really watch that game.
No. 2 - The overthrow to Wilson was disappointing, yet not a high percentage pass for a first time starter on the first play of the game.

Funny, you don't mention the idiot's fumble which sealed the game for tcu. That was poor ball handling if I've ever seen it. Which, I have due to growing up around Owen Field in the days of Thomas Lott and Kelly Phelps.

[Octavian]

How many times have you seen a quarterback come out filled w/ adrenaline and overthrow the first pass of a game?

It's not like seeing Hale Bopp...it happens all the time...

PT doesn't have to be Dan Marino for OU to contend for titles...he needs to be smart, efficient, and not turn the ball over and put our D in tough spots.

[WP76]

If PT had two hands on the ball (what you're supposed to do in traffic, especially inside the 10) when he fumbled, I'd give him a pass but he didn't.

As far as the overthrow and adrenaline, fine. Thompson knew that was going to be the first play of the game so it wasn't like he was surprised about the call. Blame the coaches for calling it if you must but I still contend a D-1 QB should be able to complete a pass to a reciever who is 10 yards in the clear whether its on the first play of the game or inside two minutes with the game on the line.

Your quarterback has to be the one guy on the field who is in control and confident so others can feed off of it. In the TCU game, PT had a "deer in the headlights" look the entire time he was on the field. Although Bomar had his share of screw ups, he never looked scared. You'd think the RS freshman would have more butterflies than the RS junior. Unfortunately, that didn't appear to be the case.

Make no mistake, I truly admire and respect PT. However, for our team to even scratch the surface of its potential, we're going to have to see a much improved PT over what we saw last year.

[sooneron]

Actually, Thompson was giving extra effort to convert, there wasn't a lot of traffic, one guy had him low and another put his helmet on the ball.

[Scott D]

If PT had two hands on the ball (what you're supposed to do in traffic, especially inside the 10) when he fumbled, I'd give him a pass but he didn't.

As far as the overthrow and adrenaline, fine. Thompson knew that was going to be the first play of the game so it wasn't like he was surprised about the call. Blame the coaches for calling it if you must but I still contend a D-1 QB should be able to complete a pass to a reciever who is 10 yards in the clear whether its on the first play of the game or inside two minutes with the game on the line.

Your quarterback has to be the one guy on the field who is in control and confident so others can feed off of it. In the TCU game, PT had a "deer in the headlights" look the entire time he was on the field. Although Bomar had his share of screw ups, he never looked scared. You'd think the RS freshman would have more butterflies than the RS junior. Unfortunately, that didn't appear to be the case.

Make no mistake, I truly admire and respect PT. However, for our team to even scratch the surface of its potential, we're going to have to see a much improved PT over what we saw last year.

what part of 'helmet into the ball' are you lacking comprehension with? I don't care if it was Walter Payton carrying that ball, the way that helmet made contact with that ball at that time he'd have fumbled it.

One can also attribute PT's performance based upon the fact that the way the 'competition' went leading up to the season, he was well aware of the fact that any small 'mistake' he may have made would have led to him being pulled from the game. I don't think it was butterflies, I think it was because he was trying too hard not to make mistakes.

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

If PT had two hands on the ball (what you're supposed to do in traffic, especially inside the 10) when he fumbled, I'd give him a pass but he didn't.

As far as the overthrow and adrenaline, fine. Thompson knew that was going to be the first play of the game so it wasn't like he was surprised about the call. Blame the coaches for calling it if you must but I still contend a D-1 QB should be able to complete a pass to a reciever who is 10 yards in the clear whether its on the first play of the game or inside two minutes with the game on the line.

Your quarterback has to be the one guy on the field who is in control and confident so others can feed off of it. In the TCU game, PT had a "deer in the headlights" look the entire time he was on the field. Although Bomar had his share of screw ups, he never looked scared. You'd think the RS freshman would have more butterflies than the RS junior. Unfortunately, that didn't appear to be the case.

Make no mistake, I truly admire and respect PT. However, for our team to even scratch the surface of its potential, we're going to have to see a much improved PT over what we saw last year.

you know, its funny. i remember alex smith sailing one against aTm a couple of years ago the first play of the game. as a matter of a fact, he missed 4 passes where his WR was 10 yards in the clear in the first half alone. you make it sound like this is playstation where you just push a button and it automatically gets there.

[sooneron]

you know, its funny. i remember alex smith sailing one against aTm a couple of years ago the first play of the game. as a matter of a fact, he missed 4 passes where his WR was 10 yards in the clear in the first half alone. you make it sound like this is playstation where you just push a button and it automatically gets there.
You mean it's not like playstation??

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

what part of 'helmet into the ball' are you lacking comprehension with? I don't care if it was Walter Payton carrying that ball, the way that helmet made contact with that ball at that time he'd have fumbled it.

One can also attribute PT's performance based upon the fact that the way the 'competition' went leading up to the season, he was well aware of the fact that any small 'mistake' he may have made would have led to him being pulled from the game. I don't think it was butterflies, I think it was because he was trying too hard not to make mistakes.

adding another item to this, you can also blame the blue jerseys. i agree they are needed on proven commodities, but i don't remember peterson as a true freshman getting a blue jersey when he practiced as a freshman. seriously, had he taken some licks in practice, he wouldn't have frozen in the game.

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

You mean it's not like playstation??

that particular game was. smith airmailed that first play and then they ran the exact same play again and it went for a TD.

[sooneron]

adding another item to this, you can also blame the blue jerseys. i agree they are needed on proven commodities, but i don't remember peterson as a true freshman getting a blue jersey when he practiced as a freshman. seriously, had he taken some licks in practice, he wouldn't have frozen in the game.
THIS I agree with. I'm not for the D lighting up the qb every chance they get, but some guys need a little contact to get a fire lit and the feel for the game.

[Vegas Vic]

With ENA and the TCU game, was it the situation of him being that bad, or the OL being a sieve and causing him to rush decisions?

Paul played poorly, but it also had a lot to do with two starting offensive linemen quitting the week of the game and a totally green receiving corps. The whole offense was in shambles that game. Bomar only completed two passes for 19 yards. If he had come into the game and lit it up, then I think you could make a fair assessment that Paul was to blame for most of the failure, but that's just not the case.

[WP76]

OK, he airmailed a ball and he fumbled--neither of which were his fault. Maybe it was the OL's fault for horrible blocking or the coaches' fault for not going back to Travis Wilson deep.

I just want somebody to tell me he ever looked comfortable when he was in the game. Did he have any confident throws--I don't remember any? If the rationale was "he was looking over his shoulder," I'd ask how is a team supposed to have confidence in a leader who doesn't have confidence in himself?

My observation was that Rhett came into the game with some swagger and scrambled for a first down on his initial snap. The only times we moved the ball with any consistency were when Rhett was in the game and I thought the team played better with him at QB. Of course, Rhett had more than his share of screw-ups, too. It's also irrelevant now since RB is history.

I re-watched the game and it just struck me that the last thing your leader needs to be is skittish. Of course, if my OL is a sieve, I'd be skittish too. Let's just hope he develops some confidence because, with that, we can be pretty good.

Guys, we're on the same side here. I just happen to have different viewpoint. Maybe I just need to be more optimistic regarding PT:D .

[Collier11]

Why are you even bringing up Rhett???? Ya the guy was talented and had a bright future but the key word is HAD, the truth of the matter is that Rhett screwed the pooch, he is gone, so there is no reason to be bringing him up or comparing him to Paul anymore. Paul is the man now and we need to give him some frickin credit and support him and get him through a season where he is going to be second guessed by every single member of the media and alot of fans cus he isnt Rhett. Rhett is gone, Pauls the man...Lets let Paul win us some games now and just drop mr. Bomar cus he did the same to us

[RADsooner]

besides ,I think PT was a whole lotta nervous last year- prob thought I screw this pooch and I'm a goner.This year he's not having to look over his shoulder wondering if after I make a mistake am I back at receiver?

[Octavian]

Lets let Paul win us some games now and just drop mr. Bomar cus he did the same to us

That's just it, though....Paul doesn't have to "win us some games." KW needs to utilize his running ability and put him in the position to throw high percentage passes and move the chains when necessary.

We've got the best running back in America, an OLine that (provided no more injuries) is lightyears better than the one at this time last year, and a receiving corps loaded w/ size and speed.

Paul doesn't have to throw for 4,000 yards and 50 touchdowns. He just can't turn the ball over and/or put our D in short field situations.

See: Tee Martin, Matt Mauk, Craig Krenzel.

But I do agree w/ your comments on the village idiot.

[Collier11]

I didnt mean Paul had to win the games for us by himself, I meant let paul go out and be the qb, lead us to a bunch of wins as our starting qb and lets trust in him