re: How Bad?

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Keep defending Smart and see where it gets you.

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This is a message board. I don't care where it gets me.

Even so, I'm not defending CKS as much as I'm arguing against poor reasoning. People are saying a lot of stupid things out of frustration.

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“Fromm beat out Fields” - ok -

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In Fields first year, yeah. Fields could have won the job in year 2 but didn't want to risk it. He left for selfish reasons and I can't really blame him for looking out for his future, but that's on him, not CKS.

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Allegedly Mathis beat out Bennett to start vs Arkansas. And he looked like a fish out of water.

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CKS knew what he had with Bennett. An enthusiastic veteran who has been around the block but was lacking in physical tools. Mathis was less experienced but had a better tool set. Both were unproven under the spotlights and Mathis had won the job in fall practice by default. Bennett wasn't really considered because there were 3 or 4 guys ahead of him at any given time. He came in as a desperation move and it worked so he held the spot. He likely did well enough to keep it in practice and he played pretty well in his first few starts to keep the job. It's simple.

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So, is there a possibility Kirby sucks at evaluating QBs?

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That's very possible, but it's not just CKS. It's our offensive coaching staff, too. QBs have to properly manage the offense and they have to move the ball. Bennett was able to do that where the other guys couldn't for various reasons. That wasn't sufficiently known until the first game of the season.

But it's not just about talent. It's about game-readiness. Fields is an exceptional talent. Even more so than Fromm. But he didn't start in '18 because he wasn't ready. Fromm didn't get the start based on talent alone, either. He had an entire season of SEC football under his belt with an SEC championship, a Rose Bowl win, and was a defensive play away from a national championship. He was a proven competitor, leader, and field general. He had shown that he knew the playbook. He knew the players. He could move guys around the field and get everyone into position to be successful each play. He was a good decision-maker. He could make just about any throw a coach would want him to make. He just didn't have a canon for an arm and he wasn't a "mobile" QB. But give him a clean pocket and he could move the ball for us, and he did.

At the time, Fields hadn't proven anything except that he had natural talent and he hadn't proven that talent against SEC competition. He had a ton of upside but was an unknown commodity at the collegiate level. There was no reason to start him over Fromm. The fact that it was even a competition and the winner was unknown until just before the first game (supposedly) was a PR move, IMO. Even so, Fields got a lot of quality snaps as the backup that most backups simply don't get. Clearly it was a move to try to keep him (and his family?) happy.

That situation wasn't about CKS being a poor judge of personnel. It was bout Fields not being ready to unseat Fromm. It wasn't a commentary on Fields' natural abilities or even his future as a star. It was purely about playing the percentages to win games and get back to the playoffs and Fromm gave us the best chance to do that in CKS' mind because he had already done it once. Fields got impatient and left. I get it, but he wasn't forced out by CKS or anyone else. He left voluntarily. That's not on the coaching staff. It was bad timing.