Hootyhoot said

I think my comments are more than fair. His mechanics are horrible! The loss of Harmon was a loss but the two TE's that replaced him are doing just as well as he did and Paris being out has nothing to do with his throwing off his back foot or his not stepping up in the pocket or his making bad decisions. Face it, he's regressed. He's not the QB of 07. The question is why? Is he hurt? Is it mental? Was last year a fluke?  Did he start believing the press clippings touting his being a 1st round draft choice? Once the question(s) surrounding his 08 performance are answered and people stop pampering this situation, maybe he will right his ship. He's not beyond reproach. I'm an FAU fan, not just a Rusty fan.

Respectfully, he's throwing off of his back foot because of PRESURE - if you taped the game, as i did, go back and check it out for confirmation…also, one should check the stats to see just how equitable the performance of our TE's are in comparison to that of Harmon last year…i wont spoil the numbers ahead of time for you…

by no means am i saying he has not regressed, but there are factors that lead to this happening…that is what i am pointing towards…if you take away a race car drivers crew chief and thier shop foreman and think they will perform to the same level, then so be it…but it's probably best to agree to disagree on this one

Yeah but because this is football and not nash car, I will agree to disagree. Back to Rusty, QB's step into throws even when there is pressure. That comes from being fundementally sound.

Frankly, the last 2 televised games I saw of FAU scares me, to a point. Especially last Tuesday's game because of the the turnovers and interceptions. Besides Rusty's QB slump and the teams mechanics, it just seems like not only is he facing alot of pressure and throwing the ball away to avoid getting sacked, but, I don't see any protection to keep him in the pocket. Where are the guys who are protecting the quarterback? That's just one major problem I've seen.

There are other outside factors that I think is effecting alot of our returning players: academics. Rusty is in his junior year and most of the other returning players are seniors. I often wonder, as a senior myself, if their coursework is distracting them from their game. It's very possible, since there's a number of  FAU football players I've had in my classes during this term and the last 2 terms.

That's what went through my mind at the end of Tuesday's game and then I wasn't mad that they lost the game anymore.

On to the next game…

Destroy Troy…GO OWLS!!!

And, get to the game 'cause it's being televised on ESPN. I'll be there :D

Academics? All college athletes have to deal with that, what makes Rusty's situation different?

illinoisowl16 said

Frankly, the last 2 televised games I saw of FAU scares me, to a point. Especially last Tuesday's game because of the the turnovers and interceptions. Besides Rusty's QB slump and the teams mechanics, it just seems like not only is he facing alot of pressure and throwing the ball away to avoid getting sacked, but, I don't see any protection to keep him in the pocket. Where are the guys who are protecting the quarterback? That's just one major problem I've seen.

People have pointed out that Rusty has never been good at escaping pocket pressure and with Paris gone, the comfort level has gone down. I think that Rusty is getting hurried, getting desperate, getting frustrated, and as such he's trying to make passes he probably shouldn't be making.

With Jason Harmon, you knew if Rusty put it down there, Harmon would come up with it. Gent has been good as well and faltered lately. Guys like Grant and Jean are going to be good for us – in practice they always dominate – but it's a matter of bringing that confidence from the practice fields to the game fields and, well… they're getting there.