Evaluating the Mechanics of Big Ten Quarterbacks - Dustin Sherer

by grahamfiller10 on Jun 11, 2009 5:08 PM CDT in Wisconsin Comment 7 comments

Biggest disappointment from last year's Big 10 season? Not Michigan or Juice Williams, but the struggles of the highly hyped Wisconsin Badgers, a preseason top 10 team that lost 5 conference games, almost fell to Cal Poly, and was blown out in the Champs Sports. Quarterback play failed to be a steadying influence on the offensive side of the ball, allowing defenses to stack the line against John Clay and PJ Hill.

Wisconsin had had a nice streak of quarterbacks who weren't just play action machines, but who put up excellent stats in the run-focused offense of Barry Alvarez and then Bret Bielema. Brooks Bollinger (NFL backup), Jim Sorgi (clipboard holder for Peyton Manning), John Stocco, Tyler Donovan...And then 2008 happened, with a horrendous senior Allan Evridge proving ineffective against the meat of Wisconsins schedule. He was replaced mid-season by Dustin Sherer, who won big games versus Illinois and Minnesota. Let's take a look at the mechanics of the expected starter for the 2009 Badgers squad.

Dustin Sherer (Wisconsin)

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Snap (C+):

Security/Ball Placement (B-): Fumbled against Florida State because he was getting smashed, not because of some defect in ball security. Holds the ball a little low on his chest.
Retreat Speed (B-): Slow from under center, but not awkward.
Footwork (B): Didn't dance much in the pocket, which is usually the favorite move for quarterbacks under pressure. Actually moved forward to make throws instead of backpedaling backwards out of the pocket.
The Fake (B+): Nice natural pump fake, but nothing spectacular.
Adaptation (C-): Probably the worst in the Big 10 quarterbacks here. Doesn't throw on the run well, which is key for a Wisconsin quarterback who needs to throw the play-action rollout ball. Takes a long time for him to get into throwing position on the rollout. Also - doesn't run well.

Release (C+):

Survey (B- / Incomplete): Didn't have to survey much last year, but didn't really look past his first read.
Stance (C+): His body opens up too much, unlike say Ricky Stanzi, who has a compact set up.
Step (A-): Good step through on throws, always follows through with his body.
Wrist/Throw (C-): I don't want to be negative, but his throw appeared to be the worst of all the quarterbacks I looked at. Doesn't throw an impressive ball, lofts it too much. Has too long of a windup.

Overall: C+

[Editors Note: I looked here, and here]

Big Ten Report Card:

Ben Chappell (B/B+)

Daryll Clark (B+)

Tate Forcier (B-)

Ricky Stanzi (A-)

Terrelle Pryor (B+)

Joey Elliot (B)

Juice Williams (B/B+)

Adam Weber (B)

Mike Kafka (B-)

Dustin Sherer (C+)

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Comments

So in other words

Wisky is in trouble this season? They should be decent on the ground though.

"From the outside looking in, you cannot understand it. From the inside looking out, you cannot explian it."

by psuphiman80 on Jun 12, 2009 8:09 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Wisky is going to be in trouble this season

But I think their lack of Defense will be the big reason why (and their lack of an experience offensive line).

by Bama Hawkeye on Jun 12, 2009 9:04 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

exactly

the badgers have won with solid defense and the strong running game, not spectacular QB play…but when the defense puts you in a hole (like in 2008), the run game cannot be leaned on as much…so its a domino effect

But of course it doesn’t help when your quarterback isn’t prepared to step in and make the throws required – we will see if Sherer can’t tighten up his delivery and become a positive asset

by grahamfiller10 on Jun 12, 2009 10:09 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

"we will see if Sherer can’t tighten up"

I hope he does. I’d like to see the Big Ten send its best teams into the bowl season and reclaim some luster.

by the_iowa_hawkeye on Jun 12, 2009 11:55 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Question

If you had to do these rankings not purely on observing mechanics, what would they look like? I like an objective look at this stuff but, there is a ton of other stuff that dictates who the “best” league QB is. I think the list might look slightly different, i.e. you have Stanzi rated the highest so far, but is he “better” than Juice, Clark, or Pryor?

I know this isn’t intended to say who the “best” QB is, but just a thought.

Black Shoes.
Basic Blues.
No Name.
All Game.

by Roland86 on Jun 13, 2009 12:29 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

best overall qb? Clark

he ran, passed, led, made less mistakes than others…obviously a better arm than prior 2008, less mistakes than Juice

by grahamfiller10 on Jun 13, 2009 8:47 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Exactly

Prime example is Vince Young, who was clearly the best in the B12 his senior year. His mechanics? Mediocre at best. But when you’re talking about overall skill and ability to lead a team, you look at so much more than who drops back properly, who has the best follow-through, etc.

I commend the effort put into these rankings, because this removes all emotion from the equation. But it would be interesting to see if, for example, Stanzi played for Ohio State. Would his mechanics equate to more wins because of a higher talent level around him? Would Pryor be able to “lead” his team to more victories if he had the jNW skill players surrounding him?

Bravo so far. Will we see a set of rankings based on intangibles next?

by imadirtyoldman on Jun 14, 2009 1:00 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs