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Petersen Quote re: Browning
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Trying not to read too much into this, but this is the most telling quote Petersen's had regarding the QBs this Spring, specifically Browning:
"He's not a true freshman in my mind."
It's widely known UW has never started a true freshman @ QB for their season opener and has rarely ever played true FR QBs, let alone start them. Tui in '97 was the first, and only, to start a game as a true freshman (vs U0), to my knowledge.
From all accounts, it sounds like Browning is a football savant, so mentally he may be ready. But physically, it's pretty obvious from the eye-test that he's not physically matured. He needs to put on some pounds to make it thru a PAC-12 season. Putting him behind an inexperienced OLine, with not a lot (if any) of proven offensive skill players around him, could be asking for disaster.
It's pretty apparent that he's the future, but when to play him is the million dollar question.
"He's not a true freshman in my mind."
It's widely known UW has never started a true freshman @ QB for their season opener and has rarely ever played true FR QBs, let alone start them. Tui in '97 was the first, and only, to start a game as a true freshman (vs U0), to my knowledge.
From all accounts, it sounds like Browning is a football savant, so mentally he may be ready. But physically, it's pretty obvious from the eye-test that he's not physically matured. He needs to put on some pounds to make it thru a PAC-12 season. Putting him behind an inexperienced OLine, with not a lot (if any) of proven offensive skill players around him, could be asking for disaster.
It's pretty apparent that he's the future, but when to play him is the million dollar question.
Comments
It's a tough give and take though. We might suck even with Browning and he would likely be better off with a redshirt.
I don't know what Magna Carta's situation is and whether if Browning passed him whether or not he'd decide to leave or not. My sense is that unless he's absolutely terrible, it could make sense to start him and then open it up again to a competition next year.
The only way that I'd play Browning this year is if he's head and shoulders above and beyond Lindy and Magna ... if that's the case there's no real decision to be made.
If Pete Carroll was the coach at UW, I think he'd go with Browning. He went with Barkley over Corp and Mitch Mustain, because he wasn't that much worse than those two and he had more potential.
Stop trying to over think this, please.
But of course 2017 is going to be special so yeah lets just put him behind the glass until then.
Eldrenkamp, Tufunga, and Coleman Shelton don't really inspire me into thinking the OL will be very good despite the upgrade in coaching.
Add in Brostek coming off a redshirt and Crane stepping up and we actually have a serious competition going on for the inside spots.
It all hinges on Eldrenkamp at tackle. If he is halfway decent the line could be very good. Obviously that is a huge IF. But my prediction is the line will actually be a little bit better than last year. Then again a little bit better in 2016. And obviously special in 2017.
Dex Charles is back at LG (30 career starts now) so it's LT that's probably the biggest question mark. On a scale of 1-10, I'd probably give Hatchie a 4 in 2014 so can Eldrenkamp at least match that?
I think we're deeper and better at TE than in 2014 but don't know if any of them are good at pass blocking in case we need to keep a TE in to help the OTs against better pass-rushing teams (likely Eldrenkamp and Shelton).
But ultimately who knows if Browning will be ready...he's really in the spring semester of his high school senior year so in another 4 months on Montlake, he could get stronger with machine weights / chocolate milk...enough to put on 10 pounds by mid August.