A Riley Question For Some Of You Experts

[MeanGreen61]

Riley has been responsible for putting quite a few points on the board. He's also been responsible for quite a few turnovers (fumbles, interceptions) that have not only ended drives, but resulted in opponent points. Wonder how many successful drives/TDs opponents have had after one of Riley's cough-ups ? Wondering if he's giving away about as many as he's getting ? Thoughts ?

[cdizzle86]

What I don't understand is why there are people who dislike Riley and want Tune to start, when Tune makes the same mistakes and is going into his senior season. Don't get me wrong, Tune is a great kid, but he is not the best guy for the job.

[forevereagle]

What I don't understand is why there are people who dislike Riley and want Tune to start, when Tune makes the same mistakes and is going into his senior season. Don't get me wrong, Tune is a great kid, but he is not the best guy for the job.

Really? The same mistakes? Which are? Tune didn't throw a pick against Bama, easily the best team we played. Riley has managed to do it in almost every game he has played. I don't see how he is making the same mistakes. He is not perfect, but he is not making the same mistakes. He takes care of the ball much better and knows how to throw the ball away.

Edited November 23, 2009 by forevereagle

[cdizzle86]

Really? The same mistakes? Which are? Tune didn't throw a pick against Bama, easily the best team we played. Riley has managed to do it in almost every game he has played. I don't see how he is making the same mistakes. He is not perfect, but he is not making the same mistakes. He takes care of the ball much better and knows how to throw the ball away.

See Ohio Bobcats game.

[MeanGreen61]

What I don't understand is why there are people who dislike Riley and want Tune to start, when Tune makes the same mistakes and is going into his senior season. Don't get me wrong, Tune is a great kid, but he is not the best guy for the job.

I have not said anything about Tune starting vs Riley. I am asking legitimate questions about interceptions and turnovers.

[NT03]

Tune just happended to start vs the 2 toughest teams on the schedule. Coincidence or was someone being protected ?

vs Bama & Troy : 1 INT , 0 FUMBLES & 2 SACKS

feel free to look up Riley's stats vs far , far less competition

I love Riley , I'm glad he's here. I just think he should be in the slot or a DB

[NT03]

See Ohio Bobcats game.

Anyone at that game would know that it wasn't Tune's fault we lost that game

[cdizzle86]

Anyone at that game would know that it wasn't Tune's fault we lost that game

I'm not sayin, I'm just sayin....I would rather put my faith in RS Freshman Riley Dodge than RS Junior Nathan Tune.

[eulessismore]

Anyone at that game would know that it wasn't Tune's fault we lost that game

I think that we should have taken the FG attempt at the end of the first half vs Ohio; Knott had already made one from further out. Also, Tune shouldn't have had those pass plays called on his first series.

[eulesseagle]

RD is a redshirt freshman.....not a jr or sr.

if he were a jr or sr making these mistakes i would have some concern......but not as a rs freshman.

this is not an expert opinion it is just the way it is.

[cdizzle86]

Yes Riley looks good against the absolute worst teams in D1 football. Tune has performed very well, in my opinion, against Alabama (#3) and Troy (class of Sunbelt). Tune probably would have looked good also against WKU, FIU and Army. Tune also played well against Ohio and FAU (he gave his team chances to win in both without selfdestructing as the starter has in many of our losses). FYI:

RD: QB Rating-124%, INTs-14 or 1 INT every 21.2 attempts, 10 sacks, 68% compl, opponents avg Team Rank- 100 (out of 119 D1 teams)

NT: QB Rating-135%, INTs-2 or 1 INT every 44 attempts, 1 sack, 68.2% compl, opponents avg Team Rank-61 (out of 119 D1 teams)

As you can see, Tune has performed better/more efficiently by a factor of two against much better competition. Therefore, the claim that he makes the same mistakes is incorrect. In summary, he has made half as many mistakes against almost twice as good competition. The numbers do not lie.

Well, when you're right, you're right. Lets put in the junior who will makes a few less mistakes, still not win, and give us no hope for the future because he will be gone in a year. How bout we invest in somebody who could potentially take our team to a new height? Don't get me wrong, Tune is an ok backup, but he's not cut out for the starting position. It just doesn't make sense.

[GreenStreet]

Well, when you're right, you're right. Lets put in the junior who will makes a few less mistakes, still not win, and give us no hope for the future because he will be gone in a year. How bout we invest in somebody who could potentially take our team to a new height? Don't get me wrong, Tune is an ok backup, but he's not cut out for the starting position. It just doesn't make sense.

Isn't the jury still out on Riley? I mean some argue for his replacement.

[Guest GrayEagleOne]

Well 61. apparently no one knows so they took the thread off in another direction.

This is going to be something that is opinion because I'm not sure that game logs exist to verify the numbers. I'd say that he is certainly getting more points than he is giving up but 3 or 4 turnovers per game puts our fragile defense in a tough spot.

The turnovers have been a mixed bag and pretty evenly divided. Three were taken to the house so we know that those hurt immediately. At least two were desperation type interceptions and had no bearing on the outcome. It seems to me that he killed more drives than gave up touchdowns but I'm not sure of that.

In my opinion, Riley's strengths far outweigh his weaknesses. He is an accurate passer. He has good mechanics. He generally makes excellent decisions when reading zones. He is elusive which is one of the reasons that he's seldom sacked. He has great running instincts. But he also has some weaknesses. His arm strength is below par for Division 1-A quarterbacks. He tends to lock on to a receiver which may cause him to miss open receivers or allow interceptions because he did not look off receivers. He (and others) tend to lay the ball out when fighting for extra yards and get it stripped.

I think that these faults can be coached out. He got away with them in high school because he was much more talented than the defenses that he played against. College defenses are much faster so you can't float a pass and expect to complete it. There is too much air under his long throws. He can gain arm strength.

He still is our best bet at quarterback.

Edited November 23, 2009 by GrayEagleOne

[cdizzle86]

Apparently you did not see the Ohio game. The pick was due to receiver stopping route. OK, that happened. All Tune does is give his Team two chances to win. One in regulation and another in OT. Game winning catches not made. First one hit receiver in the hands. Second one dropped right on receivers helmet. What else can a QB do. Guess he should have thrown it and run under for the catch in your opinion.

Excuses.

[Cr1028]

Really? The same mistakes? Which are? Tune didn't throw a pick against Bama, easily the best team we played. Riley has managed to do it in almost every game he has played. I don't see how he is making the same mistakes. He is not perfect, but he is not making the same mistakes. He takes care of the ball much better and knows how to throw the ball away.

I don't know if you actually watched the Alabama game but it was terrible. Tune lacks Riley's mobility and did not throw a pick because he didn't make a pass over 5 yards it seemed like. He was being protected by the gameplan. If memory serves me correctly, the only time Tune threw downfield, it hit the Bama player in the hands and he dropped it.

[THOR]

Trainers have a new injury classification: a "riley". What is that you ask? It is a supposed injury to avoid playing 1) a nationally ranked team, 2) the best team in the conference or 3) a team from the state of Alabama or 4) any combination of the aforementioned.

seriously??? this is a crock of shiat! he was removed with an injury in the ohio game and then missed alabama. i don't remember why he was removed to miss the troy game, but he is our DAMN STARTING QB!!! you want to make sure that he is healed and recovered. if he isn't 100% ready, don't play him. he is the future qb at north texas! heaven forbid dodge didn't want our qb injured further with a little hit or misfall due to a sack/tackle.

[Green Dozer]

seriously??? this is a crock of shiat! he was removed with an injury in the ohio game and then missed alabama. i don't remember why he was removed to miss the troy game, but he is our DAMN STARTING QB!!! you want to make sure that he is healed and recovered. if he isn't 100% ready, don't play him. he is the future qb at north texas! heaven forbid dodge didn't want our qb injured further with a little hit or misfall due to a sack/tackle.

You are right Radio Green. I cannot believe somebody would come here and accuse a competitor like Riley of something like faking an injury or even hint that his Dad would work in collusion to do something like this. Do you realize how much effort it would take to cover something like that up? Sorry, these kids are not getting paid enough to participate in cover ups. I have seen some poor decision making in Riley's play and in his Dad's coaching, but the decision to fake an injury is not one of them

[eulessismore]

You are right Radio Green. I cannot believe somebody would come here and accuse a competitor like Riley of something like faking an injury or even hint that his Dad would work in collusion to do something like this. Do you realize how much effort it would take to cover something like that up? Sorry, these kids are not getting paid enough to participate in cover ups. I have seen some poor decision making in Riley's play and in his Dad's coaching, but the decision to fake an injury is not one of them

Yeah, that's about the lamest conspiracy theory I've seen in the Football forum of this board. I do question some things about Riley and wonder if he and the scheme are in the right place at the right time, but I've been seeing him on and off since the Euless Trinity-Southlake Carroll playoff game, and I've never seen cause to question his heart or competitiveness.

There hasn't been a really solid conspiracy in Denton County since Rex Cauble and the Cowboy Mafia were riding high.

[risinggreen]

I've been high on Riley for the most part, but this game got me down on him a bit. Obviously the turnovers are a problem, and those two deep passes before the half to Outlaw showed a serious lack of arm strength. I'm not sure the guy can air it out 50 yards. Also, I got a pretty good look at him on Saturday, and if Riley is 6' 195 so is Mark Mangino. Hope he improves in the off season, but I think that TD needs to go easy on the nepotism and give the other guys a LEGITIMATE shot at the job next Spring. Fat chance, but Riley has not played well enough to have the position locked up.

[wardly]

rilley appears to be a good kid, and a real competator. having said that, i just don't think he can phycially handle the pounding i d1 qb takes. in addition, his arm strength is suspect. put the two together, and you have a qb who is injury prone with an unacpetable turnover rate, regardless of whether he is a redshirt freshman or senior.

[Lurker]

rilley appears to be a good kid, and a real competator. having said that, i just don't think he can phycially handle the pounding i d1 qb takes. in addition, his arm strength is suspect. put the two together, and you have a qb who is injury prone with an unacpetable turnover rate, regardless of whether he is a redshirt freshman or senior.

I think Riley is a class A person and a great competitor. Two things are holding him back: arm strength and locking in on receivers. Both of these should be correctable to some extent. You can't teach arm strength, but it can be developed/improved. The "locking" problem is coaching. The most critial INTs that he has thrown this season have occurred at pressure time when he seems to pick a receiver at the snap and stare at him until he throws the ball. At that point, everyone in the stadium can see where the pass is going. That is what ended the last NT drive against Army. The INTs will decrease when he learns to look off the backs.

[houstonmeangreen]

I think Riley is a class A person and a great competitor. Two things are holding him back: arm strength and locking in on receivers. Both of these should be correctable to some extent. You can't teach arm strength, but it can be developed/improved. The "locking" problem is coaching. The most critial INTs that he has thrown this season have occurred at pressure time when he seems to pick a receiver at the snap and stare at him until he throws the ball. At that point, everyone in the stadium can see where the pass is going. That is what ended the last NT drive against Army. The INTs will decrease when he learns to look off the backs.

agree, but my concern is that he is not being coached to correct the problems....we are seeing the same things and it is getting worse in my opinion...I think this goes to a coaching issue like so many other issues.

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

I think Riley is a class A person and a great competitor. Two things are holding him back: arm strength and locking in on receivers. Both of these should be correctable to some extent. You can't teach arm strength, but it can be developed/improved. The "locking" problem is coaching. The most critial INTs that he has thrown this season have occurred at pressure time when he seems to pick a receiver at the snap and stare at him until he throws the ball. At that point, everyone in the stadium can see where the pass is going. That is what ended the last NT drive against Army. The INTs will decrease when he learns to look off the backs.

Look, these were problems alot of scouts saw and wrote about in the recruiting process. That's why he was listed as an athlete, not a quarterback.

Yet, when many of us pointed out what these people said Riley's shortcomings were, we were pooh-poohed. As if there is some shame in being a high school quarterback, but being moved to a better position for your skill in college. It happens everywhere to hundreds of athletes every year.

For pete's sake, high school coaches have to use their best athletes at QB sometimes when they legitimately have no one else available who can make plays. But, those kids are always moved to their more natural, better fitting positions in college. What's wrong with that?

Nothing. There's nothing wrong with it. You'd hope your coach and coaching staff would put the best 22 out there on offense and defense, even if it meant admitting they were wrong about a guy in a position.

Look at TCU. They've got former QBs and RBs all over their defense. That stud DE Jerry Hughes was a tailback in high school. He was a first team, all-district tailback at that, up for many awards following his senior year! http://gofrogs.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mt...es_jerry00.html

So, what did TCU do? They looked him over in practices and said, "Son, try defensive end. We think you'll be a nice fit there."

Moviing Riley to slot, safety or corner wouldn't be the end of the world. In fact, it would probably help. We'd have someone bigger and stronger at QB, and we'd have a shifty runner at slot, or a defensive back who knew how to read quarterbacks well.

[KRAM1]

Riley is a red shirt freshman...remember that. His arm strength is such that he really will have a hard time throwing a really deep ball...30 yards should be about his most accurate max., but that's deep enough in the scheme he will be playing. The kid is a competitor. To question his character and his competitiveness is just plain WRONG. I seem to recall seeing several players get hurt Saturday...are they just too fragile to play DI ball? Come on, give it a rest.

Let's evaluate Riley on his body of work. Cut down on the turnovers...stop carrying the ball like it was a loaf of bread and stop the "rainbow" deep passes that allow defenders to catch up and make plays and picks...use your tight end more and use the slant...Riley will be just fine and I'll be really glad to see what postings are written here on GMG.com when Riley leads this team to multiple victories beginning next season.

Did you see some of the mistakes Stafford made yesterday in the win over Cleveland...Rookie is as rookie does. Riley is a DI Rookie! I'll wait to make judgement. You go ahead and rush to judgement.

[Guest GrayEagleOne]

I've been high on Riley for the most part, but this game got me down on him a bit. Obviously the turnovers are a problem, and those two deep passes before the half to Outlaw showed a serious lack of arm strength. I'm not sure the guy can air it out 50 yards. Also, I got a pretty good look at him on Saturday, and if Riley is 6' 195 so is Mark Mangino. Hope he improves in the off season, but I think that TD needs to go easy on the nepotism and give the other guys a LEGITIMATE shot at the job next Spring. Fat chance, but Riley has not played well enough to have the position locked up.

I'm not making excuses for Riley. I don't even know his physical condition. But, if you'll recall a few games back Riley had a 2nd degree? shoulder separation and it could be a hindrance to how far he can throw the ball. I've never thought of him as having a strong arm but he seemed to be doing much better on the longer routes earlier in the season.

To the idiot football fan who accused Riley of faking it.. He has had two injuries; the shoulder separation and a high ankle sprain. He came back from both much faster than what is normal for those type injuries.