Besides being 2-8 with 15TDs and 12INTs in his career, Luton is also a Gary Andersen (worst QB analyst I’ve ever seen) recruit who had zero P5 offers.
That said, since he is tall and can throw a ball 60 yards, people like him. Just like Seth Collins was the next great because he could hurdle. People continually fall for tangibles. It’s a bias and inefficiency in the QB market. That said, Luton will have some great throws and a few good games that seemingly validate Smith’s decision, just like Seth and every other bad QB we have had recently. These types of games just confuse the big picture. The people who bow down to authority and think the coach is always right will say, “see, Luton threw for 300 yards and 4TDs so Smith made the right call.” They are not seeing the forest from the trees.
Did Luton win the game making clutch throws when it mattered? Was it versus good competition? Did he audible into a winning play? Did he inspire teammates to be better? Did he run a two minute drill to perfection and will the Beavs to glory? Etc. Any bozo with a big arm can beat college DBs once in a while and then the numbers follow. It’s all lone trees without a forest.
So yeah, I fully expect Luton to throw for 300 yards here and there and even some 3TD games. I even concede he’d make a good backup. But none of this means the right guy or best guy for the job. Stats are stats. Height is height. Arm strength is arm strength. Media opinions are media opinions. Coaches and their decisions are fallible. None of these things are the intangibles that lead to greatness. Luton does not have the football IQ or the heart of a champion, and he never will. What makes a player great is in the ether.
Gebbia is as good if not better than Luton in only his 2nd year. Gebbia has more moxie, fight, and the intangibles of a great QB, along with perfect mechanics. You take a chance at greatness and go with that guy. The argument that experience matters is a poor one. I can pilot and crash a plane 20 out of 20 times; it doesn’t mean you’d want to hire me over a pilot fresh out of training without a single flight under his belt. Experience means very little yet it gets a lot of weight, and this leads to poor decisions, not only in football but the real world.
In summary, this will be another poor QB decision that puts a cap on the season. By the time the coaches realize Luton is not the answer we’ll be behind the eight ball. Sure, there is no doubt Gebbia would have a few rough games (just like McM and every other young QB), but after that something would click (ala Matt Moore ’06) and he’d be off and running. Now we have to wait for that. Time, games, opportunity will all go by as we wait for the Luton experiment to play out for a 3rd time. This is just the ghost of Gary Andersen still ruining and holding back the program, and it’s a real shame Smith fell for “experience” over talent, and even more of a shame fans continually fall for and accept these errors because “coach is the authority figure and knows best.”
The answer to your second paragraph is the Colorado game last year.
Third paragraph, excuse me. Now you will say broken clock, I am right because I say I am argument.
I watched that Colorado game on PAC 12 in 60 minutes thing yesterday. The team made some clutch plays, but Luton made several awful passes that Colorado could have / should have picked. I just don’t believe the Colorado game is a good example to defend his value. I’d rather see Gebbia, although I admit my opinion isn’t worth a whole lot.
I remember at least two dropped INTs that game, and there were other games (CSU comes to mind) where he should have had more INTs due to drops as well.
So ignore evidence that goes contrary to your point. You aren’t being critical, you are just being contrarian.
I didn’t ignore anything. One great game in 3 years means it’s the outlier, and in that game there were two dropped INTs that would have made that game a mess, too.
I tend to give the coach the benefit of the doubt in situations like this for the simple reason that he knows more about football than I do. He has also seen all of the players in practice, dealt with them in team meetings, knows about offseason workouts, and has a better idea about leadership qualities. It doesn’t make him infallible, of course, and in retrospect, Andersen really screwed the pooch with McMarion. I doubt Smith would have done that, but who knows.
I guess this kind of attitude can be described as bowing to authority, but as a layman, I would be doing the same thing if I just went along with whatever you said.
What I would really like to see is Luton have a fantastic year and for Gebbia to have an even better two years. A defense would be nice, too.
Look around college football, though…not just OSU. Coaches are wrong daily if not hourly!
Sometimes being too close to a situation blinds you and biases you worse than someone viewing it from the outside. It’s complex. Luton > Gebbia is not as bad as Seth > McM or all the other GA moves. Luton will have some good games. Big picture though is he’s had 2 prior shots at this and proved what he is (good backup, bad starter…a lot of flaws in his game).
Try this for size. Perhaps Smith is doing this to avoid splitting the locker room like the RNB did by kicking McM to the curb in favor of Luton after he had won the CW and taken several demotions.
Luton has literally broken his back for the team and is probably well respected by his teammates.
Naming Gebbia the starter would have been bad for team unity. If he sucks we finally have a real option to take over. With some questions on the O line and Luton’s injury history, you will probably get to see Gebbia.
Not a bad theory, but I don’t think starters should be chosen for those reasons. Yes wouldn’t be surprised to see Gebbia week 1, actually. Nor would I be surprised if Luton has a 300 yard game given the reported weakness of OkSt is their secondary. I do think by week 6 or so Gebbia will be starting, and that’s whether Luton gets hurt or not.
Time will reveal the truth of the situation one way or another. I’m betting on Gebbia.
If Gebbia is our Aaron Rodgers-lite, Luton is our Brett Favre(Gunslinger whose days are numbered)
The golden parachute is nice to have. Favre be walking off into the sunset soon enough.
Luton ain’t no Favre.
Except the interceptions. lol
And Gebbia ain’t no Rodgers
The dual rodent speaks truth! As posted here in the past, both Togiai and Hodgins have publicly stated their “connection” with Luton and comfort with his timing. There may have been others as well. I’ve not seen that degree of support for Gebbia, sure, it is possible that it occurred and simply not reported.
Angry, where are you seeing that the DB’s are a weak spot for the Cowboys? All I’ve seen, and posted here, indicates that the LB’s and unproven DL are the most worrisome to their coaches.
For example, they have NO ONE who has ever started on the DL and this report says they’re thin and banged up at LB:
https://oklahoman.com/article/5638211/osu-football-amen-ogbongbemiga-stepping-into-key-role-in-cowboys-thin-linebacker-position
I thought someone here reported they had weak DBs.
#fakenews
“Gebbia has more moxie, fight, and the intangibles”…. you are basing this statement on what? Last time I checked he hasn’t played a game at this level yet… he quit after losing out the QB competition at his last school… Luton who had an effing spinal injury, fought back to be named the starter and team captain… I don’t know, sounds like that says a lot about intangibles to me and sounds like the team agrees… but continue with your narrative, and you talk about coaches can be wrong… as hard as it is, you can be wrong too sir
He didn’t quit, he transferred. People who know they’re good and want to play do that.
You sound like Jack when he claimed McM quit when he went to Fresno. Ask his Fresno teammates if that guy is a quitter or a competitor.
Not to mention, Gebbia transferred because a true freshman dual threat QB was ahead of him, in a system designed for DT-QBs, which Gebbia is not. He was a bad fit for Frost’s offense.Was the right move to get out of that system and find one that fit him.
A true competitor would stay and try to beat the other person out… That’s all I am saying, not saying the decision doesn’t make sense just saying it doesn’t line up with the intangible argument that angry is spouting
That’s ridiculous. Why bother trying to win a job in a system that doesn’t fit your style? With a coach who didn’t recruit you? Ridiculous Jack type argument. Move on and compete in a system that fits with a coach who wants you.
It’s so sad people wind up hating on our best QBs simply because I like them. You’re like anti-Gebbia now calling him a quitter and all this nonsense just because I recognize he’s better than Luton. If Gebbia won the job you’d love him. Jeez.
Not necessarily. The successful ones know when to cut bait and stick to their strengths. Happens in business all the time
^ Correct. He just doesn’t like Gebbia because I do and because Smith named Luton, and he bows to that authority. If you relate it to the real world (business, dating, etc) you see how quickly that logic that you should stick around in a bad situation falls apart.
Oh lord.. It’s Jax – 2.0
Jack_the_mouth.
No, I just think it’s a smart move… gives them more flexibility…. but hey I will back it 100%, JS won’t stick with him if it doesn’t work… you guys are still damaged from the Andersen era lol
Apples to Oranges… McM was a junior who had game experience and had proven himself… he wasn’t a true freshman who had never played a down… two vastly different situations… I like that you just assumed that I said all transfers are quitters… nice try though :)
Gebbia is a Sophomore not a true freshman.
Anyway, you’re now on record with your opinion. Be sure to come back when it’s wrong. The problem is nobody ever does that.
If Luton is great this year I’ll admit he’s great. I do know he’ll have a few great games and concede that, but he won’t be a great QB.
“Be sure to come back when it’s wrong. The problem is nobody ever does that.”
Even the blog owner. It’s funny how offended you get when folks disagree with you. I’m guessing you’d use your last breath to defend your opinion. Let’s go Beavs!
I’m not upset at all, and I admit when I’m wrong. It’s just rare so you don’t hear it often.
But on the same token you say Gebbia will have bad games but yet he’s the better QB? I am trying to understand your logic
Yeah of course Gebbia will have bad games as he learns.
Luton will have bad games even though he is in year 6.
Not sure what’s hard to understand about that.
Oh So they’ll both have bad games and good games… I get it now… great argument!
Yeah except one guy is in year 2 and the other in year 6. You left that part out.
Gebbia also won’t have bad games once he learns the system, unlike Luton.
Gebbia won’t have a bad game once he learns the system? Okay Angrydamus, I am gonna hold you to that one… Name any great of any sport and I can show you a bad performance… it comes with the territory… I get you like the kid and I think we all do too… but we also understand logic and why this decision makes sense… I think it makes more sense to protect him and get him some experience while still rebuilding… Doesn’t make sense to get him hurt when we have another QB that can get the job done and out performed him throughout camp… imo this is the best situation possible
COWPOKE DEFENSE: This from the Tulsa papers preview, worth a quick read (covers D, O, SpTms)
https://www.tulsaworld.com/sports/college/osu/cowboys-preview-depth-chart-stars-sleepers-and-more/collection_35045066-b319-5dc9-aeb2-42564e38377f.html#3
The poll is close: https://twitter.com/angrybeavs/status/1165395795274633216
Looks like I’m not the only one who sees this as the wrong decision.
I don’t have anything against Luton. My only concern with him coming back and starting is that it might make Gebbia want to leave. Looks like he’s staying. Plus I’m certain that Gebbia will get a fair amount of reps this year anyway. No big deal if its Gebbia or Luton as starter to me. I’m just glad Conor Blount isn’t in the mix.
Don’t think Gebbia could gain anything from leaving at this point. He would need to find a team that hasn’t closed Fall enrollment yet in order to avoid sitting 2 seasons. Best case scenario, he would still need to sit out 1 season and have only 2 years remaining. With Luton finally ending his 6th year thos season, Gebbia would still have 2 full years here without Luton. And it would be more than likely that Gebbia gets to actually play this year if he stays, so he wouldnt be wasted a year of eligibility completely.
I think Luton has a good chance at being pretty good. I don’t think anyone is claiming he’ll be great. From all indications and reports he outperformed gebbia. Either way it’s nice not to have to throw gebbia straight into the fire. That can crush some guys guy’s confidence. If the line plays well and luton can stay healthy I think he’ll be in the top half of the league in passing.
Besides all the great reasons mentioned above to start Luton, purely that Hodgins is promoting Luton to be starter is enough. A WR who very likely could be NFL bound would definitely care who is throwing to him. Still have not heard a single good argument for Gebbia to start other than “he is younger”
Yeah, for all those calling for Gebbia to start the question I have would be….what has he done to earn and prove he deserves to be the starter? The answer is….nothing as he hasn’t even played a down for the Beavers. If it turns out that Luton isn’t productive, then you give Gebbia a shot but not until then. In addition, you also have to recognize that one bad performance does not mean Luton isn’t capable. It’s a delicate balancing act and I’m fully confident that JS knows how to manage it.
I agree and that makes logical sense
The reason to start him is he’s a better QB.
Why did he lose the QB battle then?
Smith made a bad call. Happens every day.
So we start gebbia because he didnt play as good as luton in fall camp and he hasnt played in a game since high school 3 years ago? But his “mechanics” are better. That seems like a great idea.
GS nails it above.
You will be proven wrong in a few weeks.
How? Luton won the competition to start the first game. Smith has said spot are a competition every week. Of course it could change, just like it did last year at several positions. But Gebbia isn’t winning week one, no matter how many high school game films you watch him play….from 2016.
Isn’t this the exact argument against GAs coaching, playing guys because there your guy and not the “other guys” players. I dont care who starts as long as they are the best at that position, that week. Luton won this round.
Question: How does Luton compare to Mannion?
I think lutton is 1 inch taller and they both throw footballs. That’s about it.
The first 12 pickem games have been selected for the Beavrecruiting pool.
Make your picks before Thursday, when games start.
Not too late to join and it’s free. We’re at around 33 participants currently. Feel free to share the link with anybody else who might be interested.
https://picks.cbssports.com/college-football/pickem/pools/kbxw63b2giytomrx?invited-by=ivxhi4tzhiytgmbyhezq====&via-medium=copy&ttag=FF19_lk_cbssports_ffbopm_copyInvite
What’s the password?
You have to sign up for the free CBS account and then the pool’s password is:
fall2019
(case sensitive)
There’s an argument to be made that it’s worth seeing what Luton can do with a reasonable amount of time with quality coaching. He was a wing T HS QB, played at Idaho for a year, JC, then under GA’s regime.
Wing T ??……………..alllllrignt!
“played at Idaho for a year” Therein is something to note. Paul Petrino seems to be a well-designed qb coach – did he think Luton wasn’t worth bothering with?
Dunno about design – autocorrect bug there – well regarded
Without researching at all, I seem to recall him losing out on the initial QB competition to a coaches son who was also a freshman. So he moved on.
Correct. I think it was a Linehan.
Angry, you have set it up so that you can’t be wrong. For a team that is supposed to win 2 games this season it is almost guaranteed that whoever is behind the center will not be tremendously successful. But with putting the caveat that Luton will have some games that he puts up great numbers but that doesn’t mean anything, gives you the option to point back and say you were right. It is easy to be right if you set the deck.
I’ve followed this blog off and on for a number of years and I see a pattern. Guys are either gods or trash to you. You don’t think anyone really improves with time and coaching. I agree with your point that experience is not the end all, but you are wrong that it doesn’t matter. You often hear about the game slowing down and unfortunately Luton hasn’t been on the field enough games consecutively to get that feeling.
I think in the long term Gebbia is the better QB, but I can live with the coaches deciding that Luton is the better QB for this team right now. I would hate to think that JS has given up on this season before it even begins and choose Gebbia for next year’s success.
Don’t know about that. I don’t hate Luton this year because he’s so old that he has to be better, but just think once again the lesser QB will be starting. I don’t see any conflict.
But your logic is swiss cheese. You say that everyone that likes Luton does so because he is tall and can throw a long ways. You base your dislike in him on what he has done in the past. You base your anointing of Gebbia on film from high school. He hasn’t proven anything on the field, including during the short open scrimmages. I’m optimistic that Gebbia is going to be good, but I don’t think it is reasonable from the body of work you’ve seen that Luton is the inferior QB for this team. I’m not saying that Gebbia is not the better talent or his ceiling isn’t higher than Luton. The separator may be all command of the huddle and respect of Luton’s leadership. Only people that are in the fight would know.
But you have set this up that you have enough caveats that nobody can prove you to be wrong. It is Jake Thompson all over again. Jake had an unbelievable season his last year and you never admitted that he wasn’t garbage. By the numbers, we would all accept a Sunday starter that put up his stats but you had reasons why his numbers didn’t matter because he still lost big games pointing mostly to his past.
The reality on Luton is that if he doesn’t turn it over and our running game is anything like last year – the O will be fine. The losses last year were on the D, not QB play and I expect the same this year. This team is limited by D and if they are able to step up it has a chance to be a fun year to watch.
I don’t dislike Luton. Seems like a nice (if not boring) guy. He’s a good backup to have, and I was glad when he got a 20th year. Luton excels off the bench when there’s no pressure. Those were some of his best performances. I don’t think he’s a winner (born with a laid back personality he can’t change).
You can blame loses on the D, and that has merit, but good to great QBs overcome bad D all the time. If fact it’s a trait of an elite QB. They win despite terrible D.
I don’t have to provide proof Gebbia is better. This is impossible since he hasn’t played. My “proof” is I’ve watched his film, watched his spring/fall game film, and see a way better player. I trust my eyes and my own opinion over any coach. Coaches get things wrong daily and wind up fired yearly because of all their errors. They have biases as well that get them in trouble (height and arm strength are big ones). We’ll find out Friday if Luton has turned a page. Given his track record the odds are against him. If he strings together four great games you can then start to ponder whether the “game has slowed” or something has changed. I’d bet 80%ish against that ever happening, but there’s a minor probability it has.
Thompson was awful versus good competition. He piled up numbers versus bad teams. I’m never going to like a guy like that no matter what the final stats are.
C’mon dude…..
Last years defense was historically BAD. If it weren’t for UConn they’d have set records. To say that a good QB can make up for a defense THAT bad is a piss poor argument. I turned off the Colorado game before halftime. I expected another blowout loss.
The offense wasn’t bad at all last year. The shitty defense put the entire team behind the 8 ball. If the defense improves by 50% and the offense stays the same? This team will be in most games.
IMO there are always ways to mask a bad D.
The offense didn’t do a good job of doing that.
They were atrocious, but you can do things to mitigate that on O.
New thread up for game week.