AINGE NAMED STARTER OVER CLAUSEN

The good news just keeps rolling in….

Name me one team where ‘quarterback by rotation’ has ever been succesful over a season. Just settle on a starter and play him until you lose or until the game is a blowout.

Seldom does rotating QB’s work, it is usually a sign that when a team has ‘two great QB’s’ that they ‘have to play’ that neither of the QB’s is really probably worth a damn.

Errr… look at the dude in the picture at the top of the page. He had a few conference champions while rotating QBs.

Ohio State did OK back in 96-7 with Germaine and Jackson.
Tennessee won the SEC East last year rotating Ainge and Schaeffer (and Clausen after injuries).
UGA won 34 games the last three years rotating (yeah, not 50-50, but still).
LSU rotated Marcus Randall and Matt Mauck for a while, then Randall and Russell last year and they were pretty good.
Texas has rotated several of the past few years and they end up with 10 wins.

Maybe some of these teams would be better without rotating, but having watched UGA for a while, I’m not so sure. I know we don’t beat Clemson in ’03 without Shockley spelling Greene. I think Texas is another team that would be worse if they only went with one.

If you’ve got one stud QB, it’s easier for the coaches and the fans aren’t bitching as much. Having two game-capable QBs is pretty good though in case of injury (ask UT) or when one graduates (UGA this year?).

UT was successful last season by rotating QB’s….(10 wins; granted, 6 were by 7 or less)… the point with UT that a lot of people are missing is simple: last season they rotated a very mobile QB (Schaeffer) and a fairly less mobile (Ainge) QB which left a lot of teams off balance. Ainge is going to suffer without having a more mobile QB rotating with him. Living up here in the middle of ‘enemy’ territory is hilarious (they are ready to book tickets to Pasadena). There will be a lot of shocked Vol fans when UT finishes in the 15th – 19th range this year.