Ricky Joe Meeks

[PonyTales]

According to Tuesday's DMN, Meeks has completed 87-of-167 passes (52.1%) for 1,380 yards, 11 touchdowns and 6 interceptions.

The reports on this kid get better and better. Can't wait to see him suit up for us.

[Johnny Rock]

Meeks stats are not that impressive. Was/is he highly recruited? What makes him good? Do you think that he will beat out our current QB?

[Higher Authority]

Meeks is a big kid (6-4, 215 or so) with a very strong, accurate arm. Part of the reason for his stats are that his receivers are adequate but not great. He can throw on the run very well, and he has superior mobility. He's also a very smart player who understands the game very well, and has instincts that exceed his age and experience.

Most lists I've seen him on have him in the top 60-70 players in the state, and one of the top 5 quarterbacks in the state.

I expect they'll try to redshirt him next year, but yes, he's capable of challenging for the job, probably in 2004.

[PonyGirl]

How can a football player named Ricky Joe not be good?

[cowboypony]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Higher Authority:
<B>Meeks is a big kid (6-4, 215 or so) with a very strong, accurate arm. Part of the reason for his stats are that his receivers are adequate but not great. He can throw on the run very well, and he has superior mobility. He's also a very smart player who understands the game very well, and has instincts that exceed his age and experience.

Most lists I've seen him on have him in the top 60-70 players in the state, and one of the top 5 quarterbacks in the state.

I expect they'll try to redshirt him next year, but yes, he's capable of challenging for the job, probably in 2004.</B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


I've been visiting on this Board almost from it's inception. I take great interest in SMU athletics and, particularly, its future in Division 1 football. I have some information/comments/facts about Rickey Joe Meeks that I thought everyone would be interestd in.

I am from Mt. Vernon. Was born and raised there. While I don't live there right now, I visit often as my parents still live there. I have seen Rickey Joe play 6 times and will see him a 7th on Friday night. I have seen him play as a Sophomore, Junior and Senior. Before I give you my perspective on Rickey Joe, let me explain a little bit about MV and its position in 3A. MV has been in 3A for over 25 years; however, it has always been one of the smaller (enrollment wise) 3A schools in the State. The 3A division has a great disparity in its enrollment from top to bottom. The two top contenders in MV's district are Gilmer and Lindale. Both of these high schools have well over twice the enrollment of MV. MV lost to Gilmer and beat Lindale. As is typical in most years, MV is very competitive with most programs in 3A, yet they are almost always smaller and slower than most teams they play and beat. MV has always been able to attract top quality coaches - which probably leads to its overall success.

Someone posted that Rickey Joe's stats weren't that great. To make this statement would truly require an understanding of 3A football and, particularly, MV's team. I can assure you (as a former Division 1 football player myself) that MV doesn't even have "average" receivers. While I don't mean to disparage the kids on MV's team, there are no players that can catch a football. It has been this way in all of Rickey Joe's 3 years as the QB. I can hardly imagine what his completion percentage would be if all of the balls that bounced off of receivers chests and face masks were actually caught. I think the key in analyzing a 3A QB is to look at his range, velocitiy, mechanics and accuracy. I can guarantee you this: Rickey Joe has all of these. I wish I could transplant him to one of our DFW 5A schools and see what his stats would be. Everyone must understand that 3A football is drastically different than the 4A and 5A football we see in the metropolitan areas. Rickey Joe is basically a 1 man show in MV. While the team is very well coached (by his father), they have no players that will even get a letter from a junior college as far as football is concerned. Rickey Joe rarely throws a pass that shouldn't be thrown. He makes very few mistakes. He sees the field exceptionally well. And to me, he rarely throws a pass that's off target. Last year, on the last play before half, he throw a ball standing on his own 37 yard line that landed 2 yards deep in the opponents end zone. This kid has a tremendous arm.

Now, having said all the above, I believe that the jump from 3A to division 1 is drastic to say the least. Perhaps not so much for a receiver, running back or corner, but definately so for a QB. Thus, I truly hope that Coach Bennett will red-shirt him so that he can gradually adjust to the college game. I won't be so bold to predict how Rickey Joe will do at SMU; however, I will say that as far as pure skills go there are very few QBs in Texas that are better.

On the intangible side, Rickey Joe is Mr. Everything in MV. He plays basketball (all district), baseball (all district), golf (regional qualifer and scratch golfer, just to name a few. He comes from a football background. In fact that's why his father resigned at Longview Pine Tree and took the MV job - so his son could have 3 full years as the QB. Interestingly, he could actually be a better punter than anything else.

I belive that SMU has truly gotten what could turn out to be a fabulous player. Hopefully, this long-winded post will give my fellow SMU fans a little more in-depth perspecitve on Rickey Joe.

[Guest]

Great insight. That was definitely appreciated

[PerunaPunch]

I heard (from a good source) that the day Ricky Joe sets foot on campus, he'll be our most talented player.

The caveat is, of course, that there's a difference between talent/ability and what a player brings on any given Saturday. But, if he gets good coaching and time to develop, they future at the QB spot looks pretty bright.

[Thumper]

I've seen Ricky Joe Meeks play a few times, and I echo everything cowboypony says. His receivers, I have to say, are pretty awful. Yet he completes a lot of passes because he simply buries the ball in their gut and they almost have no choice but to catch it. On top of that, he's tough as nails. He lowers his shoulder and runs guys over pretty often.

Meeks, Bartel, Wallis, Hodges and maybe one more freshman - I like the looks of our QBs.

I realize this is the wrong board, but I wanted to say hats off to the Ponies, especially on defense, for the heart and effort they showed Saturday. I was proud of you guys, and I'm proud to be a PonyFan (and alum).

[cowboypony]

Well, Rickey Joe has done it again. While I didn't see the game Friday night between MV and Winnsboro, my dad did. This game determined who goes to the playoffs in this 3A district. Winnsboro was a slight favorite in the game. MV wins the game in overtime to finish the season 9-1. The consensus of most in the MV area is that the team would be about 3-7 without Meeks on this team.

Also, for those of you who have not noticed, take a look at page 9 of the DMN Sports section and see who is listed as honorable mention. Meeks threw for 256 yards and a TD and completed 20 out of 30 passes. As I've said previously, for those of you who don't have a full appreciation for 3A football, this is quite a feat.

I'll continue to believe that SMU has landed what could be a truly special player. I just hope he is given the time to develop before he is expected to "salvage" our program. I couldn't help but think how great it would be to have a special player at QB as I was watching Reggie McNeal single handidly dismantle the OU defense on Saturday (no, I'm not even attempting to compare Meeks to Reggie; rather, I'm just pointing out how the right QB can drastically change the complexion of ANY offense).

Let's hope that Rickey Joe can take all of that wonderful talent and make a successful jump to Division 1 football. While I don't expect much out of MV in the playoffs, they do play on Saturday night in Mt. Pleasant against New Boston. I was really hoping that would get to play some team from around the metroplex so some of you could see him play.

Go Ponies!

[HorsePower]

From what I've read, Meeks, Phillips and Bartel are pretty different styles of quarterbacks. Would the coaches tailor the offense to fit whichever QB is in the game, or would they be asked to learn the same offense and master the skills required to run it effectively?

[cowboypony]

To me, if any of these QBs are in the "good" or "very good" category, then you absolutely tailor the offense around his talents. The only time you don't do this is if the QB is average or below average. Think of all the great QBs, whether in college or the pros, and their strengths are maximized by having the offense fit them.