Quarterback for Next Season

[Brasco]

Who do you feel will be the Quarterback for next season? My thoughts are that either Chris Phillips or Ricky Joe Meeks will be redshirted; not both. I tried my best to support Bartel and Wallis when they ran the show, but I came away disappointed. I think that it is time for a change.

[Nacho]

Bartel. No question. He is the real deal. Major league arm (no pun intended). It will be fun to see what he can do with a full stable of WRs. I love Cardwell, I really do, but when he is your best WR you know you are in trouble. He is a very nice 2nd or 3rd WR. Bartel showed me plenty. He is going to be awesome.

[PerunaPunch]

I'm not as enthusiastic about Bartel as Nacho, but I do think he probably will start. Strong arm, superb mechanics, moments of brilliance.

I think Bartel will benefit this year from having time in the system and having been exposed to collegiate game speed this past year. Hopefully, he'll stay in Dallas this sumer. If he can keep is head on straight, he could develop into a really good one. Having another second or two from the offensive line will be the key success factor for that position in '03. Lack of experience shouldn't be an issue.

It'll be interesting to see what happens to Meeks and Phillips and to see how quickly Bennett brings them up to speed.

[JasonB]

This is a shot in the dark...

But I think Bartel has all but secured the starter's job. I think Mark Hodges will actually back him up, and that Wallis will move to TE and third string QB. I think that all incoming QBs will be redshirted this year.

[MustangFan]

Actually, JasonB, I don't think that's a shot in the dark at all. I've heard the same scenario mentioned by folks who work in the department. I think Tate could be a hell of a tight end, or even a safety. I wouldn't be surprised at all if they make every effort to let Bartel play every game, have Hodges as an emergency back-up, and only lift the redshirt off a freshman (Meeks) if something happens to Bartel and Hodges really falters.

[No Quarter]

Bartel will be the QB and Wallis will be in the depth at QB and TE. Meeks will punt if all else fails and otherwise redshirt. Hodges will will be the back up QB. Phillups will redshirt.

[cowboypony]

I think it's important, if not imperative, to redshirt both incoming QB's. Let's hopefully not waste a year to use Meeks as a punter. Both of these QB's will be much better served if they can wait 2 years before they are looked upon to run the program. I believe we must all be patient for a few more years while Bennett builds the program. We all hope for more wins next year; but, the most important thing is for Bennett to get quality players and depth. I, for one, don't want to jeopardize the future by blowing years of eligibility from players that need time to mature and grow. That is the only way to build a program that we've all been waiting on.

Go Ponies!

[smudad]

What happened to Ashton Nixon?

[PonyPride]

Nixon is now a wide receiver.

[cowboypony]

Did he redshirt? What type of speed does he have?

[Corso]

Yes, he redshirted the 2001 season.
I read somewhere that he runs a 4.6. For what it's worth, he's also pretty big - listed at 6'2", 208.

[cowboypony]

Thanks. I guess this begs the question: Who are our current players listed at WR? What is our projected depth chart for next year. Maybe the better way to ask the question is who will be the 4-5 contributors at the WR position (not taking into account any players currently being recruited)?

What is Jay Taylor's status? Who will be thre possession type receivers? Who will be the "3rd Down backs/receivers?"

I believe the passing game and its versatility and effectiveness will determine what type of success we have in the running game and, particularly, which of our talented running backs will carry the biggest load.

[PerunaPunch]

Regarding QBs, I think the real question will be who starts in '04.

At WR, Chris Cunningham starts if healthy (duh!) along with Jay Taylor. I imagine we'll be seeing more of Daniel Francis, and of course Trey Griffin's speed makes him intoxicating to any coach. So that's probably the main rotation.

I also really liked what I saw in the high school footage of James Elliot, so maybe we'll start seeing him in the mix some.

Also, what's the scoop on Cedric Vinson?

[PonyTales]

I've always maintained that Cedric Vinson could be the best of all of them. He's not as tall as Taylor, and he's not as fast as Griffin. But he is a superb athlete with great instincts. And I've always been a sucker for those guys who played a zillion positions in high school, and therefore understand every aspect of the game. Vinson will catch a lot of balls next year, in my opinion.

[Charleston Pony]

Well, at least here's no indication right now that we are going to lose any of our QBs for next year, so we can only improve with experience at this position.

I see lots of talk about Bartel maybe giving up baseball to concentrate on football. What were the terms of his contract with the Reds? Ordinarily, MLB teams want more than a one year commitment, assuming they paid him some kind of signing bonus. I thought part of his deal was that the Reds were paying his college tuition, room & board. Is that not true?