Should Whitt have pulled Cain?
by JazzyUte on Nov 1, 2009 11:34 AM MST
in Football
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PrintI really feel bad for Terrance Cain right now. He's one of the most productive quarterbacks in the conference, leads the Utes to a solid 6-1 start and a top-20 ranking (remember, this is a rebuilding year, folks) and then essentially loses the starting job, even after all of that.
Whether you liked the decision or not, it's hard to see a scenario outside of injury where Cain ever starts again here. Pulling a player - especially one who hasn't played all that poorly - in that situation probably wrecks his confidence. Which means we better hope Jordan Wynn pans out or that solid rebuilding season is going to end on a down note and there will be a whole host of questions entering what should be a really good 2010 campaign.
Regardless, though, I'll concede something had to be done. The offense was stagnating and Wynn appears to move the ball better than Cain. Granted, it was against the Cowboys, but you can't deny how more open and less predictable the offense looked in the second half as opposed to the first. Maybe that's because it is less predictable with the fact Wynn can actually present a deep ball threat and if that's the case, in the long run, it might have been the best move.
But right now, we've got a quarterback who's never started a game at the any collegiate level and another who led his team to a great start and now probably watched his days at Utah fall apart because of six quarters of so-so football. That's not a good position to be in this late into the season, even if there is no other option.
Hopefully it works out. But what do you think?
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It was a unexpected
I figure we’d keep going with Cain into the 2nd half. Sure the offense sucked and was heavily booed off the field, but it wasn’t all Cain’s fault. I felt like he could have easily bounced back in the 2nd half. Know it’s easy to say it was the right move, mainly because the coaches used Wynn correctly he came in and was throwing quick short passes to get the offense moving.. I still think Cain has the play making ability and let’s face it he is still young and should improve his decision making with more experience he gets. I would go with Cain the next game which is a winnable one vs. New Mexico, but it doesn’t matter what I think, it’s up to the coaches.
utah could use a two qb system. it has proved successful with other teams
i see no problem using it at utah if it wins us games.
by wolfmanshowlforever on Nov 1, 2009 7:48 PM MST reply actions
I don't know about that.
I think that Whittingham should just name Wynn the starter and be done with it. Jordan just seems to give the Utes the best opportunity to win, especially in big games. He simply possesses abilities that Terrance Cain does not have. He is a MUCH better passer than Cain. Jordan also understands the reads a lot better, which led to him making better decisions. I was actually excited to see receivers OTHER than David Reed making big plays because Jordan found them and hit them when they were open. Wynn’s arm is a lot stronger than Terrance’s and it allows him to make longer and more accurate throws. With the emergence of Eddie Wide as a great running back, Jordan Wynn is just the type of player that the Utes need to really get the offense clicking. With the way that the defense has been dominating lately, Utah suddenly becomes a very formidable opponent for anyone who plays them, which includes TCU.
I think we are getting about too excited for Wynn, he played one good, not great half of football. If Wyoming was defense was more discipline it would have had a pick 6 against him and than I don’t think people’s opinion of Wynn would be that high. He’s young kid with great potential yes, but I just don’t believe it’s his time now. I still believe it’s terrance cain’s time to shine.
He should have pulled him . . .
. . . in the Oregon game. I mean, I thought our D was failing us but now I don’t believe that to be the case.
I’m the first to say that winning under any conditions, as Cain has consistently done (6-1 is a proven winner), is worth a great deal in measuring a QB’s intangibles and leadership. However, the Offense is being kept on life support by D and special teams and that has to change.
Cain is a very good college QB, and an excellent fit for our team, but the team is missing a little fire under center, someone who seethes wanting to win to fire up that offense. We have excellent wideouts, a good line, RBs are productive, yet the offense has staggered all season and gotten tentative in the red zone. How can we watch a good team crawl to the win all year? At what point do you destroy team spirit by letting the offense keep inferior teams close all year? We’ve not killed anyone yet, and we should have killed a couple of these guys.
Did we over rate our team top to bottom?
Granted, our schedule last year was easier in conference because Wyoming and SDSU were worse than they are this year. So is Air Force’s offense—if AF had last year’s offense and this year’s D they have beaten in our house, in fact, they’d be unbeaten this year.
Getting benched might make Cain come out amazing, teach him not to take it for granted, fire him up. It might be what Wynn needed, but the team needs to know it cannot languish each game waiting for the offense to finally get it together. The D needs to know the coach will try to inspire the O and help them out.
At this point in the season, with our talent, the offense should be farther along than it is now. If it isn’t our QB, it’s our coaching. Expect Dave Schramm to improve or move positions/move on to another team after next season if we stay like this.
Here’s the most important thing though:
If you’re going to have a ho-hum year offensively, struggle etc., get that year outta your up and comer and get that under his belt. Four years starting is a great experience for a QB and can hone his skills considerably and frankly, I think this offense would be no worse with him as starter so why not get him the snaps and reps?
Maybe we’d go 8-4 instead of 10-2 or 11-1 because of rookie errors, maybe we’d be undefeated, but I think it would pay off the next three years.
I don’t feel bad about our team if Cain is the QB, but I don’t see the deep threat in our team and with fast tall wideouts with experience that’s inexcusable. Aiona Key—catch or not—should be sent deep occasionally to make them open up that box on defense. Hoping Reed will break a quick slant each game for a score or two is unrealistic and will bite our butts eventually.
Yes, we’re 6-1, yes I am happy with that record. But right now there are a lot of 5-2, 6-2, 5-3 and 4-4 teams that are as good or better than we are. Last year that simply was not the case.
We mouth off about how bad the Big east and ACC are, well, we don’t want to play Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, USF, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, or Miami next week, I promise you.
If cain is the QB for this team, benching him will not detour his ambitions and abilities. It it destroys or hurts him significantly mentally, he’s not the QB for this team but is suited more to backing up someone else.
What the H?
I have been saying this all year and now it finally gets brought to light. The problem with the Utes offense is not and has never been Terrance Cain. Its Dave Schramm. His play calling has been awful and at half time, not only did they replace Cain but they pulled Schramm from the Coordinator box and put in the WR coach to call plays on offense. So…Im actually way pissed that they pulled Cain because up till then he was 10-13 for 120+ yards. He obviously had issues with holding onto the ball and his pocket awareness wasnt the best in the world but he would have been just as effective I think in pulling off the comeback as Wynn was because they also changed out the Off Coor. I think they should have swapped out Schramm but kept Cain in to see if that made the difference before they just threw Wynn’s red shirt away. Now all those games he sat on the bench are worthless. And who knows what the Oregon outcome would have been had Wynn played instead of Cain. Such a terrible mistake playing Wynn
Dan Condie
Actually, ARod was calling the plays the entire game.
Kinda punctures that theory, doesn’t it?
Everyone hates a pink-shirt-wearing communist.
I do think it is more OC than QB, though.
So I’m inclined to agree with go_utes.
With that said, maybe Wynn is better suited to run this offense than Cain. If that’s the case, you’ve got to make that change.
I agree.
I did not think Cain was doing that poorly, and I do think ARod did a better job calling the plays. But the difference between the first half and the second half was not OC, it was QB, and it was pretty clear to see that Wynn is more of a leader and has a better arm than Cain. And since Cain fumbles every time he runs, his advantage in running ability is pretty much negated.
I guess I think of it this way. If Cain wasn’t allowed to run, who is better, Wynn or Cain? It seems pretty clear from the Wyoming game that it’s Wynn, and since Cain never runs without fumbling, I think you might as well make Wynn the starter. I mean, we’ll beat UNM either way. Who gives us the best chance against TCU? I think it’s Wynn. Imagine how scary good TCU’s defense would be knowing that we won’t make any throws over 10 yards?
Everyone hates a pink-shirt-wearing communist.
Beyond that...
It seemed the o-line played better with Wynn under center.
Is that just a coincidence? I don’t think so.
Cain is OK
But the team needed to see something different.
We’ll see Cain again, perhaps as the starter.
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