Motivated athletes improve, particularly quarterbacks. Their recognition and command of the offense gets better. The game comes easier to them. They get more comfortable in the leadership role and grow in maturity. They grow accustomed to the spotlight, the media, being the face of the program. They’ve had the experience of succeeding in big games. They learn from their mistakes.
Darron Thomas is one of the most competitive athletes you will ever watch, so much so that he bested every single quarterback he faced in his first year starting. Yesterday DSH ran the numbers, and in all 13 of Oregon’s games, including matchups featuring Andrew Luck, Matt Barkley, Nick Foles and Cam Newton, first-year starter and redshirt sophomore Darron Thomas had the higher passer rating. Phenomenal when you think about it. Have you ever gone five months without a bad day at work? How about with television cameras recording your every move, including the time you picked your nose?
Keep in mind, Thomas is 21 years old. Before last August no one was sure he’d be the starter. He’d only appeared in five college games, all as a freshman, most of those in cameos or mop-up duty, including his eye-opening three-touchdown debut cold off the bench against Boise State in the fourth quarter in 2008, and a memorable trick play in the Civil War that same year. Thomas grew up fast, and before our very eyes. September of last year the Ducks were down by ten before 102,000 fans in Neyland Stadium against an SEC opponent (an opponent that lost to LSU 15-13 in a freak ending) Thomas throws two touchdowns to lead the Ducks to a 48-13 comeback win. On both of the touchdown throws he had a defender bearing down on him and took a hit to deliver the ball. This kid has the cool and courage to be a great one, turning in a fabulous first year that included a conference championship, a 12-1 record, 2881 yards passing with 30 touchdowns and just 9 interceptions. Many of the experts thought Thomas’ inexperience would be the Ducks weakness. As so often happens, the experts were wrong, and the true believers and so-called kool-aid drinkers were completely right.
The beauty of it is, Darron Thomas isn’t satisfied. At Oregon Media Day he told the gathered press, “A lot of my interceptions last year were bogus interceptions.” He’s been in the video room, breaking down his mistakes. He wants to make better reads, not miss the safety rotating into coverage. About the national championship game he said, “It’s my only loss as a starter.” He wants to get back there, and it was a big motivator for him and his teammates all off season, whether the coaches will admit it or not.
How good can Darron Thomas be? As LaMichael James says, “There’s no such thing as too high of expectations.” Here’s a look at the improvement curve of a few quarterbacks of DT’s caliber, first year to second year of starting. Expect Thomas, who’s on the upper end of the scale of self-motivation, to finish high in this comparison. He rolls that way.
(statistics from espn.com and totalfootballstats.com)
*season shortened by injury
Note that Darron’s first-year numbers are dramatically better than anyone on this chart. It’s important to note also that not every quarterback improves from year one to year two. Bill Musgrave and Kellen Clemens didn’t, for example. Other factors like injuries, personnel at running back,receiver and offensive line, coaching or scheme changes, strength of schedule and competitive balance within a league can affect these numbers. But with Thomas displaying a dedication to his improvement in understanding and technique, with an awesome array of talent around him and exceptional coaching, only one conclusion is possible:
The upside for Darron Thomas in 2011 is extremely high indeed.
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