Re: ESPN writer

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Re: ESPN writer "a buyer" on DJ Uiagalelei in 2022

Feb 22, 2022, 10:51 AM

I largely agree with David on this one. I think a consistent OL and WR corps will do DJ a lot of good. Remember how much Tajh improved from 2011 to 2012? I think we can expect that from DJ, especially knowing that Cade will likely push him in practice unlike the backups in 2021.

If we can get our slot situation taken care of, I think that'll be what propels DJ into being the QB we all know he can be (and he showed that against BC and ND in 2020). I hope he learns to break that god awful habit of staring down his first read before the play. And with a full, somewhat normal offseason, I hope he puts on some muscle like Tajh did in 2012 and thus is less timid running the ball.

I think the law firm of Collins & Collins (plus EJ and Ngata if they stay healthy somehow) show a lot of promise on the boundary. Slot is DJ's second favorite area to throw to (watch him on QB1), and we had diddly there last year. I knew we were in a bad spot when Dabo and Grisham leaned so heavily into Ross at the slot. Notice how DJ threw for a record high passing yard total for an opposing QB @ Notre Dame Stadium when he had Amari at the slot and a legit deep threat in Powell. Slot is so important for us to move the sticks - it's great for the second/third and intermediate distance, or for short yardage to get the first down. We were blessed to have such good play at the slot for so long (Watkins, Humphries, Scott, Renfrow, Rodgers), that it shows how much the entire offense suffers without a good player there.

DJ is the type of player, that plays better when he's surrounded by a solid supporting cast. Now that we have RB more or less sorted out, if we can be consistent at OL and WR, I think DJ does take the next step as David seems to be. I'm still bullish on DJ because I think he does have it in him. I think putting his parents' divorce behind him will help as well. That can't have been good for him to go through last year.

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and DJ was off all season. There's a lot that goes into a game and at some point, I think it makes sense to step away from these statistics and acknowledge what is seen with the eyes...he missed a lot of throws and made some questionable decisions. He needs to get better, that's all. He clearly knows it better than anyone.

Everyone also knows that his WR was waaaaay below standards this year, both because of performance and because of injuries. AND we know that the running game got significantly better and more reliable over the course of the season. AND DJ improved as well...possibly because young receivers got more reliable and the running game took some pressure off. I'm a bit tired of the OLine criticism...it seems lazy at this point...it's like two or three programs in the country think they have a great OLine and for everyone else, it's a problem. 27th in "sacks allowed" with a VERY immobile QB, and our RBs had the breathing room they needed late in the season. They can improve, obviously, but I think they need to be cut some slack in the "What caused DJ's woes" debate.

Bottom line, this sort of analysis is a waste of time. DJ didn't play well last year. He also had bad WR play, a decimated WR team, was overweight and had a hurt finger on his throwing hand. Hunker down, lose some weight, get healthy, get a full team of WRs back, have a healthy, more experienced OL, have a proven stable of RBs, lose the pressure of being "the next great Clemson QB" or "A Heisman candidate"...add a potentially viable replacement in Cade to push him...and let's see what happens. Should be fun.

ESPN writer "a buyer" on DJ Uiagalelei in 2022

Re: ESPN writer "a buyer" on DJ Uiagalelei in 2022

I think David is overanalyzing. We all watched the games

Re: ESPN writer "a buyer" on DJ Uiagalelei in 2022

The non expert, non-expert opinion right HERE

Re: ESPN writer "a buyer" on DJ Uiagalelei in 2022

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