MSU @ EW Takeaways

[onceacat]

This isn't really news but it was on full display yesterday. If Sean Chambers gets a stiff arm on you, there's a good chance you're getting pushed down to the ground on your ass.

The best is when he does it to guys that are going low and their face goes straight into the turf.

It made me really happy when he totally trucked that cheap shot artist #4.

[onceacat]

This isn't really news but it was on full display yesterday. If Sean Chambers gets a stiff arm on you, there's a good chance you're getting pushed down to the ground on your ass.

#4 was on the business end of that stiff arm a couple of times. Poor kid had no chance.

That "poor kid" was the d-bag who somehow didn't get ejected for the targeting call on Chambers. I think he was in on the shot that knocked Mellot out of the game too.

Whatever business he got from Chambers was a lot less than his cheap shot ass deserved!

[ThoughtUKnew14]

Worth noting; the talent drop off between Tommy and Chambers is very little (if at all). I am comfortable with either behind center unlike pretty much any season I can remember!

100% agree! I’ll take it one step further and say Chambers can be a much better passer than Tommy when he gets more snaps, gains confidence and becomes more comfortable.

[Cataholic]

Worth noting; the talent drop off between Tommy and Chambers is very little (if at all). I am comfortable with either behind center unlike pretty much any season I can remember!

100% agree! I’ll take it one step further and say Chambers can be a much better passer than Tommy when he gets more snaps, gains confidence and becomes more comfortable.

Sorry guys, but Tommy is way ahead of Chambers in passing and Tommy is a much more explosive runner. Tommy was the starter for a reason. Chambers is a capable runner but his passing accuracy has been an issue going back to his Wyoming days. Our team is much better with Tommy at QB. We will win with Chambers, but it is not because he is an upgrade.

[onceacat]

Worth noting; the talent drop off between Tommy and Chambers is very little (if at all). I am comfortable with either behind center unlike pretty much any season I can remember!

100% agree! I’ll take it one step further and say Chambers can be a much better passer than Tommy when he gets more snaps, gains confidence and becomes more comfortable.

Sorry guys, but Tommy is way ahead of Chambers in passing and Tommy is a much more explosive runner. Tommy was the starter for a reason. Chambers is a capable runner but his passing accuracy has been an issue going back to his Wyoming days. Our team is much better with Tommy at QB. We will win with Chambers, but it is not because he is an upgrade.

This sort of reminds me of arguing over the difference between Gunnar Brekke & Chad Newell or Nick LaSane & Shawn Johnson.

I hate to say it as a Cat fan, but neither TM nor SC is a significant upgrade in passing over Troy Andersen or Chris Murray.

OK, thats not fair...TM/SC are better passers than TA/CM. But neither TM nor SC is a Big Sky "average" passer.

Of course, Housewrights offense isn't really conditioned on passing ability, so it might not matter. When it comes to running the ball, TM is a lot more explosive & SC is a lot bigger load to bring down. (Kinda like the differences between the 'Lightning & Thunder' RB combinations the Cats have had in the past.)

Two totally different tools in the toolbox.

[Montanabob]

Worth noting; the talent drop off between Tommy and Chambers is very little (if at all). I am comfortable with either behind center unlike pretty much any season I can remember!

100% agree! I’ll take it one step further and say Chambers can be a much better passer than Tommy when he gets more snaps, gains confidence and becomes more comfortable.

Sorry guys, but Tommy is way ahead of Chambers in passing and Tommy is a much more explosive runner. Tommy was the starter for a reason. Chambers is a capable runner but his passing accuracy has been an issue going back to his Wyoming days. Our team is much better with Tommy at QB. We will win with Chambers, but it is not because he is an upgrade.

This sort of reminds me of arguing over the difference between Gunnar Brekke & Chad Newell or Nick LaSane & Shawn Johnson.

I hate to say it as a Cat fan, but neither TM nor SC is a significant upgrade in passing over Troy Andersen or Chris Murray.

OK, thats not fair...TM/SC are better passers than TA/CM. But neither TM nor SC is a Big Sky "average" passer.

Of course, Housewrights offense isn't really conditioned on passing ability, so it might not matter. When it comes to running the ball, TM is a lot more explosive & SC is a lot bigger load to bring down. (Kinda like the differences between the 'Lightning & Thunder' RB combinations the Cats have had in the past.)

Two totally different tools in the toolbox.

Issue is both need to improve and make better decisions. Chambers late interception was a one look and throw into traffic. Had a better one on one coverage on the left side of the field that was an easy TD.

[autocat]

Sorry Catholic, you must live in Silver Bow County, so it was an accident that Chambers started at WYO?

Go watch some video when he played at WYO, you sound disappointed that he helped get the victory on Saturday

[onceacat]

Worth noting; the talent drop off between Tommy and Chambers is very little (if at all). I am comfortable with either behind center unlike pretty much any season I can remember!

100% agree! I’ll take it one step further and say Chambers can be a much better passer than Tommy when he gets more snaps, gains confidence and becomes more comfortable.

Sorry guys, but Tommy is way ahead of Chambers in passing and Tommy is a much more explosive runner. Tommy was the starter for a reason. Chambers is a capable runner but his passing accuracy has been an issue going back to his Wyoming days. Our team is much better with Tommy at QB. We will win with Chambers, but it is not because he is an upgrade.

This sort of reminds me of arguing over the difference between Gunnar Brekke & Chad Newell or Nick LaSane & Shawn Johnson.

I hate to say it as a Cat fan, but neither TM nor SC is a significant upgrade in passing over Troy Andersen or Chris Murray.

OK, thats not fair...TM/SC are better passers than TA/CM. But neither TM nor SC is a Big Sky "average" passer.

Of course, Housewrights offense isn't really conditioned on passing ability, so it might not matter. When it comes to running the ball, TM is a lot more explosive & SC is a lot bigger load to bring down. (Kinda like the differences between the 'Lightning & Thunder' RB combinations the Cats have had in the past.)

Two totally different tools in the toolbox.

Issue is both need to improve and make better decisions. Chambers late interception was a one look and throw into traffic. Had a better one on one coverage on the left side of the field that was an easy TD.

Yeah. Not a throw that an 'average' BSC passer should make.

In fairness, I watched Cam Rising (All Pac 12 2nd team preseason QB) make the exact same throw against Florida.

The one place where I think TM has a big edge is that he throws a really nice deep ball. But TM has the same issue with one look throws...hitting receivers in the feet, etc.

I'm thrilled to have both these guys...its really fun to watch. But I'd really like to see them both improve their passing games. And they will probably need to in order to 1) beat the gris and 2) have a deep playoff run.

[Cataholic]

Sorry Catholic, you must live in Silver Bow County, so it was an accident that Chambers started at WYO?

Go watch some video when he played at WYO, you sound disappointed that he helped get the victory on Saturday

Doesn’t matter where I live. Go watch some video from the spring game and the McNeese and Morehead games. Anybody who thinks Chambers has better passing ability than Tommy has not been watching.

And by the way, I said that we will win with Chambers. By no means did I say Chambers sucks. The question posed was if Chambers was a better QB than Tommy. Sorry, but Chambers is not.

[bobcatfan123]

Sorry Catholic, you must live in Silver Bow County, so it was an accident that Chambers started at WYO?

Go watch some video when he played at WYO, you sound disappointed that he helped get the victory on Saturday

Doesn’t matter where I live. Go watch some video from the spring game and the McNeese and Morehead games. Anybody who thinks Chambers has better passing ability than Tommy has not been watching.

And by the way, I said that we will win with Chambers. By no means did I say Chambers sucks. The question posed was if Chambers was a better QB than Tommy. Sorry, but Chambers is not.

I agree that Tommy is the better qb. However, it does seem to me that Tommy has n not looked composed this year.

Chambers does not have the same skill set, but was cool calm and collected under pressure. I really think that if Tommy can learn to do the same he will be an all time great.

[GoldstoneCat]

Sorry Catholic, you must live in Silver Bow County, so it was an accident that Chambers started at WYO?

Go watch some video when he played at WYO, you sound disappointed that he helped get the victory on Saturday

Doesn’t matter where I live. Go watch some video from the spring game and the McNeese and Morehead games. Anybody who thinks Chambers has better passing ability than Tommy has not been watching.

And by the way, I said that we will win with Chambers. By no means did I say Chambers sucks. The question posed was if Chambers was a better QB than Tommy. Sorry, but Chambers is not.

I agree that Tommy is the better qb. However, it does seem to me that Tommy has n not looked composed this year.

Chambers does not have the same skill set, but was cool calm and collected under pressure. I really think that if Tommy can learn to do the same he will be an all time great.

Good way to put it. Tommy hasn't thrown the ball well with any consistency. Chambers maybe has a stronger arm as far as ripping the ball but doesn't seem to see the field well. I actually thought the ball was coming out of Tommy's hand as good as it had lsst Saturday; specifically thinking of the 3rd and 10 he completed to alston on a well- covered out route. Both are really good runners that are hard to deal with. Tommy is faster but chambers isn't slow in the open field either.
This won't be popular but I'm not sure either one is the long term answer at the position, as any more than a gadget player. Also possible that Tommy develops into a competent FCS passer, at which point he's a very dangerous man because of his legs. Think we're in good shape this year though because of their running ability, the fact that we have 2, and the fact that we seem to have a really good Oline.

[84CatGrad]

I'll take Tommy over Chambers all day. But I sure am glad we have them both. Chambers is a bruising runner with good speed. Pair him in the backfield with a good RB and that is a good foundation for a run-oriented offense. But he makes me nervous when he passes. He doesn't seem to have any touch on his throws. Let's get Tommy healthy and back where he belongs.

[TomCat88]

Sorry Catholic, you must live in Silver Bow County, so it was an accident that Chambers started at WYO?

Go watch some video when he played at WYO, you sound disappointed that he helped get the victory on Saturday

Doesn’t matter where I live. Go watch some video from the spring game and the McNeese and Morehead games. Anybody who thinks Chambers has better passing ability than Tommy has not been watching.

And by the way, I said that we will win with Chambers. By no means did I say Chambers sucks. The question posed was if Chambers was a better QB than Tommy. Sorry, but Chambers is not.

I agree that Tommy is the better qb. However, it does seem to me that Tommy has n not looked composed this year.

Chambers does not have the same skill set, but was cool calm and collected under pressure. I really think that if Tommy can learn to do the same he will be an all time great.

Good way to put it. Tommy hasn't thrown the ball well with any consistency. Chambers maybe has a stronger arm as far as ripping the ball but doesn't seem to see the field well. I actually thought the ball was coming out of Tommy's hand as good as it had lsst Saturday; specifically thinking of the 3rd and 10 he completed to alston on a well- covered out route. Both are really good runners that are hard to deal with. Tommy is faster but chambers isn't slow in the open field either.
This won't be popular but I'm not sure either one is the long term answer at the position, as any more than a gadget player. Also possible that Tommy develops into a competent FCS passer, at which point he's a very dangerous man because of his legs. Think we're in good shape this year though because of their running ability, the fact that we have 2, and the fact that we seem to have a really good Oline.

MSU’s pass game problems stem more from receivers not getting open than anything the QBs are doing. Practically every catch Patterson and Alston have made has been in traffic. The TEs have been able to get open.

MSU runs a lot of sideline pass plays. They’re slow developing and aren’t conducive to high completion percentages.

Once MSU’s philosophy switches to more passes in the flat and short middle, the defense on the outside routes will soften.

MSU also runs the ball a lot and hasn’t had games play out in a way that the QBs get to throw the ball a lot and find a groove. That’s only happened once and Mellott was finding a lot of success with it through the middle of the Morehead game. He had another stint of shorter duration vs OSU.

[GoldstoneCat]

Sorry Catholic, you must live in Silver Bow County, so it was an accident that Chambers started at WYO?

Go watch some video when he played at WYO, you sound disappointed that he helped get the victory on Saturday

Doesn’t matter where I live. Go watch some video from the spring game and the McNeese and Morehead games. Anybody who thinks Chambers has better passing ability than Tommy has not been watching.

And by the way, I said that we will win with Chambers. By no means did I say Chambers sucks. The question posed was if Chambers was a better QB than Tommy. Sorry, but Chambers is not.

I agree that Tommy is the better qb. However, it does seem to me that Tommy has n not looked composed this year.

Chambers does not have the same skill set, but was cool calm and collected under pressure. I really think that if Tommy can learn to do the same he will be an all time great.

Good way to put it. Tommy hasn't thrown the ball well with any consistency. Chambers maybe has a stronger arm as far as ripping the ball but doesn't seem to see the field well. I actually thought the ball was coming out of Tommy's hand as good as it had lsst Saturday; specifically thinking of the 3rd and 10 he completed to alston on a well- covered out route. Both are really good runners that are hard to deal with. Tommy is faster but chambers isn't slow in the open field either.
This won't be popular but I'm not sure either one is the long term answer at the position, as any more than a gadget player. Also possible that Tommy develops into a competent FCS passer, at which point he's a very dangerous man because of his legs. Think we're in good shape this year though because of their running ability, the fact that we have 2, and the fact that we seem to have a really good Oline.

MSU’s pass game problems stem more from receivers not getting open than anything the QBs are doing. Practically every catch Patterson and Alston have made has been in traffic. The TEs have been able to get open.

MSU runs a lot of sideline pass plays. They’re slow developing and aren’t conducive to high completion percentages.

Once MSU’s philosophy switches to more passes in the flat and short middle, the defense on the outside routes will soften.

MSU also runs the ball a lot and hasn’t had games play out in a way that the QBs get to throw the ball a lot and find a groove. That’s only happened once and Mellott was finding a lot of success with it through the middle of the Morehead game. He had another stint of shorter duration vs OSU.

Good point. I guess my only response would be to ask the old chicken-or-egg argument regarding scheme. Do we have that jump-ball tendency because that's what we believe in or because we think we currently have 1-read qbs who may be turnover prone in the middle of the field? I don't know that answer but at different times it feels like either could be true so i imagine it's a mix of both.

[CelticCat]

Chambers has a different skillset and mindset. That nice 14 yard or so 1st down completion he threw to Clevan Thomas was an accurate, strong throw that I don't think Tommy even tries to make let alone completes.

Not saying Chambers is a better option by any means but he has more of a QB mentality, is more willing to let it fly.

[catatac]

Worth noting; the talent drop off between Tommy and Chambers is very little (if at all). I am comfortable with either behind center unlike pretty much any season I can remember!

100% agree! I’ll take it one step further and say Chambers can be a much better passer than Tommy when he gets more snaps, gains confidence and becomes more comfortable.

I don't think so. Chambers is a leader and a winner. He can throw some beautiful passes..... but his passing is inconsistent, and it's been that way for five years. I'm super pumped that he's a Bobcat! TM has only started a few games, and his passing will only get better.

[BleedingBLue]

Chambers has a different skillset and mindset. That nice 14 yard or so 1st down completion he threw to Clevan Thomas was an accurate, strong throw that I don't think Tommy even tries to make let alone completes.

Not saying Chambers is a better option by any means but he has more of a QB mentality, is more willing to let it fly.

This is absolutely true. What Chambers can't do that Tommy can though is throw a nice deep ball. His deep balls down the sideline are probably more like 30-70 balls in favor of the D because he throws them to the inside of the field instead of to the sideline. Way easier to play that ball and potentially pick it off.

[TomCat88]

Sorry Catholic, you must live in Silver Bow County, so it was an accident that Chambers started at WYO?

Go watch some video when he played at WYO, you sound disappointed that he helped get the victory on Saturday

Doesn’t matter where I live. Go watch some video from the spring game and the McNeese and Morehead games. Anybody who thinks Chambers has better passing ability than Tommy has not been watching.

And by the way, I said that we will win with Chambers. By no means did I say Chambers sucks. The question posed was if Chambers was a better QB than Tommy. Sorry, but Chambers is not.

I agree that Tommy is the better qb. However, it does seem to me that Tommy has n not looked composed this year.

Chambers does not have the same skill set, but was cool calm and collected under pressure. I really think that if Tommy can learn to do the same he will be an all time great.

Good way to put it. Tommy hasn't thrown the ball well with any consistency. Chambers maybe has a stronger arm as far as ripping the ball but doesn't seem to see the field well. I actually thought the ball was coming out of Tommy's hand as good as it had lsst Saturday; specifically thinking of the 3rd and 10 he completed to alston on a well- covered out route. Both are really good runners that are hard to deal with. Tommy is faster but chambers isn't slow in the open field either.
This won't be popular but I'm not sure either one is the long term answer at the position, as any more than a gadget player. Also possible that Tommy develops into a competent FCS passer, at which point he's a very dangerous man because of his legs. Think we're in good shape this year though because of their running ability, the fact that we have 2, and the fact that we seem to have a really good Oline.

MSU’s pass game problems stem more from receivers not getting open than anything the QBs are doing. Practically every catch Patterson and Alston have made has been in traffic. The TEs have been able to get open.

MSU runs a lot of sideline pass plays. They’re slow developing and aren’t conducive to high completion percentages.

Once MSU’s philosophy switches to more passes in the flat and short middle, the defense on the outside routes will soften.

MSU also runs the ball a lot and hasn’t had games play out in a way that the QBs get to throw the ball a lot and find a groove. That’s only happened once and Mellott was finding a lot of success with it through the middle of the Morehead game. He had another stint of shorter duration vs OSU.

Good point. I guess my only response would be to ask the old chicken-or-egg argument regarding scheme. Do we have that jump-ball tendency because that's what we believe in or because we think we currently have 1-read qbs who may be turnover prone in the middle of the field? I don't know that answer but at different times it feels like either could be true so i imagine it's a mix of both.

Even if they were one read QBs, there should still be numerous pockets in coverage with so much emphasis on the run. MSU has used some simple pass plays with success that should pop open every game, but I haven’t seen them go back to them.

It’s hard to get into a passing groove when you get to throw 10-15 passes and they’re scattered throughout the game. The drives/stretches MSU’s used the pass more exclusively, Mellott has gotten into good rhythm.

[TomCat88]

MSU appeared to be looking to pass more vs. EWU. Mellott had a stretch of 12 plays that he got to throw six times. He went 4-6-0, 42.

I think it’s more a matter of dedicating the offense to passing, than it is a lack of ability. However, it’s hard to understand why anyone would do that when you can run well. If Mellott were a more established/seasoned passer, then he’d be much more at ease if called upon sporadically. It’s going to take more time than it would if MSU’s offense was less run heavy.

[kennethnoisewater]

Sorry for not knowing but what is Ortt 5 game suspension for? Thank you

I don't see that this got answered. Ortt was actually suspended an entire season back before the championship game in January for taking a banned substance (I've never heard what it was). He served that game. He also appealed that suspension and had it reduced to 6 games. So with the chipper and four games so far this season, he has one more game to sit out.