Congratulation Quentin Saulsberry
- Thread starter benatmsu
- Start date
HE hustles like a mofo. Every play, at the end of the play, he's around the ball. He follows through, which is handy if someone fumbles or something. He got better as the year progressed, and I think with Sherrod, Brignone, plus a juco guard or two, we could have a decent OL next year.
Yeah, he wasn't great this season. Sure, he got beat a good bit. But damn, he wasn't supposed to start at all this year. He was supposed to play sparingly and provide depth. When it comes to linemen, particularly offensive linemen, in the SEC I think it takes them about 3 years to be ready to start unless they are a special player like Sherrod. In HS, most of these guys could dominate with their size. They were bigger than most of the guys they went against and more athletic. Then they get on campus and they are big, but don't have good technique, they're athleticism is no longer an advantage, nor is their size or strength. So it takes a redshirt year and a RS Frosh year to get anywhere near ready to even be a backup. Look around the SEC. Most teams start guys that are RS Sophs-RS Seniors. Even at the big schools. Saulsberry may be terrible or he may be a complete bust, but the fact is he simply wasn't ready to play a large role this year, much less start. He did the best he could, and I won't bust his balls for it. And we won't even talk about some of the ridiculous assignments he was asked to block without any help from a TE, FB, or RB. Like Johnson from GA Tech. Everyone else double teams that guy. Croom asked Saulsberry to block him one-on-one. I can't blame Saulsberry for that. Croom put him in a position where he had no chance of success. I just hope his confidence isn't so shattered from this season that he can bounce back and improve. I still think he's got enough athleticism to be a good OL for us at some point. But not right now, not that we have a choice about playing him.
Also seems like I remember someone telling me Saulsberry's natural position is guard. If that is true, factor that in to his performance outside at tackle this season and let's hope we can move him inside in the spring.
Also seems like I remember someone telling me Saulsberry's natural position is guard. If that is true, factor that in to his performance outside at tackle this season and let's hope we can move him inside in the spring.
SPD - He's got the talent, and you are right, for 99% of the OL recruits, they will be redshirt sophomores before they are close to being ready, especially at tackle with the speed in the SEC.
Saulsbury hustles, and he works his *** off. He's not one of those OL that just sits there and watches the play, he follows it. And he was a lot better at the on of the season than at the beginning.
Saulsbury hustles, and he works his *** off. He's not one of those OL that just sits there and watches the play, he follows it. And he was a lot better at the on of the season than at the beginning.
Philip Freeman (JUCO OL) is coming off a redshirt so he could help on one of the ends and QS could be moved to an interior position.
Like I said, he shouldn't have been starting this season. It wasn't fair to him, but we didn't really have a choice. Brown & Co. forced our hand and Saulsberry had to start. Hopefully this new staff can move him inside since Freeman is coming off a RS season, and get him squared away there in the spring and help his confidence. Your right about his hustle, too. He certainly wasn't the type of OL to stand around and let the play go on without him while he stood with his hand on his hips. It's way too soon for this comparison from a career/talent standpoint, but from a hustle standpoint I remember another MState OL under Croom who could almost always be found around the pile after the play. He's in the NFL now and having a great career. I won't give up on Saulsberry just yet. If he sucks *** aGAIN next year, I'll re-evaluate my position then. But for now, I'll stand behind him.
You are right. It got so frustrating watching him get beat play after play. However, when I realized he was one on one, blocking weak side, in many of those situations...I realized who fault it was. Perfect example of the Croom era. A player out of position, getting toasted nearly every play, and nothing is done from week to week to correct the problem.
I agree with what's stated above - he tried hard and always gave effort. Plus, when he did get beat at the end of the play he'd usually hit himself or give some other frustrated mannerism at himself for getting beat meaning he cared. If every player gives the kind of effort he gives and takes the kind of pride in their performance he does, then I think we could be decent next year. Not great - but decent. Like coach said, we just need to play with passion and enthusiasm.
