11 for '11: The Maturation Of Chase Rettig
by A.J Black on Jul 25, 2011 5:00 PM EDT
in Boston College Football
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PrintAs we near the start of fall camp, this series explores 11 topics and themes related to the 2011 Boston College Eagles football season.
Going into the 2011 season one of Boston College's biggest question marks is at the quarterback position. Last season we all watched as Dave Shinskie scuffled for four games in the early season, struggling mightily against Virginia Tech and N.C. State. The fanbase was happy when Shinskie was benched, Chase Rettig was given the starting job and thrown into the fire against Notre Dame. The results were not pretty. Last season was a typical year for a freshman quarterback. Rettig had his high points (Duke) and his low points (Nevada), but many questions remained about his talent.
Is he capable of being a reliable starting quarterback? Was he just a victim of the freshman jitters? How much of this was Gary Tranquill's fault? What can we expect of him in his second season?
First, let's take a look at how Chase compared against previous Boston College QB's in their first year as starting QB. Some of the guys on the list -- Paul Peterson, Matt Ryan -- took over at varying points of the season, so data like yards and total touchdowns might not be the most accurate way to look at the data. But other data like completion percentage and TD:INT ratio might be a better barometer of the success each QB had:
| Player | COMP | ATT | COMP % | YARDS | TD | INT | TD:INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Peterson | 84 | 147 | 57% | 1,124 | 10 | 7 | 1.4 |
| Quinton Porter | 140 | 250 | 56% | 1,764 | 14 | 6 | 2.3 |
| Matt Ryan | 121 | 195 | 62% | 1,514 | 8 | 5 | 1.6 |
| Dominique Davis | 63 | 138 | 46% | 741 | 6 | 4 | 1.5 |
| Dave Shinskie | 148 | 287 | 52% | 2,041 | 15 | 14 | 1.1 |
| Chase Rettig | 100 | 195 | 51% | 1,238 | 6 | 9 | 0.66 |
This data is a little unnerving for Rettig, who appears to be lag behind every BC quarterback in recent memory. He has the lowest completion percentage and the weakest TD:INT ratio. But was this a product of the system that he was thrown into? Look at Dave Shinskie. He had the same coaching staff as Rettig and had numbers that were equally as terrible. Probably not a stretch to say that Gary Tranquill has to be given part of the blame for BC's quarterback struggles.
Could a new offensive coordinator help Rettig adjust and be better prepared for the 2011 season? Kevin Rogers came into a similar situation in Notre Dame and helped Jarious Jackson improve drastically in one season:
Jarious Jackson (1998): 104-of-188, 1,740 yards, 13 TD, 6 INT, 174.0 YPG, 55.3 Comp. Pct.
Jarious Jackson (1999): 184-of-316, 2,753 yards, 17 TD, 14 INT, 229.4 YPG, 58.2 Comp. Pct.
You can see Jackson improved in all the areas BC fans are looking for Rettig to improve in -- higher completion percentage, more TD passes and more yards per game. As we all know, Rogers also had a lot of success with Donovan McNabb, Marcus Vick and Bryan Randall who all had monster seasons in college.
Rogers might just be the person to "turn the switch" in Rettig that turns him into the confident quarterback BC fans have been aching for since Matt Ryan was drafted. From what his teammates said yesterday at the ACC Kickoff event, it appears that Chase Rettig's teammates are confident he will take those steps forward in 2011:
"More comfortable...more poise...he understands college football, time management." - Kuechly
"Expect a more confident and knowledgeable QB Chase Rettig. He's able to read defenses better now." - Harris
It is a bit unfair to use Matt Ryan as the gold standard for Rettig's success and failure. But if Rettig can make improvements his sophomore year -- something Dave Shinskie failed to do -- then BC fans will see a much improved quarterback who may surprise some doubters.
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Blond surfer
Rettig came from California with a lot of credentials. He has nice size and a frame built for adding bulk. He seemed to be calm and didn’t let things get him down. USC had expressed strong interest. He had to start early but that used to be the story for all freshmen. The key is Rogers and his influence especially in light of his work with McNabb and Favre. However, there have been big problems with the offensive line strategy even before losing Castanzo, Richman, and Claiborne. The “Run Harris till he drops” strategy worked somewhat until Harris dropped. Obviously, there is need of a more diversified offense. Again, that is Rogers. There is also a “lack of emotion” that needs to be addressed. The first two games (UCF, NW) will “callibrate the bulls eye”.
Eh, this is an unfair comparison.
All of these QBs, had the benefit of both a semi-competent Offensive Coordinator and at least a redshirt season to learn the playbook, get stronger/bigger and acclimate to college football speed. The only exception is Shinskie who’s percentage was only marginally better and his TD:INT ratio was probably more a product of a talented and veteran receiving core (Jarvis, Sr.; Megwa, Sr.; Gunnell, Sr.; Larmond, So.) than of better QB talent.
The Harris and Keuchly quotes say it all. He has more knowledge of the playbook and more comfort playing at this level. His stats this year are the ones that should be in this chart, not last year’s.
Not to mention Chase didn’t have any games against Kent St, New Hampshire, etc. to help pad his stats.
Like you said, Chase got put in after some putrid performances by Shinskie. Still think Spaz made an error not starting Rettig from the get go. That game experience against the creampuffs would have paid dividends.
Raw frosh
Not too many coaches, ESP Spaz, will start a totally green true frosh,ESP if they have last years starter on board. Can u think of an example where this was done and worked? I might be mistaken, but the example i can think of is the Maryland kid, But I think was a red shirt frosh.
Wake, I think went with true freshman who was none too good.
As for Shinskie, the real issue is that he can’t really take hit. If he gets pounded, ala VT, he gets confused and loses judgment, what little he had, and start throwing interceptions. Shinskie was obviously better in practice than games
"Labelling pessimism as realism is a form of self delusion" - WaterWater
Completion Percentage
Ryan’s completion percentage really stands out for me above. This is the area that I want Rettig to improve upon the most.
Definitely a needed area for improvement
But the number that stands out to me is the TD:INT ratio. When you consider he only threw 5 TDs after the strike to Swigert in the ND game, that number seems way too small and INT total too high. He didn’t get to break in against Weber State and Kent State, true but did get games against Wake, Duke, Virginia and Syracuse.
Editor, BC Interruption
by Brian Favat on Jul 25, 2011 11:22 PM EDT up reply actions
In fairness
There was a crazy case of the dropsies by the receivers in the redzone last year.
Still, all you ever hear about is the potential of the receiving corps. Swigert is on the Biletnikoff watch list.
How many dropped passes would have went for TDs? 1? 2?
Editor, BC Interruption
by Brian Favat on Jul 26, 2011 12:48 AM EDT up reply actions
Rettig and the WRs all were Tranquillized!
Hard to make comparisons with Tranq in charge
But agree Rettig needs to get into high 50 or better completion percent wise
"Labelling pessimism as realism is a form of self delusion" - WaterWater
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