not willing vs not trusting what is unfamiliar is debatable. I'll take the basic instinct of making plays that has to be honed into a controlled weapon at this level any day of the week vs the physical limitations of a Mac Jones. Nobody promised a polished product coming out of BYU so some patience was in order from the get go. Greg Knapp loss was critical.
+1.
one of the first questions Saleh was asked about Mike White's Cincy performance was about taking the underneath stuff as the first option. Saleh shot that notion down quickly, and said that LaFleur tried to push the ball down field but the underneath was available.
i say that, because it should be noted that before the injury we had no running game to speak of, and we didn't have the Doctor at RG so our pass protection was abysmal and play fakes didn't fool a soul. Cory was the #1 option on most plays so it stands to reason that a rookie QB:
1.) is not going to trust smaller windows under pressure.
2.) will hold onto the ball longer.
3.) try to extend plays as a pocket is collapsing.
having said that, Zach didn't "get off" of Cory quickly enough, and allowed his outlets to be covered...but that wasn't Hero Ball. it was a rookie not trusting and/or processing quickly.
What a difference an NFL Right Guard makes, right?
