Does Landry Jones Deserve More Credit?

by dishingoutdimes on Jan 11, 2011 10:00 PM CST in Oklahoma Sooners Football

Landry Jones takes a lot of heat sometimes, but let's take a step back and appreciate how well Landry has really done. Below is a table of starting quarterbacks' stats from the past decade for Oklahoma, sorted by passer rating.

Sooner QB Career Stats
Name	Comp	Att	Cmp%	Yds	TD	INT	Rating
Sam Bradford	604	893	67.6	8403	88	16	175.6
Jason White	626	988	63.4	7913	81	24	152.8
Josh Heupel	280	433	64.7	3392	20	14	139.2
Landry Jones	632	1017	62.1	7487	61	25	138.9
Paul Thompson	245	408	60.0	3084	26	14	137.7
Nate Hybl	440	759	58.0	4916	40	23	123.7
Rhett Bomar	167	308	54.2	2018	10	10	113.5

It's worth noting that Landry Jones, despite just having completed his sophomore season, has already attempted over 1000 passes, more than anyone else at Oklahoma has ever done. The point is that the Oklahoma coaching staff has asked Landry to do a lot for this offense, and he's had the added pressure of replacing the Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford. Sam still holds the top spot in passer rating lists. It is simply hard to be as efficient as Bradford was able to be, but Landry is doing decent, at #57 on that career passer rating list already.

With Sam Bradford excluded, you could stack Landry up against pretty much any other quarterback at Oklahoma and make an argument that his stats are as good or better than the others. Landry averages an interception every 40.7 attempts, which is only worse than Bradford (1 INT per 55.8 att), and barely worse than Jason White (1 INT per 41.2 att) - both Heisman Trophy winners who piloted teams to the National Championship Game.

What do you think? Does Landry deserve more credit?

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Comments

Very Well Put Dimes

This is a soap box of mine. I’ve often said that OU fans don’t give Jones enough credit and that his biggest fault is that he isn’t Sam Bradford.

by ccmachine on Jan 11, 2011 10:05 PM CST reply actions

the thing that sticks out to me is...

…all of the above are Stoops qb’s. I was shocked to see Bomar up there as well. I have been very hard on Landry but I’m coming around on him.

Hi, my name is Josey Wales and I'm a douche. Prove me wrong.

by boomer1 on Jan 11, 2011 10:37 PM CST reply actions

You are telling me that Paul Thompson

Had nearly the same comp/attempts a’s heupel? Is this correct? Surely those heupel numbers are for one season… Do the math it’s like 10ish completions per game…

Otherwise, it’s what it is… Better than hybl, Thompson & bomar. Said that all along…

by OU JJ on Jan 11, 2011 10:49 PM CST via mobile reply actions

Wow... I glanced at some numbers

I guess leach didn’t really “air it out” a’s much that first year a’s we remember… Wow

by OU JJ on Jan 11, 2011 10:55 PM CST via mobile up reply actions

Great Article Dimes

I’ve been right with CC on Landry’s performance. Landry is more talented physically than Josh and Josh had that great football sense and guile more than pure talent to lead him to sucess.

"I feel fortunate.... It's just great to get another championship." Bob Stoops

by SoonerMike on Jan 11, 2011 10:57 PM CST reply actions

We will always measure current and future QB's to Heupel

Due to the fact he won a NT. Sometimes unfairly.

"I feel fortunate.... It's just great to get another championship." Bob Stoops

by SoonerMike on Jan 11, 2011 11:00 PM CST reply actions

It's going to be interesting to see how many attempts Landry winds up with in his career

If he is only around next year he could be up around 1500 if he stays healthy. Same caveat for senior year it could be 2000!

To compare, the top 2 in pass attempts in CFB career stats are Timmy Chang of Hawaii (2000-2004) who had 2436, and Graham Harrell (05-08) who had 2010.

Only 22 QBs have thrown over 1500 attempts.

"Coach Gundy, why was Oklahoma able to march right down the field against you?" --Erin Andrews

by dishingoutdimes on Jan 11, 2011 11:04 PM CST reply actions

I'll agree...

even though earlier in the year I was ready for them to dump him. I will say this, though; his skills and talent have NEVER been in doubt. My issue was always with his presence, his temperament under pressure. After the Texas A&M game, he really seemed to wake up and show some real maturity and presence. I don’t know if that was all him or if it was the change-up we started to see in offensive play-calling, but he certainly showed a lot more confidence in the pocket. Even when he was under pressure, we saw a lot less of Bad Landry (who always seemed to poke his head out during those times). He’s definitely improved, and after the way this season ended with him, I’m MUCH more comfortable with him going into next year than I might have been 2 months ago.

by ousooner919 on Jan 12, 2011 10:07 AM CST reply actions

That's what I saw

His performance late in the Bedlam game, drilling Kenney with that 3rd and 12 pass, showed me a level of competitiveness and confidence that I hadn’t seen before. Then to come right back with the perfect throw to Hanna to seal the deal, while not doing anything to hurt the team, showed he is also a much better manager than in the past.
I think the perception of Landry from the scared young man thrust into the national spotlight from the Death Star, after Bradford had his shoulder drilled into the Barnett Shale, will be the Landry that many had their opinion shaped by. He struggled that game and in many others that year, but he continued to improve. The game has clearly slowed way down for him now, from the blur of speed he first saw when he was forced into the starting role. He was being groomed and wasn’t ready early last year, but I think his continued improvement and now his stats, should indicate we have a pretty darned good QB to lead the offense.
Looking at some of the performances of the alleged best QBs in the bowl games, I would say his performance is exemplary.

by EasTex on Jan 12, 2011 11:25 AM CST up reply actions

Bad Landry Jones vs Good Landry Jones.

Yes, There is more Good Landry Jones than bad….but bad is still there. It’s the inconsistency that is hard to watch. Even in the Fiesta Bowl in the 3rd quarter, Jones went through a period where he was not following through and sailing his passes high.

But…yes his numbers are there at the end.

And…let’s not forget he’s playing in a system, that has had 2 Heisman QB’s too. How much of Jones’s numbers are due to the system?

Colorado Rockies correspondent at My Team Rivals (www.mtrmedia.com/rockies) and my own site Rockies Reporter (www.rockiesreporter.wordpress.com)

by Redhawk on Jan 12, 2011 10:21 AM CST reply actions

Couldn't agree more.

Landry definitely has the stats and most of the time the result we’re looking for.

But he makes some truly awful passes. They’re getting fewer and farther between but they are still breathtakingly awful.

by SoonerDutch on Jan 12, 2011 10:34 PM CST via mobile up reply actions

in the right place

landry is absolutely where he should be – about 4th on the list. i actually think he gets as much credit as he deserves and as much criticism as he deserves. he’s better than decent but worse than great. he’s a middling kind of guy, who can approach greatness only to fall apart. he has potential but there are consistent issues with the guy (at leas 1 int EVERY game which always seems to come at a really bad time).

he puts up some decent numbers but the talent surrounding him makes him look better….as opposed to bradford, who i felt made the team better around him. i can’t prove that theory, it’s just how he makes me feel. you just don’t get the feeling of greatness from landry that jason, josh, and sam left you feeling.

his deep ball is definitely around number 4 on the list.

saying all that, he IS good and could get better, but there is something missing there.

by matty in dallas on Jan 12, 2011 8:39 PM CST reply actions

It's the presence; the confidence

That’s what’s missing, but I’m starting to see it now. Go compare early interviews with his newer interviews and you’ll see it. He doesn’t have that complete “deer in the headlights” look like he once did. He’s starting to find a comfort with the team and with the offense, and it wouldn’t surprise me one bit to see him flourish more with Josh calling plays. Go Landry!

by soonergal5 on Jan 12, 2011 8:44 PM CST up reply actions

I have to disagree on two points.

Landry hasn’t had the quality of O-line that Sam did his first two years. The one he started with last year nearly got him killed and made it a rough year for a QB who wasn’t ready. The O-line this year was barely adequate, but did show improvement after TAMU, which I think was a coaching and motivation problem.
Also, I think Landry’s vertical passing accuracy is exceptional, not merely adequate.
What really impressed me about Landry this year was how he came through in the clutch against OSU and NU, in consecutive weeks. NU had the #2 rated pass defense in the country when they played for the conference title and Landry hung more than 300 yds on them, something the Husker fans felt would never happen.

I live in Dallas too, btw.

by EasTex on Jan 12, 2011 10:08 PM CST up reply actions