Duke Football: Quarterbacks – Upgrade or Downgrade?
By Tyler Young
Upgrade or Downgrade?
To say that Duke has downgraded at the quarterback position is not an indictment on the current roster. Jones was a talent that is extremely rare at a program like Duke. Like I said earlier, few schools can replace a top-10 draft pick. Even fewer can upgrade in the immediate aftermath of such a loss.
Replacing a star quarterback usually comes down to adjusting the system to fit the new player. A new man under center means a new skill set to work with and new talents to highlight and weaknesses to hide. The success of the quarterback this season will come down to how the Blue Devils adjust to the switch.
A switch to a more mobile quarterback comes with a variety of challenges and advantages. There is an added challenge to blocking for the offensive line with a mobile quarterback as its harder to predict where he is going to be. When your job is to block for the man behind you, being able to predict where he is evens the odds against a man who can see him.
A mobile quarterback also brings the advantage of drawing up designed runs and being able to move more quickly on late down plays. In 2018 on third and fourth downs or short-yardage plays, the Blue Devils would sub out Jones for Harris. With Harris already on the field, Duke has the ability to get to the line quickly and catch defenses off-guard and extend drives.
Duke has seen its best success in years under coach Cutcliffe. He took a team that had three winning seasons in its previous 25 years and hadn’t won a conference game in three years when he arrived and turned them into division champions in 2013. Couple that with his renowned ability as a quarterback whisperer and there is little doubt in my mind that even as I mark this as a downgrade, the quarterback position is set for a good future.