Play making
The Gators haven’t had a true play maker at quarterback since — well, you know when.
While McElwain’s system functions more on efficiency — getting the ball where it needs to be, on time and in rhythm — he won’t turn his nose up at a player who can create for the entire offense and move the chains single-handedly. Zaire is looking for cracks in the defensive front so he can pull the ball down and take off.
Though he’s a pass-first player, Zaire is a good athlete. Stopping him once he gets rolling is tough.
He has a nice blend of size, speed and power. His long, rangy, gazelle-like strides make it difficult for defenders to corral him when he’s in the open field. And when he forgets he’s the guy responsible for throwing the ball, he’s not afraid to lower his shoulder to try and gain extra yards.
McElwain and Nussmeier experimented with option elements last season, when they were unable to move the ball by their traditional means.
There’s a big difference between the zone-read Austin Appleby ran against South Carolina (above), however, and the more advanced concepts Zaire was running at Notre Dame. Brian Kelly, for all his faults developing quarterbacks, installed an expansive option attack. Zaire has had experience running any kind of option you can dream up – including the en vogue fake-toss option and power-options that Clemson used to run to the national title last season.
Zaire’s patience as a runner is impressive. He doesn’t rush things. He waits for his blocks to develop, inching forward as he does, before shrinking through holes and rumbling away.
He runs with grace, guile, and most importantly, intelligence. His understanding of the defensive leverage leaps of fthe screen. It’s not their traditional structure, but I bet McElwain and Nussmeier are licking their chops at the chance to draw up some wacky designs – even if it’s just for the red zone.
Option football isn’t restricted to the ground, either. The Gators offense features a vast number of box and read run-pass options (RPO). The quarterback either reads the number of defenders in the box pre-snap, or reads a particular defender’s movements post-snap, before deciding whether to hand the ball off to a running back, or pull the ball and look to pass.
The play above is a staple for almost every offense in the country. It’s an inside-zone run, tagged with a bubble screen. The offensive line blocks for a run and the receivers set up for the screen. The quarterback reads one defender – if they come downhill he throws the ball, if they drop out he hands it off.
It’s a core principle in Florida’s offense – often distorting their run-pass numbers. And I’d argue that they feature more sophisticated read RPOs than Zaire ran with the Irish.
It’s not just new-fangled RPOs, though. Zaire is as good on the move as he is from within the pocket. In fact, you could make a case that his best throws come while on the move, when the field condenses and reads are more defined.
Getting him on the move by rolling the pocket or using boot actions is a must. They’re not called RPOs, but they act in much the same way: he can decide whether to fling it to an open receiver or dart up field himself.
He throws well moving to either side. That should help if Florida’s offensive line doesn’t solidify in 2017 as expected. He may not be perfect for what McElwain’s system requires, but he can create plays and help cover up issues at other spots. That’s never a bad thing.
Anticipation and touch
Here’s the real question though: Can Zaire develop enough inside the pocket to bring what McElwain’s system demands?
Give him a “see, plant, fire” throw, and Zaire can deliver. Questions remain, however, about his ability to play with anticipation and touch.
There’s nothing from Zaire’s Notre Dame tape that suggests he can regularly alter the trajectory and velocity of his throws when he needs to. Nor are there a great deal of anticipation throws. That’s not to say he can’t deliver them. They just weren’t there, in part, because he was thrust into a dump-off or bomb system. He may be a victim of a small sample size and poor coaching.
He has no one to blame for his accuracy struggles, though. He rarely threw in 2014, and was scattershot at best during his two starts in 2015 – before sustaining a fractured right ankle.
The 2016 season was mostly a horror show. After sharing starter duties in Week 1 against Texas, Zaire was beaten out by DeShone Kizer. He showed up mostly in mop-up duty when games were out of hand.
He didn’t play well. Throws were too far out in front or too far behind. They sailed over receivers, or hit the dirt before they had a chance to snatch at them. And then there were drops. Oh, so many drops.
Nothing seemed in sync. It’s easy to see why Zaire decided he was out.
It’s never easy to stick on a helmet in the fourth quarter and jump into the huddle when you know there’s little on the line, particularly if there’s been limited reps between the quarterback and receivers during the week’s practice.
It showed. Zaire second-guessed a bunch. He threw from awkward platforms and grew frustrated as games went on, forcing things that weren’t there. It looked like he was fighting his own instincts. That’s never a good place to be.
The previous year was better statistically. But the lack of consistent accuracy (again, stemming from the footwork and motion) was still a concern.
Despite the issues, Zaire has racked up 136 pass attempts without throwing an interception. That’s an impressive figure on its face (when you don’t watch games). But the reality is some decisions and throws were so bad they caught defensive backs unaware. If you overthrow a receiver by 15-yards, it’s not getting picked off. That doesn’t mean the player did a good job protecting the ball, and it doesn’t inspire confidence.
Zaire’s main issue is this: Everything takes a beat too long. That puts more pressure on the offensive line to block for him, more pressure on his decisions and his mechanics. When you combine that with a lack of feel for the pass rush (a real problem, but predictable given his lack of consistency in game action), it becomes a problem.
It all goes back to consistency – and coaching. Building that can take years, not weeks.
Franks has the edge to own the starter’s job by the time Florida’s first game against Michigan arrives in September. But Zaire’s ability to move and create is an X-Factor. It may not always be pretty (and little about Florida’s offense has been for the past 24 months), but it helps extend drives and win games. Ultimately, that’s what this whole thing is about.
Holy butthurt, dude.
