Here Comes The Pistol

Dave Doeren spoke a bit about the quarterback situation following the first spring practice on Tuesday. Both Pete Thomas, who transferred in from Colorado State, and Manny Stocker, a true sophomore, are competing for the job at this point. The interesting thing to watch--and perhaps the unfortunate thing from Thomas' perspective--is the implementation of some pistol offense concepts by the new staff. This is not quite what Thomas had in mind when he decided to transfer to the Wolfpack.

So how are you going to evaluate the quarterback competition when you have a pro-style guy in Pete Thomas and Manny can be more of a dual-threat?

DD: They're totally different guys. All the run game we have because we are a Pistol offense, we have the ability to turn around to hand off just like you would under center as a pro-style quarterback, and we also have the ability to read those plays. So nothing will change for the backs, or the o-line or the tight ends or the receivers. It's just based on what quarterbacks' in there, it could be a zone read in a zone, it could be a power read. All those things, both quarterbacks will have to know both.

Thomas is the better pocket passer, but will Stocker win this job because he can run? I suppose it will depend on which direction they choose to go in year one, and how committed they are to it. Thomas is in a better position to lead the program to a bowl game this year because of his previous FBS experience, but he would also force the coaches to sacrifice some of their pistol and read-option concepts. If they decide instead that it would be best to use this season as an experiment with the long-term in mind and implement a system closer to their comfort zone, then Stocker is the guy.