[washingtonismoney]

So in the case of Nottingham, you are asking for change for the sake of change merely on the premise that it's unlikely to be much worse?

Building off of what you've said, it's very possible to be much worse. Again, we've largely been sheltered from truly awful QB play, but let me assure you, it can get much worse. Nunes' completion percentage of 53% is the anchor, but 6.9 YPA and a 3.2% interception rate are average-ish and average, respectively.

Now, I don't have the same information the coaches do, so it's easy for me to say that the risk is acceptable (I think it is...). But it's entirely possible that what they're seeing in practice is, for whatever reason, worse. I don't discount it.

EDIT: Also seen some discussion of the early-season split. Obviously, as garvin points out, it didn't work out in the Benjamin/Cordova controversy. It can sometimes work--Alabama pulled off the trick in 2011--but Alabama was able to pull that off because they blew out their first cupcake opponent, Kent State. Of course, Alabama 2011 was probably one of the most loaded teams ever, and Kent State was Sagarin's 116th best team that year. Shockingly, Shaw decided that Stanford post-Luck versus now 5-2 San Jose State required a slightly different approach.

[washingtonismoney]

So in the case of Nottingham, you are asking for change for the sake of change merely on the premise that it's unlikely to be much worse?

Building off of what you've said, it's very possible to be much worse. Again, we've largely been sheltered from truly awful QB play, but let me assure you, it can get much worse. Nunes' completion percentage of 53% is the anchor, but 6.9 YPA and a 3.2% interception rate are average-ish and average, respectively.

Now, I don't have the same information the coaches do, so it's easy for me to say that the risk is acceptable (I think it is...). But it's entirely possible that what they're seeing in practice is, for whatever reason, worse. I don't discount it.

EDIT: Also seen some discussion of the early-season split. Obviously, as garvin points out, it didn't work out in the Benjamin/Cordova controversy. It can sometimes work--Alabama pulled off the trick in 2011--but Alabama was able to pull that off because they blew out their first cupcake opponent, Kent State. Of course, Alabama 2011 was probably one of the most loaded teams ever, and Kent State was Sagarin's 116th best team that year. Shockingly, Shaw decided that Stanford post-Luck versus now 5-2 San Jose State required a slightly different approach.