All the guy did was take Baylor to the Big 12 Championship and the Sugar Bowl title.
Yes, you can complain about his passing stats, but he won the games that counted.
I'm reminded of the old Darrell Royal saying, "Dance with the one who brung you."

I feel badly for Gerry.
Getting demoted just because you didn't look "pretty" while you were winning.
Dang.
This is hard.

Highly doubt the staff demoted Gerry because he didn't look pretty enough. They simply think Shapen brings a needed dimension to the offense. Gerry's a great guy whose going to succeed in life. Wish him well wherever he ends up

You must be pretty connected and close to the coaching staff since you know why they made the QB decision.

Looking "pretty" is actually a huge deal. It indicates superior biomechanics.

You see this in a lot of sports. Ex. Baseball Pitchers in high school capable of large strides and deep external rotation of their arms will hit 90+mph and it's directly correlated with those biomechanics. They're drafted into minors/majors without any post high school or post select experience because their potential is greater.

The difference between GB and Shapen when it comes to throwing is huge. Throwing is a harder skillset to build than a run game.

Not a good comparison but an example of a staff sticking with their guns because they were winning was Jacksonville staying with Blake Bortles because they made the AFC Championship.

GB was much more efficient for Baylor than Bortles was with the Jaguars, but the point is the Jacksonville coaching staff knew their offense could be more dynamic but they chose to stay the course and their defense regressed and the rest is history.

The Baylor coaches saw what they needed to see and made the decision now despite recent team success. A tough decision but an honest one. I hope GB respects that. I certainly respect everything he gave the program.

Warrior.

As a Jags fan this was painful to read…. Accurate but painful

Eugene Stoner said:

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You must be pretty connected and close to the coaching staff since you know why they made the QB decision.

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More about what friends and fans were saying last season with GB under center.
(I'm not a coach, but I play one on TV.)

Watching last season, the most dynamic game GB had was the Oklahoma game where they ran him. Both the threat of the two running backs and GB, was too much to cover. It was the most effective and decisive game plan as far as optimizing his use. With an assumption of a weaker running game, he'd get a lot of attention and with an inconsistent arm, we'd likely watch a lot more neutered offense. If the running game does come back in full force, or even 75% of what it was, Shapen has the motor to pull off some of the same runs. I actually was pissed when we didn't keep with the OU gameplan down the stretch, even w/ Shapen.

Where it started, and where it ended. Much love to Gerry Bohanon wherever his next stop is, you will forever be a Baylor Bear!!! #SicEm pic.twitter.com/XCKFLuFkMl

— Wade Lear (@TXSVT) April 27, 2022

I don't think his comment was directed at you.

BU Born&Raised said:

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Watching last season, the most dynamic game GB had was the Oklahoma game where they ran him. Both the threat of the two running backs and GB, was too much to cover. It was the most effective and decisive game plan as far as optimizing his use. With an assumption of a weaker running game, he'd get a lot of attention and with an inconsistent arm, we'd likely watch a lot more neutered offense. If the running game does come back in full force, or even 75% of what it was, Shapen has the motor to pull off some of the same runs. I actually was pissed when we didn't keep with the OU gameplan down the stretch, even w/ Shapen.

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It wasn't used because Shapen is not as durable as Bohanon.

BU Born&Raised said:

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Both the threat of the two running backs and GB, was too much to cover.

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This is what bothers me most about not starting GB. With Smith and Ebner gone and not another RB with any decent playing time having a big strong QB who can run AND throw would have taken a lot of pressure off the other backs. The odds of Shapen running and staying healthy are not as good.

Since the ball moves faster through the air than feet can on the ground, Blake and Baylor will be fine. Baylor has won Titles both running and throwing. Baylor is automatically tougher to defend against and more unpredictable with this change.

Doc Holliday said:

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Looking "pretty" is actually a huge deal. It indicates superior biomechanics.

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No need to get overly cerebral about this, guys. Shapen has one hot ass.

Pecos 45 said:

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All the guy did was take Baylor to the Big 12 Championship and the Sugar Bowl title.
Yes, you can complain about his passing stats, but he won the games that counted.
I'm reminded of the old Darrell Royal saying, "Dance with the one who brung you."

I feel badly for Gerry.
Getting demoted just because you didn't look "pretty" while you were winning.
Dang.
This is hard.

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Bohanon wasn't demoted. Shapen was promoted. Saying anyone was demoted is an insult to everyone involved. Bohanon is going to go somewhere else and be very successful, and Shapen is going to be here and be very successful.

Demoted means that you weren't performing and need to be replaced with someone that can. It's not that Bohanon wasn't performing, it was that Shapen was performing better in the areas that matter the most for Grimes' offense. Shapen showed enough to get promoted over even a very successful Bohanon, that's not an insult to Bohanon but rather a major complement to Shapen.

saabing bear said:

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BU Born&Raised said:

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Both the threat of the two running backs and GB, was too much to cover.

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This is what bothers me most about not starting GB. With Smith and Ebner gone and not another RB with any decent playing time having a big strong QB who can run AND throw would have taken a lot of pressure off the other backs. The odds of Shapen running and staying healthy are not as good.

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Having someone that can throw dimes also takes pressure off the backs as it makes the safety fall into coverage softening up the run defense. Being able to take the top off with drastically help the run game as it will make defenders not commit to the run as hard so they don't get burnt on a deep post.

The_Mad_Shopper said:

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Doc Holliday said:

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Looking "pretty" is actually a huge deal. It indicates superior biomechanics.

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No need to get overly cerebral about this, guys. Shapen has one hot ass.

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Sounds like you'd like to test out his biomechanics???

- KEB

JustWinBears said:

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saabing bear said:

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BU Born&Raised said:

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Both the threat of the two running backs and GB, was too much to cover.

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This is what bothers me most about not starting GB. With Smith and Ebner gone and not another RB with any decent playing time having a big strong QB who can run AND throw would have taken a lot of pressure off the other backs. The odds of Shapen running and staying healthy are not as good.

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Having someone that can throw dimes also takes pressure off the backs as it makes the safety fall into coverage softening up the run defense. Being able to take the top off with drastically help the run game as it will make defenders not commit to the run as hard so they don't get burnt on a deep post.

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The issue is this dynamic didn't play out that way last year. We hit Tech over the top multiple times early and then averaged like 3.9 yards per carry/floundered offensively the rest of the way. The same thing happened against OSU, but no one ran on them.

It's a really small sample size, but there are legitimate reasons to be concerned about our running game IMO. Hopefully, those prove unfounded.

Shapen is often compared to Charlie Brewer, maybe for good reason. They almost look identical with helmet and face guard. Run similar, neither knows when to duck and slide. Here's hoping Shapen masters the slide early on, long careers depend on it. Drones in waiting is huge and so should Shapen fall into the Brewer mold of running reckless, we'll be ok. Shapens Arm strength is Nick Florence-ish, along with ability to see the field. Who knows, we may see some of that scoring in 3-4 plays under a minute stuff again.

I like Bohanan and wish him well. However, our offense was often tepid last year, and we lost some good receivers to the portal for a reason. The bottom line is that our Defense won the Big 12 Championship last year, and the Sugar Bowl. Our Offense was good but not elite. Shapen has the potential to make us elite.

ImABearToo said:

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Shapen is often compared to Charlie Brewer, maybe for good reason. They almost look identical with helmet and face guard. Run similar, neither knows when to duck and slide. Here's hoping Shapen masters the slide early on, long careers depend on it. Drones in waiting is huge and so should Shapen fall into the Brewer mold of running reckless, we'll be ok. Shapens Arm strength is Nick Florence-ish, along with ability to see the field. Who knows, we may see some of that scoring in 3-4 plays under a minute stuff again.

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Drones as a primary backup concerns me. He's really, really raw as a passer. People complain about Gerry's passing. Gerry is Tom Brady compared to Drones. The dude's a great athlete and a strong runner, but he makes slow, questionable reads and delivers inaccurate passes.

I was actually far more impressed with Rogers during the spring game. I'd feel much more comfortable with him in the game in the event of an injury to Shapen. Despite playing against the No. 1 defense with No. 2 talent around him, he consistently delivered the ball on time and in stride, often while running away from intense pressure.

I remembering an exchange with someone here last year who was trying to tell me how good Rogers was and I was pretty dismissive because of his lack of scholarship. I was wrong. That's a talented kid.

I'm far more concerned with who's actually running the ball than I am with Shapen's overall effect on the running game. Even Grimes said they had to scramble to find the corners of the playbook that fit best with Shapen midseason, considering his youth and some playstyle differences that didn't show up until he actually got into a Big 12 game. You'd expect the offense to groan a bit under the weight of a 19-year-old who'd never started before, even with as efficiently as he played.

But Shapen's at least played. We really don't know anything meaningful about any of our running backs, and they just happen to be following the most effective runner in school history and the most effective 1-2 combo as well. I'm game to debate Shapen's qualities, but the RB position as a whole is a way bigger question mark right now.

ImABearToo said:

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Shapen is often compared to Charlie Brewer, maybe for good reason. They almost look identical with helmet and face guard. Run similar, neither knows when to duck and slide. Here's hoping Shapen masters the slide early on, long careers depend on it. Drones in waiting is huge and so should Shapen fall into the Brewer mold of running reckless, we'll be ok. Shapens Arm strength is Nick Florence-ish, along with ability to see the field. Who knows, we may see some of that scoring in 3-4 plays under a minute stuff again.

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Even the same number!

Also: I'm pretty sure I remember Blake throwing a bomb for a TD during Spring game.

parch said:

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I'm far more concerned with who's actually running the ball than I am with Shapen's overall effect on the running game. Even Grimes said they had to scramble to find the corners of the playbook that fit best with Shapen midseason, considering his youth and some playstyle differences that didn't show up until he actually got into a Big 12 game. You'd expect the offense to groan a bit under the weight of a 19-year-old who'd never started before, even with as efficiently as he played.

But Shapen's at least played. We really don't know anything meaningful about any of our running backs, and they just happen to be following the most effective runner in school history and the most effective 1-2 combo as well. I'm game to debate Shapen's qualities, but the RB position as a whole is a way bigger question mark right now.

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If you can block, it's not hard to find guys who can run. All of these guys were stars in high school and are more than capable of hitting holes and finding open space.

I rarely worry about the running back position. Some are better than others obviously, but it's pretty easy to find a serviceable back.

Rogers looked like he was having fun Saturday in the game. Seems confident and comfortable. Strong arm and stayed composed in pocket. Didn't force anything and actually threw the ball versus the tuck and run we often saw from CB and GB. He may jump Drones for #2, although I'm ready to hear "another Drone strike" echo at McLayne for years.

I keep hearing about Shapens lack of durability. Remind me of those examples outside of the Big12 champ game injury. Also I seem to remember that GB has been hurt a lot in his career. In fact had he not been hurt we would not have pulled him in the 2019 Big12 champ game for Zeno. What am I missing about the injury issue?

Eugene Stoner said:

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I keep hearing about Shapens lack of durability. Remind me of those examples outside of the Big12 champ game injury. Also I seem to remember that GB has been hurt a lot in his career. In fact had he not been hurt we would not have pulled him in the 2019 Big12 champ game for Zeno. What am I missing about the injury issue?

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Shapen had to leave two of the three games he played in last year due to contact incidents. He took a bunch of really scary hits over a very short period of time last year.

With his frame, that's a good way to end up like Charlie Brewer. He's got to make a more concerted effort this season to avoid those types of hits. We can't afford to lose him for any extended period of time.

LOL

FWIW I attended some practices and witnessed the gap first hand.

The correct decision was made and tremendous weight in the decision making process was given to GB's skins on the wall.

Shapen was the right choice….Drones is far far away from being ready.

Stay healthy kid.

I agree with Pecos 45. You ALWAYS dance with who 'brung ya.'

I don't care how it looks, I just want to win at the end of the day. Especially against our most hated rivals.

And last I checked, only 3 Baylor QB's have beaten both OU and Texas in the same year. Gerry was one of the 3, obviously (the other two were Bryce Petty and RGIII).

Unless the backup is the next coming of Michael Vick - You absolutely don't bench your incumbent who led you to the most successful season in your school's history.

Moves like that tend to bring bad juju to a program.

And in this particular case, we benched a proven winner for someone who has spent time in the medical tent in each of the 2 games he started.

Shapen may turn out to be good. He could also turn out like TCU's QB, Chandler Morris (who torched us when he caught us by surprise in Fort Worth, but completely laid an egg in Stillwater the following week, when he wasn't catching his opponent off guard).

I guess time will tell if the right call was made.

But if you ask me, I'm leaning towards the "It was a bad call" line of thinking.

Time will tell.

Hate it for GB….he's got to be hurting.

Does he want to be tough or smart ?

The_Mad_Shopper said:

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Doc Holliday said:

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Looking "pretty" is actually a huge deal. It indicates superior biomechanics.

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No need to get overly cerebral about this, guys. Shapen has one hot ass.

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The_Mad_Shopper said:

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Doc Holliday said:

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Looking "pretty" is actually a huge deal. It indicates superior biomechanics.

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No need to get overly cerebral about this, guys. Shapen has one hot ass.

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Those football pants seem to get tighter and tighter each year.

The actual story is Aranda made a suboptimal football decision because he respected Gerry as a player and a young man. At some point, old men without long football resumes can bloviate until the cows come home, but you hope you have good coaches that made the right decision.