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Maryland Terrapins QB C.J. Brown received two very exciting pieces of information this week. First of all, he found out that he would be granted a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA, allowing him to play in 2013 and 2014. The NCAA must have thought Brown’s case was a no-brainer, as they granted the request just two weeks after he submitted the paperwork. Secondly, head coach Randy Edsall announced this week that C.J. would be the starting quarterback for the Terps in 2013.
Many Terps fans still don’t know what to expect from C.J. Brown in 2013. There were flashes of greatness from him in the 2011 season, highlighted by his incredible performance in the Homecoming game against Clemson. Everyone knows that C.J. can run. He has one of the faster 40-times for quarterbacks in the country. The question mark is going to be his arm. Logic would say that, since his legs have been fairly immobile for the past few months, he would have ample time to work on his passing. But how much improvement can we expect from C.J. Brown?
For starters, he has to improve his accuracy. He completed under 45% of his passes in 2011, and many passes ended up in the ground. With over a year to work on his passing, one would definitely think that this will be much-improved.
C.J. also needs to make better decisions on when to tuck and run. In his time as the Terps’ quarterback in 2011, he showed how potent he can be on the run. But no matter how good your scrambling abilities are, you have to be able to make good decisions on when to stand in the pocket and when to get out and scramble.
The Terps’ offense will likely see a bit of a change with C.J. as the quarterback. It was a very simple, pro-style offense that the Terps were forced to run with Perry Hills last season. Look for Mike Locksley to open up the playbook and start implementing a lot of spread formations to feature C.J. Brown and all of the Terps’ talented receivers. The offense will also include a lot of read-option plays, something that the Terps couldn’t do with Perry Hills last season.
The offense will be fast-paced and quick-hitting. C.J. Brown likes to run the offense fast, and Mike Locksley went with a no-huddle offense last season even with Perry Hills under center. If C.J. can improve his passing abilities, and the offensive line can give him some time to read his receivers down the field, the Maryland offense could be one of the better ones in the ACC.
Terps Analyst
Zack is a financial analyst for a defense contractor in Washington, DC. The Owings Mills native focuses most of his efforts on Maryland Football recruiting and individual coach and player pieces; but also covers Terps Basketball. He has established relationships with Big Ten beat reporters across the conference, which he utilizes in his game previews. Now a Sr. Terps Analyst for BSL, Zack can be reached at: zack.kiesel@baltimoresportsandlife.com.