Why Landry Jones Should Go Pro

Landry Jones has a big decision coming up that will effect the landscape of OU football.  To stay or go?  I know most of the "experts" are predicting that the Sooners should be a preseason top 10 ranked team going into 2012, but only if Stache Jones shuns the NFL and returns for a senior season.  Let's just agree to disagree.

Does Landry present a safe and comfortable feeling returning for a 4th year running the Sooner offense?  Sure, he has been the one behind center since Bradford went down way back in 2009.  Jones had also shown improvements every year as a starter and going into the 2011 season he had all the big wigs convinced this was his big breakout year being a preseason Heisman front runner and leading the #1 team in the AP polls.  The only problem was that Landry stopped improving this past year and was out performed by red-shirt freshman QB Blake Bell.  If anything, Landry appeared to regress from the 2010 season.  After his go to target in Ryan Broyles went down with an ACL tear, he looked absolutely clueless throwing only one TD pass the rest of the year.  His mobility rivals that of Jason White's after 3 knee surgeries, except Landry has had no such surgeries and his decision making and accuracy are not even in the same ballpark as the 2003 Heisman trophy winner.

But Blake Bell has only ran the Belldozer formation and that won't work running every down, it's only useful in goal line and short yardage situations, you say?  I say with a little tweaking to the offense that Mr. Bell can be the stud QB they recruited him to be.  Sure he can run the ball very well, that's already been proven.  But we have yet to really see him unleash a deep ball or given a chance to run a half way normal offense.  The only pass attempts we've seen from him have come from the goal line with barely any room to work.

Blake Bell has the potential to be a better version of Tim Tebow.  While Tebow may have honed the craft of scrambling and elusiveness, I have no doubt that Bell can throw the ball better and isn't too far behind on carrying the ball.  Give him the right circumstances and opportunity and there is no telling how far Blake Bell can take this young Oklahoma squad.  We've seen Landry for 3 straight years, we know what he brings to the table.  Are we so spoiled that the opportunity for a Big 12 championship and BCS bowl game is not enough?  Maybe I am.  Maybe the thought of having no real legitimate shot at a national championship with Landry under center eats away at me.  The unknown possibilities of Blake Bell excite me.  The known limitations of Landry do not.

Is it unreasonable to expect Blake Bell to come in and lead the Sooners to a national championship game in his first season as a starter?  Absolutely.  While it may take him a season to fully acclimate and adjust to the offense around him, I feel much better about his odds in 2013 leading the Sooners with a year experience behind him than I do with another so-so year with Landry and then Bell finally getting his first opportunity going into his red-shirt junior year.  Send Landry to the pros and let Bell have the reigns for the next 2-3 years.  That excites me for next year and beyond.  Landry may have a serviceable career in the NFL under the right circumstances backing up somewhere, but I feel his time at Oklahoma should come to a close.  Now it's just up Landry to decide the fate of Sooner football for the next few years.

Micah Hixon

A die hard Sooner fan through and through. Micah transferred his allegiance to the Oklahoma City Thunder the year the Mavs won the title (go figure). He believes the Thunder and Sooners have many titles to come in the not too distant future. Most of his comments are not backed up by any sort of fact based reasoning, but you can trust him.

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5 thoughts on “Why Landry Jones Should Go Pro”

  1. I agree with most of this. While I still think Landry has led OU to a number of GREAT wins, I just don’t see him as a great quarterback. He was blessed, like most, with a lot of talent around him and one of the best combinations of receiver/running back in Sooner history with Murray and Broyles.

    I wish Landry well, but I think it’s time for the Belldozer era to begin in Norman! Should be fun to watch!

  2. As you know I also agree with a lot of what you are saying BUT this is the classic one in the hand is worth two in the bush. I’m not ready to give up on a guy that we KNOW can throw for over 400/game for a guy that we really know nothing about other than he is way more mobile.

    My preference would be to see Landry come back but to work bell in more much like Florida did with Tebow on the way to the title. But obviously it’s all in Landry’s hands now.

  3. Just read this: “As much attention and fanfare and experience as Bell has received, Allen actually would have the edge in the competition going into the spring. Allen has a firmer grasp of the offense and is the better passer, the top two attributes Heupel and Stoops will examine before choosing a starter.”

    Sooo, it might not even be Blake Bell who becomes the starter.

  4. Well, this is all moot. Landry Jones is back, this seems all too similar to Bradford, maybe Landry will get injured too, opening up the door for Bell.

    If Bell isn’t the #2 guy, What’s their plan for him anyways?

    1. Yeah, Landry has said he will be back for his senior year, so I guess it’s time to start wrapping my head around the idea.

      I think the talk of Bell not being the #2 QB is just rumors and no one really knows for sure who would be thrown in to take the reigns if Landry goes down next year. Allen may be a better pocket passer, so he might fit the mold better in the current offensive scheme, but Bell has the potential to be a real stud. I think next year will feature more of the same with Landry being the unquestioned starter and Bell coming in for the short yardage Belldozer formation more and more frequently. Past that is anyone’s guess and could roll over to Allen taking the reigns with Bell continuing to do the same as he has been doing or potentially letting Bell take over as the main guy. The play calling and formations will definitely have to be tweaked for Bell’s play style though so it will be interesting to see what direction the coaching staff take past next year.

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