Player Focus: Jerry Davis

Jerry Davis, (R-So, Fresno, California)

#4, Projected Starting QB.

Pros:

Hunger/Competitiveness

Big Accurate Arm

Mobility

Cons:

Experience

Weapons Available

Size

PRO: Hunger/Competitiveness

Not only does Jerry Davis hungry for your nuggets, he's a driven competitor.  Davis came to Buffalo in 2008, behind Drew Willy, Ed Young, Naaman Roosevelt, Zach Maynard, Cory Jorgensen and even Darius Willis was given the opportunity to try his hand at QB that year.  Davis fought hard and came close to the starting job last year.  His hard work and determination will give UB something it was missing under the leadership of Maynard last year.

CON: Experience

Despite his hunger, the fact remains that Davis only has one start and one quarter of real game action.  We may have to repeat all the growing pains (i.e. turnovers) we experienced last year while breaking in Zach "Turnover Attack" Maynard.

PRO: Big Accurate Arm

Any one worried about Davis' arm should watch the beginning of the Ohio game from last year.

The Ohio game was great until Maynard came back in.  Davis has a big accurate arm, and growing up in Central California, he is exposed to the swirling winds that we get in UB stadium.  Add his arm to Jeff Quinn's wide open gameplan, we could have a very exciting season.

CONS: Weapons Available

UB has a plethera of unproven WR's.  Last year Marcus Rivers and Terrell Jackson shared time as the #3 receiver, and both had devestating drops, especially in the 4th quarter that lead to interceptions.  I'm optimistic that the drops were a result of coming into the game off the bench cold and as starters they will perform better.

Running the spread, I also worry about our trio of downhill runners.  The spread usually caters to the slash and dash runner and running backs who are excellent receivers.  Its a shame we don't have Mario Henry this year, he would be a great weapon in the backfield for us.

Power running backs, and so far unreliable receivers are going to put the pressure on Davis to be near perfect every game.

Pro: Mobility

Drew Willy was a standard drop back quarterback.  Maynard was a good athlete, but we did not let him free to run, to his detriment.  Jeff Quinn will not only allow Jerry Davis to move around, but he will design runs for Davis.  We see a preview of what we can expect to see this year below:

With Quinn's offensive mind, Davis legs as well as his arms could bring big plays back to UB stadium.

CON: Size

Jerry Davis is listed at 6'1 200 pounds.  I think his height is a big reason he lost the starting job last year.  He doesn't have the prototypical size for the West Coast Offense Quarterback.  His small stature and his mobility worry me, will he be able to stay healthy for 12 games.

COUNTER-PRO: Size

Davis howver is a great size for the spread offense.  He is the exact size of Pat White who was able to dominate the Big East with West Virginia.

Overall, If Davis can stay healthy and build a chemistry with our receivers and running backs, by mid season we could see an explosive spread attack and the next great UB Quarterback, possibly taking the reins from ex-Quinn protege Dan LeFevour* as the most dangerous QB in the MAC.

* Fun Fact: Dan LeFevour under Jeff Quinn won the MAC in his first season as a starter.