Jones’ unannounced play ability leads to Edwards announcement on a starter
From the time Emory Jones announced he was coming to Arizona State for the 2022 season, there has been little debate over whether or not he would be named the starting quarterback. Herm Edwards, played by the book, of course, stating early and often that the starting job was up for grabs throughout the early part of fall camp. While signal callers like Paul Tyson and Trenton Bourguet have had their moments during the preseason, Jones has clearly been the most dynamic quarterback on the field.
Edwards made it official on Thursday, naming Emory Jones as the starting quarterback and an offensive captain. He’s joined on offense as captain by guard Ladarius Henderson, on defense by Kyle Soelle and Merlin Robertson, and on special teams by Case Hatch. Injured defensive lineman Michael Matus will serve as an honorary captain all season long.
In a surprise media session following Thursday’s practice, albeit with a topic that has been very predictable, the fifth-year head coach talked about the decision and what has impressed him about Jones since his arrival to fall camp.
“He’s (Jones) the guy that, to us, has proven he can move the ball a bunch of ways. He can make some unannounced plays,” Edwards said. “Obviously, he’s played at a high level; the competition is good for him to earn the trust of his teammates and of his coaching staff.”
On the dynamic presence that Jones brings:
“Even if you have established receivers and all that, the unannounced play by the quarterback gives you hell. When the quarterback drops back, I always know I’m nervous. Even if you have great coverage, if somebody runs too far off the edge, you give him a window to escape. Then they start running. He did that today a couple of times, I mean, he really took off,” Edwards stated. “I think he’s getting to the mode now where he’s preparing himself along with everybody else. I gotta get into game mode more than practice. I got nine practices; it’s no more about training camp.”
Although a starter has now been named, Edwards declined to specifically name a backup at this time.
“Whoever is available, whoever we decide in that game, hey, you’re going in. Both of those guys, Tyson and Trenton, have done a great job,” Edwards remarked. “They were a little disappointed; you can understand that. But they get it; they play a tough position where there’s one guy. Those two guys, along with the rest of them, I think we kind of know who they are.”
Unsurprisingly, the starting quarterback designation comes with the captaincy as well. Jones has shown leadership qualities on and off the field in his time in maroon and gold. It was a no-brainer for Edwards to name his new signal caller an offensive captain.
“Most quarterbacks have some leadership qualities. Even the ones who aren’t starting have that leadership ability. You need that as a quarterback. They all lead differently, you don’t have to be ra-ra,” Edwards commented. “He (Jones) has been good like that with the whole team, not just with the offense. Great quarterbacks, as good as they are on offense they’re even better with the defense. He has a lot of that. Watch the practice; he likes the competition.”
Competition is expected and must be fostered by any good head coach when there isn’t an incumbent starter at the quarterback position. With that being said, the coaching staff knew that going to get a veteran with starting experience in the SEC would immediately put him in the driver’s seat to win the job. Edwards elaborated on this process.
“If you look at that room, there weren’t a lot of guys with starting experience. When we first started communicating with Emory, we could tell he was looking forward to coming out and visiting. He checked us out; we checked him out. There were lots of conversations.” Edwards recalled. “He talked to Jayden. Jayden told him all about his head coach. I was going to tell him to call him. All these kids communicate; they talk. They know somebody that knows somebody else; they’re all connected in this world they live in.”
Procedural issues plagued ASU last season, to say the least. When selecting his starting QB this year, experience and poise were considered to be vitally important by Edwards and his staff.
“That’s the key, being in the huddle with the guys,” Edwards explained. “It kind of solidifies you offensively. If something bad happens, a negative play, he’s going to be the voice I hear all the time. That’s comforting for me. When he speaks, he’s the guy. We’ve also got some veteran offensive linemen. It’s different, it’s fun, and I like it.”
If you followed ASU football last season, you know all about how much of a detriment a struggling passing game can be to an offense. Edwards often cited a lack of overall reps and chemistry between former quarterback Jayden Daniels and the other pass catchers. After a 2020 season that featured just four games, the lack of continuity was always quick to be used as an excuse for the stagnant passing attack. The Sun Devils will now take the field with a quarterback and receiver combination that hasn’t had any snaps together.
“There’s going to be a learning curve; there’s no doubt about it. Any time you have a quarterback with a bunch of new receivers, it’ll take some time. Week three, we’ll kind of know what we are on both sides of the ball,” Edwards said. “You have to be able to take your shots. Football is about explosive plays. You gotta throw it down there, if you catch it, it’s a big play.”
When asked what fans can expect from Emory Jones this season, Edwards played promoter. He wants Sun Devil fans to see for themselves.
“They need to come to see him play,” Edwards said. “I’m going to tell them, you gotta come watch him. It’s like the sneak preview, come to the game and go watch him. Come watch this football team. Come on out. There are a lot of good football players on this team that they have never seen play. Come watch them.”
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