Oregon Football: Pros and cons of Anthony Brown winning QB battle

Cons of Anthony Brown winning the starting job

While there are many pros such as experience, leadership and dual-threat abilities regarding Anthony Brown as QB1 this fall, there are some critical cons as well.

One of the major hang-ups on Brown starting for the Ducks this fall has to be his accuracy. Sure, he completed 65 percent of his throws last season, but he only attempted 23 passes. Throughout his career, he’s completing just 55 percent of his throws. That’s just not going to cut it for a team looking to win the Pac-12 and make a playoff appearance.

Accuracy is an issue and so is decision-making. This goes along with accuracy, but other than a shortened 2019 season with the Boston College and minimal playing time in 2020 with the Ducks, Brown had 18 interceptions in two years with the Eagles. He had 11 touchdowns to nine interceptions as a freshman and 20 to nine interceptions as a sophomore. That has to be avoided.

Height could be an issue as he’s the smallest quarterback in the race for QB1 in Eugene. He stands just 6-2 while Jay Butterfield is 6-6, Robby Ashford is 6-3 and Ty Thompson is 6-4. Not a huge problem, but could limit him.

Brown also doesn’t have a great resume. He did get some starts as a freshman and sophomore with Boston College which shows he possessed potential, but he passed for over 1,400 yards in just one season and his career yards per attempt average is just 7.0 which would have been just eighth in the Pac-12 last season. Not great.

Lastly, he would be just a one-year starter for Oregon which means the Ducks would have to start all over at the position in 2022. That may not seem like a huge deal because if he’s the best quarterback, start him and worry about 2022 later, but if it’s a close battle, addressing the future would be ideal. Thompson, Butterfield and Ashford would all be 3-4 year starters if they won the job and Oregon would be set for a while.

Agree or disagree with any of these pros or cons?