Inside KU Football: On Todd Reesing, Jordan Webb and Supporting Casts

Todd Reesing is a Jayhawk hero. The man burst onto the scene in a comeback win over Colorado that got people talking, then proceeded to rattle off win after win to get people believing. He took Kansas football to a place it had never been before, shattered various records, and left KU a legend.

Jordan Webb is... well, a Jayhawk quarterback. He started last season as Kale Pick's backup, burst onto the scene in a big upset over Georgia Tech, then proceeded to get hurt and play average at best and terrifying at worst sporadically throughout the rest of the season.

I know what you're thinking. No way, he isn't going to compare Todd Reesing and Jordan Webb is he? Of course I am! Kind of. Let's look at the two in regards to their supporting cast, and see what we find. It will all make sense after the jump. I think.

First, let me say that I am in no way trying to diminish Todd Reesing's ability as a quarterback. The guy was the real deal and KU would not have made the Orange Bowl, Insight Bowl, etc without him. However, for a surrounding cast to take the field with, Todd could have done much worse. In Reesing's first year as a starter, the sophomore played behind one of the better offensive lines in Jayhawk history. He also had the support of an insanely efficient running game. Brandon McAnderson's stats for the season?  Try 1,125 yards, a 6.0 ypc average and 16 touchdowns. Jake Sharp? A modest 556 yards, 5.0 ypc average and five touchdowns. Holy smokes. Did I mention he also had a crazy talented receiving corps to throw to? Marcus Henry, Dexton Fields, Dezmon Briscoe, newly playing WR Kerry Meier, Derek Fine at tight end, Jonathon Wilson, etc. Point is, Reesing took control off a team that was very talented on both sides of the ball.

As for Webb, the redshirt freshman also had a decent running game at his disposal. After that, the comparisons are pretty much non-existent. Kansas' offensive line struggled last season (and that is putting it lightly) and consistency wasn't really what our WR corps were known for. Yes, Webb struggled, but how well can you play when you are running for your life half the time, have guys dropping passes left and right and you are faced with third and long every drive?

Now I will argue that a good quarterback makes the players around him better and vice versa, and one could make several arguments in regards to Reesing and Webb based off this statement. However, one collection of statistical information I keep coming back to is Reesing's senior season. Todd's final year in a Jayhawk uniform wasn't bad by any stretch, but it was a far cry from the monster numbers he put up as a sophomore and junior. After throwing 33 and 32 touchdowns as a sophomore and junior, respectively, Reesing threw for only 22 scores as a senior. His quarterback rating was nearly identical his first two years at Kansas, then took a significant dip his last year. Now many will argue he had injury issues his senior year, but I believe a significant factor in his on-field performance was that he simply did not have the talent around him that he played with in 2007 and 2008. His offensive line was not as good, KU's running game struggled, and his numbers dropped. That has to mean something, right?

Now for the fun part. Just to play Devil's advocate, lets switch 2010 Jordan Webb and 2007 Todd Reesing, like one of those cheesy body-switch movies like Freaky Friday with Lindsay Lohan (never seen it... just heard of it...). First, let's start with last year: Would Kansas have won more games, or was the talent simply too poor? Was Reesing a good enough quarterback and leader  to will our team to some more wins, or does his senior season show he was somewhat the product of a talented offense. What about Webb playing in 2007? How much does Kansas regress? Is there still enough talent on offense and defense to win 8 or 9 games? More? Less? Do we even know enough about the guy to make an educated guess?

In football, quarterbacks get the majority of the glory and blame, and that is the way it is. Let's just not forget how much Todd Reesing had to work with, and how little Jordan Webb had last year. Now fiercely debate amongst yourselves in the comment section.