Fran's remarks from Big 12 Football Media Days

Some comments I liked from Fran:

"We've got some good people on this team. We've got some great leaders on this team. Probably the best leadership we've had since I've been at Texas A&M. Great students. 15 out of our 17 seniors will have their degree by December; 5 of them will have it in about two weeks. And Stephen McGee is with us here today. And I need to mention this. Stephen has two years of eligibility remaining and he'll have his degree in about two weeks also. So pretty unusual for somebody to be in that situation."

I'm thrilled to death that 15 of our seniors will be graduating by December, but just amazed that McGee has been able to earn his degree in only 3 years. He's taken classes every single session they were available without a break since he arrived at A&M, AND balanced that classload with football. That's quite an accomplishment.

Fran addressed McGee's issues throwing the ball last season:

"But with regard to his throwing, we don't spend time talking about injuries at our place. And one of the things that happened to Stephen in two-a-days, in the second day of practice he tore a muscle in the back of his throwing arm. He did not throw again until the week of the first game. So he essentially missed all the throwing during August camp, and as much as anything missed the pocket presence, the feel for the rush, how to move in the pocket, and as a result I think as coaches we were probably trying to make sure that he didn't sit in the pocket and take a beating and take too many sacks, and we encouraged him to run with the football, which may have been a little part of him not finding a second or third receiver sometimes.
"I think that burden needs to go on us more than him and more the circumstances of not being able to throw all through the month of August, which is -- as you all know, fall camp is such a pivotal time, especially for your first-time starter, essentially had he been a senior, wouldn't have maybe been as quite a big issue, but being as young as he was going into the season, it does have to have an impact on him. We all know Stephen McGee can throw the football. He's proven that time and time again.
"So protecting him and letting him now he worked very hard on finding second and third progressions and everything in spring practice. And I think we'll see him better in all those areas."

The bold emphasis is mine. I knew about McGee's injury, and while I can believe what Fran said about telling him to run, I think they also told him to run with the football to avoid making a turnover. Part of McGee's issues passing weren't just not finding a second or third option, it involved not having a second or third option (because of formation/scheme issues), and throwing the ball out of bounds when under pressure to avoid a sack. I think the coaching staff drummed it into McGee that it is better to have an incompletion out of bounds and move on to the next play, than it is to take a sack and risk losing the ball on a turnover.