You make valid points and I agree that no one should be handed anything.
Also, no one (at this point) should be given the benefit of the doubt …as in viewed as the “incumbent”. That’s where I’m afraid Kirk has a weakness. He may say it’s an open competition, but does he truly treat it as one?
He believes above all else in consistency and repetition when preparing for a game. He wants everyone to believe in the system, don’t deviate from it, stick with it and wait for the opponent to make a mistake. That philosophy isn’t conducive to replacing a 2-yr starter at QB unless circumstances (like injury) force him to.
How many here don’t think Petra’s is going to get the lions share of the starting unit snaps from day one of fall camp?
I wish it wasn’t the case, but history with Kirk and the QB position clearly prove otherwise.
You mean like when Kirk replaced a 2 year starter in Rudock with Beathard? Rudock who went on to win 10 games and got drafted the following year? Or when Stanzi replaced an established starter in Christensen once it became clear that Stanzi was better?
For some reason you have apparently decided that Kirk is lying to his players about an open competition, with zero actual evidence. I can think of no greater sin for a head coach than to lie to his players, because once players lose trust in their coach the entire locker room falls apart. And if we know anything about Kirk, it’s that he genuinely cares about his players.