10-Step Drop: Why Oklahoma's Landry Jones Will be Successful in 2010

Eleven months after seeing their national championship hopes crumble with one awkward landing, Oklahoma Sooner fans are gearing up for another season.

The Crimson and Cream begin 2010 ranked No. 8 and face high expectations once again.  Those expectations will likely live and die with sophomore quarterback Landry Jones.

Jones has gone from being a true freshman thrown into the fire due to injury to being on the preseason O'Brien and Manning award watch lists.  Still, many are skeptical of Jones' skills and ability to lead the Sooners to another Big 12 title.

Here are ten reasons why Landry Jones will enjoy a successful 2010.

10. Josh Heupel

The 2000 Heisman Trophy runner up enters his sixth season as the Sooners’ quarterbacks coach.

Heupel handles signal-callers well in all aspects, from mechanics to mentality. If you need proof, just look at Sam Bradford’s numbers under Heupel’s tutelage.

9. Nate Hybl

Hybl, Heupel’s successor under center, had a much-maligned career at OU to say the least. High expectations gave way to frequent let downs in his years at the helm of the Sooner offense.

If Jones fails to live up to his potential, you can be sure people throughout Norman will still be muttering, “At least he’s not as bad as Hybl.”

8. The Spring Game 2010

Spring game numbers and performances should always be taken with a grain of salt. However, 17 of 34 passes for 211 yards and two touchdowns is a pretty large grain of salt.

Stoops himself summed up Jones’ spring game best. “Landry is gaining maturity and you can see that he's more sure of himself. He made some nice throws and kept moving his team down the field."

7. The Sun Bowl 2009

That maturity and confidence Stoops speaks of must stem partly from Jones’ performance in the Sooners’ bowl game last season.

Jones finished the game 30 of 51 for 418 yards and three touchdowns against No. 19 Stanford.

Sooner fans everywhere look to this Sun Bowl performance as a jumping-off point for the next few seasons with Landry Jones taking snaps.

6. Ryan Broyles

The recipient of all three Jones touchdown passes in that Sun Bowl? Wide receiver Ryan Broyles set the Sun Bowl record for TD receptions in that game and comes into 2010 as Oklahoma’s top pass catcher.

The junior who hails from Norman, and who is on the Biletnikoff Award watch list, provides Jones with an outlet and can serve as both a possession-receiver and a downfield threat.

5. DeMarco Murray

If the passing game hinges on Broyles, taking pressure off the passing game is the responsibility of Murray. Despite starting only five games in 2010 as he recovered from an injury, DeMarco Murray remains the Sooners’ big play threat.

Even with just five starts, Murray set a career high in receiving yards and catches and should factor into the passing game even more in 2010.

His ability to anchor the running game while also turning five-yard catches into 25-yard receptions should help balance the weight that Jones will have to carry as quarterback.

4. Offensive Line

What has 10 thumbs, 27 stomachs, and weighs ¾ of a ton? The offensive line was a big question mark entering 2009 and Bradford’s injury did not help instill confidence in the front five.

A season later, the hogs up front have 23 games of starting experience from last season and will be responsible for keeping Jones on his feet. Barring injury, this is an improved and seasoned version of the 2009 line and will pave the way for Oklahoma’s offense … literally.

3. Scheme

The last couple years have seen the Big 12 become perhaps the most explosive offensive conference in the nation. The spread has taken over in the South and the Sooners run their version to near perfection.

Stoops’ designs give Jones a bevy of receiving options and place him in a position to succeed as far as having time to throw and seeing the entire field.

2. Baptism by Fire

Try to imagine being Nathan Lane’s understudy and suddenly having to go on stage opening night. Yes that is a Broadway reference in a football article, but it applies.

This is the position Jones found himself in last season when the reigning Heisman Trophy winner landed on his $50 million shoulder.

As a true freshman, Jones bounced around from looking like a promising young quarterback to looking like an overwhelmed 18 year old kid. By season’s end, Jones had command of the offense and looked like a seasoned veteran.

Given the natural progression of quarterbacks from season to season, Jones should be able to avoid a sophomore slump and emerge from 2010 as one of the top quarterbacks in the nation.

1. Talent

You don’t become the Oklahoma starting quarterback without having some actual ability. Jones boasts a solid combination of arm strength and accuracy that will be put on display now that the Sooners' confidence in him has increased.

Though not quite in a class with Mallett and Locker, Jones has the potential to be on that level. If the stars align correctly, the Big 12 favorites will find themselves in a BCS bowl and Jones will be the horse that got them there … Unless Nate Hybl has eligibility left …