I've become a big Patrick Mahomes fan since Buzz Kill Bill Polian made fun of his 78-yard pass at his pro day, and didn't even rank him in his top five quarterbacks.
Bill lists Trubisky first, Kizer second, Watson third, Webb fourth, and I don't know Kelly or Peterson fifth. He thinks Trubisky has a chance to start eventually, and Watson should develop into a good backup.
I'm kind of surprised Polian didn't nod off as he talked about these quarterbacks. I guess he compares everybody to Jim Kelly and Peyton Manning. Just as he scoffs at "moneyball", he makes fun of "upside", "potential", "arm talent", and just about everything else anybody else says.
I happen to agree with just about every other real expert on these guys, who probably put their heads on their desks and their arms over them when Bill starts talking. Buzz Kill Bill. Believe it.
And Bill's not as smart as I'd thought. He says that if an outside passrusher can't "bend the edge" (get close to the ground to loop around a left tackle) he "doesn't have a chance".
It's all black and white with this guy! No, Ogbah is not a "bender". Dummerville wasn't. Ware wasn't. A lot of guys get it done with hands, bull rushes, and counters.
Myles Garrett has that balance and flexibility, and it's certainly a big advantage. But Bill can't see gray. If you can't bend, you suck. If you're not Kelly or Manning, you're nothing.
I'm getting bummed out talking about him.
Anyway, I'm ignoring him on these quarterbacks.
Why I like Mahomes: For one thing, somebody told Mary Kay that he has quick "processing speed". I've learned to take her statements with a grain of salt lately, however:
When Hue talks about processing speed, he means on the third step of a drop. You've taken the snap and are retreating, looking over your shoulder. You see where the free safety is going, if it really is zone, tight man, off-man, who has leverage, what the Mike is doing, and all that stuff.
You should know, right then, where to throw it. Before you stop and set up, your decision should be made, even if it's your second or third option.
Hue isn't talking about how how fast he can answer a question on a white board. But Mahomes is, by all accounts, studious and intelligent.
In an earlier post, I compared him to John Elway. Elway was a baseball player, too. He was an athletic scrambler who could make crazy all-arm throws nobody else could make, too.
Polian scoffs at this, too, (naturally why tf not?), picking at his "mechanics", as if the circumstances and results are irrelevant.
But it's a positive, and not a negative. NORMAL quarterbacks need a "stable platform" with consistent foot placement in relation to the target to be accurate. The whole body must be lined up, and the motion the same every time.
Tom Brady epitomizes this, as he shifts around, moving his feet constantly, and aligning his body with his target.
These are smart rules to go by, and they do apply to Mahomes and Elway too. However, these two guys are very rare. They are almost as strong and accurate while running, leaping, or falling down. Overhand or sidearm. They are "naturals".
Bill makes fun of this. Jim and Peyton couldn't do that stuff, therefore it doesn't matter.
It matters. John Elway started as a rookie. He sucked. It wasn't all his fault, as he didn't have much of a running game, and his offensive line wasn't that great. But certainly, part of the problem was that things happened too fast for him.
In year two, he made a big jump. He wasn't yet who he ultimately became, but he started engineering comeback wins. He stayed in the pocket more, and made quicker, smarter decisions. By the end of that season, he had arrived, as well WE remember.
But here's the thing: John Elway was at his best when things broke down, and when he was in trouble. He did amazing things. Running full speed and throwing a 22- yard dart to the opposite sideline. Any coach reading this just cringed "you NEVER do that! It gets deflected. It gets picked off with nobody to stop the return!"
But Elway got away with it, because it was fast and accurate, whereas any other quarterback would have to throw it higher and softer, and couldn't be nearly as accurate. Elway did this a lot. He scrambled left, and twisted his body around to throw a bullet back the way he came.
Yes, he became consistent and dependable when he mastered the pocket and shined up his mechanics, but he always had that great, natural, almost magical ability to improvise when things went to hell. The mechanical adjustments raised his floor, but his ennate talent is what made him great.
Mahomes has all of that.
Will Patrick work as hard to stay in the pocket and be mechanicly consistent? I think so.
Will he work hard and listen to his coach? Yes.
Can he process information fast enough? I hope so. A lot of former quarterbacks think so. They just say he will need time, and isn't ready yet. For some insight on this unique, rare athlete, click that link.
Jim Miller just mocked DeShaun Watson to the Browns at 12 (Trubisky was gone).
Whoa in the AFC North? No! You need to have a cannon to cut through that wind, like Dalton, Sipe, Montana, Bill Nelson, and howitzers like that!
Miller stresses that a quarterback can safely strengthen his throwing arm. He mentioned a couple excercises with light weights, and sometimes ropes, used to recover from rotator cuff surgery.
Miller points to Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady as initially mediocre arms that became very strong. Miller says he himself had an average arm when he was drafted, and added velocity later (he was known for his arm).
That's the only issue I have with Watson: the low velocity. He is a leader and a winner. You can't argue with that. At twelve? Sure! He'll be a good backup in a couple years chuh!
I kind of think the Browns will land Trubisky, Watson, or Mahomes in this draft. I also kind of think that Hue Jackson will be good with any of these three, even though he probably favors Trubisky.
Last year, it was unthinkable to pundits that any coach or GM could like both Goff and Wentz. I still can't figure that out. It's not possible for a talent expert to grade two quarterbacks as approximately equal? Where does this come from? Why? Who says?
And listen: Hue Jackson signed off on the trade-downs. I'm sure he would have been happy to have Carson Wentz, but was as happy as Sashi Brown to rake in a bonanza of draft picks instead. Stop saying he "didn't like" Carson Wentz!
They got the extra second round pick and 12 overall this season off those two trades, so stop declaring it a mistake, too. We'll see 2-3 years from now.
When Miller took Watson in the name of the Browns, Pat Kirwan immediately repeated that he would take Trubisky if he could sit for a year, or Watson if he needed to play right away.
Miller is sick of the issue, which is why he didn't bring up Cody Kessler again. Pat pretends to listen, but doesn't. For Pat Kirwan, Cody Kessler is a figment of somebody's imagination.
For that matter, Jim Miller is the loudest professional voice wanting to know why Brock Osweiler might not even get a chance to compete with him. Miller thinks he can be better than he was in Denver under Hue Jackson.
You're all over-analyzing what the Hue and Sashi are saying about these guys, too. Hue Jackson is deliberately neutral on every quarterback or potential quarterback. The organization is not even allowed to talk to Osweiler per the idiotic players agreement.
You expect him to hand Kessler the starting gig in early April? You want him to say nice things about Osweiler, who might not even make it to training camp? See his final comments on Josh Gordon last season.
Cody Kessler is the presumptive starter as of now. Obviously. Hue should just say "figure it out!"
I'm still rooting for Jimmy G though. We can pencil him in as the day one starter, anyhow.
No comments:
Post a Comment