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Yuck to the TOP QB prospect!!!


Flugel

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This is what concerns me about Jimmy Clausen:

 

cushion-2.jpg

 

Teams were so fearful of getting beat deep by Clausen & Notre Dame's explosive receivers that most played very soft coverage, giving Clausen a lot of safe, easy throws. That made Clausen's decisionmaking & accuracy look a lot better than it actually was.

 

When teams played Notre Dame's receivers tight, like UConn did and Pitt did in the 1st half, Clausen was a lot less effective. You saw throws nearly picked and semi-open receivers have footballs bounce at their feet. Clausen oscillated between being too aggressive and too conservative with his throws, and it wasn't very pretty. Similarly, he wasn't impressive throwing into tight spots in the red zone. His red zone completion percentage for the year was below 50%.

 

Also, I'm concerned about his personality, which has been described as "quirky", "egotistical", even "bipolar". Some people like his fiery persona; other see a little Jay Cutler in him. I'm not sure what to think.

 

His physicals tools are solid, though his deep ball hangs a little and he lacks ideal size: there's speculation that he's a shade under 6'2", not 6'3". I think he'll be an okay starting quarterback, but I'm not sure I see him developing into an elite QB. He'll probably be a better quarterback than Quinn, but I don't like him as much as I liked Sanchez last year.

 

In the end, the Clausen debate probably won't matter much, as I doubt the Browns will have a chance to draft him. If they do end up having one, I'd probably be against bringing him to Cleveland. But I'll trust Holmgren's judgement when it comes to QB's.

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You know how Quinn doesn't always settle his feet properly and the ball floats? If he had exceptional mechanics all around, he wouldn't do that. Sanchez just makes stupid decisions.

 

You know what's funny T - Tom Brady praised Charlie Weis for being the tutor that started him out with the ideal mechanics and footwork. He basically shaped his game.

 

On the other hand, BOTH Quinn and Clausen seem to share this problem with the feet. Clausen had the turf toe so maybe that's just an injury adjustment on his part. I think when Quinn played the 3 military Academies and Michigan State - he could MAINTAIN the footwork Weis asked of him. When he played opponents like Ohio State, Oregan State, LSU and other teams more talented - he got antsy and sloppy. That seems to be more of the picture he's conveying to me at the NFL level.

 

I think it's just as important to look at the film of losses for these QBs prospects as it is to see them in overall talent mismatches or on their best days.

- Tom F.

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For me, I think that rounds 1-3 go:

 

Haden, CB, Florida

Adam Ulatoski, OL, Texas (only if you plan to play him at RT)

Dan LeFevour, QB, C Michigan

I think the 2nd Round is a little too high for Ulatowski.

 

Suh's dominance over the Longhorns' interior OL was the main event of the Big 12 Championship Game, but Barry Turner also embarrassed Ulatowski, notching 2.5 sacks. Turner probably isn't good enough to start at the next level, so it doesn't bode well for Ulatowski's future, even if he's going to move to right tackle.

 

Ulatowski also was bad in the Texas Tech loss last year, routinely getting destroyed by McKinner Dixon. He could get a look in the mid-rounds, but I don't think he'll start right away: he needs time to develop.

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This is what concerns me about Jimmy Clausen:

 

cushion-2.jpg

 

Teams were so fearful of getting beat deep by Clausen & Notre Dame's explosive receivers that most played very soft coverage, giving Clausen a lot of safe, easy throws. That made Clausen's decisionmaking & accuracy look a lot better than it actually was.

 

When teams played Notre Dame's receivers tight, like UConn did and Pitt did in the 1st half, Clausen was a lot less effective. You saw throws nearly picked and semi-open receivers have footballs bounce at their feet. Clausen oscillated between being too aggressive and too conservative with his throws, and it wasn't very pretty. Similarly, he wasn't impressive throwing into tight spots in the red zone. His red zone completion percentage for the year was below 50%.

 

Also, I'm concerned about his personality, which has been described as "quirky", "egotistical", even "bipolar". Some people like his fiery persona; other see a little Jay Cutler in him. I'm not sure what to think.

 

His physicals tools are solid, though his deep ball hangs a little and he lacks ideal size: there's speculation that he's a shade under 6'2", not 6'3". I think he'll be an okay starting quarterback, but I'm not sure I see him developing into an elite QB. He'll probably be a better quarterback than Quinn, but I don't like him as much as I liked Sanchez last year.

 

In the end, the Clausen debate probably won't matter much, as I doubt the Browns will have a chance to draft him. If they do end up having one, I'd probably be against bringing him to Cleveland. But I'll trust Holmgren's judgement when it comes to QB's.

 

YOWSA! Great stuff Alo! I like the specifics you bring up followed by the examples of them on video.

- Tom F.

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Two things.

 

First: massive cushions on Tate weren't the norm, but Clausen was good consistently. The Irish were good at finding ways to open things up for Tate. Close coverage on Tate meant long passes, well thrown by Clausen, and caught by Tate. Big cushion meant something underneath. There really were no weaknesses in the connection between those two. I don't see how it can be a criticism of either player that they exploited what the D gave them.

 

Second: looking at Quinn in losses IS just as important as looking at blowouts. I just hate that no one who's not a diehard fan of the Irish seems to care about what he did except for in losses. And even then, they focus on the bad games. If you want to be objective, look at what he did in all the games.

 

vs. Georgia Tech: 23-38, 246 yards 0 TD, 0 INT (ran for one TD)

vs. Penn State: 25-36, 287 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT

vs. Michigan 24-48, 234 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT (Loss)

vs. Michigan State 20-36, 319 yards, 5 TD, 1 INT

vs. Purdue 29-38, 316 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT

vs. Stanford 27-37, 232 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT

vs. UCLA 27-45, 304 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT

vs. UNC 23-35, 346 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT

vs. USC 22-45, 274 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT (Loss)

vs. LSU 15-35, 148 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT (Loss)

 

BQ's senior year minus service academies: 28 TDs, 6 INTs (7-3 record)

Those numbers compare favorably to any QB in NCAA history.

 

Just in losses: 61-128, 653 yards, 8 TD, 5 INT

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Second: looking at Quinn in losses IS just as important as looking at blowouts. I just hate that no one who's not a diehard fan of the Irish seems to care about what he did except for in losses. And even then, they focus on the bad games.

 

 

True but what do you think people did with Troy Smith? He was only held to the standard of 1 loss, which was a National Championship Game about 50 days after he crushed Michigan's heart the 2nd consecutive time and countless Heisman Trophy banquet speeches. Pretty unfair IMO. The ONLY differences between Troy Smith and Drew Brees coming out of that Big 10 was the brushcut afro and the John Boy Walton freckle. Not sure why Troy becomes the 5th round pick and Drew goes much earlier. Without the hindsight - neither is anyone else if they are being honest.

 

Then again, Tim Couch once becomes the consensus 1st overall pick to Donovan McNabb because it was said the Pro game didn't have any place for a college QB running Veer Option offense. This of course completely dismisses that Couch was actually recruited to run a wishbone offense (which is even less conducive to the NFL style of offense) similar to what Quinn was recruited to run for Ty Willingham. Forget that Brett Favre QB'd a very similar college offense to the one McNabb QB'd at SU. It sure seems like there's some stereotyping of height and style of offense from some NFL scouts. People were just waiting for that first bad day from Troy Smith so they could define him the way they always wanted to as some inncercity kid that got into trouble before he went on to be a hero at Ohio State. SOMETIMES, something like this can be a success story if we allow it to be.

 

I'd LOVE things to be fair because we could get a pretty bargain priced Troy Smith to come in and compete with whichever QB we keep for the starting job. People can't wait to insult Troy Smith without really knowing why. Tressel sure defied the odds and silenced critics using him. Seems to me the last time I watched a matchup of Troy Smith's arm vrs Quinn's arm, there was no contest in which one was more impressive. One guy needed excuses for losing, which has crossed over to the next level. The other guy was just accurate enough for compliments and changing the scoreboard. I haven't seen Quinn do a thing at the NFL level (outside of 2 desperate pass defenses like Detroit's in 09 and Denver's of 08). We lost both of those matchups because Quinn couldn't hang with the scoring paces of those 2 opposing QBs. Troy was going to start in 2008 if it weren't for a freaky throat infection that hospitalized him and kept him out of pads for a month. There's nothing to lose in bringing him home for an opportunity to compete for a starting job.

 

I look at how people want to favorably compare Quinn as a QB to Troy Smith and I feel like asking them what was the specific REASON Troy Smith won the Heisman. Ready for this? Performance. This wasn't a Gino Torreta type of Heisman - it was the college football version of Peyton Manning winning an MVP. When Peyton lost his first playoff matchup each and seemingly every time - who held him to his 1 bad playoff performance over the things that led to MVP caliber? Nobody.

- Tom F.

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But if I were watching for good mechanics what would I be watching for? What are "properly set" feet, etc? I don't want to be a QB coach, just a quick tutorial on proper mechanics would be helpful.

 

Here's what I look for:

 

The short version: The QB's feet and arms should exhibit an "economy of motion" (i.e., the less wasted movement the better)

 

The detailed version:

 

The QB mechanics break down into two main areas:

 

1) Lower Body

2) Upper Body

 

I put them in that order because poor lower body mechanics leads to poor upper body mechanics.

1) Lower Body-- The QB accepts the snap and then has basically four movements immediately off of the snap. He has a 3, 5 and 7 step drop. He also has different mechanics to hand off. When he accepts the exchange from center he'll then drop step with his throwing foot (i.e., the same side foot that corresponds to his throwing arm. Right for righties, left for lefties). He then has to cross with the contralateral foot for step two. The next step is with the first foot and so on and so forth. The reason the drops are numbered as "odd steps" is that the same-side foot has to be the last one because they have to drive off of that foot to initiate the throw. For instance, a three step drop is quick and is a throw to short routes...so the rhythm is 1-2-3-throw. The crossing of the feet is key. Some guys are very smooth with this and others are uncoordinated and shuffle/stumble their way back. Other guys are frequently caught in between steps. At the appropriate depth of the drop, that last step has to plant firmly and the player's stance should be athletic with a good base for balance. They push off of the back foot and drive their weight forward with the the front foot rotating their hips (Tom Brady is particularly good at the drive and hip turn). NO THROWING OFF OF THE BACK FOOT!

 

On handoffs, it's a little different because whether it's a straight handoff or a stretch...the QB has to open their hips right off of the snap. On the stretch they have to have some mobility to get to the handoff point. There is some agility involved here.

 

2)Upper Body-- On pulling out from center the QB's head and eyes are ideally downfield. Some guys do keep their head centered so it's harder to see where they're looking (Brett Favre does this) but they should be going through their reads as they drop. The shoulders should be perpendicular with the line of scrimmage when possible and the ball should be held high (with two hands) near the upper shoulder/ear hole area. (see Peyton Manning). The positioning of the ball helps avoid fumbles from carelessness but more importantly it gets rid of a hitch because the ball is already in a good starting position for the throw (Steve Young). The throwing motion should be compact (NOT TIM TEBOW OR LEFTWICH). The arm angle is important in the sense that a QB makes himself shorter with a sidearm throw and for some guys that's an issue. The follow through should end up with their throwing hand almost in their opposite pants pocket (Tom Brady). The release point should ideally be in the middle of the throw and the wrist snap offers a tighter spiral (important for bad weather....good ones were Marino, Warren Moon and even Michael Vick has a great wrist release).

 

These are just physical mechanics. Obviously there's more to this than just the physical part of it. Some guys are able to overcome lapses in their mechanics and others cannot. Some guys trust their arm too much. If you look at the 22 Ints that Brett Favre threw last year with the Jets, at least 19 or 20 were mechanics breakdowns and most, if not all, were thrown off of his back foot. His mechanics looked like he simply didn't care but I risk reading too much into that. Brady Quinn is NOT a guy who can overcome bad mechanics. He needs his mechanics to be reproducible and spot on to be effective. Jay Cutler, on the other hand, can occasionally overcome bad mechanics and throw on the run.

 

Just my version of QB mechanics. Hope that's helpful.

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I think there are a lot of reason why Smith was drafted in the 5th round, but Quinn went in the first. Smith played on a very good team with a dominant defense. Quinn was the best player on his team. I think too many guys look at someone who can throw far and fall in love with that (I'm not saying it's something that's unimportant; I'm saying it's overemphasized). Look at JaMarcus Russell. No one talked about him until the Bowl Game vs. ND. Suddenly, he was a great prospect? No, I always thought of him as a huge arm and nothing else. That's what he seems to be. Troy Smith? Great athlete. Not a QB. Brady Quinn always looked like a really tough competitor, a solid athlete, and a good QB. And that's what everyone said about him until the LSU game. If you watched it, you saw a team vastly outclassed. LSU was simply better across the board. The Irish looked horrible. You can pin it on Quinn, I suppose. He was the best player on the team, but he didn't win it for them. I simply felt terrible for him because almost no one showed up (certainly not his line).

 

I'm still a bit surprised that people say things like, "I haven't seen Quinn do a thing at the NFL level." I know his numbers overall are unimpressive, but so are a lot of guys who haven't had the key handed over to them for a full season. And plenty of young QBs who start off with unimpressive numbers grow into very good NFL QBs. I don't even think it's a question that Quinn outperformed Anderson this year. Maybe that's not much in the book of some. Still, Quinn has looked good numerous times running the 2-minute drill (for instance, against San Diego this season). He's tough, runs the offense well, can do something with his feet, and I thought was one of the big reasons the team started to gel toward the end of the season. If you haven't seen Quinn do anything, why is Troy Smith even in the conversation?

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I think the 2nd Round is a little too high for Ulatowski.

 

Suh's dominance over the Longhorns' interior OL was the main event of the Big 12 Championship Game, but Barry Turner also embarrassed Ulatowski, notching 2.5 sacks. Turner probably isn't good enough to start at the next level, so it doesn't bode well for Ulatowski's future, even if he's going to move to right tackle.

 

Ulatowski also was bad in the Texas Tech loss last year, routinely getting destroyed by McKinner Dixon. He could get a look in the mid-rounds, but I don't think he'll start right away: he needs time to develop.

 

Alo, I won't disagree. I think this line is one of the weakest in the last ten years. That said, most people I've talked to or read seem to agree that his future in the NFL is at RT or even OG. He's massive but is limited in his athleticism. This doesn't strike me as a good interior offensive line/RT class but I could be wrong.

 

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I think there are a lot of reason why Smith was drafted in the 5th round, but Quinn went in the first. Smith played on a very good team with a dominant defense.

 

Ohio State REPLACED 9 defensive starters heading into his senior year while losing 5 juniors to the NFL draft T. I think you need to research this better. That was a big reason why Jim Rome was cautioning Buckeye fans that AJ Hawk wouldn't bet Packer teammate Charles Woodson. BOTH years, Troy had to overcome Michigan leads which doesn't really convey Troy's defense was bailing him out.

 

Troy Smith enters this conversation because he wants to come and get an opportunity with a franchise in a position like our's. Cleveland just so happens to be his home town and it was the team he grew up rooting for.

 

Again, I was one of the ones that WANTED Quinn to succeed (because of our commitment to him); but I have to be honest about what I've seen from him T. The Detroit Game where he finally connected on deep passes weren't progressive reads as much as they were 5-7 step drops (plant and throw) to an area against one of the worst coverage teams in the NFL. These are timing patterns not reading a progression and throwing with precision. He's way too slow in his reads and players jump his routes too easily. KC was givign huge cushions and he overthrew a wideopen receiver into the chest of the DB 10-15 deeper than this receiver. It was a brutal INT and of course Daboll got blamed for it more than Quinn by some.

- Tom F.

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Ohio State REPLACED 9 defensive starters heading into his senior year while losing 5 juniors to the NFL draft T. I think you need to research this better. That was a big reason why Jim Rome was cautioning Buckeye fans that AJ Hawk wouldn't bet Packer teammate Charles Woodson. BOTH years, Troy had to overcome Michigan leads which doesn't really convey Troy's defense was bailing him out.

What would I research? Ohio State yielded just over 10 PPG that season, 2nd best in 1A. They were basically top 10 in every defensive category. They had an utterly dominant defense. Everyone following football that year knew it.

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Please no Mike Vick.

 

Dawg pound and Mike Vick just don't go together

 

LOL!

 

OR, we could inquire about bringing in Kevin Kolb from Philly to compete with whatever QB we keep. I really think we can get a FA QB that brings some degree of game experience and promise in lieu of drafting any of the first round prospects with lingering injury-concerns. Speaking of which, Quinn was injured again as the season closed.

 

Does Canada have any more Warren Moons, Joe Theismanns, or Jeff Garcias ready to lead an NFL team into the playoffs? Anyone impressive in that Grey Cup Game? And which NFL team today might be like that Green Bay team that once had Mark Brunell, Matt Hasselbeck, and Kurt Warner being tutored for bright futures elsewhere?

 

It's looking like we have alot of people that don't want to draft a QB while at the same time we're not really comfortable with Quinn or DA anymore. Those that want a 1st round QB seem to favor LeFevour. I already jinxed Keenum - he threw 6 INTs in his Bowl Game shortly after I called him Flugel's 2nd round sleeper. He's a sleeper alright.

- Tom F.

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What would I research? Ohio State yielded just over 10 PPG that season, 2nd best in 1A. They were basically top 10 in every defensive category. They had an utterly dominant defense. Everyone following football that year knew it.

 

We could start by differentiating between Troy Smith's junior year and his senior year. Once you get that straight - I think you'll find Ohio State replaced 9 starters on defense when Troy was a senior. I also think you'll be unpleasantly surprised to see that 5 juniors went in the first 3 rounds of the NFL draft heading into Troy's senior year. We can pretend that made life easy as hell if you need us to; but I think Troy would have had ALOT more help if Santonio Holmes was available for the Florida matchup instead of being a 1st round draft pick STARTING for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Donte Whitner was also a 1st round draft pick for Buffalo, AJ Hawk was a first round draft pick for Green Bay. Youboty was a 3rd round pick for Buffalo and they had an olineman (Rob Murphy?) go to the NFL as a junior too. You blend that reality with losing 9 defensive starters and it's a pretty nice story that Troy Smith led them to a National Championship Game inspite of all the roster turnover.

 

Getting back to WHY I've brought up Troy Smith - I thought you didn't WANT to draft a QB in 2010 right?

 

So what's your enourmous worry about bringing in a free agent we don't have to overpay to compete with Quinn or DA for the starting job?

 

I gotta believe there's more than just Troy Smith as an idea. He's just the ONLY guy I see hinting around that he wants our situation as his ideal opportunity in his home town so he jumps to the top of my list of bargain shopping. Kevin Kolb is another idea I have but I think you'll find a bigger price tag attched to that one so we get back to worrying about what we lose if the dice comes up on the wrong number.

 

I think the fact that you present yourself as an enormous Notre Dame fan while I'm an Ohio State fan is gonna keep us from finding some common ground in this debate.

- Tom F.

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Tom, maybe I'm missing something, but for the life of me, I don't see it. I don't care if Ohio State somehow replaced 12 starters on D: the defense was amazing. It may have been better than Smith's Junior season. I don't care if Notre Dame had 500 men on the field on defense, all Pro-Bowlers returned from the NFL: they were not amazing. If you think that having a good defense cannot do great things for a QB's growth in very short order, see guys like Rothlisberger, Rivers, and Flacco (and if you extend it to college, the list swells to become ridiculous).

 

Was Smith a "nice story"? I suppose so. I don't see that it makes Smith a better quarterback than Brady Quinn.

 

I don't want Cleveland to draft a QB with an early pick. I don't mind if they pick up someone later in the draft or even if they try to go out and get a vet to take Quinn under his wing (Anderson will be gone). I don't see what bringing in Troy Smith would do though, even if he is cheap. I don't see him winning the starting job and I don't see him helping our other QB(s) in any way.

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Hey, did you just add that line about my being an ND fan? I didn't see it before. I don't see a reason why what college team we like should have any impact on this debate. One guy had an incredible season despite the players around him. One guy had an incredible season because of the players around him. That's how I see it. That's how scouts saw it. That's how teams drafted.

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Hey, did you just add that line about my being an ND fan? I didn't see it before. I don't see a reason why what college team we like should have any impact on this debate. One guy had an incredible season despite the players around him. One guy had an incredible season because of the players around him. That's how I see it. That's how scouts saw it. That's how teams drafted.

 

At the risk of interjecting another dog into this fight, I'd offer to you that being a fan of ND or Ohio State is entirely relevant in the discussion. I personally don't trust myself to give an opinion about Texas players because I worry that I don't see them objectively. I try to stay out of discussions regarding the pro prospects of the Horns as I tend to be more critical of them than others might be. The reaction to positive or negative criticism of a favorite college team (especially if you're an alum) is a very visceral one and I can't expect the fact to be irrelevant.

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I don't see any way we get Kolb from Philly...He's their next starter. I think they would give up McNabb before they give up Kolb at this point.

 

Mark,

I was thinking the same way until yesterday. Kolb's prolly seriously wondering why they asked Michael Vick to come in during the 1st quarter yesterday to throw a rope for a 67 yard TD pass instead of asking him to do that. I don't think they're investing this time in Michael Vick just to trade him based on McNabb's age and wear and tear coupled with his recent playoff disappointments. If Kolb senses they are grooming Vick to replace McNabb, guess who wants out? They can tell Kolb he's their guy of the future all they want but their actions are really showing Vick is this person.

 

- Tom F.

 

 

 

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I think that play really only worked because they were afraid of Vick running the ball. It was a pass out of a WildDawg...something we should do more of with Cribbs because it would make the running game with him even more effective.

 

I still think Philly looks at Kolb as the future starter and Vick as nothing more than Pat White in Miami or that dude from the Jets last night.

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I watched Brees in college, primarily when he played against OSU. He was insanely accurate and made me wonder why nobody thought he could play in the pros. He is probably a couple of inches taller than troy

 

Troy was a great athlete that became a good QB as time went on. He made some incredible plays but didn't impress me as insanely accurate like brees. I don't think troy did really well in his workouts before the draft which hurt him. But I do think troy can play in the nfl, he is still here

 

I don't think it was a looks or skin issue but just imho

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At the risk of interjecting another dog into this fight, I'd offer to you that being a fan of ND or Ohio State is entirely relevant in the discussion. I personally don't trust myself to give an opinion about Texas players because I worry that I don't see them objectively. I try to stay out of discussions regarding the pro prospects of the Horns as I tend to be more critical of them than others might be. The reaction to positive or negative criticism of a favorite college team (especially if you're an alum) is a very visceral one and I can't expect the fact to be irrelevant.

 

LOL! I hear ya Earl. That's why I brought up the differences in what college teams we followed because it's like we're 2 different religions arguing which messiah leads us to the promise land - mine or his. We are both patriotic to our favorite guy from our favorite program in this debate. I think T has been very respectful throughout this so I don't see it as a fight (Battle of Troy) as much as us both trying to clarify where we are coming from.

 

Trodgers,

FWIW - I wanted Quinn to have a great year in 09 so I could feel like we were finally set at QB. That never went the way I wanted it to. I think I'm pretty much where you are at with not wanting to draft a QB in round 1 but feeling like we need to bring in someone to compete for the job. We can either go the route of a later round or see what we can get to come in from another team.

- Tom F.

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I watched Brees in college, primarily when he played against OSU. He was insanely accurate and made me wonder why nobody thought he could play in the pros. He is probably a couple of inches taller than troy

 

Troy was a great athlete that became a good QB as time went on. He made some incredible plays but didn't impress me as insanely accurate like brees. I don't think troy did really well in his workouts before the draft which hurt him. But I do think troy can play in the nfl, he is still here

 

I don't think it was a looks or skin issue but just imho

 

 

They're both listed at 6'0, but Troy does seem smaller than what he is listed. Troy's big appeal is his mobility, whereas Brees is more of a true pocket QB. Don't get me wrong, Brees is mobile enough, but it seems like Troy throws better balls on the run than Brees.

 

The thing I look at in QB's more than their mechanics is how they cope when things go to shit. I like a QB with good mechanics, who doesn't, but I think a desirable quality in QB's nowadays is their ability to turn a busted play into positive yardage. Many things factor into that, things like mobility, their ability to throw on the run, their field awareness, and their ability to take a hit. I think the NFL is slowly transitioning away from true pocket QB's like Manning, Warner, Favre and Brady. Don't get me wrong, they are still elite QB's, and they always will be. But with the way defenses are evolving and the true freaks of nature being drafted on the defensive side of the ball, it's getting hard for a QB to come in, read a defense correctly pre-snap, then drop back and have a comfortable amount of time to throw. Defenses seem to be harder to read, at least from my point of view.

 

Essentially, I'm looking for Roethlisberger. He is probably one of the greatest QB's in the history of the NFL when it comes to improvising and turning busted plays into big gains. I think Troy Smith has Roethlisberger-esque qualities. He was born to throw the football on the run. His accuracy could definitely be improved, but it's not altogether terrible. In fact, it's probably better than what we have now in Cleveland. People seem to forget that Troy Smith was in line to become the starter for Baltimore until he got tonsilitis. Then Flacco decided that he wanted to be amazing, and now Troy Smith is just out of luck.

 

All in all, I'd love to see what he could do for us. I think it would be a welcome addition.

 

The real question is: is Cleveland ready for a black quarterback? (That's a joke)

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Is Cleveland ready for a black quarterback is a very good question. Since we've been back the only black quarterback has been speurgon wynn lol. Everytime a black qb is mentioned all you hear about is their defeciencies. Mike Vick was a good qb juss ask defensive coordinators around the league. Matter of fact the same people saying that he was no good should look at what we had this year behind center.If we are building a dominant run game we should get a running qb that can throw. (Mike Vick, Troy Smith, Mcnabb, Dixon, Young). Please no more comments about Vick and dogs thats the past he did his time and its time to move on from that.

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