Yes, it's several pages long but WELL worth the read.
Here's a sample...
[i]The year before, the same thing happened with Ryan Leaf, who was the Chase Daniel of 1998. The San Diego Chargers made him the second player taken over all in the draft, and gave him an eleven-million-dollar signing bonus. Leaf turned out to be terrible. In 2002, it was Joey Harrington’s turn. Harrington was a golden boy out of the University of Oregon, and the third player taken in the draft. Shonka still can’t get over what happened to him.
“I tell you, I saw Joey live,? he said. “This guy threw lasers, he could throw under tight spots, he had the arm strength, he had the size, he had the intelligence.? Shonka got as misty as a two-hundred-and-eighty-pound ex-linebacker in a black tracksuit can get. “He’s a concert pianist, you know? I really—I mean, I really—liked Joey.? And yet Harrington’s career consisted of a failed stint with the Detroit Lions and a slide into obscurity. Shonka looked back at the screen, where the young man he felt might be the best quarterback in the country was marching his team up and down the field. “How will that ability translate to the National Football League?? He shook his head slowly. “Shoot.?
This is the quarterback problem. There are certain jobs where almost nothing you can learn about candidates before they start predicts how they’ll do once they’re hired. So how do we know whom to choose in cases like that?
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The article compares teaching to being a QB and it always seems to come down to actual on field/in class performance IN A SIMILAR SITUATION. College QB's don't play in a pro situation and so some skills that make you successful in one might actually damage your chances in the other.
I'll have to read it Mark. But yes, when you're playing agains't better players and much more compicated defensive schemes, things change and it is different. I would say even in a sport like hockey and we've seen it all the time, some hot shot juniors just can't take the different style of play in the NHL. Alexandre Daigle comes to mind.
Pure arm strength in a qb is like skating in hockey, just because you can skate fast doesn't mean you will do well at a high level of play. College football is a simpler game than the NFL. In the CFL, I think the extra man on defense just gets into the head of some qb's and they can't adjust to it no matter how good they were in US college football. But how to predict this? No idea. Also the one less down probably plays mind games with some that is difficult.
Money is another issue, some young people can't handle having a lot of money all of a sudden. Again, difficult to predict who can and who can't handle it.
Character and intelligence have a lot to do with quarterback success. Ryan Leaf had the physical tools but lacked the other necessary ingredients. You can bet the Chargers learned their lessons well before getting Philip Rivers for Eli Manning. Big Ben in Pittsburg doesn't have the greatest arm but he certainly knows how to win with a suspect offensive line. The solid organizations do their homework and draft well while others like the Raiders and Lions continue to struggle. I know I'm stating the obvious but winning quarterbacks come from winning programs.
Pat Lynch(the old guy in section 7)
IMO raw rookie qb,s seldom do well at the pro level, Payton Manning was “eased” into his roll with the Colts,a smart move be their H.C at the time,Ryan Lief was put into the fire to early with a bad team not surprising he fell flat. However with just his signing bonus what incentive did he have to perform and produce? Most successfull pro teams build from the O and D lines .
You are mistaken MD.
Old Peyton Manning was thrown to the wolves in his rookie year. The smart HC had him attempt the 2nd most passes he has ever thrown in a season and ended up with 28 int and a QB rating of 71.2.
Indy was 3-13 that year.
I was watching One of P.M,s first NFL games , the commentators stated that the Colts were using extra Lineman to Protect P.M and he was being vrought along slowly, this meant the Colts would have another losing season, which their fans had to accept, i would suggest his high i.n.t number reflects this, the following season the aquired James at R. B and the Play action set .
Ryan Leaf has average physical tools, the one thing he was brutal at was having a feel for how to move in the pocket, he had that deer caught in the headlights look when he felt preasure.
I think the most important thing is vision, manipulating a defence with your eyes as well as being able to avoid the first defender in while keeping your eyes down field. All the great ones have that instinct, if i was a scout those would be the things i focussed on with qbs, as well as how well they throw into tight spots or if they can throw receivers open, putting the ball in spots where a covered receiver has a chance to fight for it.
a bit something about Detroit’s failed QB, IMO teams like Detroit destroy good players and teams like Dallas make average players look good, NO high draft rookie QB is going to turn Detroit around by them self, It comes down to the O line, the receivers and the O.C. . Look at the Argos D from the 2000,s , 3 first round NFL pick,s who failed in NFL, but made the Argo,s D one of the best Pass D,s of all time, Detroit CUT O’Shea who was another NFL blunder. one of the best MLB,s ever in CFL, Even if he did betray Hamilton fans. :twisted: Seems NFL teams are more of a meat grinder than a place for talented players to execute their abilities.Doug Flutie is another! Another factor is the U.S college system, where Reporters determine who play in bowl games , and where Players are given academic free pass because of their scholarship system.
Detroit never ruined any good qb's, but they have bigger problems than knowing how to evaluate qb's, they dont evaluate players at any other positions very well either..
