Off The Grid
Veteran Starter w/Big Long Term Deal
- Joined
- Apr 20, 2010
- Messages
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Good Evening, Ladies and Gents...
I humbly and quietly offer this Thread ~ the first of many, as I'll be circumnavigating the entire Roster ~ to my Fellow Patriots Fans ~ KoolAid Soaked Homers + Bile Soaked Haters, alike!!
~ as a Gathering Place ~ a common reference ~ for Quarter Back Prospects.
***
I make no pretensions of Scouting Expertise.
I watch Tape, but that doesn't mean I understand it.
That statement, of course, is true of 99.999% of FootBall fans around the WORLD.
...And .001% of them actually ADMIT it!!
***
MIND You...
I'm not here to judge anyone here: Only to admit my OWN human frailties.
And as such...90% of my Evaluations are derivative: I analyze the Reports of the experts, I compare and contrast them...and I draw my own conclusions, based on what I consider critical...which is often DIRECTLY at odds with General Consensus.
Take it as you will, gentlemen...and ladies.
***
Andrew Luck of Stanford ~ 6.4/234
Beast!!
When I look at how these Scouts and Analysts regard a QuarterBack, I don't give a rat's ass about how far he can throw it on a wire, or how fast he runs the 40: Anyone who thinks that those Skills are the most critical ones in assessing a QuarterBack's ability to lead a team to a Championship have overlooked the last 90 years of History.
When I look at how these Scouts and Analysts regard a QuarterBack, 90% of my evaluation derives from comments on his Processing Speed, his Diagnostic Acuity, his Pocket Presence, and his Mechanics.
***
Those ~ the overwhelming majority ~ who say that Andrew Luck is the best Quarter Back prospect to come out since Peyton Manning are actually missing the mark.
Peyton Manning is not blessed with Andrew Luck's Processing Speed.
Luck isn't perfect, mind you: both NFL Draft Scout's Rob Rang and National FootBall Post's Wes Bunting mention that his Diagnostic Acuity needs some work, in regards to forcing plays and reaping Interceptions...But that's nit picking, as he's not exactly prone to such mistakes.
Furthermore, Rang offers rare praise, indeed, in lauding Luck's readiness to Check Down to the Running Game, if he sees it as the best option. This, in particular, in an age obsessed with throwing the ball, reveals what I consider to be a startling level of Generalship for such a young man.
And, indeed, both Rang and Bunting gave him excellent grades in all of what I consider to be The Essentials: Processing Speed, Diagnostic Acuity, Pocket Presence, and Mechanics, as well as Accuracy. Indeed, all attributes were accorded excellent grades ~ even his Mobility ~ with the exception of Arm Strength, where he graded only average.
Arm Strength is, without peer, the most overrated attribute of a successfull Quarter Back, far more even than Mobility.
Arm Strength does not win Championships.
Processing Speed and Diagnostic Acuity ~ the ability to rapidly read Defenses, find the weak spot, and decisively deliver a strike ~ whether on the ground or through the air ~ are what makes for a Championship Quarter Back.
And Andrew Luck commands those attributes in spades.
Beast!!
Matt Barkley of Southern California ~ 6.2/220
Beast!!
Matt Barkley is an exceptional prospect.
Both NFL Draft Scout's Chad Reuter and National FootBall Post's Wes Bunting praise Barkley's Processing Speed, Diagnostic Acuity, and Pocket Presence, while Reuter also lauds his Mechanics.
Neither has anything particularly enticing to say about his Arm Strength or his Mobility, though his Arm Strength is fine, if not remarkable, and his Accuracy gets good grades.
Most folks place at least equal weight on the Arm Strength and Running Game, his least remarkable features, as on the rest of his Game. And indeed most folks rank Arm Strength as the very most important Category, with running potential generally thought to add immense value.
I consider that pure Folly.
The Great Quarter Backs through the ages have, for the great part, been noteworthy not for their Arm Strength or Scrambling ability, but for their Processing Speed and their Diagnostic Acuity: Their ability to read a field rapidly and well...and decisively.
And on those critical points, Barkley grades out as outstanding.
For those reasons, I consider him ~ unlike most of the strong armed slingers of the 2011 Draft Class ~ completely worthy of his currently lofty Market Value.
Beast.
Landry Jones of Oklahoma ~ 6.4/220
Vastly OverRated!!
I reserve the right, in all cases, to change my mind between now and Draft 2012, as new information comes in, but my current opinion of Landry Jones as a Quarter Back is not a favorable one, I'm afraid.
His is a textbook case of precisely what makes my perspective unusual.
Most gurus will give him an high Grade, due to his exceptional Arm Strength, and suggest that everything else is correctable, with good coaching.
And they may well be right: Most things are correctable, with good coaching and a fanatical level of determination.
And hopefully Jones will beat my Call: I have nothing against him, and wish him the very best.
But as far as evaluations go: Here we have a kid about whom Rob Rang of NFL Draft Scout and Wes Bunting of National FootBall Post both express concerns regarding his Processing Speed, his Diagnostic Acuity, his Pocket Presence, and his Mechanics, as well as his Accuracy.
To my mind, those attributes are all more important than Arm Strength, which, frankly, is an attribute that I consider vastly overrated by most.
For those reasons, I must currently assess young Mister Jones as carrying an extremely high level of risk for a 1st Rounder. I hope he lands in the right situation, and proves to have the character needed to master this game, but based on what I currently see, I see his Market Value as vastly overrated.
Caveat Emptor!!
Ryan TanneHill of Texas A&M ~ 6.4/220
Raw Gem but OverRated!!
Ryan TanneHill is very intriguing prospect, and a very risky one, considering his 1st Rounder Market Value.
He's only been starting at Texas A&M for about a year, and he's raw.
As such, he currently gets poor grades for Processing Speed, Diagnostic Acuity, Pocket Presence, and Mechanics, the attributes I value so highly, as well as Accuracy.
Only in Arm Strength and Mobility ~ the attributes I don't give a rat's ass about, but which are generally so highly valued ~ does he get good marks.
Even so, it is agreed, by NFL Draft Scout's Chad Reuter and National FootBall Post's Wes Bunting, that he is an exceptionally talented young man, very intelligent, a dedicated team mate and hard worker...and an inspiring leader.
And I like him, myself: as a former Split End, he's received invaluable cross training, albeit at the expense of more experience behind Center. And he grades high in Intangibles, which, while cliched in so many ways, are, ironically, still generally underrated in their ultimate impact on a Prospect's fortunes.
But considering that he's still a developmental Quarter Back, at this stage, I think you have to give him a Mid Round grade, as, indeed, Mocking The Draft's Jon Dove does.
OverRated!!
As always, the preceding thoughts were regurgitated, derivative tripe, adding no value whatsoever, while in fact obliterating intelligent thought and offending the spirit of all decent men. You are now stupider for having read it, and are encouraged, in the strongest possible language, never to expose your eyes to this Site again.
I humbly and quietly offer this Thread ~ the first of many, as I'll be circumnavigating the entire Roster ~ to my Fellow Patriots Fans ~ KoolAid Soaked Homers + Bile Soaked Haters, alike!!
~ as a Gathering Place ~ a common reference ~ for Quarter Back Prospects.***
I make no pretensions of Scouting Expertise.
I watch Tape, but that doesn't mean I understand it.
That statement, of course, is true of 99.999% of FootBall fans around the WORLD.
...And .001% of them actually ADMIT it!!
***
MIND You...
I'm not here to judge anyone here: Only to admit my OWN human frailties.
And as such...90% of my Evaluations are derivative: I analyze the Reports of the experts, I compare and contrast them...and I draw my own conclusions, based on what I consider critical...which is often DIRECTLY at odds with General Consensus.
Take it as you will, gentlemen...and ladies.
***
Andrew Luck of Stanford ~ 6.4/234
Beast!!
When I look at how these Scouts and Analysts regard a QuarterBack, I don't give a rat's ass about how far he can throw it on a wire, or how fast he runs the 40: Anyone who thinks that those Skills are the most critical ones in assessing a QuarterBack's ability to lead a team to a Championship have overlooked the last 90 years of History.
When I look at how these Scouts and Analysts regard a QuarterBack, 90% of my evaluation derives from comments on his Processing Speed, his Diagnostic Acuity, his Pocket Presence, and his Mechanics.
***
Those ~ the overwhelming majority ~ who say that Andrew Luck is the best Quarter Back prospect to come out since Peyton Manning are actually missing the mark.
Peyton Manning is not blessed with Andrew Luck's Processing Speed.
Luck isn't perfect, mind you: both NFL Draft Scout's Rob Rang and National FootBall Post's Wes Bunting mention that his Diagnostic Acuity needs some work, in regards to forcing plays and reaping Interceptions...But that's nit picking, as he's not exactly prone to such mistakes.
Furthermore, Rang offers rare praise, indeed, in lauding Luck's readiness to Check Down to the Running Game, if he sees it as the best option. This, in particular, in an age obsessed with throwing the ball, reveals what I consider to be a startling level of Generalship for such a young man.
And, indeed, both Rang and Bunting gave him excellent grades in all of what I consider to be The Essentials: Processing Speed, Diagnostic Acuity, Pocket Presence, and Mechanics, as well as Accuracy. Indeed, all attributes were accorded excellent grades ~ even his Mobility ~ with the exception of Arm Strength, where he graded only average.
Arm Strength is, without peer, the most overrated attribute of a successfull Quarter Back, far more even than Mobility.
Arm Strength does not win Championships.
Processing Speed and Diagnostic Acuity ~ the ability to rapidly read Defenses, find the weak spot, and decisively deliver a strike ~ whether on the ground or through the air ~ are what makes for a Championship Quarter Back.
And Andrew Luck commands those attributes in spades.
Beast!!
Matt Barkley of Southern California ~ 6.2/220
Beast!!
Matt Barkley is an exceptional prospect.
Both NFL Draft Scout's Chad Reuter and National FootBall Post's Wes Bunting praise Barkley's Processing Speed, Diagnostic Acuity, and Pocket Presence, while Reuter also lauds his Mechanics.
Neither has anything particularly enticing to say about his Arm Strength or his Mobility, though his Arm Strength is fine, if not remarkable, and his Accuracy gets good grades.
Most folks place at least equal weight on the Arm Strength and Running Game, his least remarkable features, as on the rest of his Game. And indeed most folks rank Arm Strength as the very most important Category, with running potential generally thought to add immense value.
I consider that pure Folly.
The Great Quarter Backs through the ages have, for the great part, been noteworthy not for their Arm Strength or Scrambling ability, but for their Processing Speed and their Diagnostic Acuity: Their ability to read a field rapidly and well...and decisively.
And on those critical points, Barkley grades out as outstanding.
For those reasons, I consider him ~ unlike most of the strong armed slingers of the 2011 Draft Class ~ completely worthy of his currently lofty Market Value.
Beast.
Landry Jones of Oklahoma ~ 6.4/220
Vastly OverRated!!
I reserve the right, in all cases, to change my mind between now and Draft 2012, as new information comes in, but my current opinion of Landry Jones as a Quarter Back is not a favorable one, I'm afraid.
His is a textbook case of precisely what makes my perspective unusual.
Most gurus will give him an high Grade, due to his exceptional Arm Strength, and suggest that everything else is correctable, with good coaching.
And they may well be right: Most things are correctable, with good coaching and a fanatical level of determination.
And hopefully Jones will beat my Call: I have nothing against him, and wish him the very best.
But as far as evaluations go: Here we have a kid about whom Rob Rang of NFL Draft Scout and Wes Bunting of National FootBall Post both express concerns regarding his Processing Speed, his Diagnostic Acuity, his Pocket Presence, and his Mechanics, as well as his Accuracy.
To my mind, those attributes are all more important than Arm Strength, which, frankly, is an attribute that I consider vastly overrated by most.
For those reasons, I must currently assess young Mister Jones as carrying an extremely high level of risk for a 1st Rounder. I hope he lands in the right situation, and proves to have the character needed to master this game, but based on what I currently see, I see his Market Value as vastly overrated.
Caveat Emptor!!
Ryan TanneHill of Texas A&M ~ 6.4/220
Raw Gem but OverRated!!
Ryan TanneHill is very intriguing prospect, and a very risky one, considering his 1st Rounder Market Value.
He's only been starting at Texas A&M for about a year, and he's raw.
As such, he currently gets poor grades for Processing Speed, Diagnostic Acuity, Pocket Presence, and Mechanics, the attributes I value so highly, as well as Accuracy.
Only in Arm Strength and Mobility ~ the attributes I don't give a rat's ass about, but which are generally so highly valued ~ does he get good marks.
Even so, it is agreed, by NFL Draft Scout's Chad Reuter and National FootBall Post's Wes Bunting, that he is an exceptionally talented young man, very intelligent, a dedicated team mate and hard worker...and an inspiring leader.
And I like him, myself: as a former Split End, he's received invaluable cross training, albeit at the expense of more experience behind Center. And he grades high in Intangibles, which, while cliched in so many ways, are, ironically, still generally underrated in their ultimate impact on a Prospect's fortunes.
But considering that he's still a developmental Quarter Back, at this stage, I think you have to give him a Mid Round grade, as, indeed, Mocking The Draft's Jon Dove does.
OverRated!!
As always, the preceding thoughts were regurgitated, derivative tripe, adding no value whatsoever, while in fact obliterating intelligent thought and offending the spirit of all decent men. You are now stupider for having read it, and are encouraged, in the strongest possible language, never to expose your eyes to this Site again.
