The Packers needed to fix the awful mechanics that Cal instilled in Rodgers during his time there. That's why he went from being knocked for his lack of arm strength before that draft to suddenly being able to zip the ball on a frozen rope down the field. Garoppolo has no such issues with his mechanics. Comparing his situation to Rodgers does an injustice to JG.
Perhaps, Kontra, perhaps, but from what you've written, I'm guessing you and I see the QB position differently. I see the major reason for a QB's success in the NFL has a lot more to do with his head, than with his arm.
JG doesn't throw rockets, but his arm strength is good enough, especially in this offense. I love his quick release, and his ability to throw well on the run. It also seems like he throws a good deep ball. All in all I think his mechanics are good. What isn't good is his head, or rather what he is able to see in the 2 seconds he gets to make a decision, At this point he can't process the field well enough to get to his other receivers when his first option is covered, quick enough. Nor should anyone reasonably expect him to. Our ONLY expectation should be that he keep on getting better as time goes on. So far from all reports, he IS further along at this point that he was last season. But he's clearly not there YET.
Coming from his background in a run and shoot offense, playing against division 1AA competition, and then going to the Pats, one of the more complex and difficult offenses in the NFL to master; is a HUGE step for any QB. A step big enough that I don't think its reasonable for us to expect him to be ready to play at a competent starte'rs level for at least another year.
Lets take the example of Tony Romo - He came from the exact same situation and sat for 3 full seasons before he got his chance to start. Even then, after 3 full seasons as a starter he threw for 52 picks while he learned his craft. So in essence, Tony Romo, who probably is a top 5 QB in the league took 6 years to develop into a decent NFL starter, and even more to become what he is today.
Another example on a different tack, lets look at Chad Pennington. I see him as a QB who eventually developed into a guy with a million dollar mind, and a 10 cent arm, yet he was good enough to get a very mediocre Dolphin team to 11 wins. Good decision win in the NFL, but the problem is they are so hard to find these days. And the major reason for that is too often they aren't given the TIME to learn.
BOTTOM LINE - I really believe you can be competitive in the NFL with a good decision maker. The Pats might have the best decision maker of all time, who managed to transform himself from a weak armed game manager, into a strong armed superstar. JG is not likely to duplicate or even come close to Tom's success. HOWEVER if we are patient enough to wait until he's ready; I can see him becoming a capable NFL QB who can lead your team into the playoffs. But I do NOT want to have to see him start the first 4 games of the season THIS season.,
I hope that clears up what I was trying to convey in my original post.
