Am I the only one unimpressed with Skelton?

[Cardiac]

Sheesh people are never satisfied.

Do I think Skelton is the next comming of Tom Brady?

No, but then again Tom Brady is pretty rare.

I see a lot of upside there, tons of it, almost all he does wrong is correctable, the things he does right are almost uncoachable.

You can't coach pocket presence very well, you can't graft a great arm on someone, you can't teach them poise and you can't make someone 6 foot 6 inches tall.

You can teach them how to read defenses and improve their footwork and make their release more consistent.

A lot of people on here seem to think stats tell you everything, and they do not.

Look up Elway's stats.

He got through some awful first year stats because he was such a high draft pick, and Aikman won like one game his first year.

When a team is playing it's third string QB, something has gone horribly wrong, the fact he wins at all is pretty rare, how many games do third string QB's usually win in the NFL?

Great Post!

 

[Buckybird]

Impressed? no.
Intrigued? somewhat

 

[Arizona's Finest]

Pretty hard to evaluate a quarterback that you've never seen play. Just sayin.

Glad I am not the only one in this thread to pick up on this.

 

[Jersey Girl]

I see a lot of upside there, tons of it, almost all he does wrong is correctable, the things he does right are almost uncoachable.

And that is why you can't just look at the stats.

Great post.

 

[WarnerHOF]

I was unaware Max Hall could ever read a defense let alone throw accurate passes.

 

[Unsterblich856]

Skelton's 74 yarder and final drive impressed the hell out of me. Outside of that, he's lucky the defense is making the TDs.

 

[Totally_Red]

That's true.
He's missing a lot of easy reads. More then a few to Larry.
The opportunity for the game to slow down hasn't happened yet.
Based on his experience, it's reasonable to be both patient, but also unimpressed.

Time to put that comparison to bed, those days are over and to have Warner-esque expectations for anyone other then Warner (or another HOFer) will only lead to a letdown.

No argument, but failing a QB-of-the-now one for the future is as good as it'll be.

Hall's body won't allow him to advance in the league.
Not a knock on the man, just the truth based on the sample.
......
He's not a "wowing" rookie, but he's solid and there is a reason to believe there's hope. No reason to be awed but there's no reason to not see upside.

My biggest issue with the kid in the Dallas game was his totally ignoring Fitz. He has to be your first or second read on almost every play.

The bar is pretty low after Hall and Anderson. I still draft a quarterback and/or pick up a veteran next offseason. But Skeleton has shown enough to give me hope, if not faith.

 

[Gee!]

I guess Im just not willing to settle for mediocirity.. A lot is on the line with hoping Skelton turns the corner.. Fitz's happiness, wins, the running game.. I have nothing against Skelton at all.. I just dont think we can afford to hope and try to will him to be successful.. At this point he's a project.. Nothing says he'll bust out and be everything we need him to be next year.. We need someone next year to get this moving in the right direction.. Or else we'll lose ground on the rest of the division and lose some internal pieces as well.. Thats my stance on it..

 

[Cbus cardsfan]

Every young QB is going to struggle reading zone defenses in the NFL. Top veteran QB's still make mistakes in their reads. That was the least of my concerns with Skelton. I was concerned he was going to look like Max Hall and be completely overwhelmed. That hasn't been the case and the game doesn't seem too fast for him like it did for Hall and most young QB's.Look at Joe Webb, he goes back,looks once, and runs. Plus, unlike Hall, he doesn't act like he just completed a game winning TD pass after every completion he makes.

 

[cardpa]

Right now Skelton is an enigma. There are things he has shown in games that impress and other areas that make you go Hmmm.

It appears all of the physical traits are there. The real question is will all of the mental traits rise to the top. This is the area he lacks in right now.

Some such as pocket presence are already in place. The ability to read defenses and check down thru his progressions are still in need of work.

Bottom line is based on what we see now you have to give the kid a chance to see if he has the mental capacity to get better. Should he be able to develop the mental side of the game he will turn out to be a pretty good QB.

 

[DoTheDew]

Skelton is a rookie who was already considered extremely raw. Of course his numbers are mediocre. There's a handful of elite NFL QBs who were drafted in the first round who's numbers weren't much better their rookie seasons. When judging rookie QBs you can't go by their stats, otherwise Leinart would be a hall of fame QB and Vick, Eli, and McNabb would have been out of the league (all under 50% passers their first season).

You have to assume those things will progress with experience and practice. If Skelton has a work ethic, they will. So what you have to look at are the things which don't show up on the stat sheet.
Is he avoiding sacks and using his blockers? Yes.
Can he handle high pressure situations? Proved yes on Saturday's come back.
Does he have the physical tools? Yes.

It's clear that he has the physical ability to be an NFL QB and the composure. What we don't know is if he has the work ethic and brain. That's the million dollar question. If he's in the film room studying tape in his free time, and staying late practicing with the WRs when he doesn't need to this off-season, then he's an NFL able QB.

 

[Doc Cardinal]

Skelton is a rookie who was already considered extremely raw. Of course his numbers are mediocre. There's a handful of elite NFL QBs who were drafted in the first round who's numbers weren't much better their rookie seasons. When judging rookie QBs you can't go by their stats, otherwise Leinart would be a hall of fame QB and Vick, Eli, and McNabb would have been out of the league (all under 50% passers their first season).

You have to assume those things will progress with experience and practice. If Skelton has a work ethic, they will. So what you have to look at are the things which don't show up on the stat sheet.
Is he avoiding sacks and using his blockers? Yes.
Can he handle high pressure situations? Proved yes on Saturday's come back.
Does he have the physical tools? Yes.

It's clear that he has the physical ability to be an NFL QB and the composure. What we don't know is if he has the work ethic and brain. That's the million dollar question. If he's in the film room studying tape in his free time, and staying late practicing with the WRs when he doesn't need to this off-season, then he's an NFL able QB.

Well said.

 

[Derm]

His numbers look mediocre at best and outside of not turning the ball over as much as Derek Anderson, he has under-performed our original starting QB. Is it because he is 2-1 as a starter? Is it the lack of turnovers? I dunno.....I'm not as impressed as others, but perhaps it's because he's a rookie, and I shouldn't be expecting more out of him after only 3 games.

Dude, he was the 3rd QB on the roster. Dude, he was thrust into the starting job because of the crapfest in front of him. Dude, no one here is crowning him after 3 starts. Dude, just don't pick him for your fantasy football.

 

[MrYeahBut]

My wife says there is another way to compare him to Roethisberger other than size and scrambling ability...


'He ain't pretty either'

 

[Russ Smith]

I see why he was #3 most of the year, he's raw, but I also see why we traded up to get him, talented.

I hope we're good enough next year at QB he doesn't HAVE to start unless he's ready.

 

[b8rtm8nn]

I am happy with him, I still question the play calling. If you have a raw QB who isn't making all the reads and can't see all of the field, why send out so many receivers? Doesn't that cause confusion to your raw QB? I keep expecting a lot of simple 2WR sets, with either 2TE or 2 Backs, and instead see 3WR bunch sets. Just doesn't seem right.

 

[Cardiac]

I am happy with him, I still question the play calling. If you have a raw QB who isn't making all the reads and can't see all of the field, why send out so many receivers? Doesn't that cause confusion to your raw QB? I keep expecting a lot of simple 2WR sets, with either 2TE or 2 Backs, and instead see 3WR bunch sets. Just doesn't seem right.

I would think that many of those WR's are used as decoys to pull double coverage off the primary receiver. Even when 5 go out in the pattern a young QB only needs to focus on a primary and then secondary receiver.

Bunch sets can actually make for a very easy read since the benefit of that play is DB's getting caught up in the traffic and the WR running free.

The other thing to keep in mind is that this is development/learning time for Skelton. He will need to learn how to read a defense presnap and zone coverages and... well a ton of things so let's not dummy it down to much so that he doesn't grow at all.

 

[NJCardFan]

Kurt Warner was in same situation in beginning of his career.

Um, wrong. Warner tried out with GB, got cut, and went to the AFL and honed his skills. When he was signed by the Rams, they sent him to NFL Europe. This proved very important and it's a vehicle no longer available. Top that off with Skelton seeing limited time in pre-season(Hall was #2 in games 2-4). Keeping all of that in mind, the kid is doing OK. Not great, OK. Not turning the ball over is huge. It shows that even though he's not getting the completions, he's not forcing anything either. As for his reads, this will come in time.

And isn't the OP the same guy who wants, badly, to bring McNabb in here? Because right now, I'd take Skelton any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

 

[Cardiac]

With Skelton on the field a don't have the same sense of dread that I did with all the other QB's we had on the team this year. He has a calmness and quite resolve that just oozes confidence. I haven't seen him get flustered and when he is confused by the D he doesn't show it in his demeanor. His ability to feel and escape pressure in the pocket is as good as any QB then I can remember and he is just a rookie.

He has the arm and has shown some nice touch on some passes. Against the Cowboys he made a couple of throws to the sideline (Roberts in the 1st qtr and the FB) that were placed perfectly so the receiver could keep running without interuption. They passes had zip but weren't cannon shots.

He obviously needs more time with the WR's to form that chemistry and needs to learn how to read a D etc but he appears to have that "IT" factor that says this won't be an issue in the long term.

Having said all this I still don't want to put all my chips in on him with us picking in the top ten we should grab a QB if Whiz and company believe they should be the answer.

 

[splitsecond]

Um, wrong. Warner tried out with GB, got cut, and went to the AFL and honed his skills. When he was signed by the Rams, they sent him to NFL Europe. This proved very important and it's a vehicle no longer available. Top that off with Skelton seeing limited time in pre-season(Hall was #2 in games 2-4). Keeping all of that in mind, the kid is doing OK. Not great, OK. Not turning the ball over is huge. It shows that even though he's not getting the completions, he's not forcing anything either. As for his reads, this will come in time.

And isn't the OP the same guy who wants, badly, to bring McNabb in here? Because right now, I'd take Skelton any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

Yes and no. You certainly don't learn how to read NFL defensive schemes in the AFL. You also don't learn NFL style passing trees. You do however learn how to get the ball out very quickly. It may be a wash to a slight advantage, but Warner certainly didn't get learning time like say, Aaron Rodgers.

 

[Stout]

Anybody thinking that they can look at Skelton and divine that he will never be a good starting QB, or can't without an offseason of work, is just plain lying. Why? Because it is impossible yet to know! I'm ready to roll with him as QBOF because I think he has the chance to develop into a quality starter, not because he's there...yet.

Anybody that thinks Skelton should be playing like a quality starting QB is simply foolish. He's a 3rd stringer with a little more than 3 weeks of starting practice, coming out of a program as small as Fordham. The kid has a winning record and has played with poise, shrugging off defenders, leading a 4th quarter comeback, and showing a lot of promise. That is incredible for a guy in his position.

 

[b8rtm8nn]

Why didn't he look as good as Tebow? Skeletor sucks

 

[JCSunsfan]

Anybody thinking that they can look at Skelton and divine that he will never be a good starting QB, or can't without an offseason of work, is just plain lying. Why? Because it is impossible yet to know! I'm ready to roll with him as QBOF because I think he has the chance to develop into a quality starter, not because he's there...yet.

Anybody that thinks Skelton should be playing like a quality starting QB is simply foolish. He's a 3rd stringer with a little more than 3 weeks of starting practice, coming out of a program as small as Fordham. The kid has a winning record and has played with poise, shrugging off defenders, leading a 4th quarter comeback, and showing a lot of promise. That is incredible for a guy in his position.

He shows accuracy, touch, coolness in the pocket and the biggest factor--he doesn't throw many int's. A qb that does not turn it over will will alot of games for you. Ask the Dallas fans.

 

[sportznutt]

bump

 

[Duckjake]

Skelton would have been great if I hadn't jinxed him.