Arizona: Does John Skelton have "it?"

[Jetstream Green]

It better happen soon

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Most of what is being said about John Skelton in these posts is moot.

... and yet your opinion about him isn't? Why do you get to decide if opinions about Skelton are moot?

 

[PACardsFan]

For the most part, I believe that most everyone on this board has an accurate reading of where John Skelton is right NOW. To compare where he'll end up to where McCown ended up is ridiculous. They're two separate individuals, with separate intellects, separate work habits & separate skills. Does Skelton have nice upside? Absolutely! He has a great arm, has great presence in the pocket, and get's better as the game goes on. I think that the Cardinal coaching staff deep down has to be ecstatic about this guys progress. But, he absolutely, positively has to play better at the start of games than he has. Honestly, I think he will. Will he to the extent that he can lead us deep into the playoffs in the coming years? Tough to say. The Cardinals should continue to develop him, yet still continue to look for Peyton Manning type opportunities. The only other option is to go 1-15 & we have way too much talent for that to happen under Whisenhunt.

 

[Mitch]

... and yet your opinion about him isn't? Why do you get to decide if opinions about Skelton are moot?

I should have phrased it "most of what's being prognosticated about John Skelton is moot."

My point is---he's young and the flaws that he has shown thus far are correctable ones.

Shouldn't he be allowed a learning curve?

That said, dream, did you disagree with anything I said about him?

Is saying Skelton is tough, for example. Is that an opinion?

 

[MadCardDisease]

Skelton has all the early earmarks of a hidden gem, a guy who has proven a knack for helping guide a bad team to victory, even if he puts up pedestrian numbers.

So clearly this guy hasn't watched a Cardinal game and bases everything off the final box score. Too bad he ignored the Special Teams and Defensive stats. Oh and the future HOF player Larry Fitzgerald.

 

[Bodha]

lol, ok. that makes sense. The dude has serious natural talent, all you can really question is his accuracy and his accuracy seems improved over last year in games.

Im comparing him to QBs who do have "It", as the thread is asking, not everyday QBs.


But its hard to answer the question because we need to defeine what "It" is. Confidence, leadership, accuracy? All of the above? If so, Skelton have everything but the ability to accurately throw the ball on a consistent basis. Hes very erratic. His 54% completition percentage says so, and given one of his WRs is Larry Fitzgerald, thats considerably high.

 

[CardLogic]

I don't know if he has all of 'it' but I think he has enough of 'it'...

In 2004-2005, the Cardinals were 11-21 overall; 9-10 in games started by Josh McCown, 2-11 in games started by somebody else.

McCown was a 3rd-round pick from an FCS school whose QB rating was around 70 in his 2nd year and peaked in the mid-70's in years 3-4.

I like Skelton and am hopeful that he can continue developing into a legitimate QBOF... at least an average starting-caliber QB... but concerned that, like McCown, he has some nice intangibles and is a guy many of us enjoy pulling for, but may ultimately have a limited upside as a solid backup-level QB. There's reason to hope for more, but i don't think there's enough evidence to conclude as much.

This year should go a long way toward showing how high Skelton's ceiling is, and whether he has "it" and can sustain "it" long-term.

...dave

Very well put and good Skelton/McCown comparison that I hadn't thought about. Very legitimate concern. I guess we will see it all play out in the days ahead.

The comparison to Josh McCown is not without some merit. But there is one area in which the comparison falls apart, and why Skelton's upside is greater than McCown was or ever will be able to achieve.

That is the area between their ears. A NFL starting QB has to have something between the ears; Skelton has "it"... McCown never did!

 

[WildBB]

We are talking about a relatively unheralded 5th round draft pick who surprisingly has not only garnered starts and playing time in his first two years in the NFL, and starts where he was thrust into the lineup with minimal preparation---and yet even more surprisingly has won 8 games and only lost 4 (+4) in the last two years---while the other more adequately prepared QBs combined have won 5 and lost 11 (-6).

Here is a young player who hasn't played one full season yet---and this is his third year in the league. To hold him to standards that one would expect of a veteran player is totally unfair and presumptuous.

No one---I repeat---no one---could or should be able to say with all certainty what John Skelton is capable of...not under the circumstances and his current body of work.

He has to make strides, which he is capable of doing. He needs to just not lose games for this team. So far, like you said he pretty much has accomplished that, up to this point. Will he win games outright for you? Not so much, but he has shown ability to deliver when it counts. He has weapons and he uses them better than Kolb from what I see. Like I said, he just needs to not turn the ball over and continue working within his means. Increase accuracy, take some down field shots when they're available, maximizing the protection.

 

[daves]

Good comparisons, but I never felt McCown was anything more than a backup.

In fact I think Skelton is a much better player

The comparison to Josh McCown is not without some merit. But there is one area in which the comparison falls apart, and why Skelton's upside is greater than McCown was or ever will be able to achieve.

That is the area between their ears. A NFL starting QB has to have something between the ears; Skelton has "it"... McCown never did!

I would really like to believe that Skelton is better and has more upside than McCown - and i'm NOT arguing that he ISN'T... but based on what, exactly??

They were both drafted in middle rounds (Skelton two rounds lower than McCown) from FCS schools, each has a certain toughness and competitiveness, and each has shown an ability to win far more games than the other quarterbacks on the team (even McCown vs. Warner!). Each had a QB rating around 70 after 2-3 years. McCown's peaked at just under 75 over the next two years. Why should i believe that Skelton's upside is higher??

There were plenty of people pulling for McCown and believing he had "it" back in the day.

Seriously, please convince me!

...dave

 

[WarnerHOF]

The comparison to Josh McCown is not without some merit. But there is one area in which the comparison falls apart, and why Skelton's upside is greater than McCown was or ever will be able to achieve.

That is the area between their ears. A NFL starting QB has to have something between the ears; Skelton has "it"... McCown never did!

In terms of football smarts, Skelton definitely does not have "it" between the ears.

 

[Stout]

Ugh, I check on the stat line, and it looks like Skelton fell apart like a 10-cent watch. What in the heck happened? Was it simply a jail break on every play, or was he just awful?

 

[az1965]

Ugh, I check on the stat line, and it looks like Skelton fell apart like a 10-cent watch. What in the heck happened? Was it simply a jail break on every play, or was he just awful?

DJ Young at LT happenned to him.

 

[Evil Ash]

Ugh, I check on the stat line, and it looks like Skelton fell apart like a 10-cent watch. What in the heck happened? Was it simply a jail break on every play, or was he just awful?

His first pass was a bad INT after that it was a jail break and the 2 drops (1 by Heap and 1 by Floyd) didn't help either. If DJ Young sees anytime in the regular season the coaching staff needs to be fired on the spot

 

[BigRedRage]

DJ Young at LT happenned to him.

Terrible

Sent via tapatalk

 

[Fitz Rulz]

JS assumes that because KK is bad, he will get the job
JS is not taking it seriously

 

[daves]

Terribly disappointed to say it, but with each passing game, i'm more convinced that my Skelton - McCown comparison was dead on. Still hope i'm wrong but really, aside from hopes and wishes, where's the evidence?

http://www.arizonasportsfans.com/vb/showpost.php?p=2672930&postcount=13
http://www.arizonasportsfans.com/vb/showpost.php?p=2673280&postcount=34

...dave

 

[Duckjake]

Terribly disappointed to say it, but with each passing game, i'm more convinced that my Skelton - McCown comparison was dead on. Still hope i'm wrong but really, aside from hopes and wishes, where's the evidence?

http://www.arizonasportsfans.com/vb/showpost.php?p=2672930&postcount=13
http://www.arizonasportsfans.com/vb/showpost.php?p=2673280&postcount=34

...dave

I can live with a Josh McCown at QB. 2004-5 with crap talent other than early career Boldin and Fitz, and remember it takes 15 years for a WR to adjust to the NFL, Josh was 9-10. Think what he could do with the talent we have on this roster.

 

[Snakester]

It's still too early to tell. Lets wait to judge the man at the end of the year. Thats if he can stay healthy and start the rest of the year. The guy is just knocking the rust off right now.

 

[JeffGollin]

Does Skelton have "It?"

If "it" = Psoriasis, I certainly hope not.

If it = winning 100% of his games, I guess not.

If it = leading his team to comeback wins, he seems to have a little bit.

If it = overcoming a tissue-paper OL, I'd have to say not really (well maybe just occasionally)

All of which is to say: "He's got a little magic, but not always (& - based on recent results - evidently not enough). But maybe enough to build on if he can somehow plow thru this.

 

[Krangodnzr]

I think some of you are crazy.

I just don't see anything to be excited about. Sure he had some games last year where he played great in the 4th quarter after some miserable play earlier in the game, but the guy is definitely a below average NFL starter.

John Skelton lacks the accuracy and the ability to dissect defenses at the NFL level.

And the biggest indictment of BOTH of our QBs is that neither looks to get Fitz involved enough. We have to find a QB that can do this, or look to trade Fitzgerald, because it's a crime to watch a Hall of Fame NFL player get less looks than Andre Roberts.

 

[Jetstream Green]

John has it, it is like a virus which all QBs must avoid like the plague lol

 

[Chopper0080]

He is a big guy, with a big arm and that is about it. End of story, move on. Not quite the athlete Ben Roethlisberger is and certainly nowhere near as accurate. Career backup at best.

 

[Buckybird]

I think some of you are crazy.

I just don't see anything to be excited about. Sure he had some games last year where he played great in the 4th quarter after some miserable play earlier in the game, but the guy is definitely a below average NFL starter.

John Skelton lacks the accuracy and the ability to dissect defenses at the NFL level.[/iQUOTE]



If Skelton is an NFL starting QB so am I. Problem is many think Ryan Lindley has a shot too!

IMO when a QB is wildly inaccurate on below average average college teams it's very unlikely that an NFL coach is going to coach em up to improve in that area.

How many times do the Cards have to invest in the likes of Skelton, Lindley, McClown, Rusty Lisch, Navarre, Tupa, Kyle Mackey, Rick McIvor, Tony Sacca & Stoney Case and think they may have futures as NFL QBs? Wtf Target a QB in the first few picks in round 1, do you homework on him & trade the picks to get a franchise QBs or trade for a highly proven commodity!!!

 

[Hollywood]

I think some of you are crazy.

I just don't see anything to be excited about. Sure he had some games last year where he played great in the 4th quarter after some miserable play earlier in the game, but the guy is definitely a below average NFL starter.

John Skelton lacks the accuracy and the ability to dissect defenses at the NFL level.[/iQUOTE]



If Skelton is an NFL starting QB so am I. Problem is many think Ryan Lindley has a shot too!

IMO when a QB is wildly inaccurate on below average average college teams it's very unlikely that an NFL coach is going to coach em up to improve in that area.

How many times do the Cards have to invest in the likes of Skelton, Lindley, McClown, Rusty Lisch, Navarre, Tupa, Kyle Mackey, Rick McIvor, Tony Sacca & Stoney Case and think they may have futures as NFL QBs? Wtf Target a QB in the first few picks in round 1, do you homework on him & trade the picks to get a franchise QBs or trade for a highly proven commodity!!!

I agree. Lets trade for Aaron Rogers.

 

[az1965]

The Cardinals are 13-19 over the past two seasons: 7-4 in games started by Skelton; 6-15 in games started by somebody else.

More impressive is the dramatic fashion in which the Cardinals have pulled out those victories with Skelton at quarterback. Compare his flair for drama to that of some of the most prominent big-name young quarterbacks in the game today:

John Skelton: 11 starts, 5 fourth-quarter comebacks, 6 game-winning drives

But, but... these are against prevent defense mostly since we have been behind and these don't count...