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"The Tugboat"
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Suggs is safe choice, but Cards should pick Leftwich
By Scott Bordow, Tribune
Three mock drafts, all reaching the same conclusion:
With the sixth pick in the 2003 NFL draft, the Arizona Cardinals can select either . . .
Arizona State defensive end Terrell Suggs or Marshall quarterback Byron Leftwich.
The Cardinals will take Suggs. He's the safe choice.
I'm just not sure he's the right choice.
That's not a knock on Suggs. He had a terrific career at ASU, and the Cardinals need a pass rusher like Sonny needed Cher.
I'm not worried about the slow 40-yard dash times Suggs ran in a private workout on March 26. Last I checked, quarterbacks don't take the snap 40 yards off the line of scrimmage.
A defensive end's most important attribute is acceleration, and Suggs has the same quality as baseball Hall of Famer Cool Papa Bell: He can flip the switch and be in bed before it's dark.
So why would I take Leftwich?
Because if he stays healthy, he'll be a Pro Bowl quarterback for 10 years while the Cardinals continue to recycle retread veterans who lead them to six-win seasons.
I know all the arguments against taking Leftwich:
- He has broken his left leg twice, and many teams, including the Cardinals, think he's too significant a medical risk.
- Quarterbacks taken in the first round are a 50-50 proposition. For every Peyton Manning, there's a Ryan Leaf who burns millions of a team's dollars. Better to play it safe and use a second-round pick on someone like Texas' Chris Simms or Florida's Rex Grossman.
- Leftwich, at 6-foot-6 and 240 pounds, isn't mobile enough to escape a pass rush. The rage these days is shifty sorts such as Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb and Atlanta's Michael Vick.
Sometimes, though, a quarterback comes along who's so good you burn the draft playbook. Leftwich is that guy.
Unless the Cardinals are convinced Leftwich's leg will go snap, crackle, pop again, how can they not take him?
Leftwich's arm strength is remarkable; some scouts say he has as much pop on his fastball as Green Bay's Brett Favre.
Former Marshall quarterback and current New York Jet Chad Pennington said that Leftwich once bet him he could stand on the 50-yard line and throw a football between the uprights. Pennington laughed. Leftwich did it with 20 yards to spare.
Leftwich's toughness and leadership are unquestioned. He played his final four games at Marshall last season on a broken leg. The most enduring image of the college football season was Leftwich's teammates carrying him from the huddle to the line of scrimmage.
“A lot of other people told me I shouldn't play,” Leftwich said. “It was something I had to do. It was my teammates out there. I think my teammates needed me.”
Leftwich not only is talented and tough, he's smart. He received his degree in computer science last November.
I offer this Bill Walsh quote from USA Today Sports Weekly with the knowledge that he once called Jake Plummer the next Joe Montana. But Walsh knows quarterbacks, and he says of Leftwich: “He reminds me of the two quarterbacks who were picked at the top last year, David Carr and Joey Harrington. He's got a strong arm. He makes smart, quick decisions. I can't tell you he'll be drafted where they were. But it appears he's Pro Bowl quality.”
Jeff Blake will start for the Cardinals this season. He's 32 years old. His backup is Josh McCown.
The Cardinals need a pass-rush specialist. They also need a franchise quarterback.
Suggs or Leftwich?
I'm going for the home run.
Suggs is safe choice, but Cards should pick Leftwich
By Scott Bordow, Tribune
Three mock drafts, all reaching the same conclusion:
With the sixth pick in the 2003 NFL draft, the Arizona Cardinals can select either . . .
Arizona State defensive end Terrell Suggs or Marshall quarterback Byron Leftwich.
The Cardinals will take Suggs. He's the safe choice.
I'm just not sure he's the right choice.
That's not a knock on Suggs. He had a terrific career at ASU, and the Cardinals need a pass rusher like Sonny needed Cher.
I'm not worried about the slow 40-yard dash times Suggs ran in a private workout on March 26. Last I checked, quarterbacks don't take the snap 40 yards off the line of scrimmage.
A defensive end's most important attribute is acceleration, and Suggs has the same quality as baseball Hall of Famer Cool Papa Bell: He can flip the switch and be in bed before it's dark.
So why would I take Leftwich?
Because if he stays healthy, he'll be a Pro Bowl quarterback for 10 years while the Cardinals continue to recycle retread veterans who lead them to six-win seasons.
I know all the arguments against taking Leftwich:
- He has broken his left leg twice, and many teams, including the Cardinals, think he's too significant a medical risk.
- Quarterbacks taken in the first round are a 50-50 proposition. For every Peyton Manning, there's a Ryan Leaf who burns millions of a team's dollars. Better to play it safe and use a second-round pick on someone like Texas' Chris Simms or Florida's Rex Grossman.
- Leftwich, at 6-foot-6 and 240 pounds, isn't mobile enough to escape a pass rush. The rage these days is shifty sorts such as Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb and Atlanta's Michael Vick.
Sometimes, though, a quarterback comes along who's so good you burn the draft playbook. Leftwich is that guy.
Unless the Cardinals are convinced Leftwich's leg will go snap, crackle, pop again, how can they not take him?
Leftwich's arm strength is remarkable; some scouts say he has as much pop on his fastball as Green Bay's Brett Favre.
Former Marshall quarterback and current New York Jet Chad Pennington said that Leftwich once bet him he could stand on the 50-yard line and throw a football between the uprights. Pennington laughed. Leftwich did it with 20 yards to spare.
Leftwich's toughness and leadership are unquestioned. He played his final four games at Marshall last season on a broken leg. The most enduring image of the college football season was Leftwich's teammates carrying him from the huddle to the line of scrimmage.
“A lot of other people told me I shouldn't play,” Leftwich said. “It was something I had to do. It was my teammates out there. I think my teammates needed me.”
Leftwich not only is talented and tough, he's smart. He received his degree in computer science last November.
I offer this Bill Walsh quote from USA Today Sports Weekly with the knowledge that he once called Jake Plummer the next Joe Montana. But Walsh knows quarterbacks, and he says of Leftwich: “He reminds me of the two quarterbacks who were picked at the top last year, David Carr and Joey Harrington. He's got a strong arm. He makes smart, quick decisions. I can't tell you he'll be drafted where they were. But it appears he's Pro Bowl quality.”
Jeff Blake will start for the Cardinals this season. He's 32 years old. His backup is Josh McCown.
The Cardinals need a pass-rush specialist. They also need a franchise quarterback.
Suggs or Leftwich?
I'm going for the home run.
