Navarre starting next week

[Sandan]

While I can't tell you much about his ability I can assure you Navare is a big mother.

He looks big, even when standing next to LJ and big (just not as wide). Whatever else, he will not be easy to bring down.

 

[Pariah]

Whatever else, he will not be easy to bring down.

He'll be easy to bring down if he doesn't know he's gonna be hit. Granted, I've only seen him play a handful of games (both at Michigan and during the preseason), but he doesn't seem to know when the pocket is collapsing or "feel" the pressure.

That worries me; I hope it's something Green has been able to address in Navarre's play.

 

[Russ Smith]

Culpepper can motor?

The guy is 270. How fast can he possibly be now?

But try TACKLE a 6'6 240 lb. quarterback, standing in the pocket, with DE's flying by trying to take him down with arm tackles.

I don't think so.

Snicker. Tell that to Will Poole, you know the 190 pound CB who sacked Navarre with one hand, while laying on the ground, in the Rose Bowl.

 

[Lex]

You know I hate it when quarterback's take sacks.

But feeling pressure in the pocket so you can escape, and not CARING about pressure because you're comfortable in the pocket, and aren't AFRAID of the rush are two different things.

Thanks to the links Russ provided on Navarre's experience at Michigan, I now am pulling for the guy even more than I would have. The stories his dad told of his experience there, and the comments by his head coach at Michigan are very compelling.

 

[Russ Smith]

You know I hate it when quarterback's take sacks.

But feeling pressure in the pocket so you can escape, and not CARING about pressure because you're comfortable in the pocket, and aren't AFRAID of the rush are two different things.

Thanks to the links Russ provided on Navarre's experience at Michigan, I now am pulling for the guy even more than I would have. The stories his dad told of his experience there, and the comments by his head coach at Michigan are very compelling.

I guess I won't bother with the whole serial killer thing, that'll just convince you he's tough.

 

[Red Hawk Old]

Fact: Denny believes his offense needs to be executed, .

I'm all for that!

 

[Red Hawk Old]

This Buckeye fan of course is rooting for Navarre.

He tore us up last year at Ann Arbor and it was no fluke.

If nothing else it will tell us if we have a QB worth keeping. McCown may not wish to be a backup. King is Jeff Blake re-visited. Navarre is either starting material or cut bait.

Something else it might tell us is how much if any the o-line has improved since day one. The word "escapability" and Navarre are never in the same sentence unless the phrase "lack of" is as well.

This Buckeye fan is rooting for Navarre as well!

 

[john h]

On the Denny Green Show now.

Since this season is basically done for I much agree with this move. We drafted Navarre so it is time to see what he has got. He may fall on his face but if he shows anything at all I would start him for the rest of the season. We have seen McCcown for all most a full season counting last year and King has been around for a few years so let us get a look at this real rookie so we know what we have going into next year. It is time to start gearing up to examine who you want to keep next year. We may not keep any of our QB's. I doubt Navarre is going to be any worse than Manning was with the Giants for the last two games. Green is doing something that makes some football sense. Navarre played big time football for a big time team and was a winner. This proves nothing in the NFL but we drafted him not to look at on the bench but just for such an occasion as we find ourselves in. I wish him well because we desperately need a guy who can play QB.

 

[john h]

Unbelieveable. This is beginning to resemble a circus. I really hope Denny knows what he's doing, because this move appears extremely reckless.

This is one move Green has made that makes football sense. Our other two QB's have played horrible. We are going no where so it is time to see if Navarre has some promise. I have this feeling he is a lot football more savy than McCown. Hope this can translate into some decent football and give us all some hope we all deserve. This even gives me some hope for Green.

 

[TruColor]

This Buckeye fan is rooting for Navarre as well!

Heck - I'm a Purdue fan...

Who cares WHAT school they went to? As long as they're on Our Team, alma maters go out the door.

Let's see what the little fella can do.

 

[john h]

That'll sure work wonders convincing the team you know what the hell you're doing!

Next week what will he activate Chris Lewis and start him?

Navarre should be the backup, Josh should get the start until we're mathematically eliminated.

Russ in my mind we are eliminated in every possible way except mathmatically. Give up the ghost Russ baby. Believe what you see on TV each and every game. We are just not very good and not worthy of a playoff spot. Green seems to be planning for next year which is what I am hoping for. I have not had much good to say about Green but I applaud this move. Not that I expect Navarre to come out guns ablazing but we need to find out what he has.

 

[Crimson Warrior]

Can you really evaluate a rookie QB's potential in two, three or even five games?

 

[john h]

I like the direction of the team, but I can't say I like the changes. sure we need to see what we got, but it just seems a weird time.

of course the playoffs were always a pipe dream, but I have to wonder if this will prove anything at this point in time.

The only way you will find out what Navarre has got is to play him and what better time than now?

 

[slanidrac16]

Think about this. We are 4-7 with the 2 guys that have qb'ed this team. It is a winning percentage that will not get us to the playoffs. What makes anybody think we are suddenly going to "get it" and go on a 5 game winning streak?
I said it before and I'll say it again. If nothing else , by the end of this season we MUST find out if next years starting qb is currently on this roster.
Lets stop thinking playoffs. I don't feel we are coceding the season by starting Navarre. I too thought for a moment yestaerday of how nice it would be to have BOLLINGER on our team. That tells me just how pathetic our qb's have performed.

 

[john h]

Let us see what John has.

Mcginnis never went about seeing what he has on the bench to evaluate for the nexdt year. i like this a lot.

Also doesnt hurt if we get a high draft spot but this is a weak qb draft no?

I think it is a week QB draft unless someone really shows up the rest of the year. There may be some hot shot in a small school we are not hearing about. My thoughts are if we cannot get a good QB via free agency then trade one of our top receivers for a guy like Rivers. I really do not see SD letting their possible all pro QB walking away after the season he is having. He is going to command big bucks and they might consider trading Rivers who was considered a top of the line pick last year.

 

[john h]

You know I'm beggining to understand Denny and I think right now his I'm a genius, no really I'm a QB genius mentality has taken over.

He has to know the odds Navarre makes a real positive impact on the team are almost nil in his first start.

I mean we were going through training Josh for however long that took and right at the end of the tunnel he bailed on him and now we are supposed to start that process all over?

To me now DG is just auditioning players for next year, he can't seriously believe this gives us the best chance to win, there is no way he really believes that.

You climb the highest mountain one step at a time and you have to take a first step.

 

[john h]

I also love the move. Not only because it gives us a chance to see what we have and we already know the other 2 QBs suck bad, but because I honestly think that Navarre is the best QB for our offense.

1) He is big and can see over our big line and not get many passes knocked down unlike the smaller King.

2) The guy has a CANNON! He throws the ball hard and with accuracy and can throw the ball down field.

3) The guy looked great in preseason. I know that he played against crappy third striggers, but he also played with crappy third stringers.

4) (and most importantly) The guy can see the field. McCown is an amazing athlete but he is not a good football player. He can do all the run, jump, thrown stuff great, but he just doesnt see the field well. Hopfully Navarre will be able to do that better.

5) He has big game experience. I know nothing equals up to NFL experience but the guy has played in some big games with big crowds, something I dont think McCown can say to this day.

All in all, I am excited about the move and think Navarre will perform better then the other 2 have. I hope we take more chances down field and give Larry and Quan a chance to make plays on their own. When DG was in Minny Randall Cunningham would just thrown the ball up and let Moss go get it and I think Fitz may already be a top jump ball WR in the NFL.

Being a rookie in his first start you can take it to the bank Detroit will be bringing the house on half the plays. I hope they are working him on short over the middle hot reads as he is not going to have much time to look down field unless we can somehow get a running game going. I can't believe he will play any worse than our other two QB's. That would be hard to do. I bet Green does a lot of running and short passes in the first half at least. But it is Green so who knows. My bet is the first play is a run behind Big. Take that to the bank. Now Geeen could fool us all and throw a 60 yd bomb. Why not?

 

[Cbus cardsfan]

Russ,you're way of base here.The article about Navarre's dad could be written about just about any starting QB.Fans love the backup.Justin Zwick was absolutely toasted by fans in Columbus and he had only started 4 games. That happens.I've read basically the same article on so many parents it isn't funny. So to use that ONE article as a basis is wrong to me. Also,i thought you wanted Sean Taylor. Ben is starting to come back to earth now that defenses are getting a read on his strengths and weaknesses. The Steelers could just as easily be where they are with Maddox playing.So to say Krenzels wins don't count because his team played well yet count Ben's wins that occured for the same reason doesn't hold water. Navarre may stink but so has every QB we've put out there.I think your wrong to not give him a chance. Navarre was a much better Qb than Griese was at Michigan. You don't hate him because Navarre ending up getting Drew's playing time do you?

 

[az1965]

"reckless?!?" why? what's at stake? what has denny got to lose? we're not going to the playoffs this year. our other two qbs suck balls. 3 games is not enough time to evaluate (we saw that with mccown last year), so you don't want to wait too long to throw navarre in. why not see if we have something there? if he sucks too, then we KNOW we have to do something else in the offseason. i love this move.

Then Danny needs to come and say so that we are not going to playoffs and now is the time to evaluate players. He is targeting playoffs and believes he can make it. Considering this, it is a shocking move. At least I'm shocked.

 

[Russ Smith]

Russ,you're way of base here.The article about Navarre's dad could be written about just about any starting QB.Fans love the backup.Justin Zwick was absolutely toasted by fans in Columbus and he had only started 4 games. That happens.I've read basically the same article on so many parents it isn't funny. So to use that ONE article as a basis is wrong to me. Also,i thought you wanted Sean Taylor. Ben is starting to come back to earth now that defenses are getting a read on his strengths and weaknesses. The Steelers could just as easily be where they are with Maddox playing.So to say Krenzels wins don't count because his team played well yet count Ben's wins that occured for the same reason doesn't hold water. Navarre may stink but so has every QB we've put out there.I think your wrong to not give him a chance. Navarre was a much better Qb than Griese was at Michigan. You don't hate him because Navarre ending up getting Drew's playing time do you?

Never said Navarre was the only guy, but if you'll produce similar articles on Griese, Brady and Henson that would prove the point he wasn't.

If you'd like I can pull out the thread I started after Ben played on ESPN 2 where I said we should draft this guy, or the one a few weeks later where I said we should draft him. I said all along I thought taylor was the best player in the draft, but we needed a QB. Green said WE ARE NOT DRAFTING A QB IN THE FIRST ROUND, so then I said in that case, take Taylor.

Nothing personal but it gets a bit old when people keep accusing you of either using hindsight, or recreating history when you had entire threads, YOU started, that clearly state what you're saying now, threads anybody can see for themselves if they really want to, but instead they choose to say you didn't really say that. I wanted Ben, I wanted Lefty the year before, when it became clear we were NOT taking a QB, i began endorsing other players.

Pittsburgh DID have Maddox last year, remind me again what their record was?

Ben has played comparably to Krenzel, is that your claim? His passer rating is nearly double Craig's, but other than that you have a valid point.

I just don't get it, the entire NFL thinks Ben is for real and people on this board want to insist he's just being carried by his team because the alternative is admitting Green passed on a great QB.

I realize Michigan fans are rabid but when the COACH says Navarre endured more than any other player in his memory, he's kind of backing up what I said about navarre being hated in school isn't he?

 

[red desert]

No denying it, Green is a LOT different than what we are used to for coaches around here. He's one hell of a risk-taker.

Or an egomaniac. I say he's the latter.

 

[Avondale_Larry]

Then Danny needs to come and say so that we are not going to playoffs and now is the time to evaluate players. He is targeting playoffs and believes he can make it. Considering this, it is a shocking move. At least I'm shocked.

Why does Green owe anyone an explanation?

I want wins. If I can't have them this year, I want them next year. I don't want explanations, I want results.

There is no downside to putting Navarre in now. None. We're losing games with Josh/King. Even if we lose more games with Navarre, at least we're in a much better situation going into next year.

If Navarre comes in and plays solid, then he's earned the number two spot for next year. There's no question we need a starting quarterback. If we draft one, then he'll probably be on the bench ala Rivers in SD. If we bring in a proven starter (Brees, perchance?), then Navarre can be a backup. If, and only if he performs well this year.

If Navarre comes in and is the second coming of Rothlisberger, then he can start next year.

But any way you slice it, starting Navarre is our only option left for this year. Win or lose, we're better off than watching more of that clown act I saw yesterday.

 

[ajcardfan]

Or an egomaniac. I say he's the latter.

I don't care if he is, as long as he wins. Whether he can do it here, or not, remains to be seen.

 

[Cbus cardsfan]

Never said Navarre was the only guy, but if you'll produce similar articles on Griese, Brady and Henson that would prove the point he wasn't.

If you'd like I can pull out the thread I started after Ben played on ESPN 2 where I said we should draft this guy, or the one a few weeks later where I said we should draft him. I said all along I thought taylor was the best player in the draft, but we needed a QB. Green said WE ARE NOT DRAFTING A QB IN THE FIRST ROUND, so then I said in that case, take Taylor.

Nothing personal but it gets a bit old when people keep accusing you of either using hindsight, or recreating history when you had entire threads, YOU started, that clearly state what you're saying now, threads anybody can see for themselves if they really want to, but instead they choose to say you didn't really say that. I wanted Ben, I wanted Lefty the year before, when it became clear we were NOT taking a QB, i began endorsing other players.

Pittsburgh DID have Maddox last year, remind me again what their record was?

Ben has played comparably to Krenzel, is that your claim? His passer rating is nearly double Craig's, but other than that you have a valid point.

I just don't get it, the entire NFL thinks Ben is for real and people on this board want to insist he's just being carried by his team because the alternative is admitting Green passed on a great QB.

I realize Michigan fans are rabid but when the COACH says Navarre endured more than any other player in his memory, he's kind of backing up what I said about navarre being hated in school isn't he?

Pittsburgh also was starting Amos Zeroue last year instead of Duce Staley. You cannot argue against the fact that Pitts is a much better team this year. I'm not arguing against Ben.He's been great but 10 other teams also passed on him.But you seem to want to write Navarre off before he has a chance and it sounds like you want him to fail to justify your saying we should've taken Ben. I'm not stupid enough to try and argue that Krenzel is as remotely as good as Ben but you were discounting his wins. We wouldn't even be having this discussion if the Cards would've listened to us and taken Lefty last year.

 

[Toro]

Can you really evaluate a rookie QB's potential in two, three or even five games?

You can this year. Big Ben was pratically named ROY after winning his first two starts.