Mitch
Crawled Through 5 FB Fields
What exacty was it that made Kurt Warner such a great QB for the Cardinals? His leadership? His character? His toughness---both physical and mental? His uncanny accuracy and sense of timing? His ability to read defenses and blitzes and his understanding of how to beat them? All the communication he did with his WRs in getting himself and them all on the same page? His work ethic? His insatiable hunger to put up big numbers? His insatiable desire to win? His understanding of what it takes for a team to win in the playoffs, both in terms of strategy and in terms of developing the right mindset?
Pretty much all of the above, right?
Having Warner at QB was like having an offensive coordinator in the huddle and on the field. He was always figuring out how to beat the defense at hand. Will you ever forget watching him take notes on the sideline in the Week 17 game versus the Packers? Think those notes had something to do with the 48 points he scored on them a week later?
But of all the aforementioned qualities NFL coaches look for in a QB, the one that matters the most is toughness. Essentially the real good NFL QBs are the ones who can stand in the pocket without allowing a shred of fear to enter their minds so that they will be able to deliver the ball at the precise time, even if it means taking a big hit.
If you look at the QBs who played in the past several Super Bowls, they all could be considered paragons of toughness. Drew Brees, despite his diminutive stature, is a bulldog in the pocket. Peyton Manning---talk about toughness. The rattling that he had to overcome earlier in his career was more of a mental confusion as to what teams like the Patriots were doing scheme-wise to beat him. Peyton has since figured those things out and he knows how to crack the codes. Big Ben---man, that guy is one tough hombre is one super strong horse to try to pull down. Kurt Warner---even after getting pummeled in the first half of the Saints' game, even having to be concerned about incurring another concussion, and even though the outcome of the game was out of reach---stood in that pocket and did not flinch one iota---it's really the only way he knows how to play. Tom Brady---I just read recently and article that divulged that Brady this off-season has been taking boxing lessons---for here is a guy who thrives on being tough and always has. The only recent Super Bowl QB that one might still question interms of his toughness is Eli Manning---but, hey, it was his toughness in a totally colapsed pocket when he was nearly sacked three times and somehow managed to wriggle free long enough to get the ball downfield to a leaping David Tyree that paved the way for the Giants' stunning upset of the 18-0 Patriots.
The ESPN crew in their State of the Cardinals feature questioned Matt Leinart's toughness. This is the area where Leinart has to prove himself, perhaps more than any other. Leinart showed his toughness in regal fashion for USC during his senior year when he led the Trojans to a come from behind victory over the Fighting Irish in South Bend. The 4th and 10 yard pass that kept the winning drive alive was delivered under duress and right on the money up the left sideline. Then Leinart put every ounce of strength he had into running the tough yards for the game winning TD. This is the Matt Leinart that needs to show up for training camp.
Derek Anderson is big and strong and if one watches game film of the one very good season he had for the Browns, he often waited until the last second to throw several of his TDs knowing that he was going to take a pounding. This is the Derek Anderson that needs to show up for training camp if he has any reasonable hope of winning the QB job.
As for the draft...if you are looking for toughness at QB, the one player who has it head and shoulders over the others is Tim Tebow. This is why he is the most talked about player in this draft. This is a rare QB prospect who actually relishes the physical aspects of the game. There are times on the football field where it becomes clear that he will do anything and everything physcially possible to win his team the football game. This is an extraordinary quality. Sometimes success has as much to do with sheer will and desire as anything else. Mechancis can be taught and learned and even perfected...but toughness? Can it be taught and learned?
The second toughest QB propect, IMO, is Jimmy Clausen. This guy has a high tolernace for pain and he will play and endure through the hurts. This is one of the reasons why some scouts liken him to Kurt Warner. We saw Warner play for over a half a year with one arm tied behind his back. We learned a year ago that in the Super Bowl run Warner was suffering from a painful hip injury. It never deterred him.
As for the rest of the QB propects? Your guess is as good as mine. I grew admiration for Mike Kafka when I watched how fearless he played, especially for a guy who was a starter for only one year.
With Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy---the question is can they hold up physcially? In Bradford's case, it makes scouts question whether he truly deserves to be at the top of this draft.
John Skelton has a big-time arm. The only time I've seen him play live was at the Senior Bowl, and I was very impressed with his arm strength...but---and yes it was only one game---I was not nearly as impressed with his presence on the football field. The ESPN crew alluded to it as well and the concerns they had heard about the occasional conflicts he had with his coaches at Fordham. If I had game tapes of Fordham, I'd want to know just how tough this kid is. If he wasn't a stalwart in the pocket at Fordham, one would have to question his assimilation into the NFL.
Joe Flacco coming out of Delaware was one tough cookie. His assimilation into the NFL was an immediate and natural one.
There's one other QB I've been paying a good deal of attention to in recent days---it's Armanti Edwards of Appalachian St. The way this guy hangs in the pocket and the tenacious way he runs with the football, you want to forget the fact that he's 5-11, 181 pounds. It's interesting too that he is a two-time winner of the Walter Payton Award, given to the top FSC player in the nation. Was there anyone tougher, pound for pound, than Walter Payton?
Because of his toughness, I think Armanti Edwards has a decent chance to play QB in this league and play it well. Drew Brees is barely 6-0.
As they say, "it's not the size of the dog in the fight that matters, it's the size of the fight in the dog."
Pretty much all of the above, right?
Having Warner at QB was like having an offensive coordinator in the huddle and on the field. He was always figuring out how to beat the defense at hand. Will you ever forget watching him take notes on the sideline in the Week 17 game versus the Packers? Think those notes had something to do with the 48 points he scored on them a week later?
But of all the aforementioned qualities NFL coaches look for in a QB, the one that matters the most is toughness. Essentially the real good NFL QBs are the ones who can stand in the pocket without allowing a shred of fear to enter their minds so that they will be able to deliver the ball at the precise time, even if it means taking a big hit.
If you look at the QBs who played in the past several Super Bowls, they all could be considered paragons of toughness. Drew Brees, despite his diminutive stature, is a bulldog in the pocket. Peyton Manning---talk about toughness. The rattling that he had to overcome earlier in his career was more of a mental confusion as to what teams like the Patriots were doing scheme-wise to beat him. Peyton has since figured those things out and he knows how to crack the codes. Big Ben---man, that guy is one tough hombre is one super strong horse to try to pull down. Kurt Warner---even after getting pummeled in the first half of the Saints' game, even having to be concerned about incurring another concussion, and even though the outcome of the game was out of reach---stood in that pocket and did not flinch one iota---it's really the only way he knows how to play. Tom Brady---I just read recently and article that divulged that Brady this off-season has been taking boxing lessons---for here is a guy who thrives on being tough and always has. The only recent Super Bowl QB that one might still question interms of his toughness is Eli Manning---but, hey, it was his toughness in a totally colapsed pocket when he was nearly sacked three times and somehow managed to wriggle free long enough to get the ball downfield to a leaping David Tyree that paved the way for the Giants' stunning upset of the 18-0 Patriots.
The ESPN crew in their State of the Cardinals feature questioned Matt Leinart's toughness. This is the area where Leinart has to prove himself, perhaps more than any other. Leinart showed his toughness in regal fashion for USC during his senior year when he led the Trojans to a come from behind victory over the Fighting Irish in South Bend. The 4th and 10 yard pass that kept the winning drive alive was delivered under duress and right on the money up the left sideline. Then Leinart put every ounce of strength he had into running the tough yards for the game winning TD. This is the Matt Leinart that needs to show up for training camp.
Derek Anderson is big and strong and if one watches game film of the one very good season he had for the Browns, he often waited until the last second to throw several of his TDs knowing that he was going to take a pounding. This is the Derek Anderson that needs to show up for training camp if he has any reasonable hope of winning the QB job.
As for the draft...if you are looking for toughness at QB, the one player who has it head and shoulders over the others is Tim Tebow. This is why he is the most talked about player in this draft. This is a rare QB prospect who actually relishes the physical aspects of the game. There are times on the football field where it becomes clear that he will do anything and everything physcially possible to win his team the football game. This is an extraordinary quality. Sometimes success has as much to do with sheer will and desire as anything else. Mechancis can be taught and learned and even perfected...but toughness? Can it be taught and learned?
The second toughest QB propect, IMO, is Jimmy Clausen. This guy has a high tolernace for pain and he will play and endure through the hurts. This is one of the reasons why some scouts liken him to Kurt Warner. We saw Warner play for over a half a year with one arm tied behind his back. We learned a year ago that in the Super Bowl run Warner was suffering from a painful hip injury. It never deterred him.
As for the rest of the QB propects? Your guess is as good as mine. I grew admiration for Mike Kafka when I watched how fearless he played, especially for a guy who was a starter for only one year.
With Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy---the question is can they hold up physcially? In Bradford's case, it makes scouts question whether he truly deserves to be at the top of this draft.
John Skelton has a big-time arm. The only time I've seen him play live was at the Senior Bowl, and I was very impressed with his arm strength...but---and yes it was only one game---I was not nearly as impressed with his presence on the football field. The ESPN crew alluded to it as well and the concerns they had heard about the occasional conflicts he had with his coaches at Fordham. If I had game tapes of Fordham, I'd want to know just how tough this kid is. If he wasn't a stalwart in the pocket at Fordham, one would have to question his assimilation into the NFL.
Joe Flacco coming out of Delaware was one tough cookie. His assimilation into the NFL was an immediate and natural one.
There's one other QB I've been paying a good deal of attention to in recent days---it's Armanti Edwards of Appalachian St. The way this guy hangs in the pocket and the tenacious way he runs with the football, you want to forget the fact that he's 5-11, 181 pounds. It's interesting too that he is a two-time winner of the Walter Payton Award, given to the top FSC player in the nation. Was there anyone tougher, pound for pound, than Walter Payton?
Because of his toughness, I think Armanti Edwards has a decent chance to play QB in this league and play it well. Drew Brees is barely 6-0.
As they say, "it's not the size of the dog in the fight that matters, it's the size of the fight in the dog."
