T1B

Yeah, it was painful for Raider fan when Gruden left, because he was such a likeable guy and he helped turn a floundering program around.
I kicked him as he went out the door, but I wish he and Al could have gotten things worked out so he would have remained a Raider.

On that clip, yeah, Tebow's delivery looks legit.
Of course that was a very controlled enviornment, but I'd be surprised if he didn't also have his delivery squared away before he is really called on to perform as an NFLer.

I just see him as a guy who really WANTS to do what it takes to succeed.

Whether he CAN succeed remains to be seen.

I like his chances.

Van wrote:My other issue is a simple question: Has a QB from a spread offense in college ever gone on to be worth a shit in the NFL?

Sup?

Donovan McNabb and Michael Vick would come closest, I suppose, and I've never been sold on McNabb while Vick just plain sucks.

So you're leaving McNabb off your "successful qbs" list on the basis of "you've never been sold?" What kind of shit is that?

Seems suspiciously convenient. How subjective is the concept of "successful?" He's got the stats, has been to multiple NFC title games, Pro Bowls, etc. I don't disagree with your overall premise. Obviously a qb from a pro style offense will be more prepared for an NFL gig. But, shit, McNabb has accomplished a fuck of a lot more than a guy like Rivers has, and probably ever will. Same could be argued about the majority of current starters in the League.

Mgo, yeah, I could include McNabb on my list of "successful" QBs, but he just never passed the "Definition of Porn" test for me: You know it when you see it.

You're right, though, in that his stats probably do land him in that category. I've simply never been impressed with the guy as a player, and I wouldn't want him leading my team. I could say that about Phillip Rivers too, yet I included him on my list, so I suppose McNabb belongs there too.

Drew Brees? He certainly didn't run the same type of offense that Colt Brennan ran at Hawaii, much less what Tebow ran at Florida. Still, I'm sure you saw him a lot more than I did when he was at Purdue, so how would you compare their reading scheme back then to something like Brennan's or Case Keenum's scheme?

I'll take your answer off the air and stuff.

No, I wouldn't really compare it to Florida's spread. Brees was strictly a passer in that system. But I'm pretty sure in that quote you didn't over-qualify it as such. You just said "spread offense."

Don't know too much about Hawaii's spread. Of course these days there are a million variants of the spread, so making an identical comparison would be rather difficult. I would say that both Joe Tiller's spread and Hawaii/Houston's spread were/are pass happy, "pop gun" offenses. Breaking it down beyond that would be pointless semantics. They all throw, throw, and throw some more. Tiller was quoted as saying something like, "we pass on 1st down to set up the pass." They didn't call it basketball on grass for nuthin'. It was innovative at the time, but would look pretty basic today. 5-wide sets, no back, and short passes based on timing. Guys were open all day because Big Ten defenses were baffled over this new-fangled spread stuff. No other team in the conference ran a spread or knew how to defend one. Today, over half of Big Ten teams run some kind of spread. Hence, Brees had to make very few decisions and reads. Basic pitch and catch to wide open receivers.

In fairness though, I think Brees was bound to succeed no matter the system. It was very evident early on that he had uncanny accuracy, which could be the most important factor in becoming a successful NFL qb. The only knock against him at the time was his size and arm strength, which obviously hasn't deterred him.

Tebow will definitely be a project for whatever team grabs him in the draft but, with his physical attributes and work ethic, he has a chance to make it. It looks like he's made significant progress in getting a more compact and quicker release but only time will tell whether he reverts to his old mechanics. His throwing mechanics now resemble that of a baseball catcher rather than a pitcher or outfielder, which is good. We'll find out how much he has really progressed when he is under the gun, but it looks somewhat promising for him. The team that drafts him could end up with a steal...the diamond in the rough...or a bust. Too early to tell, but I like his chances.

MgoBlue-LightSpecial wrote:In fairness though, I think Brees was bound to succeed no matter the system.

Which is my point. Brees is a grinder who worked his ass off to overcome his deficiencies and size and arm strength are quite a bit more serious than not playing in a pro style offense.

Never bet against a grinder especially one with pretty sick natural athletic ability.

Van wrote:I could say that about Phillip Rivers too,

The Chargers have had some problems no doubt. Rivers isn't one of them, though. He is coming into his own as one of the elite QBs in the league.