The NFL Scouting Combine is quickly approaching, and when it comes to the quarterbacks there is one question that is always asked: Who is going to throw at the Combine, and who is going to pass on the opportunity, so to speak.
This year, Andrew Luck has already stated that he will not. Robert Griffin III will participate in all the on-field workouts but will not throw. Ryan Tannehill is recovering from an injury and will have to wait until his pro day. But looking at the 2011 Combine, there are two quarterbacks who did throw and it paid off for them.
One was Cam Newton. The Heisman Trophy winner was not a clear choice to go first overall in the draft heading into The Combine. He was not expected to throw but chose to do so anyway. The results were not impressive, to say the least. Questions about his accuracy surfaced right away when he was having trouble hitting his targets on even short routes. But one thing that impressed the Carolina Panthers was that he did choose to participate in the drills in the first place, and put himself out there for all to pick apart and criticize. One aspect of leadership is courage. Having the courage to go out on a limb and take a chance when you can very easily walk away is something every team should look for in its quarterback. Carolina saw what Newton was made of, and it paid off to the tune of 4,000 yards passing and 14 rushing touchdowns, both NFL rookie records.
The other quarterback who took advantage of an opportunity to throw at the 2011 NFL Combine was T.J. Yates from North Carolina. Yates led a team that would have been a national title contender if not for a long list of players who were suspended for the entire 2010 NCAA season for rules infractions. Yates got his chance to throw not as a top invitee but as one of the quarterbacks who got to throw to the receivers during the wideouts workouts. Yates could have just worked out at the UNC pro day, but the opportunity to impress all 32 teams was there and he too advantage. He looked good enough that the Houston Texans selected him in the 5th Round. He made the team as the 3rd string QB, and after injuries to Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart he got his chance. Yates led Houston to their first AFC South title and a win in the playoffs against Cincinnati. The Bengals were impressed by Yates at The Combine to the point where Coach Marvin Lewis said that if they had not been able to select Andy Dalton they were going to take Yates. It makes you wonder how many other teams had Yates on their radars after the 2011 Combine workouts, and how many would have overlooked him if he had not had the opportunity that was presented him last February.
The quarterback I see that has the best chance to impress at The Combine is Case Keenum. He is smaller in stature than most of the other quarterbacks, and is seen by many as a product of the Houston Cougar system. But he is a very accurate passer, and if he can make all the throws and hit the targets in unfamiliar surroundings teams may start to say 'He's about the same stature as Drew Brees, and he turned out to be a pretty good quarterback. Perhaps we should take a chance on him.'
That's all a lot of the players at the NFL Scouting Combine are looking for: a chance. Let's hope that those who take that chance can make it pay off in the end.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Friday, February 3, 2012
To Manning or Not To Manning...
...That is the question for the Indianapolis Colts.
It's amazing. The Super Bowl is being played in 2 days at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, and I'd say at least half of the talk this past two weeks has been about Peyton Manning.
Now that talk has been ramped up. Manning's doctors have cleared him to play. Jim Irsay, the owner of the Colts, then came out and tweeted that Manning has not been cleared by team doctors. Speculation is that Manning will be released. Or that the Colts will pick up his $28 million option. Or that Manning will retire. Whatever happens, I find it very interesting that the Colts find themselves in a situation that they faced, although with some differences, with a legendary quarterback nearly 40 years ago.
Let's go back to the early 1970's. The Baltimore Colts were Super Bowl champions in 1970, and lost in the AFC Championship game to Miami the next season. John Unitas was their quarterback, but he was at the end of his career. Robert Irsay, the father of the current Colts owner, purchased the Los Angeles Rams and then traded the franchise for the Colts from then owner Carroll Rosenbloom. One of Irsay's first moves was to move on from the Unitas era and start fresh. But Colts coach Don McCafferty was loyal to his old quarterback Unitas, and he did not want to make the change. Irsay then fired the coach who won the Super Bowl just two years earlier.
The Colts went into the 1973 NFL Draft with the 2nd Overall Pick. They then selected Bert Jones, the All-American quarterback from LSU. Irsay wanted to make a clean break from Unitas and then traded him to San Diego. Unitas played one season for the Chargers. He had the will, but his arm couldn't find the way after suffering a number of injuries beginning in the 1968 season. Playing for a bad Chargers team did not help, and the greatest quarterback of his era retired at the end of the season.
The Colts in 1973-74 were not the same team that had so much success in 1970-71. The players on the championship team got old fast, and Baltimore was left with a young team that struggled. But it all came into place in 1975, and Jones led the team to three straight AFC East titles. He also won the 1976 NFL MVP award, and was one of the best quarterbacks in the league during a time when you had Hall of Famers like Terry Bradshaw, Roger Staubach, Bob Greise, and Fran Tarkenton, along with Ken Stabler, Ken Anderson and others leading their teams.
But Jones got injured at the start of the 1978 season, and his reckless style of play was starting to catch up with him. He was traded before the 1982 season to the Rams, but played one year before retiring. The injury that shortened his career-a neck injury.
Peyton Manning will most likely be released by the Colts and will be a very sought after free agent. Jim Irsay is going to follow in his father's footsteps and will move forward with Andrew Luck at quarterback. The Colts might struggle at first but I don't think it will be for long. Manning will be playing the role of the Spartan warrior of long ago. Come back with your shield or on it. He could lead a good team to the top, or he could be carted off never to take the field again. But all I can think about is the line in Jurassic Park, when Dr. Malcolm is trying to convince John Hammond that creating dinosaurs is a bad idea:
Yeah but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.
Perhaps Manning should stop to think if he should even come back. The NFL is a better league with him healthy and playing. It will take a hit if Manning does as well and his injuries become too much to overcome. I wish Peyton Manning all the best, and most importantly health and happiness. Which he can have by walking away with his shield instead of being carried off on it.
It's amazing. The Super Bowl is being played in 2 days at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, and I'd say at least half of the talk this past two weeks has been about Peyton Manning.
Now that talk has been ramped up. Manning's doctors have cleared him to play. Jim Irsay, the owner of the Colts, then came out and tweeted that Manning has not been cleared by team doctors. Speculation is that Manning will be released. Or that the Colts will pick up his $28 million option. Or that Manning will retire. Whatever happens, I find it very interesting that the Colts find themselves in a situation that they faced, although with some differences, with a legendary quarterback nearly 40 years ago.
Let's go back to the early 1970's. The Baltimore Colts were Super Bowl champions in 1970, and lost in the AFC Championship game to Miami the next season. John Unitas was their quarterback, but he was at the end of his career. Robert Irsay, the father of the current Colts owner, purchased the Los Angeles Rams and then traded the franchise for the Colts from then owner Carroll Rosenbloom. One of Irsay's first moves was to move on from the Unitas era and start fresh. But Colts coach Don McCafferty was loyal to his old quarterback Unitas, and he did not want to make the change. Irsay then fired the coach who won the Super Bowl just two years earlier.
The Colts went into the 1973 NFL Draft with the 2nd Overall Pick. They then selected Bert Jones, the All-American quarterback from LSU. Irsay wanted to make a clean break from Unitas and then traded him to San Diego. Unitas played one season for the Chargers. He had the will, but his arm couldn't find the way after suffering a number of injuries beginning in the 1968 season. Playing for a bad Chargers team did not help, and the greatest quarterback of his era retired at the end of the season.
The Colts in 1973-74 were not the same team that had so much success in 1970-71. The players on the championship team got old fast, and Baltimore was left with a young team that struggled. But it all came into place in 1975, and Jones led the team to three straight AFC East titles. He also won the 1976 NFL MVP award, and was one of the best quarterbacks in the league during a time when you had Hall of Famers like Terry Bradshaw, Roger Staubach, Bob Greise, and Fran Tarkenton, along with Ken Stabler, Ken Anderson and others leading their teams.
But Jones got injured at the start of the 1978 season, and his reckless style of play was starting to catch up with him. He was traded before the 1982 season to the Rams, but played one year before retiring. The injury that shortened his career-a neck injury.
Peyton Manning will most likely be released by the Colts and will be a very sought after free agent. Jim Irsay is going to follow in his father's footsteps and will move forward with Andrew Luck at quarterback. The Colts might struggle at first but I don't think it will be for long. Manning will be playing the role of the Spartan warrior of long ago. Come back with your shield or on it. He could lead a good team to the top, or he could be carted off never to take the field again. But all I can think about is the line in Jurassic Park, when Dr. Malcolm is trying to convince John Hammond that creating dinosaurs is a bad idea:
Yeah but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.
Perhaps Manning should stop to think if he should even come back. The NFL is a better league with him healthy and playing. It will take a hit if Manning does as well and his injuries become too much to overcome. I wish Peyton Manning all the best, and most importantly health and happiness. Which he can have by walking away with his shield instead of being carried off on it.
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