Month: September 2018

What makes a good NFL quarterback? A question that befalls every team that ends the season without a clear signal caller and an offense that leaves a little left to be desired. So if NFL general managers with years of experience and head coaches can’t seem to figure it out, who am I to judge. I moved to America during my freshman year of high school and I barely knew who Tom Brady was, but with some research and looking at numbers maybe I can convince you.

Many college quarterbacks with huge numbers look like a sure bet coming out of college. A lot of people say numbers don’t lie, but the majority of college quarterbacks who put up astronomical numbers struggle to translate their success into the pros. The current leader in career passing yards of all NCAA teams is Case Keenum, with a close second in Tommy Chang, one a perennial backup who just turned into a starter after one great season and the other a largely forgotten quarterback for the Hawaii Warriors. The biggest name in the top 30 is Phillip Rivers at number 13, then Derek Carr and Jared Goff much further down, one a potential future hall of famer and the other 2, young quarterbacks still trying to prove themselves.

So now that college success in terms of numbers is out of the window, what college metrics best prove college success? As psychology’s role grows in the NFL, more and more scouts pay more attention to mental traits. According to Bleacher Report, most scouts look for traits over numbers. Poise, mental toughness, consistency, leadership, competitiveness, work ethic, moxie, coachability, and character are the characteristics most desired in a future pro quarterback. This is also totally warranted, names like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Joe Namath, and Joe Montana and many more greats come to mind. Although numbers are crucial to NFL teams and are what make offenses great, it doesn’t always translate to college success but some numbers are still really important.

In 2017, the only starting quarterback in the NFL under 6”0 is Russell Wilson and the only quarterback standing at exactly 6”0 is Drew Brees. Although both are incredibly successful, they are anomalies. Drew Brees has a similar pocket presence to some of the best quarterbacks in the game, and comparisons of some of the best short college quarterbacks are totally unwarranted. Furthermore, Russell Wilson is a once in a lifetime athlete and achieves greatness in the league through his athletic ability. In today’s NFL, short quarterbacks find their way into starting lineups through sheer genius or exceptional athleticism. Prototypical quarterback size is 6”2, and looking at the list of the top 10 winningest quarterbacks of all time shows no difference.

Although some numbers play a clear role in creating a tried and true prototypical NFL quarterback, it is psychological traits and the immeasurables that propel college quarterbacks into NFL success.

 

Is the hype behind the 2018 Cleveland Browns warranted?

The consensus is fairly split, many believe that the squad will be completely reformed, with the additions of general manager Jim Dorsey, Tyrod Taylor, Jarvis Landry, the hype behind developing sophomores Jabrill Peppers and Myles Garrett and the excitement behind new rookies Baker Mayfield, Denzel Ward, and Nick Chubb, many think that the Browns are about to depart from their losing ways, but are they?

As the focus of this year’s HBO’s Hard Knocks, the Browns are open to the viewership of all football starved fans who tune in every Tuesday night to witness the NFL’s newest underdog. Although many enjoy the new look Browns, many pundits and media personalities are skeptical of head coach Hue Jackson’s methods. Ex-NFL punter Pat Mcafee ripped into Hue Jackson’s coaching methods on his Barstool Sports podcast, claiming that the coach was using high school coaching tactics and wasn’t able to make his players buy in, claiming that his lighthearted coaching methods would not bring the Browns anywhere in their upcoming season.

Mcafee’s past experience in the NFL was the basis for his argument, he was shocked at Jackson’s treatment of his coordinators and other coaches and his relationship with his players, claiming that he hasn’t seen anything similar. He claimed that Jackson’s interactions with his players come off as fake and insincere. But I disagree, his players clearly have a strong and deep relationship with their coach which is incredibly important for morale. No players seem to have any problems with him and no confrontations occurred that were directly Hue’s fault. Considering the Browns have a long history of losing, morale is crucial to keeping confidence and for the rebuild of the team.

However, you can’t come off “soft” in football. Hue Jackson is clearly living in his fears, while it is warranted that avoiding days of practice can help players recover and avoid injury. But being that the team is 1-31 over the past two seasons, they’re going to need some preparation to catch up to some of the dynasties of the league. We’ve all heard the saying practice makes perfect. So why isn’t Hue Jackson subscribing to this message? Considering the Browns losing tradition of the past two decades, the players are going to need persistence, which is learned in practice.

With some ups and downs for Hue Jackson in all five episodes of Hard Knocks, it’s hard to lock down whether Browns fans are more or less content with their coach than they were before this year’s Hard Knocks. But it’s hard to question the guy’s devotion and belief to the team. Losing his mother and brother in the same month is tough, but Jackson took this in stride. He stayed with the team despite losing two members of his family, showing his unfaltering devotion to the team.

The Browns are without a doubt the most exciting team heading into the 2018 regular season, who doesn’t love an underdog? The hype is definitely there, but I don’t think it’s entirely warranted. 

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