This is not a very interesting draft year when it comes to quarterbacks, Matthew Stafford is the clear leader, but he’s far from a lock, and he probably would only have been third or fourth to go last year. Mark Sanchez has his backers, and he has obvious skills, but just one year of real experience raises questions for him. Josh Freeman has risen up to become the clear third choice, and he’s physically impressive, but Kansas State was far from a powerhouse under his watch, and questions about his leadership and intelligence are right below the surface. Any one of those three guys could turn into a very good NFL quarterback, but it’s not too hard to imagine any of them as disappointing flops, either. Things don’t get that much more positive further down the list of quarterbacks, either. Still, we all know the stories of guys who are drafted late and with few expectations and turn into serviceable players. Or better in the obvious case of Tom Brady. With that in mind, here’s a look at three quarterbacks who could be the next big bargain:
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It remains to be seen where he ends up on draft day, but few guys have free fallen more since the end of the season than Ball State QB Nate Davis. Davis had an incredibly impressive start to his season this year, and Ball State turned into a national sweetheart after running through the regular season undefeated. He’s got a nice arm, he can scramble, and he plays an exciting style of game. There was talk then that he could even be a first round choice. But then things went awry. Ball State lost to Buffalo in the MAC title game, and then got crushed by Tulsa in theGMAC Bowl. Davis had eight fumbles in those games and the questions started to come up. Things didn’t get better when he was lacklustre at the Combine. The ultimate sign of the depth of his problems was evident when only one team showed up to his pro day. That’s ugly.
Arguably no position in team sports is as important as an NFL quarterback. Pitchers can dominate in baseball. But they only do it once every five days. NBA point guards are somewhat similar to quarterbacks. But a team can have a mediocre point guard and do well using the passing skills of the rest of the team. Think of the Los Angeles Lakers. Derek Fisher is hardly anyone’s top player.
I woke up this morning to Breaking News alerts on the two major sports news sites I normally ready, and each one was a different story. One was wildly exciting, and the other was a confirmation of a gut feeling:
The NFL schedule was released tonight. I know that the league is masterful at making their league the story year around, but this seems to have been more of an event this year than I remember it being in the past. There’s only so much intrigue that can come from the schedule since you can figure out who is playing who every year with just a bit of work if you want to. Still, the timing of games and the location can make them somewhat interesting. Here’s a look at six games that stick out for me at first glance:
Week 1 – Chicago at Green Bay – All eyes will be on Jay Cutler. He cost a fortune, and there will be little patience from fans waiting to see him play like it.
– In perhaps the least shocking development in the history of sports, the Giants cut Plaxico Burress today. Good riddance. Sadly, he’ll be rewarded with a new contract from somewhere else soon, and it will be like nothing ever happened. Idiot.
We’re obviously going to talk about Jay Cutler today, but before we do I just want to briefly revisit yesterday’s topic – Tim Floyd. Floyd came to his senses today and turned down the Arizona job to stay at USC. As we talked about yesterday that’s the best outcome for both sides. Arizona now gets another chance to not screw things up, and Floyd is in a place that is a much better fit for him.
Here are some people in the news who have made some headlines of late. For one reason or another, I think they deserve some notice.
Mark Cuban
Jay Cutler is the biggest baby I have ever seen. The latest news on the Broncos’ QB front is that the team has given up and is going to trade their pivot before the draft. That news has apparently been confirmed by owner Pat Bowlen as well, so it is past the point of just being a rumor. The impetus for this latest move is that apparently neither Bowlen nor coach Josh McDaniels has apparently been able to get Cutler to return a phone call for the last 10 days. Seriously? Not returning phone calls is what you do when you are in grade school and you are having a fight with your friend. It’s not what you do when you are a highly paid and well respected professional who has yet to prove that they can actually do their job – lead the team to playoff success. I don’t think that there is a quarterback in the league that could justify this kind of immature, prima donna behaviour, but at the very least you should have to have a winning record before you do it. Teams will line up for Cutler, and he’s probably an upgrade for at least half the teams in the league, but this whole episode has convinced me that Cutler doesn’t have what it takes to go all the way. I mean, can you imagine Tom Brady not returning Robert Kraft’s calls? Or Peyton Manning screening out Tony Dungy? Ridiculous.
The 2009 NFL Draft is one-month away. I’ve been thinking a bit about what guys are the best of the best in their positions. Let’s take a look at the three top-rated quarterbacks who have a shot at having an impact in the pros.
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