Dear The Den,
No this has nothing to do with the comments made by some in the thread about the new draft analyst badge. I was going to post this anyways, but I’m doing it today because of that.
I’m writing this to let you guys know that it finally hit me.
Well what is “it”? You ask.
“It” is that there is a recipe to success for QBs in this league, and what I think it is and what it actually is are way off.
Yes, hell has frozen over. Yes, the aliens got out of Area 51. Yes, the Lions just won the Super Bowl.
Mobility is not a trait that makes a great quarterback.
There, I said it.
In fact, if that is a quarterback’s main trick, then he is likely to be a bust in this league.
What matters most of all is the ability to make reads, and distribute the ball with the right velocity and accuracy to the catch point for the receiver.
It hit me that we aren’t going to be running an air raid or even a spread under MCDC, and that’s not where the trend of football is going anymore. 2020 was the peak for offensive football. 2021 is the year that defense started to catch up again.
I give a lot of credit to the minds of Brent Venables and Brandon Staley for that. Here’s a prediction I have too. Staley’s defense is going to start getting shredded and he’ll get fired in LA by at least 2025 or 2026.
Running the ball and defense are keys to a championship. Always have been and always will be.
We are going to be part of football’s schematic shift back to the old school ways. I’m just going to have to accept that.
Justin Fields was the prototype for how to win in college the last 6 or 7 years, and in the NFL for the last, say 2 or 3.
Not anymore.
Defense catches up faster in the NFL. The coaches are better schematically.
One thing that has remained true though is that a QB has to be a passer first to have real success in this league. Hell, I should’ve seen it when Aaron Glenn took a group of Patricia’s trash and shut down Lamar Jackson and Kyler Murray.
What’s shredded this defense? Running games and good passing quarterbacks.
That’s what we need out of our QB position.
I will never back off my opinion that if you have two of the same exact prospect, and one happens to be mobile, that you take the mobile guy. However, if the other guy is a better passer with better ball placement, then you take him.
History is on the side of the position which I’ve detailed here too, and it looks like it will continue to be.
Patrick Mahomes isn’t good because of his ability to run outside of the pocket, it’s because of his rocket arm.
I’m going to have to seriously go back and re-evaluate everyone because what I was looking for then and what I’m looking for now are two totally different things. I can say I think Willis is going to fall a ways and Pickett is going to rise up for me. I can say though that Pickett’s hands specifically concern me, and I’d like to see him throw an NFL football in a pro day or combine environment first.
But anyway, just wanted to let everyone know that I’m starting to figure it out like most of you probably have already.