There have been a few comments about Willis being a 1-read and riun QB, and that he is as much a RB as a QB. I’m going to highlight the 1st play of the game yesterday to show a positive for Willis as a QB that can play from the pocket.
This play was significantly affected by an offsides that could have been blown dead since the DT (Winfrey) was nearly on top of Willis at the snap. It took a great block by Heyward to keep it alive.
In the 1st image, most players are barely getting out of their stances, but Winfrey is 2 yards into the backfield. The TE at top of O-line is the primary read on a play-action pass.
Next, it is obvious the run-action is blown up by the offsides DT.
The LBs have barely moved forward, and start dropping.
The primary read (TE) is bracketed.
His throw travels 25 yards downfield, and about 28 yards total air distance…
on a rope, to the outside away from tight coverage, and low enough that his WR won’t get hit hard.
All in less than 3 seconds… to his 2nd read.
I can hear Garth Brooks singing to us now. “Are you for some Willis? Gonna be a fuckin party! Breaking ankles, kneecaps the Lions bout to get this shit staaaarted”.
You are so funny, I know this is directed at me since I posted I hadn’t been able to watch the game but Twitter reactions were Willis was having a hard time progressing through his reads.
Now, we get one example that he hit his supposed 2nd read (which absolutely nobody but Willis and the Coaches know who the 1st read was) yet somehow this negates the general consensus by people who eat and breath football. Too funny.
By this standard, Goff is a top 5 QB, because you know what? He was top 5 in the last 5 games of the season. See how that works?
It was a 3-man route… with a TE running a post and 2 outside WRs running routes OUTSIDE the numbers. The TE route is the quickest to develop… so it is logically the 1st read.
With a DT jumping waaayyyy offsides… his head and feet were clearly lined up towards the TE route as he took his dropback.
Considering it was the 1st play of the game… it is also quite logical to believe the coaches were trying to get him a fairly easy read and throw over the middle on play-action to get into the flow of the game.
Seriously, if there was anything to state about Willis yesterday, it was how he avoided pressure like Russell Wilson. But, your sources didn’t mention that. PP goes on to show you two more plays where it was pretty obvious that he wasn’t one-and-done on his reads.
Actually all the feedback Twitter and articles did provide some good feedback, they listed that as his strength, ability to avoid pressure and use his legs. CBS sports article now has him as first QB off the board. I’m not a Willis hater, I think he has potential. I was just agreeing with another poster who stated the same thing and I stated I saw comments backing up what he said.
Sorry I got your panties all in a wad over a raw college QB that some think is the next savior of the Lions.
You posted something that was not reflective of what was actually witnessed yesterday. I just watched the game and stated what was seen. If you’re lashing out because you’re embarrassed for posting inaccurate info, perhaps you can watch the games before commenting on them next time.
He 100% needs to work on reading defenses, footwork, timing, progressions… the full gamut.
He 100% is a gamble.
He is very, very far from being a finished product.
There is a very slim chance that he goes #2.
There is an equally slim chance that he lasts to #32.
While I’m a fan of Malik, I realize the greatest likelihood is that he’s playing elsewhere.
I would 100% support our drafting him, wherever they can get him, but it’s not likely to happen.
I don’t have my hopes up. I don’t see him as our franchise savior. I like the dude and know he’s a project. (I also am ready for an elusive QB in a Lions uniform.)
There are many posters here that I have tremendous respect for that are not in the Willis camp. They’d rather gamble with 3rd round picks than 1st round picks. I’ve been in the Willis-at-32-or-34 camp all winter. That’s too rich for some. Again, I can’t blame them based on what we’ve seen in games.
All that said, my commentary directed at/toward you has really been just about what was displayed yesterday. A more complete picture needed expressed.
“#1. Malik Willis is a first read quarterback through and through” and “You can literally count, with your fingers, the amount of times he made it beyond his first progression through to his second read within the pocket in his final season”
The fact that the Lions protected Steven Montez on the practice squad all year is a positive indicator for a big armed/mobile project of a QB.
Holmes seems to be to be a value picker. Willis at #2 is not a value. I have a feeling he will pick a QB later in the draft that has high upside but likely a project.
Willis must be a quick study under the Lions staff… because he accomplished that feat several times in less than a quarter of play on very few pass plays that gave him the opportunity.
He had 1 called rollout and a designed screen pass completion… plus was flushed from pocket in less than 2 seconds on 2-3 other plays.
I’m sure his agent informed him that’s exactly what teams would be looking for. Some might call that playing to the audience. The Senior Bowl isn’t exactly real football.
All college QBs will need to work on progressions.
However… 2 of those 3 articles were written before the Senior Bowl and have nothing to do with this discussion of the game yesterday.
The 1 article that was written about the game yesterday is questionable.
Here is a quote:
There were several instances Saturday where he missed open receivers, or only got through his initial read before taking off.
great analysis.
Meanwhile… Daniel Jeremiah and Charles Davis were discussing “plaster coverage” by the National team.
There was only 1 single play that Willis had a possible open man and the time to actually throw a pass that he didn’t… and he was flushed out of the pocket almost immediately, meaning he would have had to make a great throw on a dead sprint to a receiver that didn’t uncover immediately.
Willis had 13 dropbacks.
4 plays - He ran it 4 times (quite successfully), and was facemasked without a call.
1 play - He got sacked from quick pressure, just after he moved to his 2nd read.
2 plays - completions that stood on quick passes (out route and screen)
1 play - completion nullified by penalty to Tolbert.
2 plays - good passes dropped by WR, but wiped out by defensive penalties.
1 play - deep ball at end of quarter incomplete – defensive PI extended 1st quarter.
2 plays - flushed from pocket QUICKLY… impressively eluded sack and threw ball away.
.
.
Of his 4 runs… 3 were after he looked at all his options and had zero open receivers.
The other run was forced by quick pressure… and had his facemask grabbed to stop him.
