I think Hooker is in a perfect situation here in Detroit. He had a chance to heal while being a student of the game in year 1. No rush to get him on the field because we have a QB and he gets the chance to work with one of the leagues best offensive staffs.
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Plus, it’s not just age, it’s wear and tear too. If one guy starts at 20 and one guy starts at 27, they’re not going to have the same damage when they’re both 30. That is unless one of them has some devastating injury.
That said, a pocket passer like Goff playing behind the best o-line in the league, who never has relied on his athletic gifts, probably has a good shot of playing until he’s 40.
My favorite Hendon Hooker game
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I have been trying to leave the discussion of Hooker alone for some time but here we are.
I think this was one of Holmes worst picks. THe only way this made any sense at the time was the belief/concern that Goff was not going to pan out. Which after going 9-1 to finish the previous season even that position is poor.
My issues are as follows:
1- he was injured
2- he is old, by the time Goff is gone Hooker will be 30+
3- he ran a fluky offense in college, and needed time to grow (which again old)
4- he has a good arm and is a decent scrambler but neither function is he great
I would have preferred they either passed on a QB all together or gotten someone like 22 max for this sit and develop plan. If he was a truly elite runner I could kind of get behind it as you could develop a set of unique plays for him.
Anyway, to answer the question. No I do not see how he ever becomes a great QB in the league. By the time he would be getting significant snaps with the Lions he could be almost 30. He feels like at best a really solid lifetime backup.
All of my issues stem mostly from his age. He is just old. If he had been 22 when drafted you could see him getting real snaps at 26-27. It just seems like an odd pick all around.
He was a 3rd pick. It was Goff insurance in case he took a step back and if not hopefully we have a really solid backup for 4 years. Best case scenario is he lights up the preseason and maybe plays a game or two in season and teams offer something of value for him. He was a legit 1st round prospect before the ACL.
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The issue is unless they can create some value added they will be lucky to get a 3rd out of him.
Hell Fields was just dumped for like a 5th? So while I get the logic, I do not get the logic. Hopes and dreams.
Dude is living with Bridgewater for the off-season when he doesn’t have to. I’d almost call your quote an understatement.
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Fields contract is up after this year, he’s a very dicey option
I do agree with you on that for sure.
I am not anti-Hooker as a person or QB it is more an issue of fit and timing. I just have my doubts the timing works out for the Lions with him.
Heck who knows maybe Goff gets hurt and HH comes in and leads the Lions to SB like TB12. I mean these things are so fluid. 6 weeks ago Sutton is the Lions starting CB and now he is off the team and who knows where. Things can change fast.
I assumed everyone already knew that.
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I think it’s difficult to find a quality backup QB and even harder to do so on a limited budget.
Hooker has the tools to be an NFL starter so there’s no reason to think he can’t be a viable back up for us.
I think he’s a first round talent at QB and only made it to round 3 because of his age, injury and the offense he came out of.
QB needy teams didn’t see him as a viable option because they knew he’d take a few years to develop and his injury takes one of those years away. His age meant he would be 27-28 years old before he’d be ready to lead your team. GM’s didn’t have the luxury to wait.
The Lions however do. They had a quality starting QB and a veteran back up. They do not need him to start they need him to be good enough to win some games. The Lions had the luxury to bring him along slowly.
Most of all Hooker provides the push they need to help in negotiations with Goff.
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