Leinart and Young vs. Grads

[ufojoe]

No, Grads has not had that break-out game. And if he doesn't have one before the end of this
season or early next season, he'll be done here for a bit. Using the rookie label isn't an excuse.
It's a fact of life in the NFL.

I watch every game and will enjoy watching Bruce & Co. the rest of the year no matter what our
record is.

[SCLOBERNOCKER47]

Oh brother... [banghead]

With some exceptions, the general feeling around here seems to be that Grads is playing better than both of the high draft picks, Matt Leinart and Vince Young. Many have been throwing around the infamous chart comparing all their stats, and it is true that Grads has been better in most catagories than either of them, at least through this week. However, I firmly believe stats can only bring you so far, and stats never tell the full picture. Anyone would be insane at this point to think Grads is better than either Leinart or Young. Sure, they may not have better stats than Grads, but from watching both Leinart and Young, I'm positive that in this point in thier careers they are both better than Grads.

I watched Matt Leinart calmly dissect the Chicago Bears defense for several long drives, including a last second push to win the game where Leinart did everything he could to secure the victory (until Rackers botched the field goal). Sure Leinart still has yet to match Grads in wins or many other statistical catogories, but the way he directed his team on the field and the presence about him confirmed in my mind that he is the real deal. He has at times this season looked great, not only in the Bears game but also in the Vikings game (405 yards-yikes!). He has just been marred by the inconsistency that most rookies deal with.

The same goes for Young. While he has struggled a great deal more than Leinart, he has no doubt shown the brillance that made him an icon at Texas, mainly in the 4th quarter. He almost brought the Titans from behind against the Ravens, but his kicker blew it. Today against the Giants, a team that Grads looked completely lost against, he calmly lead a great comeback to the tune of 24 points in the final period. Now I'm not saying both Leinart and Young are gods and we should put them in the probowl, to me from what I've seen of them on the field, they have been much more in command than Grads. You cannot be soley bound to the stats sheet. Both Leinart and Young have looked dismal at times, but when the game has clicked for them, they have looked impressive, much more so than watching Grads flop around and throw up his ducks. Grads has had only one game where he has looked good, his first against the Saints. Believe me I want to believe he is the answer and is going to be great, but man he has looked just plain awful. Leinart and Young have given off flashes of brillance, and generally look to be in command of their respective teams. From what I've seen of Grads, he has not shown anything to make me believe in him. At this point, I firmly believe that both Leinart and Young are much better quarterbacks, despite what the stats might say. Their overall play on the field has been miles above what these stats say.

[karen anderson]

Dude, did you watch any games today?

Young is showing signs of growing, and that a rookie can get a team fired up.

Leinart threw for 400 yards, and almost had a W against a team that had no business even being close to the Vikes.

 Boid, read again, he's on our side.  Welcome, newbie, very insightful & informative post. Kill the stats!                                                                                                            

[bradentonian]

I posted this in another thread, but it makes sense here...

From  Ask Vic Carucci on NFL.com

       
Hey, who is the best rookie quarterback so far? -- Maria B.

By rookie, I'm going to assume you mean a quarterback who is actually in his first NFL season as opposed to a player with more than a year of experience starting for the first time, such as Philip Rivers and Tony Romo.

All of the rookie starters -- Matt Leinart of Arizona, Vince Young of Tennessee, and Bruce Gradkowski of Tampa Bay -- have had spotty performances.

   
Matt Leinart seems to have the best grasp of NFL quarterbacking among the Class of 2006.     
I would say Leinart has been the best so far, but not by much. He generally shows good command and awareness. He can be extremely accurate with his throws, especially when he positions his feet properly. If the pressure gets too much for him and he starts panicking and dancing around, Leinart tends to be off target.

Young hasn't been the dynamic playmaker he was on a consistent basis at Texas. He still has plenty to learn in terms of making reads and decisions with the ball. However, his tremendous athleticism allows him to make something out of nothing and his game management has been good.

Gradkowski has struggled the most. He does a nice job of throwing short and intermediate passes, but he has problems throwing the long ball. Gradkowski seems to be having mechanical issues that cause the ball to continue to climb rather than drop into the hands of the receiver. Defenses have caught onto this fact, and are able to crowd the line of scrimmage to not only shut down Tampa Bay's running game, but also take away those shorter routes.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/9824901

Ummm, I just speant my entire post supporting them and their performances today...

[DanTurksGhost]

Ummm, I just speant my entire post supporting them and their performances today...

He probably didn't read it, just assumed what you were saying.

[karen anderson]

Where is MJS, RJ, DTG, et all? No comments now?

[BucsGuru]

Vince Young will be a Stud in this league for years to come.  Looks like Jeff Fisher finally got what Gruden wants...A franchise QB.

[dr3z]

Young looked good, and it wasnt against the Lions either. Came back from 21 down in the 4th. Hes going to be special.

Vince Young will be a Stud in this league for years to come. Looks like Jeff Fisher finally got what Gruden wants...A franchise QB.

[DanTurksGhost]

Where is MJS, RJ, DTG, et all? No comments now?

Is it incumbent on me to comment on every single post?

To begin with you bring up Vince's game today compared to Bruce's game then simply:
- Bruce was on the road after an emotional victory
- the wind was roaring....today not so much

Next you say Bruce only throws ducks ..umm.....sorry but that's not true.....

He's lead us to two come from behind victories.

No #### Leinart looks good, he's got four first round talents to go to...Edge, BJ, Fitz, and Anquan, put me in that spot I'd look great.


Field presence? Bruce has more field presence than most rooks I assure you that, or do you just zone out when he runs for a clutch first down avoiding a chasing tackler.

You say stats don't matter than bring up Matty Sunshine's passing yards...I'm sorry but that's just BS....his team didn't win (2-9..Matt rocks) the conservative Brad Johnson did with 280, and Jon Kitna would be the second best QB in the  game if passing yards meant anything...they don't, not when you throw 2 picks while doing so and only 1 TD.

Where is MJS, RJ, DTG, et all? No comments now?

Is it incumbent on me to comment on every single post?

she has this fetish, she thinks this is some type of war....I guess she loves seeing people argue and her being on the less populated side so if somehow that comes out to be the 'correct' side she can act like a big whig who has great vision...

[DanTurksGhost]

she has this fetish, she thinks this is some type of war....I guess she loves seeing people argue and her being on the less populated side so if somehow that comes out to be the 'correct' side she can act like a big whig who has great vision...

I know, believe me, she's very transparent. However, I'm actually starting to find her obsession a little bit creepy.

she has this fetish, she thinks this is some type of war....I guess she loves seeing people argue and her being on the less populated side so if somehow that comes out to be the 'correct' side she can act like a big whig who has great vision...

I know, believe me, she's very transparent. However, I'm actually starting to find her obsession a little bit creepy.

si, me no gusta