Cosell on with Cowherd on Friday talking about Bortles, Bridgewater, and Manziel:Cowherd: Greg Cosell, 30+years, NFL films. Has become one of our favorite guests, and one of yours as well. He has looked at all the QB and WR top prospects. He's looked at the tape and that's why we wanted to bring him in. Let's start with the Blake Bortles kid. What do you see on film about him that you like?Cosell: I like Bortles, and he has grown on me the more I've watched him, Colin. I think that when all is said and done, he is a pocket passer who does have the ability to execute outside of the pocket either by design or outside of structure when he needs to extend plays. You can do the read option concepts with him. He's a pretty athletic kid for a big kid.. He's not a great thrower. He doesn't really drive the ball. He's got a little bit of a quirky delivery with a tendency to push the ball at times. He needs work, as most QBs do, on his footwork in the pocke, but I think there is an upside to him.Cowherd: Let's go to Teddy Bridgewater. I've said, he looks a little spindly to me. He doesn't look very big. What does the film say?Cosell: He's a good player though. He plays with a rhythm and a poise that stands out on almost every play. You can tell watching him that he is a detail oriented kid. I think they gave him a lot of freedom at the LOS based on what I've seen on film. I think he has a relatively advanced understanding of fronts for a college QB. He's a little bit of a short-armer when he throws the ball, but he can probably make every throw, but when you watch him on film over and over, you don't come away saying that he is a "wow" thrower. It wouldn't surprise me if some people see him somewhat like a Russell Wilson type player. I talked to someone close to him that said he will likely measure closer to 6'1 than 6'3. I dont know what he'll weigh, he might weigh under 200 lbs. He's a very good QB in the subtitles of the position, he's just not a "wow" talent.Cowherd: OK. Johnny Manziel. That's what everybody's waiting for. Cosell: you know, Johnny Manziel is a very interesting player, cause you could spend a lot of time talking about him. I think he is going to end up being in the eye of the evaluator. I think the first thing you have to decide with him, is his foundation and his core mentality that of a gambler and a freelancer? We know he can make these great improvisational plays, but if that's his foundation and his core approach to the game, it's hard to play that way in the NFL. Mobility must be managed in the NFL. You'll have a smaller QB with outstanding movement and improvisation. At times he shows flashes of structured play, but other times..and to me this happens too often and I'm curious how other people see it, there's many times in which the throw is there in the context to the offense and he doesn't have pressure, and he leaves the pocket. So he lacks some pocket discipline. So you have to decide how you evaluate that. In college, sometimes he'll do that and run for 20 yards and everyone gets excited. You'll have to decide, is that positive or a negative...and I think different people will come down on different sides of that coin.Cowherd: I am a believer in, " a bad guy at work, is a bad guy at home, is a bad guy". That you cannot, over time, fool people. If a guy is an undisciplined guy, he'll become and undisciplined QB. If he is a structured guy, he'll be a structured QB. I can look at Johnny Manziel, his on field taunting, some of his decisions, and I can say to myself that he's got a bit of an ego and some entitlement there. What you are saying that you are seeing on tape, that sounds like the personality of the guy.Cosell: I'm just watching film. I won't get a chance to sit down and talk to Johnny Manziel as teams will. There's many many plays, and I probably watched 450 throws of Johnny Manziel, and when I say there's many..I would bet there is 50 in which I would love to put a reel together and sit him down and ask what was the play and what did you see? Because there were so many of those plays in which the WR was wide open, and he didn't pull the trigger. And I think in college, you can get away with that and run and gain yards. I mean, that big play he made In the Duke game when he jumped over people, remember that play? He ended up throwing at TD. Well the design of the play, the primary was wide open, the secondary was wide open, he didn't throw it to either one and he moved around and then threw the TD. So, how would one evaluate that play? Is that a positive or a negative? I think as you project that play to the NFL, you probably come down on the side of it being negative. Cowherd : It's funny, people compare him to Drew Brees and Russell Wilson because of size..Cosell: No, no, no, no, noCowherd: ...and I say, these are more mature guys.Cosell: that's why you have to get a real sense of what his foundation is. If his foundation is more of that of a freelancer or a gambler, it's hard to play that way. See Russell Wilson, there's a misconception about Russell Wilson. Russell Wilson is a very structured, manipulated, controlled QB in the context of a run first offense. Who has an unbelievably smart understanding of his role and he knows how to manage his mobility and he uses it only when necessary. You have to decide that about Johnny Manziel. If he is just going to move, as I keep saying, it's just really hard to play that way in the NFL.Cowherd: having listened to you, Bridgewater is the guy I would draft. Based in what you are telling me, Bridgewater is more attractive to me.Cosell: Yea, the issue again, I think because of Russell Wilson, people aren't talking as much about size anymore, but that may come into play(with Bridgewater). I think Bortles, people will look at as a "down the road" guy. The problem you face, is that when you draft a guy in the top 10 now, he's your starter from day one, that's just the way it works now.
I think Bortles can be a heckuva QB if he can clean up his footwork and mechanics.
To me, when a guy says that Russell Wilson has removed the size concerns for a guy like Bridgewater.....I can't help but question his credibility. Wilson is short, but he is not small. He is build like a tank. If I had him stand next to Troy Polamalu with their faces covered, you wouldn't even be able to tell them apart. So wtf does that have to do with alleviating size concerns for Bridgewater, who is probably 6'1" 190lbs and looks like a stick figure? It's apples and oranges and it is pretty obvious. I don't see how someone can try to make that correlation.
Just to be clear, you *are* the guy who complained about how people were obsessed with measureables this time of year, right?
To me, when a guy says that Russell Wilson has removed the size concerns for a guy like Bridgewater.....I can't help but question his credibility. Wilson is short, but he is not small. He is build like a tank. If I had him stand next to Troy Polamalu with their faces covered, you wouldn't even be able to tell them apart. So wtf does that have to do with alleviating size concerns for Bridgewater, who is probably 6'1" 190lbs and looks like a stick figure? It's apples and oranges and it is pretty obvious. I don't see how someone can try to make that correlation.
He said that they aren't talking about size "as much". He point he seems to be making is not comparing their supposed size deficiencies, but to say that when you have a player like Russell Wilson come in and not be the prototypical height by a wide margin, that can kind of soften how scouts and scouts tend to put limitations on players based upon size. That seems reasonable.
To me, when a guy says that Russell Wilson has removed the size concerns for a guy like Bridgewater.....I can't help but question his credibility. Wilson is short, but he is not small. He is build like a tank. If I had him stand next to Troy Polamalu with their faces covered, you wouldn't even be able to tell them apart. So wtf does that have to do with alleviating size concerns for Bridgewater, who is probably 6'1" 190lbs and looks like a stick figure? It's apples and oranges and it is pretty obvious. I don't see how someone can try to make that correlation.
He said that they aren't talking about size "as much". He point he seems to be making is not comparing their supposed size deficiencies, but to say that when you have a player like Russell Wilson come in and not be the prototypical height by a wide margin, that can kind of soften how scouts and scouts tend to put limitations on players based upon size. That seems reasonable.
Yeah but height and weight are two completely different concerns. Wilson is stout so he can take a beating. It's a big concern for Teddy. I'm sure he'll beef up some for the combine but it will be interesting to see what he can hold on his frame.
Hello, but this -- "Yea, the issue again, I think because of Russell Wilson, people aren't talking as much about size anymore, but that may come into play(with Bridgewater)." -- indicates that size is NOT removed as a concern. That removes his credibility? Please.
To me, when a guy says that Russell Wilson has removed the size concerns for a guy like Bridgewater.....I can't help but question his credibility. Wilson is short, but he is not small. He is build like a tank. If I had him stand next to Troy Polamalu with their faces covered, you wouldn't even be able to tell them apart. So wtf does that have to do with alleviating size concerns for Bridgewater, who is probably 6'1" 190lbs and looks like a stick figure? It's apples and oranges and it is pretty obvious. I don't see how someone can try to make that correlation.
He said that they aren't talking about size "as much". He point he seems to be making is not comparing their supposed size deficiencies, but to say that when you have a player like Russell Wilson come in and not be the prototypical height by a wide margin, that can kind of soften how scouts and scouts tend to put limitations on players based upon size. That seems reasonable.
Yeah but height and weight are two completely different concerns. Wilson is stout so he can take a beating. It's a big concern for Teddy. I'm sure he'll beef up some for the combine but it will be interesting to see what he can hold on his frame.
No doubt that they are two different things. Cosell is saying that his size from a weight standpoint may hurt him still. His underlying point about how some may not potentially talk "as much" about size overall, isn't really all that unreasonable.
Hello, but this -- "Yea, the issue again, I think because of Russell Wilson, people aren't talking as much about size anymore, but that may come into play(with Bridgewater)." -- indicates that size is NOT removed as a concern. That removes his credibility? Please.
Definitely an odd point to focus on out of that entire opinion put forth by Cosell.
I've been told that Bridgewater was already officially measured at another event coming out of high school. He measured 6'2 and 3/4 in his bare feet. That means 6'3 in his cleats.He's skinny as hell but he is not that short . That will be confirmed next week.
Hello, but this -- "Yea, the issue again, I think because of Russell Wilson, people aren't talking as much about size anymore, but that may come into play(with Bridgewater)." -- indicates that size is NOT removed as a concern. That removes his credibility? Please.
I misread it and misspoke. My bad.
Just keep hyping these QB's up so we can end up with the best player in the draft….Sammy Watkins
