Pocket passers no longer the future for QBs in NFL ?

michael89156 · 2014-01-22T08:46:04Z

Pocket passers no longer future for QBs in NFL Published 15 minutes ago By Ross Tucker Sporting News RSS Russell Wilson (AP Photo)The quarterback of the future will be on display in Super Bowl XLVIII and no, it's not 37-year-old Peyton Manning. Not by a long shot. It's Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and young athletic signal-callers like him, but not because of the reasons you might think. There's no question the NFL game is slowly changing. Some would say evolving. Quarterbacks are running the ball with greater frequency and efficiency than ever before. The read-option play has proven to be very effective although the rampant success that teams had with it in 2012 was tempered a bit by better prepared defenses in 2013. Still, it's a play that's here to stay, even if it's just as a changeup. In fact, designed quarterback runs in general are here for good. If you need any more evidence just look at the first half of the NFC Championship Game. The 49ers called a number of run plays for Colin Kaepernick and it paid off as he ended the game with 130 yards on just 11 carries. Some of those yards came when Kaepernick scrambled on passing plays but that just adds to my point about the value of athletic playmakers at the quarterback position. And that doesn't even include the crazy jump-pass that he threw to Anquan Boldin for a touchdown. I still don't know how he did that. The fact that a coach like Jim Harbaugh and a team like the 49ers would call that many designed QB runs in a do-or-die game tells you everything you need to know about their opinion of both Kaepernick and the QB position. It tells you they have more faith in his legs than in his abilities as a pocket passer. It also tells you they believe designed quarterback runs are an important part of an offense, especially when a team's season is on the line and they aren't as worried about the risk of injury. Those are all strong reasons why guys like Kaepernick and Wilson are the future of the quarterback position, but they're not my reasons. At least not my overarching one.The No. 1 reason why I think athletic playmaking quarterbacks are here to stay? Elite pocket passers are either a dying breed or too hard to find or both. Think about it. The best ones are still, after all these years, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady at ages 37 and 36, respectively. The only other pure pocket passer that may be in their class is Drew Brees. He's 35. Within five years and likely sooner they will all be out of the league. And then what? Aaron Rodgers is the obvious heir apparent but he's firmly on the borderline between being a pure pocket passer and a young athletic playmaker. Most of his work is in rhythm from the pocket like the aforementioned three but he's got plenty of Houdini-like plays like the throw to Randall Cobb against the 49ers in the wild-card round as well. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has always been more of a playmaker than a coolly efficient pocket surgeon. Most teams that defend him actually prefer when he is getting rid of the ball in rhythm and staying in the pocket. That means he's not really an elite pocket passer. The point is either we aren't training quarterbacks the right way or we just aren't making 'em like Manning, Brady and Brees anymore. Matthew Stafford, Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco have all had various levels of success in their own way but they aren't in the same class as the other guys. Not even close. Eli Manning's had high level success with two Super Bowl victories but is wildly inconsistent. Phillip Rivers had a nice bounce back year but the jury on him is still out. Andy Dalton? Don't even go there. Based on this season, unless you have a truly elite pocket passer, and I don't see many (any?) young ones out there, you are going to have much more success with a guy that's capable of making several plays with his feet per game. Those third-down conversions that guys like Cam Newton gobble up are back-breakers for a defense and can often make the difference in the game. The bottom line is that athletic playmaking quarterbacks are the future of the NFL because it is easier for a player to be one and thus for teams to find one then it is to be a pocket savant. There's a lot more guys out there with great feet than there are with beautiful minds and computer-like efficiency. There just is. The one great hope for pure pocket passers moving forward is Andrew Luck but his presence only serves to strengthen my argument, not hurt it. First of all, Luck is a much better athlete than people give him credit for and makes a lot more plays with his feet than people realize. Just look at his rushing yardage and touchdown totals. Secondly, even if we choose to classify him as a pure pocket passer he's not at the same level as the other guys yet. Let's say Luck does in fact get to that level. That's it? That's all you got? The supposed best quarterback prospect in the last 25 years is the one guy capable of playing the posit...

Page 3 / 5 Prev Next

The Red Board

Last Post by Anonymous 12 years ago

61 Posts

20 Users

0 Reactions

1,613 Views

RSS

Anonymous

(@Anonymous)

Posts: 0

Cabin Boy Guest

If we could get a 25 year old Jeff Garcia.....I'd be stoked. He might be my favorite Bucs QB of all time. He wasn't an elite pocket passer....but he was a leader, he was tough as nails, he was a competitor to the core, and he could make things happen with his feet. We got him at the end of his career, but back in 2000 and 2001 he was freaking awesome. I wish we'd have made the move to get him when he left the 49ers instead of waiting 3 years. Things coulda been a lot different. Anyways, I want another guy like that.

Posted : Jan. 22, 2014 8:13 pm

Anonymous

(@Anonymous)

Posts: 0

Cabin Boy Guest

If we could get a 25 year old Jeff Garcia.....I'd be stoked. He might be my favorite Bucs QB of all time. He wasn't an elite pocket passer....but he was a leader, he was tough as nails, he was a competitor to the core, and he could make things happen with his feet. I want another guy like that.

You forgot this

Posted : Jan. 22, 2014 8:15 pm

Anonymous (@Anonymous) Posts: 0 Cabin Boy Guest By the way.....Garcia was 6' 1/2" and 205lbs. Just sayin. Very VERY JFF like. Posted : Jan. 22, 2014 8:18 pm Anonymous (@Anonymous) Posts: 0 Cabin Boy Guest I think Kap is the perfect QB to have in today's NFL. Big guy, big arm, and can run for big chunks of yardage. On a related note, Wilson was saying today, he attended Peyton Manning's QB camp when he was 15 years old. And now he faces him in the Super Bowl. That has to make Manning feel really old. It wouldn't surprise me if Manning calls it a career after the Super Bowl. He has to have that neck examined after the Super Bowl. I am sure he has plenty of cash tucked away, whats left to prove? Might as well go out on top. Posted : Jan. 22, 2014 11:46 pm Anonymous (@Anonymous) Posts: 0 Cabin Boy Guest I think Kap is the perfect QB to have in today's NFL. Then you must be praying for Mariota next year right? ;) Posted : Jan. 23, 2014 12:56 am Anonymous (@Anonymous) Posts: 0 Cabin Boy Guest I think Kap is the perfect QB to have in today's NFL. Then you must be praying for Mariota next year right? ;) Actually, Kap himself is a free agent after next season. But yes I know, his chances of reaching free agency are slim to none. They are trying to extend him right now. If he had won the Seahawk game, he would of been in line for something like 18mil per season. But with the loss, it will be something less than that, but not by much. Posted : Jan. 23, 2014 1:07 am Anonymous (@Anonymous) Posts: 0 Cabin Boy Guest I think Kap is the perfect QB to have in today's NFL. Big guy, big arm, and can run for big chunks of yardage. On a related note, Wilson was saying today, he attended Peyton Manning's QB camp when he was 15 years old. And now he faces him in the Super Bowl. That has to make Manning feel really old. It wouldn't surprise me if Manning calls it a career after the Super Bowl. He has to have that neck examined after the Super Bowl. I am sure he has plenty of cash tucked away, whats left to prove? Might as well go out on top. He has a net worth of $165 million Posted : Jan. 23, 2014 6:38 am Anonymous (@Anonymous) Posts: 0 Cabin Boy Guest I think Kap is the perfect QB to have in today's NFL. Then you must be praying for Mariota next year right? ;) From what I seen of him I felt like Huff bailed him out of some not so good throws. Posted : Jan. 23, 2014 8:44 am Anonymous (@Anonymous) Posts: 0 Cabin Boy Guest I think Kap is the perfect QB to have in today's NFL. Then you must be praying for Mariota next year right? ;) From what I seen of him I felt like Huff bailed him out of some not so good throws. Well he's in luck cause there are a lot of really good receivers in the NFL to bail him out. Posted : Jan. 23, 2014 8:49 am Anonymous (@Anonymous) Posts: 0 Cabin Boy Guest Posted : Jan. 26, 2014 1:35 am Anonymous (@Anonymous) Posts: 0 Cabin Boy Guest 1 Peyton Manning2 Drew Brees3 Matthew Stafford4 Matt Ryan 5 Philip Rivers6 Tom Brady7 Andy Dalton8 Carson Palmer 9 Ben Roethlisberger10 Ryan TannehillTop 10 QB's in passing yards this year. None of them are really any threat as far as running with the ball. Actually Tannehill, Brees, and Rapistberger are quite mobile. Being mobile doesn't have to mean taking off and running. Still, if you are gonna make a list like this, seems like you should include total yards including rushing. By not including rushing yards and rushing TDs, you are already creating a bias towards mobile QBs. I guess you have me blocked seeing as I can't PM, but I was going to let you know I made a chart for those QB's. I'll try to get one with total yards. Posted : Jan. 26, 2014 1:38 am Anonymous (@Anonymous) Posts: 0 Cabin Boy Guest Passing yards + Rushing yards - Sack yards Posted : Jan. 26, 2014 2:19 am Anonymous (@Anonymous) Posts: 0 Cabin Boy Guest That's a really cool chart man. I wish it also included 1st downs and TDs....but it is cool to see the total yardage. I'm surprised Newton, Kap, and Wilson didn't make the top 10. I gotta assume they are like 11, 12, and 13 though....right? Posted : Jan. 26, 2014 2:55 am Anonymous (@Anonymous) Posts: 0 Cabin Boy Guest Passing yards + Rushing yards - Sack yards Don't feel bad. I think he blocked me too as I sent him a PM as well. Great chart though. Posted : Jan. 26, 2014 2:59 am Anonymous (@Anonymous) Posts: 0 Cabin Boy Guest Not sure where you can find the 1st down stat, but here are the top 25 in total TDs scored.1 Peyton Manning Denver Broncos QB 602 Drew Brees New Orleans Saints QB 443 Andy Dalton Cincinnati Bengals QB 364 Philip Rivers San Diego Chargers QB 355 Andrew Luck Indianapolis Colts QB 346 Nick Foles Philadelphia Eagles QB 327 Cam Newton Carolina Panthers QB 317 Tony Romo Dallas Cowboys QB 317 Matthew Stafford Detroit Lions QB 3110 Colin Kaepernick San Francisco 49ers QB 2910 Ben Roethlisberger Pittsburgh Steelers QB 2912 Russell Wilson Seattle Seahawks QB 2812 Alex Smith Kansas City Chiefs QB 2814 Tom Brady New England Patriots QB 2715 Matt Ryan Atlanta Falcons QB 2616 Ryan Tannehill Miami Dolphins QB 2517 Carson Palmer Arizona Cardinals QB 2418 Joe Flacco Baltimore Ravens QB 2019 Jay Cutler Chicago Bears QB 1919 Mike Glennon Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB 1921 Aaron Rodgers Green Bay Packers QB 1821 Geno Smith New York Jets QB 1821 Eli Manning New York Giants QB 1823 Ryan Fitzpatrick Tennessee Titans QB 1724 Robert Griffin III Washington Redskins QB 1625 Sam Bradford St. Louis Rams QB 14 Posted : Jan. 26, 2014 3:02 am

Page 3 / 5 Prev Next Forum Jump: Previous Topic Next Topic

Share: Forum Information Recent Posts Unread Posts Tags 8 Forums 37.5 K Topics 207 K Posts 1 Online 25.8 K Members Our newest member: Hugh Latest Post: I guess White is Hard to Tackle Forum Icons: Forum contains no unread posts Forum contains unread posts Topic Icons: Not Replied Replied Active Hot Sticky Unapproved Solved Private Closed

Pocket passers no longer the future for QBs in NFL ?

Follow Pewter Report