MU's Gabbert Goes Pro/Year of the QB-- NFL Draft Thread 11

And Piotr illustrates my point visually. Thanks!

 

Parcells was just on ESPN with Tirico talking about quarterbacks. For about three-four minutes, Parcells talked about how relatively few first round QB picks made it, how much better it was if you could pick a quarterback and let him be a benchwarmer for a few years, even defended picking Chad Henne. It was all very logical.
Then Tirico asked, "so if you're one of those teams with a high draft pick who need a quarterback, do you pick one?"
Without hesitation, Parcells replied "Oh, you got to. If you keep waiting for robins, spring's already over."

I'm not quite sure what last one means, but it's a great example of football gibberish. Parcells' point, however, stands. Teams draft quarterbacks because they need them.
PS: I did not call Newton the best player because he won the Heisman. He won the Gee Trophy, too, the one I count.

 

mg -- even i understand by now that newton is going high in round 1. and he may well become 'all that.' but when we're talking the no. 1 pick in the entire draft, speaking for myself, you're in that position hopefully rarely and when you are you damn well want to come out with the player who has the best chance to be a difference-maker.

newton may well be that difference maker, but it sure seems to me there are as many reasons to fear he won't be. so i dunno that he's enough of that 'sure thing' to be my no. 1 pick overall; conversely, if you pass on him and he DOES turn out to be the real deal somewhere else you'll NEVER hear the end of it...

guess what i'm saying is carolina/hurney/rivera are in one heckuva tight spot. they just may believe they cannot afford to pass on the chance that newton strikes it big. quite the pickle.

my concern if i'm them: i havent heard one peep from the rumor mill that any of the other qb-needy teams behind them have so much as placed a phone call to see if they're willing to trade the pick. in other words, it doesnt seem at the moment that ANYONE has a strong conviction that newton is that kind of player...

man, was that a wishy-washy post or what?

 

MC, for the same reason so many QBs in general turn out to be busts. Too much hype. Not enough substance.

 

Staubach was by far the best pro of the Heisman winning QBs. Palmer has been OK, at least he was until he got hurt. Jim Plunkett had a decent career, but only after washing out with the Patriots. Vinny Testaverde was the definition of serviceable for an impressively-long time, but he never really fulfilled his potential. Sam Bradford had a great rookie season last year, but he's still unproven over the long haul, and the jury is still out on Tim Tebow. I seem to recall that Johnny Lujack had a fair career with the Bears in the 50s. Flutie and Detmer I would rate on the low end of serviceable. And that's about it. There are an awful lot of Gino Torrettas and Eric Crouchs among Heisman-winning quarterbacks.

 

You forgot about Gino Torreta and Gary Beban

 

No, Shockey, I completely understood it. No need to further self-deprecate.

Look, if the Panthers pick Newton, I hope to be dead wrong. Maybe he does have the stuff. Maybe he has enough motivation - and a little bit of nastiness - to want to prove every critic wrong. We'll see, regardless where he goes.

I don't see the problem with not getting calls, though I do agree with why. It's a big concern that no one else seems to think enough of a clear top player not to even place a call to Marty Hurney. But it's not so much of a concern as it is one less distraction and one less choice to make. Now it's not a matter of weighing trade options or the pick. It's simply a matter of making the pick - the best one available.

Michael, I get that you think we're all piling on Cam Newton. But I'll simply counter with this ... would we even be having this kind of discussion if it were Andrew Luck at No. 1? I don't think so, and Hurney's phone would be in meltdown from all the teams banging down his door in Charlotte.

 

Skol, Vikings!

A lawyer I had do some work for me claimed to be Gino's guy. This was around the time he signed with the Vikings. Pictures of Gino in the office, etc.

The legal eagle ended up disbarred and in jail about five years later.

 

Probably of the same mindset of the Heisman voters who gave it Gino Torretta over Marshall Faulk. Big mistake when the votes were cast, and an even more laughable mistake today.

 

You mean Tony Rice, Darian Hagan, Tommie Frazier, Danny Wuerffel, Steve Walsh, Gino Toretta etc... weren't as good in the NFL as they were in college?

 

Hmmm ... the same could be said when Tim Tebow was in Gainesville.

Didn't see you coming to his defense in the same manner you are for Cam Newton.

 

It is worth a study as to WHY outstanding college quarterbacks who went on to be good to great pros DIDN'T win Heismans. Namath lost to John Huarte, for God's sake. Elway never had a sniff. Marino didn't win. Aikman didn't win. Peyton Manning lost to a (great) defensive back!!! Warren Moon, Ken Stabler, well, the list goes on. It's too much of a trend not to have some deeper meaning. Is the Heisman for a QB what winning the par-3 competition is for the Masters?

PS: Sam and others. I do not feel anyone is picking on Newton. Almost all the doubts raised here are worth raising and then some. But clearly there's positives Newton has that I did feel were being ignored.

PPS: The point about trades. Remember, only picks for picks this year. And it says to me that if nobody's eager to trade up to number one, it's not just because they have doubts about Newton. They must have similar doubts about all the other potential number one picks, too. Otherwise, you make the deal and pick your can't miss guy, be he Peterson, Miller, Gabbert or whomever.