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Originally Posted by barrett
If arm strength and legs don't matter and we want smart, then we should have just kept Schaub. Or just go with Fitzpatrick. He's plenty smart. There may be wastes of talent, but that doesn't mean raw talent, or a lack of it, can be ignored.
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Did I say they didn't matter? No, I said arm strength was OVERRATED. Different meaning. And I say it is overrated versus other QB attributes, namely poise and decision-making under pressure.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joshua
I'm with you on leaning heavily on the games themselves. And no one played better in the actual games than Manziel. He was a one-man wrecking crew against some of the best defenses in football. And the notion that he did it primarily with his legs is completely misplaced. During the actual games, he threw for more yards, averaged more yards per attempt, threw for more touchdowns, took less sacks, and had a higher passer rating than Bridgewater (although he did throw more picks and his completion percentage was 1% lower - 71% to 70%). And no one played better when the pressure was on than Manziel. The guy relishes playing in big games and routinely did it with his arm. Just because ESPN generally runs his running highlights doesn't mean the throws weren't there.
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I don't discredit anyone favoring Manziel over another QB in this draft for the right reasons. He has an interesting mix of skills and moxie, some of which just cannot be quantified. I really don't have much of a problem with his 'supposed' off-field concerns either. Brett Favre was no choir boy. Really, a combo of Favre and Steve Young is quite the comparison. That he says BOOM after hitting a wide open receiver on a pro day wearing camo shorts is kinda dumb, but I admire the competitiveness.
I don't think I implied Manziel was successful
primarily because of his legs, but there is no doubt they were a significant contributing factor to his collegiate success. Almost the opposite is said of Bridgewater... lots of rumpled faces looking at his rushing stats, though he has ample pocket poise. He is the checkdown Charlie. It does not wow you come draft day.
The numbers seem to validate that Manziel is arguably the best downfield passer in this field based on college stats, but when I consider what I suspect BOB's offense to be, I expect more of a short passing game than a deep one. And there are sites and articles like this one below that consistently demonstrate college stats where Bridgewater is the preferred player under a blitz.
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How Do They Do Under Pressure?
I’ve got quite a few stats for these QBs, but for the sake of brevity I’ve picked their completion percentage while being blitzed and under pressure to highlight. For reference, a blitz counts regardless of whether the O-line picks it up, but under pressure is when the QB is moved off his spot or has to get rid of the ball quicker than anticipated.
Bridgewater - Manziel
Pressure: 62.96% - 60.38%
No Pressure: 79.78% - 78.27%
Blitz: 76.92% - 68.57%
No Blitz: 77.97% - 78.50%
- When looking at both categories, Bridgewater is the clear winner. He and Bortles both complete about 63% of their passes when under pressure, but Bridgewater is heads above the other QBs against the blitz – nearly matching his ability when there are no extra rushers. ...
- Manziel’s just about average in both categories where he’s just about where you’d expect a top notch college QB to be.
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http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/cf...back-conundrum
So, again, my preference is the guy with the short area poise and smarts that excels in the short-to-medium passing game under a blitz as well as under no pressure.
Let's recall too what Bill O'Brien wants in a quarterback.
1. They have to be able to throw the ball accurately. They don't have to be the greatest athletes in the world.
2. They have to be able to make good decisions. You can judge that off the field.
3. They have to be intelligent, with a great football IQ.