Gabbert

I think Jamarcus was Jamarcus, not Cam. But that was just the last time I checked.

Jamarcus, let's remember, came into a horrible organization with a clusterfuck of a coaching situation. Not excusing his inability to progress, but it didn't help matters.

 

I'd rather go after Jake Locker... I miss having a Jake on the team

 

Checked Gabbert out as he ran and did other drills.

I like him. Tall enough, athletic and then some, has a good "carriage" to him and looks like he belongs.

Viewing tape on him, Gabbert has the same type of field awareness that Matt Ryan had at BC. Good throwing motion and had zip on the ball. I haven't dug through his stats, but stats only tell part the tale.

I could care less if he threw at the combine or not. His decision not to throw, however, is indicative. Shows a certain degree of intelligence that a player like Newton should have but apparently does not.

I don't think Gabbert will be a monster like an Aaron Rodgers or Peyton Manning. He'll be more like Ryan: steady, smart, a leader.

Considering that there is no consensus #1 player, QB or otherwise, and that the large majority of the QB's in this draft represent developmental projects, including (or especially) Newton, I think Gabbert could be the best quarterback to come out of this draft class.

Or at least, based on the small sample size I've seen of him, Gabbert will have the smallest learning curve of the top-rated quarterbacks. That will be extremely important if Carolina picks a QB #1 overall.

By the way, I'm cool with the Panthers taking AJ Green #1 and grabbing either Christian Ponder or Andy Dalton in Round 3.

 

Yup. This is where my problem with him is.

 

And you don't like the fact he is white. Racist bitch.

 

Don't need any more damn whitey QBs. Damn honkeys screwin up the NFL. Except Tim Tebow, he's white chocolate.

 

I think we have to take a QB at #1, I'd be cool with us taking Gabbert.

 

Exactly. Just our damn luck. We get the first overall pick in a draft that lacks a clear #1. It's like winning front row tickets from a radio contest only to find out that it is to a karaoke concert. Damn. Just damn...

That said, I'd take a QB with the #1 and I like Gabbert over Newton. Just have this feeling Newton is a head-case.

 

Holy shit, no. Ryan played in a pro-style offense where he actually had to make reads and execute check-downs. Gabbert played in a spread where the defense is stretched and someone should almost always be open within five seconds. Now I've gone out of my way here and other places to insist that Matt Ryan is over-hyped and not a "franchise" quarterback on the level of Manning or Brady, but in my draft article one of the things I singled out about him was that during his senior season he completed 30+ passes to six different players. Now that had a lot to do with BC's receiving corps not being very talented overall, but it trained Ryan to survey the field and make decisions based on who was truly open rather than him having a strong connection with a couple of guys. Contrast that with Gabbert, who targeted his top two receivers on 58.3% of his attempts (Ryan was 35.9% to his top two), and who had only two other players catch more than seven passes all season long.

Spreading the ball around is not a prerequisite for pro success, but it is encouraging, and it is relevant to what you're saying about field awareness. Gabbert is nowhere near Ryan's level exiting college. Moreover, Gabbert wasn't even special as a college quarterback. He's tall, he has a solid arm, and physically he looks like what NFL teams want their quarterback to look like, but that kind of asinine criteria is what constantly gets these teams in trouble when picking who to play behind center. We're talking about a guy who only completed 63.4% of his passes (that sounds high, but for a spread offense that is actually below average) for 6.7 yards per attempt (again, below average for a spread passing attack), 16 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions. So why exactly is he flying up draft boards?

Gabbert is so highly ranked now precisely because no one gave a shit about him last season. He wasn't one of the elite QB prospects coming into this season, and he obviously didn't have elite QB performance during the season, but he did fly under the radar and therefore didn't get picked apart the way that Newton, Locker, and Mallett did. Everyone was watching those three, so everyone saw their obvious flaws. Newton is inexperienced, Locker has very spotty accuracy, and Mallett is a bonehead who will force the ball or throw it up for grabs when pressured. Analysts have picked those guys apart and therefore have a negative impression of them, while Gabbert went completely under the radar and therefore isn't carrying around the same type of baggage. But at the same time, he doesn't have the talent or production that makes you sit up and say that this guy should be a potential top-10 selection, which is something you think these draft analysts would have noticed before last month. Seriously, how much did you even hear Gabbert's name mentioned before Luck announced that he was saying in school? This is exactly what magnus was talking about when he said earlier that quarterbacks always fly up the draft charts whether they deserve it or not.

I'm surprised you didn't get dizzy from that much spin. Not throwing at the combine shows intelligence? Really? I thought it just showed that he's a pussy who doesn't have the fire or belief in himself to go out and prove what he can do, but rather is someone who will sit back and do what he is told by his agent and advisors. If a quarterback is too scared to throw in front of NFL teams, then how can you expect him to lead a team?

It's possible, but only because none of them are very likely to succeed. I do like Mallett in the right system, as he can really throw the ball as long as you give him great protection and limit his reads. Locker also has potential if you can work with him on his accuracy (although that rarely gets better after college), and Newton definitely has the raw talent to be a winner. But those guys are on the level of Tebow - Clausen - McCoy rather than Bradford. None of them belong anywhere near the top ten of an NFL draft, even this one, which as I have said is the weakest I have ever covered.

Julio Jones, chief, and I do think there are some interesting QB prospects in the middle rounds. What it lacks at the top it does make up for in depth, as you could see Dalton, McElroy, or Kaepernick winning some ball games.

 

Good thoughts, here. And I agree on Gabbert being hyped beyond his value. He's first round, maybe top-ten, but not #1. And he's in that stratosphere because he's a quarterback in a quarterback-poor draft. Drafting a QB high is ALWAYS a 50-50 risk.

And for what it's worth, Andrew Luck's decision to return to school to finish his degree is admirable but hardly an indicator that football is #1 in his life. That's enough to yank up the risk factor on the guy, no matter how sure-fire he appears to be.

But I wasn't really comparing Gabbert to Ryan, or didn't mean to. I meant to point out that, on the tape I saw of him, Gabbert's field vision (meaning depth thereof) looked similar to Ryan's when he was at BC. My sample size for both while in college was minimal, so it was only an impression. I still like that quality in Gabbert. And it's what set Ryan apart from others with similar physical skills.

Coming from a spread means next to nothing when evaluating a quarterback for success in a pro-style offense. Important aspects are balance, arm strength, field vision, ability to move in space, intelligence and leadership skills. A spread guy can learn a five-step drop if he has the other above qualities, or has the ability and drive to master them.

Gabbert's decision not to throw, to me, shows that he's smart enough to maximize his value on the meat market by throwing at home in a familiar environment to receivers he knows as opposed to taking his chances with unfamiliar receivers running imperfect routes. Besides the snapshot look the combine provides, very little weight is given to the success of a QB's throwing day. Do poorly, however, and the ramifications can be severe. Gabbert's decision was smart, not made from fear or because he's to stupid to do anything other than what his agents told him to do.

Newton's decision to throw surprised many. And it cost him. Why should Gabbert's decision not to throw be seen as anything but customary and wise? And he did everything else at the combine, solidifying himself as an elite player and a high pick. Seems smart to me, and I want smart players on the Panthers. I simply cannot say the same for Cam Newton.

Julio Jones...monster. Needs foot surgery, but no problem, because he showed some serious toughness at the combine performing at a very high level on a broken foot. 4.39 in the 40 @ 6'3", 220. Cripes. Have heard he has suspect hands, but that's rumor. You won't have to sell hard to get me on board at #1.

I think an under-discussed aspect of this pick is day-one readiness. If the CBA gets done in September as I predict, then there will be virtually no training camp. whomever the Panthers select #1 overall will have to hit the ground running and produce right away. That hurts WR's due to the fact that receivers often struggle early in their careers and the Panthers don't have a QB yet that can get the ball to them.

I like Jones and won't cry if they take Green, but my pick remains Marcell Dareus.