Adam Schefter on Gabbert bandwagon

I've seen Cam play in person five times

 

I've gone on record as being okay with Moore, and Leinart seems to be worth some consideration too. I'm not sure what happened in Arizona for him to go from heir apparent to on the street so fast but I doubt it was 100% football related. I think he has talent.

 

http://www.nfl.com/draft/story/0900...t-some-say-gabbert-isnt-special?module=HP_cp2

Newton might have critics, but some say Gabbert isn't special

By Steve Wyche NFL.com
Senior Writer
Published: March 31, 2011 at 06:46 p.m. Updated: April 1, 2011 at 06:15 p.m.


At this point, everything about Auburn quarterback Cam Newton has been dissected. From his throwing motion to his collegiate system to his alleged indiscretions and yes, even his smile. It's part of what comes with the territory as a player who could be choosen at the top of the NFL Draft -- and because he's a quarterback.

Missouri's Blaine Gabbert has not faced as much public scrutiny, but some of the teams who are evaluating quarterbacks are picking apart his draft profile as well. We've all heard about Gabbert's issues with accuracy on deep throws and that his adjustment to playing under center could take some time.


I've recently spoken to scouts and coaches who simply haven't been blown away by Gabbert. In their film evaluation of Gabbert, I was told there is just nothing special that jumps out. He's good. Nobody is saying he can't play. It's just that typically, a top quarterback takes over a game or two, leads some signature drives and, at times, looks like the best player on the field, one person said. You just don't see that with Gabbert, he added.


When I asked if Gabbert's 16 touchdowns to nine interceptions was problematic, I was told many talent evaluators aren't looking at it closely. The feeling is there are a variety of reasons why touchdown numbers could be low, or that interception numbers could be unimpressive.


"It's just what you see on film," one person said of Gabbert.


Or what they don't see. The sources I have spoken with regarding these matters are people that I really trust and I always keep in mind that this is a period of disinformation. At the same time, when I hear similar things from multiple people it resonates.


I have yet to be told that Gabbert and Newton don't project to be great players. No one has that crystal ball. I'm regularly told that each has tremendous upside and the skills to function at a high level for years. That, frankly, might be enough for most teams. Although if teams draft a quarterback in the top 10, they want him to produce -- or at least show signs of it -- right away.


As one coach said, "That's what we're here for. To coach them up and make them better."


The varied opinions on Gabbert and Newton are very interesting. They are really all over the place, and it's what makes this so different than the recent drafts. Opinions on Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco, Matthew Stafford, Sam Bradford, Mark Sanchez and even Josh Freeman were all for the most part favorable leading up to the draft. That was especially true with with Stafford and Bradford, the first overall picks in their respective drafts.


You just have to wonder that if Gabbert or Newton were in the draft with any of those players - or even if Stanford's Andrew Luck had entered this draft -- if either would be under consideration as a top-10 pick.

 

Exactly.

 

when this whole Gabbert crap started rolling i immediately got the creepy feeling that the media was trying to stir up some shit and then enforce their will in a situation, which is not unusual i suppose. What's unusual to me is that at some point (and even still in some circles) they must truly believe that the carolina FO and panther fans are moronic enough to buy what they are trying to sell (for whatever reason) . . . a slightly above average NFL QB prospect who would normally go somewhere in the 4th round (3rd at best) as a #1 overall. It's fucking ridiculous. I guess that they figured "hey, carolina bit on jimmy clausen and they'll go for gabbert too".
I can understand to a degree the hype over newton . .. he's gifted and he rolled to a national title due to a dumbed-down system tailor made for him that most opponents (AT THE COLLEGE LEVEL) are not going to be able to stop due to cammy's size advantage there. If any team picks gabbert in the first round they are desperate, much less in the top 10.

 

That's what it keeps coming back to, isn't it? When Luck dropped out it left Carolina with the number one pick at a time when there just isn't anybody in the draft worth the number one pick.

 

Dareus, Peterson are probably as good as anyone at their positions in most years. Green has continued to hold off Jones and both look like very good receivers. No top RB and the QB issues y'all are mentioning are hurting it.

 

Which is precisely why I prayed that Luck would stay in the draft even though I was downplaying the hype that had him being rated as the best QB prospect in ages (when in truth he wasn't as good as Bradford). This is the weakest draft I have ever covered, and the weakest one I can ever remember. Meanwhile it's worth noting that magnus has been saying forever that the 1-2 top rated QBs get pushed up into the top 5-10 draft picks regardless of whether or not they deserve it. It's just teams overreacting to the fans' constant demand for a "franchise quarterback." The reality is that most teams would be better off putting in a solid veteran and building talent around him. Hell, the Giants won the Super Bowl in spite of Eli Manning, who I maintain is a slightly below average quarterback.

 

it's my impression so far that Jones, Dareus, and Green (probably in that order) would be relatively worthy of top 10 picks as most drafts go, but that's about it. If those two WRs can stay healthy they should both have very productive careers. Peterson seems to be a workout warrior "get by on how gifted I am" type of guy who is likely to never get close to the possible upside as an actual NFL football player.
Dareus just simply seems like the lesser of evils and the "safest" pick, and at a position of need. More and more he is looking like the best bet for the panthers

 

Two observations on that:
1) I understand where you're coming from but it seems a little odd, doesn't it? Most of the posts I read on this board were about Fairley and Dareus until Rivera was hired. I think we all know we need a qb but I don't think the majority of people who post here were thinking we should reach.
2) The flip side of that is the only reason I can think of for the team wanting to reach is that they just don't see that solid veteran qb you're talking about building around. There are names out that might be worth trying but none that inspire confidence - least of all Matt Moore and Jimmy Clausen.

No easy answers. I don't know that I'm terribly excited about this draft, but I'm awfully damned interested.