You're really telling me that when Ratty went out there and on his first snap threw a 71 yard bomb and then backed it up with another one in the 4th, you didn't immediately draw up the opinion of him you have now? I call shenanigans. And it would have been nice to pay the rest of us that courtesy any time last season.
Never had a problem with Clemens arm or his mobility...he reminds me of a young Richard Todd (and that's praise). What I haven't liked about Kellen was his decision making, his tentativeness in the pocket, which was clearly demonstrated by the plethora of balls he frequently would throw into the ground...which is what happens when a QB starts to make a throw, loses his nerve, and tries to pull the ball back. I expect Clemens to build off this weekend and continue to shine through the summer and the preseason...but I worry when the real games come, something switches off in his head and he loses his confidence. Ratliff, on the other hand, is now finally competing for something real...and he's going to have to show that he can master his jitters and play with the same confidence and fluidity that he displayed throughout the preseason last year. I think he will.
If Ryan has a brain there will be no real QB comp. The job will be Clemens job to lose. This guy has a very good arm a lightning quick release and is very smart. If he can get his footwork straightened out and has the vision to see the field and see things develop quickly he has an opportunity to be a great QB. This idea that he is a bust based on gut feelings is nonesense. None of us really know. I do know a competition between two guys with very little experience is a recipe for a crappy year for the team.
If that is the case then it will shine through this pre-season, no harm in having a QB competition, and making players show there worth. I do agree that even mentioning the word bust in relation to Clemens is completely ridiculous however.
Quite the contrary competition at the QB position, a position that requires experience, timing and leadership is counter productive.
When someone hasn't established them self you can't anoint someone, it gives the wrong impression to the team that you can get by on intangibles without earning it on the field.
So which great NFL QB that you really like wasn't anointed? Which ones won QB competitions? Clemens was anointed when he was drafted. The failure to develop him to date was based on other issues having nothing to do with competition.
I can't remember Clemens being anointed when he was drafted, giving him the job would that not be just another 'issue' in not developing Ratliff. What about the Terry Hanratty v Terry Bradshaw competition in 1970? Hanratty had been drafted in the 2nd round in 1969, Bradshaw with the first in 1970, by your definition of anointed, Hanratty was anointed and Bradshaw was also with early draft picks. They shared time in 1970, and Bradshaw won the job before the 1971 season.
There are some concerns I have with Clemens. And one of them is the wobbly deep pass he threw the other day. I've seen/heard this of him a few times now. Part of our problem in the past is not being able to spread out the defense and hit them downfield to open up the middle. If he keeps throwing ducks we are in no better situation than we were with Chad. Just an observation. I'd also like to see him in action against an aggressive blitzing defense, because I am real concerened about whether he can make quick smart decisions with out panicking
Bradshaw was drafted because he was by far the best available and a huge upgrade over Hanratty. Bradshaw took over full time in his second year and never looked back. There is a difference between developing your QB and a true comp. Bradshaw wasn't ready to start out of the gate but it wasn't a comp it was development. I have no problem with drafting a QB who is a huge potential upgrade over Clemens this year but Clemens will than be a care taker this year. Ratliff is clearly a developmental QB and nothing more. He gets his chance if Clemens blows and than he either steps up or doesn't. He is should not be considered a serious QB candidate this year.
Can you please PM me the mega-millions numbers? Thanks. His arm strength is fine and he can throw the ball down field just fine. I understand the concern about shitty passes, but it's not like that's all he throws and it's not like he can't attack down field.
I don't think his arm strength is all that important. His downfield passes are often sloppy. The other passes - from what I've seen - are nothing to write home about. Missing wide open receivers 5-8 yards away is very concerning. All I have to go on is these few articles that we've received over the last few days on how he's doing in 2009. Let's hope he's improved in getting the ball to the receivers, but we really won't tell until game time this August.
I don't want to get into running around defending Kellen Clemens, because his body of work to date just isn't impressive, but I do think you're exaggerating how often his down field passes are sloppy. Yes he's thrown some wounded ducks. Obviously missing wide open receivers is a big concern. August can't get here soon enough.
If two passes in preseason doesn't make you a legit NFL QB, then neither does a second half of a game like the one Clemens played against Baltimore. Everybody, including Ryan keeps mentioning that game. It was just one game. Most of the games, Clemens was getting dropped passes because he throws a very hard wobbling ball that is very hard to catch. Nobody had any problem catching the hard throws from Brett Favre because his ball has a really nice spiral. Can you be a legit QB when you throw a ball that is very hard to catch? Right now it's just mini camp. Let's see if he can throw hard without making the ball wobble so much during the season when he is under pressure.
Coles and Keller dropped a ton of Favre throws last year. Elway threw an uncatchable ball for years until they got guys who could catch it. Both Mannings throw wobble balls all the time. There is simply no excuse for NFL WR that drop balls that hit them in the hands. Not every ball can be seen from the second it leaves the QB hands until it drops softly into the recievers hands. Guys get hit when releasing the ball they often have to release balls at less than the perfect angle becuase there are bodies in the way and guys who have a fast release like Clemens tend to have their ball seen later than guys who have a delibrate release. Clemens has one huge advantage over Ratliff, his release is much faster it's not even in the same ball game. That is one of the best skills in beating pressure and the blitz.
Hardly 2 pre-season passes, he had a 122.6 QB rating in the preseason over 4 games. Why are you piping up after a non contact mini camp? Seriously, don't be a trouble maker. G GS Comp Att Pct Yds Avg TD Int Sck SckY Rate 4 0 32 47 68.1 499 10.6 4 1 1 8 122.6
Amen...let the better player win. I've got enough warm, fuzzy feelings about the new Head Coach to believe he'll make the right choice. And if they both shine, it'll be nice to have a capable back-up.
