I've been a big Bridgewater supporter. But when you look at him and try to project him to the NFL, he sort of reminds you of Chad Pennington. Smart, accurate pocket passer, with questionable arm strength and durability.
Better arm than Chad but not as accurate to receivers in motion in my opinion. Chad was accurate on every throw he attempted. He didn't throw deep much but when he did he hit receivers in stride.
Gruden was on with Cowherd on ESPN radio earlier today. He said he thought Manziel would be the first QB to go and that Minnesota on the 8 was the spot he was most likely to get taken.
I don't think he goes to the Vikings only because Zimmer, the new HC, has openly dissed him. It could be a smokescreen, but in this particular case, I doubt it. To me, if he gets out of the top 10 and end up with some other team, that is nuts, considering how these teams have nothing @QB. 1. Houston Texans 2. St. Louis Rams (from Washington Redskins) 3. Jacksonville Jaguars 4. Cleveland Browns 5. Oakland Raiders 8. Minnesota Vikings 9. Buffalo Bills
The other thing Gruden said about Manziel was that with just two years of experience he thought Manziel would need to sit and watch for awhile before he hit the field. He specifically mentioned Manziel ad-libbing in the pocket and taking off and missing wide open receivers in the process.
Derek Carr and Aaron Murray are the big beneficiaries of all the QB flux right now. Carr is the senior QB who most improved his stock going from sophomore to junior to senior. Murray has 52 starts at the college level and a high level of play throughout. If he hadn't torn up his knee last year he'd be the 3rd or 4th prospect on the board. I'm thinking Carr has a real chance to be the 1st QB taken, maybe as early as the 3 pick to the Jaguars. I think Murray is going to go in the top 8 picks in the 2nd round. It's interesting how perceptions have shifted at this point and they seem to have come back to the seniors in the end.
I think Manziel would benefit more than other QB by sitting for 2 years and earning his way onto the field. like you said he has been described by many scouts as lacking discipline, understanding of offense and defenses and a guy who just wings it and plays on natrual talent. He seems like a guy who will have a very high chance of flaming out if he plays right away. He would benefit a great deal by being taken by a team like NE or SF where he could just sit for a couple of years and learn. In regards to your point about Murrary while he is a good value I doubt he goes before round 4 or later. The problem is there are so many quality QBs and this draft is so deep in talent at other positions its likely he gets pushed back. You have Bortles, Caar, Manziel, Bridgewater, Garoppolo, Savage, McCarron, Metzenberger and then Murrary. The talent is all so good and so even it hurts all these QBs. Why take one in round one when you can get a quality QB in rounds 2-4. In regards to Carr there have been lots of reports for quite awhile now that he is the top rated QB for a number of teams. Throughout the last two months or so it has been rumored that the Vikings and Browns both like Carr more than other QB. But then again the Vikes have also been tied to Bortles toa lesser extent. The question is what rumors should we believe as there is so much conflicting information out there. But the rumors of teams liking Carr has been pretty consistent especially as Bridgewater's stock has seemed to have fallen and Manziel's to a lesser extent. This is arguably the most interesting QB draft I can recall. While it lacks elite talent it is so deep with so much talent but in such a state of constant flux. Literally anything could happen.
As much as I love Teddy, I keep getting this feeling in the back of my brain that Carr is going to be the best QB in the whole bunch. He's the perfect mix of arm, release, accuracy, stature, athleticism, football IQ, leadership. He could be the next Aaron Rogers. Someone is going to get a great QB right there. It wouldn't shock me if he was the top QB on many teams boards. _
What game do I need to check out to see Carr at his best? So far I've seen a lot of Fresno WR's working hard for their TD's
The San Jose State game against Fales was entertaining as hell, although Fresno St lost. It was like watching a Madden football game, I think the two guys combined for 12 TD passes and over 100 points. Can't say whether it's him at his best, I just remember watching that game and not being able to leave the room. He had one great great play, saw the defense wasn't set and he hurried his team to the line, pointed at his wideout to the left- like in sandlot "you go there" and quick snapped it and threw a bullet for a short score. Guy looked like he has great vision and total command of his offense. _
I have the opposite feeling. I think Carr's a bust. He strikes me as a guy who lacks mental toughness and is afraid to take a hit. Frankly, I don't see the accuracy either. Watch the tape. He functions fine in a clean pocket. But watch what happens when his protection breaks down. Instead of standing strong or stepping up to throw or attempting to scramble (I guess he's too slow), he basically cowers or throws it away as soon as he senses pressure. He also throws off his back foot when there's nobody within 10 yards of him.
The spread requires the QB to make a quick decision and throw the ball away when nothing is there. I didn't see anything there that precludes Carr from being a 1st round pick. He had 8 picks on the year, showing a game where he threw 2 of them doesn't tell the whole tale. The best part of the video is the play where they scramble into the wildcat and then scramble right back into the T and throw a screen to the right for a TD. That was like watching a throwback play to the 40's.
Yeah, I'm not even talking about the INTs. I see plenty of throws where the ball isn't where it needs to be. It's just my opinion. I wouldn't touch him.
Just watched that video and I'm even more stumped. Plus he had 3-4 drops on perfectly thrown balls. One thing I will say, guys that have the arm strength of Carr do tend to throw off their back foot more often--because they can--Cutler does it all the time. I also noticed many of his throws off his back foot were on screens where he was backpedalling looking to set up the screen--not something I'd be highly critical of as they aren't passes that one would normally step into. But we'll just have to see what kind of career he has. I'd take him in a flash. _
This is an eye-opener: http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft2014/story/_/id/10851039/teddy-bridgewater-5m-loss-value-policy Bridgewater added a loss of value policy in addition to his disability insurance policy after Louisville's season ended this year. If he drops out of the top 10 and can prove that an illness or injury was the cause he will collect based on each slot that he drops. If he drops out of the 1st round and can prove it was illness or injury related he would collect up to $5M under the policy. He hasn't acknowledged an illness or injury yet and he might have a hard time making a claim based on an undisclosed condition that teams did not know about when they evaluated him. If he was reporting the condition to teams as he worked out for them then his ability to collect is much easier, since one of the factors they were considering when they decided not to draft him early is the injury or illness.
I think that's probably just a precaution that he took at the end of the year to guard against anything untoward happening to him. Not in anticipation of him simply not being a top 10 pick or a first rounder. Seems like a good business move in case he got hit by a bus, developed a disease a la Ernie Davis or got injured prepping for the draft. He already had the disability insurance, adding the loss-of-value rider makes sense--and as you say, it's got to be injury or illness related, not to hedge that he might have a bad combine or pro day. _
I think he is going to be a good pro. I think him dropping in popular opinion is just another case of some GMs and analysts once again over thinking things. Who cares if he doesn't look good in pro days or doesn't measure well. The game is played on the field, not that stupid stuff. He played great for a long time and won some big games in his time on the field and there's an argument to be made that he got more out of lesser talent than pretty much all of the other guys being rated ahead of him. I certainly wouldn't bet against the bridgewater I saw in the orange bowl 2013 vs Florida and the bowl game vs Miami this year. He's a gamer, a great competitor and a pro-style QB.. I don't think he lasts until the Jets pick but I would not be one bit upset if they made him their selection. Personally, I think he will end up a Houston Texan in a trade down scenario, and I think he would flourish in a bill o brien offense
