He has to learn how to play NFL QB, what he does at Oregon won't work, this requires re-tooling at the next level - don't try and nitpick word choice because I'm right on him being a project. I agree with what Davis said 100%.
Mariota has made pre snap reads, this was clearly seen during the all 22 broadcast of the National Championship on ESPN 2.. and he has made throws in tight windows. It doesn't happen frequently, but over his three year career he has thrown out routes to the opposite side of the field and has completed tough comeback routes.
And Mariota doesn't need to fix his mechanics to be a 67% completion passer in college. He is technically so much sounder than Cook it's not funny. But he can't take snaps from under center lol. Btw, I have a sneaking suspicion that Mariota's job 6 days a week since January has been working with a team of coaches working on...taking snaps from center and 3-5-7 step drops. By the time he hits the combine I'm confident he'll show a rudimentary apptitude at both. I am still shocked that someone would honestly say they'd take Cook over Mariota. _
I'd take Mariota over Cook as well, but they both need "retooling", and I don't necessarily think Mariota has cleaner mechanics than Cook. Mariota needs to learn how to drive the ball properly...
"He has to learn to play NFL QB"? Exaggerate much? Word choice is this instance is extremely important. Saying someone "can't" do something is entirely different than saying someone "hasn't". Doing so is just as lazy and irresponsible as the blanket "he sucks" statements posters like to loosely throw around.
I don't thimk I've ever seen Mariota stumble over himself like Cook. Mariota's lower body looks so much more fluid to me, I've seen Cook literally trip over his own legs at times. Mariota is a ballerina by comparison. And I've never suggested Mariota doesn't need to improve in certain areas. Every 21 year old college kid does. _
Regards to the bold, it's not that much of a sneaky suspicion as I read he was "practicing 3-5-7 step drops from center" last off-season in preparation for the NFL down the line even though he knew was coming back to school. It's safe to assume that he's doing that now with the NFL now right around the corner. Someone forgot to tell him that it was a practice in futility as it's already been predetermined that he simply "can't" do it.
Well, odds are he can't. Like a 66% chance he can't. You know who didn't work in the offseason? Any offseason? Vince Young. Mariota could be a Vince Young. _
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B5BT6osC0RuDYzF4NkRzanZ5Wk0/edit?usp=docslist_api Mariota makes a throw into a fairly tight window..
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B5BT6osC0RuDcmFjMHdvbUxSVWM/edit?usp=docslist_api Mariota displays excellent pocket presence and delivers a ball with high velocity. He CAN make throws in tight windows.. he is not consistent, but to say he can't make throws in tight windows is silly.
Pretty much all QBs abandon their mechanics on occasion. The question is how often they do so. Geno does it a lot. Cutler does too but at least he has elite arm talent to get away with it sometimes. Peyton rarely throws without proper mechanics; at this point in his career, he probably can't afford to. Mariota more often than not throws with really good mechanics.
Connor Cook knows at this point in time he is not on the same level as Mariota, if he was he would be in this draft. Why is he in the conversation? Maybe next draft he will be or maybe he will fall off the face of the earth as far as QB prospects go. If both Mariota and Cook reach their full potential Mariota would be the far superior QB and it wouldn't be close.
When the field shrunk and the windows got tight in that game, Mariota didn't do much if not anything at all. I did think he had a TD pass in the RZ (first possession), however the Ducks had what 4 trips to the RZ? He didn't make any tight throws that game. It's not enough for me to say he can make all the throws. He missed plenty of throws that game as well. If you want to base Mariota off that game, he wasn't impressive. 1 throw does not tell you if a player can do that consistently, Winston does this every single game he's played in.
That's one of those gimmicky Oregon offensive plays that get wide receivers wide open. You will never have a play in the NFL where the QB starts in shotgun feels backside pressure, rolls out to the right and throws a dart to a WR adjusting his route and coming back to his QB on the sideline. If there is such a play, Mariota probably can't do it because he never took a snap from center.
Ones that need to sit for 1 or 2 years. If you understood my side of the argument it's pretty obvious to see. I already pointed this as a flaw in his game, and that can be fixed - that is the lone remaining flaw to his game IMO. Mariota has never exhibited the ability to take any snaps under center along with your basic 3 5 step drops under center. It's not just about taking snaps under that position.
That is not an exaggeration. Go back look at what I have said about Mariota and put the pieces together. I can't keep repeating myself in regards to this.
