They both sucked. That's like saying you were impressed with the looks of the 400 lb woman instead of the 425 lb woman.. both are disgusting, but I guess 1 has to be better than the other.
You guys can count me in with your group as well. These days, many QB's have been reduced to game-managers, not game-changers. Its not like the speed on the outside isn't there anymore nor has some Uber-defense been developed that completely stops downfield passing either. It could very well be simply a matter of QB talent today. These kids simply aren't as good as the QBs that we would consider competent. By today's standards, those guys would be considered great. The class of '83 comes to mind immediately but again, that's a generation ago. Today, fans are so used to game managers that the dink and dunk is the offense of choice and folks will fiercely defend its practitioners to the bitter end.. :sad:
I suppose you based it on CHAD's two fumbles; inability to score any points; 5 yards a pass avergae and the fact that you want CHAD to be the QB, no matter how poorly he plays for us!
I think part of the reason is today's defenses are bigger and a heck of a lot faster than back in the eighties and before. There has been a transition and a number of new more complex defensive schemes created. Today's QB is limited to the quality of his offensive line and the speed of his receivers. No revelation there, but with the speed of the D, there is no time to let things develop the way things could pre-'85 or so. I think another factor is the CAP. Teams can't build the personnel depth they could in the past.
I believe Ramsey is the odd man out here. First of all we can not keep him around just because we gave up a 6th round pick for him. Mre importantly, I was thoroughly unimpressed with his mobility and his lack of pocket presence. In particular there was one play when the LB blitzed up the middle and we had a TE, I think Jolley, in the back field to block (BTW. that should tell you something about how POOR or RB's are at pass blocking). The TE stands his guy up for about a second, notning great but a solid block, but Ramsey has NO lateral movement to give himself that extra time to throw a completion - as it was the pass was incomplete. Brooks is obviously as tough as they come. He moves well. He throws a very good mid to deep ball (Remember the Charger game last year) and he moves the team. His one short-coming is his height. He has a tough time with batted balls, but only on those quick dumps over the middle. Chad Brooks Clemens And Minnesota is believed to be looking for QB depth. Ship them Ramsey and re-coup the 6th rounder we lost. I'd be very happy.
There you have it in a nutshell. In a way it's hard to argue with success - the teams that win the SB these days are the ones with QBs that manage the game and make a minimum amount of mistakes (Brady, Roethlisberger), not those with QBs that take chances (P. Manning, Plummer). And believe me, I would have no problem with a QB on the Jets who played like Brady! Even Elway didn't win until he started handing the ball off more and played gunslinger less. The difference is that those guys can also make the difficult passes when they have to. I guess the only hope for guys like us is that if Clemens develops, he'll turn into a guy who the coaches trust to occasionally use his strong arm to take a few chances.
You are right. Its a little weird bc Clem is on the team. They are not cutting him. Pennington is on the team they are not cutting him. Ramsey could be the 1 or 2. Bollinger could be the 2 or 3. I think they view ramsey as having more "upside"/"potential" (even though he has been around a while) than bollinger.
One thing I give Roethlisberger credit for is the ability to be a playmaker. In the SB he put up a stat line that was awful. He also was able to scramble and put the ball across the field from the direction he was running 50 yards into a WR hands to turn that game around. To GH point about the D being faster and stronger, I don't think the CB today are better than they were but if you want to make that argument than a big arm to put a ball into a tighter spot becomes even more important if your QB is going to be a playmaker.
Exactly my point. While it is apparent that the Steelers' game plan is to let the defense control things, and have Roethlisberger not make mistakes, he has the ability to still make a big play like the one you mention when necessary. Hopefully Clemens also has that, since it must be obvious to everyone at this point that Pennington does not.
I think Ramsey should get cut just based on the fact he drops back and hardly scans the field. From the snap he looks right at where we wants to throw. Regardless if hes covered or not
It's the defensive line and the linebackers, specifically the ends and the outside linebackers. Mark Gastineau was one of the first of the ears pinned back speed rushers. Lawrence Taylor was THE first speed rushing linebacker who was sent into the backfield on every passing down. They changed the game and now you see clones of them on almost every team. There's a reason the vertical game went out of favor in the late 80's and has never returned and that's it.
We had a vertical game in 98 with Vinny. We did things like run screens and misdirection to punish teams that blitzed. Take a look at the Bengals last year and tell me the vertical game doesn't work.
Seems like, given the emphasis on calling illegal contact penalties, the vertical passing game should be working better than ever. Look at the Colts, the Redskins, even the Patriots...the trick is knowing when to take your shot down the field, I think.
I'm not saying the vertical game has been completely forgotten, only that it is no longer the prototypical offense that every team aspires to build. If you have a strong-armed QB then maybe you try it. If you don't then you go west coast. The best teams often have a strong armed QB and still go west coast.
I must be the last guy on the planet to have watched the skins game , but Bollinger did the exact same play except rolling to his right on a timing pattern , unfortunatley the catch was not made by Smith , who did everything else right. I liked what Bolly did and will feel it a mistake to let him go , hes come on ALOT.
I hate to say it, but I like our chances with Bollywood over Ramsey. I think the fact that Bollinger is so mobile brings a whole different aspect to the game, and I just think Ramsey is washed up, and hasn't picked up on the system. While the ramsey trade looked good on paper, the bottom line is that Tangini just made a rookie mistake. That's all. If they're truly going to play the best players, and the best players are going to make the roster, than Bollinger should stay and Ramsey should be traded or cut, if need be. That's my 2c.
