This is a tough year for quarterbacks, yet many seem to want the Cards to take the plunge. Here are my thoughts and a few I stole from my old colleagues about the current crop. I tend to believe Arians when he says they are not a target, though the typical smoke obscures who wants what this year.
I will note a project that might appeal to Arians, but don’t expect any immediate all-stars. Arians was undoubtedly frustrated last season that despite the club's success, he had to scale back his offense. However, this was largely due to the offensive line, not Palmer’s skill set. I don’t think Arians is lying when he says Palmer could QB for 6 or 7 more years with the right support. Here’s what seems certain. If the Cards take a QB he will have a big arm. They will also likely take a WR, though not early, who is capable of getting deep quickly. The Cards have receivers who can gain yardage after a reception if the short field isn't clogged up. I may get to WR’s later, but here are the QB’s as I see them.
Johnny Manziel – He would not be my first choice, but Texas may bend to the pressure. I have grown to like player comparisons through the years, so think of this guy as Jake Plummer with a much bigger arm. Before you dismiss Plummer, he took 2 teams to the playoffs and I have always believed with better support he might have been the first Cardinal QB to take the team to the Super Bowl. Manziel is extremely elusive with that rare ability to sense pressure. Of all the potential QB’s, he can throw best on the run. Like Plummer, he has the ability to make an offense more than the sum of its parts. On the down side he takes too many risks and has an exaggerated view of his abilities. He will get burnt more than a few times. His risk taking will also expose him to severe injury, especially with his slight build. That said if he can stay healthy, he has a chance to elevate a team to surprising results. He’s the kind of gamble that makes or breaks a GM.
Teddy Bridgewater – Like Manziel, he is on the small side. Unlike Manziel, he does not take many foolish risks. He could get hurt, but his mobility is better harnessed. He reminds me of Jeff Garcia, but shows better judgment. He can run, but doesn’t have happy feet. Bridgewater is a student of the game who lets the field come to him. He rarely forces throws. He is the best of this group at reading defenses and could play immediately if necessary. He may be the smartest of this bunch and you can’t teach smart. He is very coachable, which is important since he has a lower than ideal release point.
Blake Bortles – I’ve seen him play a dozen times and I still think he is a bigger gamble than everyone is saying. He did play big in some of his biggest games, but his receivers bailed him out on many occasions. He did show well against Penn State on their home field and you know where their coach is now. He is big, strong and appears to be the most durable of the top group. He is also reasonably mobile for his size. Okay, here’s the scary part. He reminds me of Christian Ponder (the kiss of death). He does not read defenses well. He has trouble keeping his composure and often overthrows receivers, which is the NFL is interception city. He could mature into a much better player, but taking him in the top 5 looks like a reach to me. He is unlikely to go where he needs to go, which is a team that can sit him for 2 years and let him grow into the job. This is a coachable guy who is secure in his self-evaluation. He certainly could develop, but he will go too early to the wrong team and may be eaten alive. I wouldn’t be stunned if 5 years from now he is a well-established quarterback, but I also wouldn’t be stunned if he is carrying a clipboard.
Jimmy Garoppolo – He’s the now guy. I only saw him play against NIU, which if you saw their season fall apart at the end, you could see had no pass defense. EIU should have won that game, but 2 Garoppolo interceptions and a fumbled fake punt cost them the game after leading 20-0. Okay, he does remind me a little of former EIU QB Tony Romo. Garoppolo will have a major adjustment considering the level of competition he’s played against. It will take awhile for the game to slow down. You could ruin any chance he has if he’s used too soon. I don’t think his deep ball would suit Arians. Garoppolo can throw long, but not with outstanding accuracy. He is not immobile, but his feet looked happy when NIU started getting after him. He needs to stay in the pocket to be effective. Everyone is justifiably talking about his quick release. It will help. With the right fit he can play on Sunday.
Derek Carr – Normally I like legacy players, but I don’t like Carr enough to take him in round one. It always worries me when a guy doesn’t play big in big games. He has been very inconsistent in the few opportunities he got. He just looks shaky under pressure. His brother should have helped with reading defenses, but he seemed to often clueless. Carr has the look and size, but I think he’s a reach even late in round 2.
A J McCarron – This guy doesn’t get enough love. He lacks the elite arm that Arians’ system requires, but can manage a game well and will play on Sunday. He has a surprising number of mechanical flaws for a Saban quarterback. Yet he is said to take coaching well. He does not have happy feet, but is mobile enough to move well in the pocket. Most likely he ends up as a career backup, but he could surprise in the right system. Certainly he is a safe late round pick. McCarron reminds me of Matt Cassel.
Zack Mettenberger – I only include this guy because people keep asking about him. You’ll never build a statue of him because that would be redundant. He reminds of Derek Anderson, who I believe is still on Carolina’s roster. So maybe he surprises and has a long, undistinguished career. He can throw, but you’d better have the Wall of China for an offensive line. You could use an egg timer to clock his release.
Aaron Murray – If this guy could stay healthy he might be a real prospect. He is polished, has good leadership skills and is very coachable. Because he has height issues, you would like him to be mobile, like Brees, but the injury concern makes that solution mute. Someone will take a chance on him and if Murray gets lucky health-wise, he might make it. He is a little reminiscent of Pat Haden.
Tajh Boyd – Not an NFL QB for so many reasons I don’t have the time to cover. Let’s just say decision-making is not his forte.
Conner Shaw – He is a fine athlete with a better arm than he gets credit for having. I think someone will take him in a late round. He is a risk taker, which at his size is very risky. He throws into coverage too often. Likely he makes an NFL team in some capacity. Maybe he makes it as a slot receiver or Red Zone, option QB.
Keith Wenning – Okay here’s my long shot. He didn’t play QB until his senior year in high school. He likely throws the best deep ball in this group except for Manziel and Wenning might beat him head-to-head. Not surprisingly he improved year-to-year. His senior year at Ball State displayed a huge move forward. This is a very composed, well-spoken young man who displays outstanding maturity and respect for the opportunity. He is workman-like leader who leads by example. A student of the game, he is confident he can fit at the next level. Wenning wears a bracelet with the name of his high school coach who passed away. That kind of character coupled with his physical abilities makes him a rare athlete. Mobility is not his strong point, but he can move some in the pocket. He is smaller, but he reminds me of Carson Palmer. He can make the throws Arians wants. BTW at a little under 6’3”, statistically his size won’t preclude him from passing effectively.
So have fun with this. I don’t see the Cards playing in this arena, but they if they take someone it’s because Arians said he could make that choice a winner. As you can tell, I’m not excited by this group.
I will note a project that might appeal to Arians, but don’t expect any immediate all-stars. Arians was undoubtedly frustrated last season that despite the club's success, he had to scale back his offense. However, this was largely due to the offensive line, not Palmer’s skill set. I don’t think Arians is lying when he says Palmer could QB for 6 or 7 more years with the right support. Here’s what seems certain. If the Cards take a QB he will have a big arm. They will also likely take a WR, though not early, who is capable of getting deep quickly. The Cards have receivers who can gain yardage after a reception if the short field isn't clogged up. I may get to WR’s later, but here are the QB’s as I see them.
Johnny Manziel – He would not be my first choice, but Texas may bend to the pressure. I have grown to like player comparisons through the years, so think of this guy as Jake Plummer with a much bigger arm. Before you dismiss Plummer, he took 2 teams to the playoffs and I have always believed with better support he might have been the first Cardinal QB to take the team to the Super Bowl. Manziel is extremely elusive with that rare ability to sense pressure. Of all the potential QB’s, he can throw best on the run. Like Plummer, he has the ability to make an offense more than the sum of its parts. On the down side he takes too many risks and has an exaggerated view of his abilities. He will get burnt more than a few times. His risk taking will also expose him to severe injury, especially with his slight build. That said if he can stay healthy, he has a chance to elevate a team to surprising results. He’s the kind of gamble that makes or breaks a GM.
Teddy Bridgewater – Like Manziel, he is on the small side. Unlike Manziel, he does not take many foolish risks. He could get hurt, but his mobility is better harnessed. He reminds me of Jeff Garcia, but shows better judgment. He can run, but doesn’t have happy feet. Bridgewater is a student of the game who lets the field come to him. He rarely forces throws. He is the best of this group at reading defenses and could play immediately if necessary. He may be the smartest of this bunch and you can’t teach smart. He is very coachable, which is important since he has a lower than ideal release point.
Blake Bortles – I’ve seen him play a dozen times and I still think he is a bigger gamble than everyone is saying. He did play big in some of his biggest games, but his receivers bailed him out on many occasions. He did show well against Penn State on their home field and you know where their coach is now. He is big, strong and appears to be the most durable of the top group. He is also reasonably mobile for his size. Okay, here’s the scary part. He reminds me of Christian Ponder (the kiss of death). He does not read defenses well. He has trouble keeping his composure and often overthrows receivers, which is the NFL is interception city. He could mature into a much better player, but taking him in the top 5 looks like a reach to me. He is unlikely to go where he needs to go, which is a team that can sit him for 2 years and let him grow into the job. This is a coachable guy who is secure in his self-evaluation. He certainly could develop, but he will go too early to the wrong team and may be eaten alive. I wouldn’t be stunned if 5 years from now he is a well-established quarterback, but I also wouldn’t be stunned if he is carrying a clipboard.
Jimmy Garoppolo – He’s the now guy. I only saw him play against NIU, which if you saw their season fall apart at the end, you could see had no pass defense. EIU should have won that game, but 2 Garoppolo interceptions and a fumbled fake punt cost them the game after leading 20-0. Okay, he does remind me a little of former EIU QB Tony Romo. Garoppolo will have a major adjustment considering the level of competition he’s played against. It will take awhile for the game to slow down. You could ruin any chance he has if he’s used too soon. I don’t think his deep ball would suit Arians. Garoppolo can throw long, but not with outstanding accuracy. He is not immobile, but his feet looked happy when NIU started getting after him. He needs to stay in the pocket to be effective. Everyone is justifiably talking about his quick release. It will help. With the right fit he can play on Sunday.
Derek Carr – Normally I like legacy players, but I don’t like Carr enough to take him in round one. It always worries me when a guy doesn’t play big in big games. He has been very inconsistent in the few opportunities he got. He just looks shaky under pressure. His brother should have helped with reading defenses, but he seemed to often clueless. Carr has the look and size, but I think he’s a reach even late in round 2.
A J McCarron – This guy doesn’t get enough love. He lacks the elite arm that Arians’ system requires, but can manage a game well and will play on Sunday. He has a surprising number of mechanical flaws for a Saban quarterback. Yet he is said to take coaching well. He does not have happy feet, but is mobile enough to move well in the pocket. Most likely he ends up as a career backup, but he could surprise in the right system. Certainly he is a safe late round pick. McCarron reminds me of Matt Cassel.
Zack Mettenberger – I only include this guy because people keep asking about him. You’ll never build a statue of him because that would be redundant. He reminds of Derek Anderson, who I believe is still on Carolina’s roster. So maybe he surprises and has a long, undistinguished career. He can throw, but you’d better have the Wall of China for an offensive line. You could use an egg timer to clock his release.
Aaron Murray – If this guy could stay healthy he might be a real prospect. He is polished, has good leadership skills and is very coachable. Because he has height issues, you would like him to be mobile, like Brees, but the injury concern makes that solution mute. Someone will take a chance on him and if Murray gets lucky health-wise, he might make it. He is a little reminiscent of Pat Haden.
Tajh Boyd – Not an NFL QB for so many reasons I don’t have the time to cover. Let’s just say decision-making is not his forte.
Conner Shaw – He is a fine athlete with a better arm than he gets credit for having. I think someone will take him in a late round. He is a risk taker, which at his size is very risky. He throws into coverage too often. Likely he makes an NFL team in some capacity. Maybe he makes it as a slot receiver or Red Zone, option QB.
Keith Wenning – Okay here’s my long shot. He didn’t play QB until his senior year in high school. He likely throws the best deep ball in this group except for Manziel and Wenning might beat him head-to-head. Not surprisingly he improved year-to-year. His senior year at Ball State displayed a huge move forward. This is a very composed, well-spoken young man who displays outstanding maturity and respect for the opportunity. He is workman-like leader who leads by example. A student of the game, he is confident he can fit at the next level. Wenning wears a bracelet with the name of his high school coach who passed away. That kind of character coupled with his physical abilities makes him a rare athlete. Mobility is not his strong point, but he can move some in the pocket. He is smaller, but he reminds me of Carson Palmer. He can make the throws Arians wants. BTW at a little under 6’3”, statistically his size won’t preclude him from passing effectively.
So have fun with this. I don’t see the Cards playing in this arena, but they if they take someone it’s because Arians said he could make that choice a winner. As you can tell, I’m not excited by this group.
