Armanti Edwards update

by dudemanhey on Nov 2, 2009 12:29 PM EST Comment 28 comments

From Stewart Mandell on CNNSI.com:

"It's been more than two years since Appalachian State quarterback Armanti Edwards dazzled FBS watchers with his electrifying performance at Michigan, but the Walter Payton Award winner hasn't slowed down. With a 461-yard day against Furman on Saturday (355 passing, 106 rushing), Edwards became the first player in Division I history to throw for 9,000 yards and rush for 4,000."

Edwards may not be the right QB for the future in Carolina. But it is becoming increasingly clear that he probably has a career as a QB in the NFL -- i hope he gets his shot with the Panthers!

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2009 stats

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/ncaa/players/54896/index.html

by dudemanhey on Nov 2, 2009 12:34 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I've been keeping an eye on this guy.

He’s pretty good. He’s one of those players that will give you a chance to win every game, no matter what the chances. When you’re looking for a small school QB to lead your NFL team, you want a QB that outshines everyone else, someone that shows the big schools that they made a huge mistake by now sending him a scholarship.

He’s putting up the necessary numbers to do that, most definately.

"Once again the trousers of evil are yanked down by the mocking hands of justice!"-Revshawn

by Revshawn on Nov 2, 2009 1:41 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

funny you would post that Rev

Clemson tried to get him to transfer after his Freshman season. His reply was essentially “Thanks but no thanks, you guys didn’t even look at me out of high school, and I wanted nothing more than to be a Tiger. App is my home now.”

Just thought I’d smile at that given your graphic =)

by Tater596 on Nov 2, 2009 3:52 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I wasn't going to say anything, lol

It’s a shame to be honest. You would think that Bowden would take one look at his college tape and go “Holy s***!”

I’m glad he’s gone to be honest. He was a good recruiter, but once he got that talent on the field Bowden and his staff wasn’t worth a damn. Dabo Swinny comes in and the very first day he establishes a new tradition, and then he revitalizes and cleans up a Clemson team that badly needed it.

Clemson has one of the best defenses in the NCAA today, and we have a nice young QB who will probably be an NFL Backup, but is a perfect fit for the system we are in. Though it would have been nice to have a QB like Armanti Edwards to lead our team, we’re still going to do awesome this year.

"Once again the trousers of evil are yanked down by the mocking hands of justice!"-Revshawn

by Revshawn on Nov 2, 2009 4:41 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

not dogging Clemson

Just in the case of AE, Clemson was #1 on his list but they didn’t even send an assistant coach his way.

by Tater596 on Nov 2, 2009 4:46 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I don't want to talk about it Tater.

Different time. Different Era. I’ve moved on Tater. He already broke my heart too much, lol

"Once again the trousers of evil are yanked down by the mocking hands of justice!"-Revshawn

by Revshawn on Nov 3, 2009 8:42 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

((Bowden did))

"Once again the trousers of evil are yanked down by the mocking hands of justice!"-Revshawn

by Revshawn on Nov 3, 2009 8:42 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Local Guy

We know Fox and Hurney like local guys so that’s a plus for his chances of getting a look from the panthers.

by LittleKing on Nov 2, 2009 2:40 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

The fact that he can dominate a low level of competition in a decidedly non-pro offense makes it "clear he has a career as an NFL QB?"

Why?

Remember when the Panthers had a good offensive line? Yeah, me too.
--Darin Gantt

by MichaelProcton on Nov 2, 2009 2:55 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

It isn't clear per se...

But is it ever clear? Do we KNOW that any QB coming out of college is going to make it as an NFL QB? You can take educated guesses, but that is all they are. Look at all the successes and failures over the years, look at current NFL QBs. There is a fine mix of first round talent, and last round fliers leading the franchises.

As someone who watches (or tries to watch) this guy play week in and week out, there is one thing that is certain. He is a competitor. He has a fire in him that I would liken to the one inside Steve Smith. I say this, because both have to overcome similar adversity. Smitty and Armanti both have the burden of being guys loaded with talent, but cursed with a less than ideal body type for their chosen positions. I think it pushes both of them to “play bigger” than they are.

I’ve covered him in depth in the following comment thread, complete with my opinions on his skill set, and videos to back up my arguments. The thread is here:

http://www.catscratchreader.com/2009/10/28/1104810/jake-delhomme-named-starter#comments

Here are some videos from this season… I won’t say they aren’t fan videos, because they are. it is hard to find video footage as you would imagine. but watch the throws he makes and the passion he plays with(#14 Appalachian State).

Georgia Southern: http://vimeo.com/7345321

Wofford: http://vimeo.com/7232949

by Tater596 on Nov 2, 2009 4:08 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Again...

He’s making throws against secondaries with no players who’ll ever sniff the NFL, or, hell, probably the CFL.

Remember when the Panthers had a good offensive line? Yeah, me too.
--Darin Gantt

by MichaelProcton on Nov 2, 2009 6:55 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

So did Flacco, and McNair

He’s doing a pretty good job. And.. Armanti bested him in their only meeting in college by a significant margin.

Not to mention, by your logic, he is making these throws to receivers that will never sniff the NFL… and somehow has a 72% completion percentage doing it.

All I can give you is the raw hard numbers, which I did in the previous post, and my personal observations. If that isn’t enough for you, go to a game (they have a big one that will probably decide their conference in 2 weeks) and watch him play yourself. His season stats this year are made even more gaudy by the fact he did not play in their first game and he has only played 3 quarters in every game since basically. Coach Moore is sitting him in the 4th quarter since the game is out of hand, because sadly… we have to prepare for the post-Armanti era under the (promising) leadership of Tarvaris Cadet.

by Tater596 on Nov 2, 2009 8:57 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

You named two guys.

I could certainly cite other former small school superstars (Tarvaris Jackson, Josh Johnson, Tyler Thigpen, Ingle Martin, etc., etc.) who have flopped against the big boys, though. Does he have some ability? Sure, but Flacco, for one, was in much more of a pro-style offense, making pro reads and throws. Further, Flacco has five inches and sixty pounds on Edwards.

Remember when the Panthers had a good offensive line? Yeah, me too.
--Darin Gantt

by MichaelProcton on Nov 4, 2009 12:02 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I bet ...

Jackson, Johnson, Thigpen, Martin (all players whose college stats were INFERIOR to Armanti Edwards’ stats btw) all have made far more money as a NFL QB than Procto will ever make in his pathetic life.

So i’d say they all have careers as NFL QBs despite not excelling at the job.

by dudemanhey on Nov 7, 2009 12:41 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

regardless of how much you virulently disagree with someone, please refrain from personal attacks.

Cat Scratch Reader's resident optimist.

by James The Aussie on Nov 7, 2009 4:32 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

How ridiculous?

You and Procto are ridiculous.

by dudemanhey on Nov 7, 2009 8:41 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

how is that a personal attack?

by dudemanhey on Nov 7, 2009 8:42 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

"pathetic life"

yeah, personal attack.

by Flowing Willow on Nov 8, 2009 2:18 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

The deciding factor on Armanti Edwards...

…will be how he performs for pro scouts, which includes the combine, assuming he participates. The win against Michigan certainly gives him a lot hype. But the ability to truly make all the throws, go through progressions, read defenses, and master a complex NFL playbook are going to be far more important measures than the numbers he puts up against collegiate competition. Everyone is bigger, faster, stronger at the pro level. Some small school athletes step up their game when faced with that kind of challenge. We won’t know how Armanti will do until he consistently plays against that kind of competition (and no, the players at Michigan that year don’t qualify).

But that’s just my two-cents,
—Neil

by NSpicer on Nov 2, 2009 3:18 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I agree on all points

But that Michigan team should be given more credit for being tough competition. Maybe by Michigan standards it wasn’t a great team, but they did finish that season at 9-4, and beat Florida in their bowl appearance. Good for a #18 finish.

by Tater596 on Nov 2, 2009 4:44 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

The Furman performance bumped him up a couple of notches in my book....

But I still personally project him as the 12th best QB in the draft.

Cat Scratch Reader's resident optimist.

by James The Aussie on Nov 2, 2009 6:40 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I wouldn't draft him as a QB

I’d draft him in the seventh, maybe the sixth. He looks like a nice wildcat specialist, though I don’t know if the coaches are creative enough to use him. I had a checklist up for qualities to look for in a successful QB, Edwards graded pretty well, albeit from a biased view.

by Flowing Willow on Nov 3, 2009 6:17 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

it seems that

he’s kinda small.
i mean 6’0Ft 184 pounds..
he would get crushed in the NFL.
thats my only problem at the moment.

by Blacmomba on Nov 4, 2009 6:11 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

6’0" is being generous for him. I see Armanti around campus all the time and I’m clearly taller than he is and I’m 6’1". I’d say he’s closer to 5’10" or 5’11".

by bravesfan91 on Nov 5, 2009 11:45 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Steve Smith

5’9" 185 lbs. He certainly was smaller than that coming out of college and did some bulking up. He takes hits like a champ… he’s just a really really tough guy.

Armanti is probably just an inch taller than Smitty, same weight. Probably will benefit quite a bit from an NFL nutrition and conditioning regimen as compared to what ASU can provide.

Both of them have very high thresholds for pain. Smitty has proven throughout his career that he is willing to play injured, and comes back from injury quickly. I have never seen Armanti slide, and he always pops right back up, even when a linebacker hits him. I’ve even seen him lower a shoulder and drive through a few of them. In the interest of preservation… he’ll need to learn to sacrifice his body less in the NFL.

by Tater596 on Nov 5, 2009 12:27 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

The difference is comparing a QB to a WR is this:

A WR only has to contend with a DB who may be only 2-3 inches taller than him. His jeb responsibility does not entail looking over that DB to catch a ball.

Height is such a large knock on a QB because they need to see over the offensive line to make reads and get the ball out of their hand high so a DL can’t knock it down.

History hasn’t been kind to short QBs only a few succeed.

Cat Scratch Reader's resident optimist.

by James The Aussie on Nov 5, 2009 1:29 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

+1

…though if you’ve got a small, speedy QB (see 5-foot-10 Doug Flutie and 6-foot Michael Vick), they can still contribute in other ways. Especially if you design plays so they can roll out and get a clearer view of the field with the option to tuck the ball and run.

by NSpicer on Nov 5, 2009 1:34 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs