Is Speculation Getting Overblown on RG3?

One man’s extraordinary season can become the norm, suddenly achievable by most anyone, if the skill set matches. Cam has the season of seasons for a rookie, and the Very Next Man in line can get there, no problem. Sheesh.

I liken it to Tiger Woods, an how his insane run over a number of years became normal, and “the next Tiger” is somehow always right around the corner.

RG3 reminds me of Rich Gannon or a young Mark Brunell

But the defining reason why i came to CSR and talked about Newton was because of his responds to pressure. I talked about in length. I must remind everyone that this is the most critcal aspect of quarterbacking. IF a quarterbacks ability to throw a football was the most important then this guy would be the number one draft pick. It is 100% withoout a doubt a quarterbacks ability to deal with bodies and a crowded pocket that gives them the edge.

I posted this on Mocking the draft

Defined reasons for failure or success in the NFL

Lack of pocket skills as defined in prior posts

1. ignore bodies around you and staying on balance remaining composed and calm even in a quarterbacks body langage while all heck is breaking lose around you
2. step up in the pocket and slide in the pocket maintaining focus down field
3. feel the rush and NOT look at the rush
4. (bonus) have the ability to extend the play
5. (bonus) have the ability to make plays with your legs

These are failed to under achieving to good quarterbacks drafted in the first round since 2001 and what i saw as their issues or strenghts after the snap from the pocket. This is only referencing pocket skills NOT what happens after the ball leaves their hands. Note the more issues they have the more tendency to be a bust. Note the less issues they have the better they tend to pan out as players. Again this is my opinion but some may find alot of truth in this.

Quarterback / had issues with (using pocket skills matrix above) I don’t consider fails with # 4 or 5 to be that big of a deal.. but failures in 1 2 or 3 to be critcal and flatout no recovery from these weaknesses in order to be great.

numbers indicate areas of weakness

David Carr / 1 2 3 4 5
Joey Harrington / 1 3 4 5
Alex Smith / 1 3
Patrick Ramsey / 3 4 5
Carson Palmer / 3 4 5
Byron Leftwich / 3 4 5
Eli Manning /
Philip Rivers / 4 5
Ben Roethlisberger /
J.P. Losman / 1 3
Jason Campbell /
Micheal Vick / 1
Vince Young / 1 2 3
JaMarcus Russell / 1 2 3 4 5
Brady Quinn / 1 3
Matt Ryan / 3 4 5
Joe Flacco / 3
Matthew Stafford / 4 5
Mark Sanchez / 1 3 4
Josh Freeman / 3
Sam Bradford / 3 4
Tim Tebow / 2 3
Cam Newton /
Jake Locker / not enough snaps to evaluate
Blaine Gabbert / 1 2 3 4
Christian Ponder / 3
Jay Cutler /

Again this is just pocket skills NOT any evaluation of reading a defense or projecting the football. This is a theme that i am seeing. And this is just me trying to express that.

This concerns me because i see Andrew Luck as grading with 1 3. Again this is just my best shot at expressing what i am seeing and why i put so much emphsis on pocket skills and what happens between the snap and before the ball is even thrown.

Griffin grades out as / 0 … some say he has happy feet because of that patty pat motion he does with his feet. But Peyton Manning does the samething so just seems like a mannerism more than a responds or a some type of sign of panic.

I would note to everyone how Newton was sacked 23 times at Auburn. Andrew Luck was sacked 23 times in his career at Stanford. RG3 was sacked 79 times in his career. Yet Griffin makes less mistakes with the football while under alot more pressure and throwing the ball 128 more career passing attempts than Luck…. 17 int for RG3 and 22 for Luck…. how is this possible? How can you throw less int while under more pressure with more volume of attempts too make mistakes on…. yet your behind as a passer?

There where many stories detailing how Newtons stats improved while he was under pressure or while teams blitzed him. His completion % went to from 66% too 70% in those situations. And there is even a story about his responds to pressure in the pros How he was number one in the NFL in total QBR vs pressure/blitz…. THINK about that for a moment… a rookie….number 1 in the LEAGUE vs pressure…no really let that sink in. I talked about that over and over and over. And that drum is the one i am beating right now. That horse just isn’t dead enough because no one is talking about this undeniable trait that totally and complete dictates the success or failure rate of a quarterback!!!!!!

So i do believe RG3 could have a Cam Newton like Season production wise. But not as a runner. I think RG3 would have to go to Miami in order for him to have that type of season. Because of his skill sets he is more likely to carry a team with less talent around him because he is more creative in the pocket to creat chances in the passing game…something i think he is better at than Newton at this stage (if we are talking about both of them prior to a NFL snap)

I don’t compare these players based on just about anything anyone in the media or blogs have done. I compare them on their pocket skills and in that department Cam Newton and Robert Griffin are similiar and that too me is where it ends.