Draft question, how the H#ll did Rodgers fall to #24? (1 Viewer)

[plyka]

Just wondering how this actually happened. Alex Smith went #1 in that draft, and no other QBs taken until Rodgers at #24 and Jason Cambell at #25.

Why was Alex Smith a #1 overall pick and Aaron Rodgers a #24 in the same draft? Hindsight is 20/20 as they say, so i'm not calling the 23 teams which passed on Rodgers as IDIOTS, despite the fact that a majority of them needed a QB of the future, and let's face it, every team would have taken Aaron Rodgers over the guy they actually picked in that draft in retrospect. The only other guy from that draft before Rodgers that looks like a star in hindsight is the #11 pick, Demarcus Ware from Dallas (if i have the right Demarcus, and if i'm not missing anyone else).

So, the point of this thread is not to call everyone idiots for not picking Rodgers, namely the 49ers who picked Alex Smith with the #1 overall pick. But what was the difference between Alex Smith and Rodgers, at the time, that had everyone thinking the world of Smith and not much of Rodgers?

Because looking at it, Rodgers has an absolute cannon for an arm, his release is incredibly quick, he is insanely athletic and can avoid pressure and run for 1st downs, and he is the most accurate passer in the NFL. Were these traits not there at the time of the draft? Was Alex Smith, at the time, even more athletic, accurate, cannon for an arm?

The thing is, I don't see how a guy's arm can get stronger, or his accuracy that much better, and definitely his athleticism is not going to grow. So all these traits that Rodgers has now, must have been present in large part, at the time. I can see development, mentally, like being able to progress through reads, read defenses pre-snap, understanding the offense, making great decisions, etc.

Any ideas?

 

[TwinTurbo]

The real question is how did Alex Smith go #1? I understand why Rodgers dropped to some degree but Alex Smith had bust written all over him. I guess the 49ers thought that it would be better to take "smarts" over arm strength and accuracy.

 

[Time Kibitzer]

Just wondering how this actually happened. Alex Smith went #1 in that draft, and no other QBs taken until Rodgers at #24 and Jason Cambell at #25.Why was Alex Smith a #1 overall pick and Aaron Rodgers a #24 in the same draft? Hindsight is 20/20 as they say, so i'm not calling the 23 teams which passed on Rodgers as IDIOTS, despite the fact that a majority of them needed a QB of the future, and let's face it, every team would have taken Aaron Rodgers over the guy they actually picked in that draft in retrospect. The only other guy from that draft before Rodgers that looks like a star in hindsight is the #11 pick, Demarcus Ware from Dallas (if i have the right Demarcus, and if i'm not missing anyone else).So, the point of this thread is not to call everyone idiots for not picking Rodgers, namely the 49ers who picked Alex Smith with the #1 overall pick. But what was the difference between Alex Smith and Rodgers, at the time, that had everyone thinking the world of Smith and not much of Rodgers?Because looking at it, Rodgers has an absolute cannon for an arm, his release is incredibly quick, he is insanely athletic and can avoid pressure and run for 1st downs, and he is the most accurate passer in the NFL. Were these traits not there at the time of the draft? Was Alex Smith, at the time, even more athletic, accurate, cannon for an arm?The thing is, I don't see how a guy's arm can get stronger, or his accuracy that much better, and definitely his athleticism is not going to grow. So all these traits that Rodgers has now, must have been present in large part, at the time. I can see development, mentally, like being able to progress through reads, read defenses pre-snap, understanding the offense, making great decisions, etc.Any ideas?

IIRC a big knock on Rodgers at the time of the draft was his lack of athleticism, and that he was basically a statue back there. On the other side of the coin, people raved about Smith's athleticism. This is corroborated by looking at their college stats. Rodgers ran the ball for ~100 yards, Smith for 600+ yards.Clearly things have changed after these 2 entered the NFL.

 

[David Yudkin]

How did Tom Brady fall to pick 199?

 

[Chicago Hooligan]

Arm strength and athleticism can be improved with years of training, which he had. I'm sure he's heavier and stronger than when he was 21 or whatever.

Accuracy can be improved too, to a point. Again he has had years of "QB school" and studying defenses, and he also plays in a system based on high % passes.

Obviously a lot of teams passed foolishly but at the time there were not many teams picking before the Packers (who wanted Ware) who thought they needed a QB.

 

[Chicago Hooligan]

And on the other hand they thought Brohm was 5 rounds better than Flynn.

 

[Fensalk]

Arm strength and mechanics were an issue with Rodgers. Typically, teams draft arm strength in round 1, hence the drop.

Arm strength seems to really baffle scouting departments. Some swear a guy has plenty of arm, and others will say there's an issue.

 

[krsone21]

Just wondering how this actually happened. Alex Smith went #1 in that draft, and no other QBs taken until Rodgers at #24 and Jason Cambell at #25.Why was Alex Smith a #1 overall pick and Aaron Rodgers a #24 in the same draft? Hindsight is 20/20 as they say, so i'm not calling the 23 teams which passed on Rodgers as IDIOTS, despite the fact that a majority of them needed a QB of the future, and let's face it, every team would have taken Aaron Rodgers over the guy they actually picked in that draft in retrospect. The only other guy from that draft before Rodgers that looks like a star in hindsight is the #11 pick, Demarcus Ware from Dallas (if i have the right Demarcus, and if i'm not missing anyone else).So, the point of this thread is not to call everyone idiots for not picking Rodgers, namely the 49ers who picked Alex Smith with the #1 overall pick. But what was the difference between Alex Smith and Rodgers, at the time, that had everyone thinking the world of Smith and not much of Rodgers?Because looking at it, Rodgers has an absolute cannon for an arm, his release is incredibly quick, he is insanely athletic and can avoid pressure and run for 1st downs, and he is the most accurate passer in the NFL. Were these traits not there at the time of the draft? Was Alex Smith, at the time, even more athletic, accurate, cannon for an arm?The thing is, I don't see how a guy's arm can get stronger, or his accuracy that much better, and definitely his athleticism is not going to grow. So all these traits that Rodgers has now, must have been present in large part, at the time. I can see development, mentally, like being able to progress through reads, read defenses pre-snap, understanding the offense, making great decisions, etc.Any ideas?

All good questions. When I heard that 49ers were targeting Alex Smith I thought they were making a huge mistake. I always thought that Aaron Rodgers was the far superior QB. Once I saw Aaron drop to the Raiders in the 2005 I so wanted them to draft him, instead they drafted Fabian Washington, ugh.

 

[meatwad1]

A week before the draft, Rodgers was pretty much a lock to go #1...but then everyone started to second guess him because he was a Jeff Tedford product. If you remember, Tedford was the guy who mentored Kyle Boller, Akili Smith, Trent Dilfer, David Carr, and Joey Harrington to be top 10 draft selections. Now looking at that list, that is a murderers row of disasterous qb picks, the only one that was close to turning out merely o.k was Dilfer, but you need to remember that Dilfer was a top 10 pick and flamed out in Tampa before winning a Super Bowl.

Essentially, Rodgers had Smith beat on all the physical measurables, but once San Fran decided to go with Smith, virtually everyone else got spooked and down he slid. Being a Packer fan, I vividly remember this day...I remember the excitement I felt when Rodgers was careening down the board, it was plainly obvious that this was what was hapening and thank goodness that TT had the foresight to understand that A.R was physically rated to be the #1 player on the board by many teams before this psychological meltdown occured. I mean, once you get into the mid 20s with your pick, I always think it is worth reaching for the best available talent rather than showhorning a person in who might fit a need.

He also was probably licking his chops knowing that A.R would be able to sit a couple of years behind King Brett and thus have time to get acclimated to NFL living. I am sure a big reason that many of Tedfords qbs did not pan out was not the fact they lacked physical talent, yet they were all thrown to the wolves much too early and had all of their limitations exposed and their confidence destroyed. I mean if you think about it, everyone of those guys (except Boller)went to awful, awful organizations at the time of their drafting.

Making it even better was the fact that the Vikings passed on him twice...what a bunch of idiots!!!!!! A.R falling to the Pack is one of the great mas drafting blunders of all time, simply because he was the #1 rated guy...this is not a case of Brady falling to the sixth or Montana getting picked in the third...those dudes were picked where they should have went at that time and place. A.R falling to the Pack would be similar to if the Colts picked Leaf instead of Manning and then having Manning fall to the bottom of the first, or if Rivers fell that far...overall, it was a great day in Packer history, and we basically have the inept Bucs/Lions/Texans/Bengals organizations to thank for him falling in our laps.

 

[Mr. Retukes]

Many teams dismissed Rodgers for being a "Jeff Tedford Quarterback" (i.e., puts up ridiculous numbers in Tedford's college system, only to fail when forced to run the more complicated pro-style offenses).

Just look at the previous 4 quarterbacks to play under Tedford: Trent Dilfer, Akili Smith, Joey Harrington, and Kyle Boller. The guy was King Midas in reverse.

edit: damn you meatwad! No, wait -- damn me for being a slow typer! LOL

 

[meatwad1]

http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/.../player?id=8743

Here is Kipers 2005 write up...he is graded out at 99. Not many players ever earn that distinction in a given year, it is also worth noting that arm strength and athleteism are listed as strong points.

Major, major screwup for 23 teams. Like I said, this isn't a Tom Brady situation...I have not looked his pre draft grade up, but I am guessing it is not 99, it is probably closer to 69.

 

[Alex P Keaton]

A week before the draft, Rodgers was pretty much a lock to go #1...but then everyone started to second guess him because he was a Jeff Tedford product. If you remember, Tedford was the guy who mentored Kyle Boller, Akili Smith, Trent Dilfer, David Carr, and Joey Harrington to be top 10 draft selections. Now looking at that list, that is a murderers row of disasterous qb picks, the only one that was close to turning out merely o.k was Dilfer, but you need to remember that Dilfer was a top 10 pick and flamed out in Tampa before winning a Super Bowl.

Essentially, Rodgers had Smith beat on all the physical measurables, but once San Fran decided to go with Smith, virtually everyone else got spooked and down he slid. Being a Packer fan, I vividly remember this day...I remember the excitement I felt when Rodgers was careening down the board, it was plainly obvious that this was what was hapening and thank goodness that TT had the foresight to understand that A.R was physically rated to be the #1 player on the board by many teams before this psychological meltdown occured. I mean, once you get into the mid 20s with your pick, I always think it is worth reaching for the best available talent rather than showhorning a person in who might fit a need.

He also was probably licking his chops knowing that A.R would be able to sit a couple of years behind King Brett and thus have time to get acclimated to NFL living. I am sure a big reason that many of Tedfords qbs did not pan out was not the fact they lacked physical talent, yet they were all thrown to the wolves much too early and had all of their limitations exposed and their confidence destroyed. I mean if you think about it, everyone of those guys (except Boller)went to awful, awful organizations at the time of their drafting.

Making it even better was the fact that the Vikings passed on him twice...what a bunch of idiots!!!!!! A.R falling to the Pack is one of the great mas drafting blunders of all time, simply because he was the #1 rated guy...this is not a case of Brady falling to the sixth or Montana getting picked in the third...those dudes were picked where they should have went at that time and place. A.R falling to the Pack would be similar to if the Colts picked Leaf instead of Manning and then having Manning fall to the bottom of the first, or if Rivers fell that far...overall, it was a great day in Packer history, and we basically have the inept Bucs/Lions/Texans/Bengals organizations to thank for him falling in our laps.

That isn't completely accurate. Rodgers slid - once SF passed on him - in large part because the teams picking from 2-23 didn't have a strong need for a developmental QB. In fact, there was talk during the draft that if Rodgers didn't get picked #1, there were good odds that he would fall to the Redskins at pick 25, because nobody else wanted to pay 1st round $$$$ for a QB. So yeah, the reasons you mention above are why SF picked A Smith. But that is not why Rodgers fell to 24. The nuanced story is important here.

 

[Mario Kart]

I know this will come off the wrong way to some but Rodgers learning from Favre for 2+ seasons did Rodgers a great benefit. Maybe Favre did not sit down with him in a study group fashion but watching a hall of fame QB in practice, in games, routines, and so on would help out any QB. Also, watching Rodgers play and act, there is a little bit of Favre in him, the younger Favre for sure. Favre's impact on assisting Rodgers may never be fully stated but learning from a hall of famer is huge versus being thrown to the wolves.

 

[CalBear]

Many teams dismissed Rodgers for being a "Jeff Tedford Quarterback" (i.e., puts up ridiculous numbers in Tedford's college system, only to fail when forced to run the more complicated pro-style offenses).Just look at the previous 4 quarterbacks to play under Tedford: Trent Dilfer, Akili Smith, Joey Harrington, and Kyle Boller. The guy was King Midas in reverse.

Which just goes to show how ridiculous it is to judge a player based on who one of his coaches was, or what school he attended.

 

[Joe Summer]

The 21 Teams That Passed On Rodgers (and their possible reasons):

1. San Francisco - maybe their scouts just couldn't find enough time in their schedules to watch any of Rodgers' games.......5 miles down the road.....

2. Miami - Ronnie Brown was certainly an A+ pick, but you gotta think they were hurting more at QB with Fiedler and Feeley splitting snaps.

3. Cleveland - Still reeling from the Tim Couch fiasco? Or did they really think that Trent Dilfer was going to resurrect his career? Braylon Edwards turned out to be a good WR but what's the use when you've got no QB?

4. Chicago - can't give up on Grossman after 2 injury-riddled seasons, right?

5. Tampa - Brian Griese had his best season as a pro in 2004. Seemed like they were just an RB away from a return Super Bowl trip. And Cadillac Williams was a stud that first year.....sigh....

6. Tennessee - they were already all-in with McNair.

7. Minnesota - quite content with Culpepper-to-Moss, all day, every day. (But then why get Troy Williamson???)

8. Arizona - Can't complain about Antrel Rolle, but just look at their quarterbacks! Luke McCown! Shuan King! John Navarre!

9. Washington - with Patrick Ramsey and Mark Brunell, the odds were pretty good that at least one of them would pan out. (cue the roulette ball landing on green)

10. Detroit - instead of cutting bait with Harrington, they decide to draft more help for him.....in the form of Big Mike Williams. Oof.

11. Dallas - DeMarcus Ware, yay. A bona-fide stud. But did Jerry really know that 3rd-stringer Romo would be a Pro Bowler someday??

12. San Diego - no need to draft Rodgers with Rivers and Brees on the roster.

13. New Orleans - Aaron Brooks had slipped a bit, but I don't think anyone would have predicted that he'd fall so far that he'd be out of the league 2 years later.

14. Carolina - Delhomme had just posted his best season. They were 1 year removed from a Super Bowl appearance. No need to draft another QB.

15. Kansas City - Trent Green was getting up there in years....might have been a good time to draft his replacement. Derrick Johnson?? I dunno 'bout that.

16. Houston - I guess 3 seasons of mediocrity wasn't enough to convince the Texans that David Carr was no good. (Besides, they wouldn't have drafted another Jeff Tedford Quarterback anyhow.) Travis Johnson was just so-so.

17. Cincinnati - Carson Palmer was the next Dan Marino, sigh. They drafted linebacker David Pollack, who suffered a career-ending injury in his second season.

18. Minnesota (again) - Erasmus James. Bust. Oof.

19. St. Louis - Bulger was progressing steadily......they just needed to shore up the offensive line to return the franchise to glory. Alex "False Start" Barron was a terrible choice, though.

20. Dallas (again) - Jerry stocks the defense with Marcus Spears, who has been competent if unspectacular.

21. Jacksonville - "Instead of actually drafting the 2nd best college QB, let's just spend our first-round pick a run-first QB and see if we can turn him into a WR or TE or something!! Drug rumors? What drug rumors?"

22. Baltimore - Kyle Boller was their man. Ouch.

23. Oakland - Al Davis had to have known that Kerry Collins wasn't the answer....right?? Rich Gannon isn't walking through that door...

25. Washington (honorable mention) - they actually traded up to #25 because they had their hearts set on grabbing their Quarterback Of The Futureâ„¢..........Jason Campbell?!? What if they had traded up a couple spots higher? What if Green Bay took Campbell? Would Washington have taken Rodgers? They came so close but fell just short.

 

[chinawildman]

Every time I watch Rodgers throw a pass, I curse the powers that be in the SF front office for choosing Smith.

One thing I've read (don't remember where) was that Rodgers had a reputation of a gunslinger, free lancing, type of QB, whereas Smith was considered the more "intelligent", team guy, who follows orders. Mike Nolan was given power over the 52 man roster and at the time, it was hammered home repeatedly that he wanted "Nolan-type" guys, aka good character guys. So it was the "superior intangibles" that sold the team on Smith over Rodgers. What is now apparent in hindsight is that Nolan just didn't have the charisma or leadership qualities necessary to win over a team, especially "problematic" players (See Vernon Davis). Sure he drafted a roster full of good guys, but good-mediocre talents with little swagger. The Smith / Rodgers comparison is an all-encompassing example of this misstep in management which IMO crippled the niners for the better part of this decade.

The persona of Jim Harbaugh is perhaps what excites me most of the new regime of the 49ers. His take-no-prisoners attitude will hopefully rub off on the players on this team.

 

[Cassius]

From what I remember, Rodgers and Smith were neck and neck to go #1 for most of the off-season, but it was always said that whoever didn't go #1 had a chance to slide because of team need. All I remember about Rodgers is that he had an odd delivery that scared some teams.

 

[meatwad1]

He graded out at 99. That is all you need to know, all the rationalizing in the world does not change the fact that passing on a guy that talented out of the top 5, no matter what your situation is is ridiculously stupid!

For example, in this year's draft there are no players graded out at either 99 or 98, that is how high scouts had AR rated. Luckily for the Packers, scouts do not usually make the picks.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

How did Tom Brady fall to pick 199?

Anti-Michigan bias.

 

[Slevin Kelevra]

The 21 Teams That Passed On Rodgers (and their possible reasons):

1. San Francisco - maybe their scouts just couldn't find enough time in their schedules to watch any of Rodgers' games.......5 miles down the road.....

The saddest thing is........Aaron Rodgers was a 49ers fan as a child

 

[Sabertooth]

A week before the draft, Rodgers was pretty much a lock to go #1...but then everyone started to second guess him because he was a Jeff Tedford product. If you remember, Tedford was the guy who mentored Kyle Boller, Akili Smith, Trent Dilfer, David Carr, and Joey Harrington to be top 10 draft selections. Now looking at that list, that is a murderers row of disasterous qb picks, the only one that was close to turning out merely o.k was Dilfer, but you need to remember that Dilfer was a top 10 pick and flamed out in Tampa before winning a Super Bowl. Essentially, Rodgers had Smith beat on all the physical measurables, but once San Fran decided to go with Smith, virtually everyone else got spooked and down he slid. Being a Packer fan, I vividly remember this day...I remember the excitement I felt when Rodgers was careening down the board, it was plainly obvious that this was what was hapening and thank goodness that TT had the foresight to understand that A.R was physically rated to be the #1 player on the board by many teams before this psychological meltdown occured. I mean, once you get into the mid 20s with your pick, I always think it is worth reaching for the best available talent rather than showhorning a person in who might fit a need. He also was probably licking his chops knowing that A.R would be able to sit a couple of years behind King Brett and thus have time to get acclimated to NFL living. I am sure a big reason that many of Tedfords qbs did not pan out was not the fact they lacked physical talent, yet they were all thrown to the wolves much too early and had all of their limitations exposed and their confidence destroyed. I mean if you think about it, everyone of those guys (except Boller)went to awful, awful organizations at the time of their drafting.Making it even better was the fact that the Vikings passed on him twice...what a bunch of idiots!!!!!! A.R falling to the Pack is one of the great mas drafting blunders of all time, simply because he was the #1 rated guy...this is not a case of Brady falling to the sixth or Montana getting picked in the third...those dudes were picked where they should have went at that time and place. A.R falling to the Pack would be similar to if the Colts picked Leaf instead of Manning and then having Manning fall to the bottom of the first, or if Rivers fell that far...overall, it was a great day in Packer history, and we basically have the inept Bucs/Lions/Texans/Bengals organizations to thank for him falling in our laps.

This is exactly how I remember it. I'll add in the fact that Mike McCarthy was a big part of the brain trust that chose Smith in San Francisco. Rodgers ribbed him about this during his presser.When I first saw Rodgers in person, he was on the bench for the Packers his rookie season. I watched him going up and down the sidelines, swinging a towel around, and doing everything he could to get the crowd going. From an intangibles standpoint that was great to see. I obviously had no idea about his ability to play, but I liked the pick when they made it, and watching him pumping up the crowd as a backup QB confirmed it to an extent.

 

[DiStefano]

Development. It used to be that QB's were understudies for 2 or 3 years, as teams brought them along slowly and had them learn the most complicated position in all of football. But when they started paying insane amounts of money to rookies, the financial demands made it impossible to have them sit for two or three years, and so they threw them into the fire. If a guy is on a six year contract for tens of millions, you can't have him hold a clipboard for 3 of them. Some were able to handle being thrown into the fire; most weren't.

Rodgers had three years to learn the nuances of the pro game; he was set up to succeed, but of course, he had the tools. It was a perfect match for him. Some get the time, but don't have the tools; some have the tools, but don't get the time.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft05/.../player?id=8743

Here is Kipers 2005 write up...he is graded out at 99. Not many players ever earn that distinction in a given year, it is also worth noting that arm strength and athleteism are listed as strong points.

Major, major screwup for 23 teams. Like I said, this isn't a Tom Brady situation...I have not looked his pre draft grade up, but I am guessing it is not 99, it is probably closer to 69.

Maybe not 23 teams; not all 23 teams needed a QB, no matter how good the prospect.How many teams *might* have taken a QB if the right prospect was there, at least any guy not named Elway (i.e. some once in a lifetime QB)? 7-8?

I think there's some psychological or gambling mentality thing at work here; once teams start seeing other teams starting to pass they start to throw their own choices or confidence into doubt. But by the time you get to the lower picks in the first round the thinking changes to "Hey, there's a top-10 pick who has slipped to the bottom of the first round." At that point the gamble is to select the player. Did GB *really* need a QB in the 1st round that year? If they were picking in the top-10 they might have passed on him too. I don't think Rodgers is the first player this has happened to and it will probably happen to a couple players in this year's draft too.

 

[sho nuff]

I know this will come off the wrong way to some but Rodgers learning from Favre for 2+ seasons did Rodgers a great benefit. Maybe Favre did not sit down with him in a study group fashion but watching a hall of fame QB in practice, in games, routines, and so on would help out any QB. Also, watching Rodgers play and act, there is a little bit of Favre in him, the younger Favre for sure. Favre's impact on assisting Rodgers may never be fully stated but learning from a hall of famer is huge versus being thrown to the wolves.

Agreed...and despite the one comment from Favre about mentoring not being his job...Rodgers maintained that Favre did actually help him and answer any questions he had.

 

[RUSF18]

Heard Mike Lombardi a couple weeks ago when he was on with Bill Simmons say that Rodgers' physical traits have improved immensely since the draft workouts and he's a completely different player.

He graded out at 99. That is all you need to know, all the rationalizing in the world does not change the fact that passing on a guy that talented out of the top 5, no matter what your situation is is ridiculously stupid!For example, in this year's draft there are no players graded out at either 99 or 98, that is how high scouts had AR rated. Luckily for the Packers, scouts do not usually make the picks.

I believe the "official" scouts use a different system (it's on a 8.0 or 9.0 scale), and Elway is still the highest rated player ever. So you are going off Kiper who has his share of screw ups.

 

[scrumptrulescent]

How did Tom Brady fall to pick 199?

If Alex Smith would have gone 24th to the Packers and had that much time to get better before becoming the starting QB, would he be the SB MVP right now? Would Rodgers be out of a job in San Fran had be been picked #1 and thrown into the fire?

 

[Clarence the barber]

A week before the draft, Rodgers was pretty much a lock to go #1...but then everyone started to second guess him because he was a Jeff Tedford product. If you remember, Tedford was the guy who mentored Kyle Boller, Akili Smith, Trent Dilfer, David Carr, and Joey Harrington to be top 10 draft selections. Now looking at that list, that is a murderers row of disasterous qb picks, the only one that was close to turning out merely o.k was Dilfer, but you need to remember that Dilfer was a top 10 pick and flamed out in Tampa before winning a Super Bowl. Essentially, Rodgers had Smith beat on all the physical measurables, but once San Fran decided to go with Smith, virtually everyone else got spooked and down he slid. Being a Packer fan, I vividly remember this day...I remember the excitement I felt when Rodgers was careening down the board, it was plainly obvious that this was what was hapening and thank goodness that TT had the foresight to understand that A.R was physically rated to be the #1 player on the board by many teams before this psychological meltdown occured. I mean, once you get into the mid 20s with your pick, I always think it is worth reaching for the best available talent rather than showhorning a person in who might fit a need. He also was probably licking his chops knowing that A.R would be able to sit a couple of years behind King Brett and thus have time to get acclimated to NFL living. I am sure a big reason that many of Tedfords qbs did not pan out was not the fact they lacked physical talent, yet they were all thrown to the wolves much too early and had all of their limitations exposed and their confidence destroyed. I mean if you think about it, everyone of those guys (except Boller)went to awful, awful organizations at the time of their drafting.Making it even better was the fact that the Vikings passed on him twice...what a bunch of idiots!!!!!! A.R falling to the Pack is one of the great mas drafting blunders of all time, simply because he was the #1 rated guy...this is not a case of Brady falling to the sixth or Montana getting picked in the third...those dudes were picked where they should have went at that time and place. A.R falling to the Pack would be similar to if the Colts picked Leaf instead of Manning and then having Manning fall to the bottom of the first, or if Rivers fell that far...overall, it was a great day in Packer history, and we basically have the inept Bucs/Lions/Texans/Bengals organizations to thank for him falling in our laps.

Exactly it.

 

[azgroover]

I mostly remember it as AR being the consensus #1 overall pick going into the season. When you have that target on your back, they just look for reasons to knock you down. (think Jake Locker, but not as bad). By time the combine rolled around, everyone was drooling over Smith's smarts.

Also, at that time Urban Meyer's offense wasn't considered incompatible with the pro game yet, right? During the season, it looked like Smith was killing people with his own playmaking ability.

 

[Buckna]

From what I remember, Rodgers and Smith were neck and neck to go #1 for most of the off-season, but it was always said that whoever didn't go #1 had a chance to slide because of team need. All I remember about Rodgers is that he had an odd delivery that scared some teams.

This is what I remember as well. It wasn't surprising he fell once the 49'ers made their decision, but it was thought someone might try to trade up for him once he started to slide and no one did. I remember feeling sorry for the kid, they put him back in his own room out of the camera's eyes as it got pretty painful getting passed on over and over again. Liked him even more when Farve became a drama queen with the retirement shenanigans and people started hating on Rodgers just because he wasn't Farve. It's great to see him succeed.

 

[Willy]

I'm not so sure Rodgers becomes the QB he is today if he goes to some of those other teams. Being humbled by the draft and sitting on the bench for a few years may be major contributors as to how he matured into a top notch QB.

 

[azgroover]

I'm not so sure Rodgers becomes the QB he is today if he goes to some of those other teams. Being humbled by the draft and sitting on the bench for a few years may be major contributors as to how he matured into a top notch QB.

That plan is what just about every team initially has for their high round QB. Few are able to resist straying from it.

 

[Buckna]

A week before the draft, Rodgers was pretty much a lock to go #1...but then everyone started to second guess him because he was a Jeff Tedford product. If you remember, Tedford was the guy who mentored Kyle Boller, Akili Smith, Trent Dilfer, David Carr, and Joey Harrington to be top 10 draft selections. Now looking at that list, that is a murderers row of disasterous qb picks, the only one that was close to turning out merely o.k was Dilfer, but you need to remember that Dilfer was a top 10 pick and flamed out in Tampa before winning a Super Bowl.

Essentially, Rodgers had Smith beat on all the physical measurables, but once San Fran decided to go with Smith, virtually everyone else got spooked and down he slid. Being a Packer fan, I vividly remember this day...I remember the excitement I felt when Rodgers was careening down the board, it was plainly obvious that this was what was hapening and thank goodness that TT had the foresight to understand that A.R was physically rated to be the #1 player on the board by many teams before this psychological meltdown occured. I mean, once you get into the mid 20s with your pick, I always think it is worth reaching for the best available talent rather than showhorning a person in who might fit a need.

He also was probably licking his chops knowing that A.R would be able to sit a couple of years behind King Brett and thus have time to get acclimated to NFL living. I am sure a big reason that many of Tedfords qbs did not pan out was not the fact they lacked physical talent, yet they were all thrown to the wolves much too early and had all of their limitations exposed and their confidence destroyed. I mean if you think about it, everyone of those guys (except Boller)went to awful, awful organizations at the time of their drafting.

Making it even better was the fact that the Vikings passed on him twice...what a bunch of idiots!!!!!! A.R falling to the Pack is one of the great mas drafting blunders of all time, simply because he was the #1 rated guy...this is not a case of Brady falling to the sixth or Montana getting picked in the third...those dudes were picked where they should have went at that time and place. A.R falling to the Pack would be similar to if the Colts picked Leaf instead of Manning and then having Manning fall to the bottom of the first, or if Rivers fell that far...overall, it was a great day in Packer history, and we basically have the inept Bucs/Lions/Texans/Bengals organizations to thank for him falling in our laps.

That isn't completely accurate. Rodgers slid - once SF passed on him - in large part because the teams picking from 2-23 didn't have a strong need for a developmental QB. In fact, there was talk during the draft that if Rodgers didn't get picked #1, there were good odds that he would fall to the Redskins at pick 25, because nobody else wanted to pay 1st round $$$$ for a QB. So yeah, the reasons you mention above are why SF picked A Smith. But that is not why Rodgers fell to 24. The nuanced story is important here.

LOL, yeah, guy shouldn't pat himself on the back so fast. Just out of the 4 teams he specifically is blasting, the Texans & Bengals had both spent #1 overall picks on QB's within the prior 3 years. Why would they have drafted another QB? We know now they didn't turn out well, but there was no way to know that then.

Carr wasn't setting the world on fire but had just thrown for 3,500 yards in his 3rd year and led the Texans to their best season in existence at 7-9. Maybe if they had known that Carr & the rest of the Texans were going to implode the next year, but a lot of people were predicting the Texans as the surprise "sleeper" pick to make the playoffs. A lot of people were wrong.

Palmer was drafted #1 overall 2 years before and had looked really good in his first year starting in '04. How easily we forget that Palmer was a stud the next 3 years before injuries destroyed his career.

 

[plyka]

Just wondering how this actually happened. Alex Smith went #1 in that draft, and no other QBs taken until Rodgers at #24 and Jason Cambell at #25.Why was Alex Smith a #1 overall pick and Aaron Rodgers a #24 in the same draft? Hindsight is 20/20 as they say, so i'm not calling the 23 teams which passed on Rodgers as IDIOTS, despite the fact that a majority of them needed a QB of the future, and let's face it, every team would have taken Aaron Rodgers over the guy they actually picked in that draft in retrospect. The only other guy from that draft before Rodgers that looks like a star in hindsight is the #11 pick, Demarcus Ware from Dallas (if i have the right Demarcus, and if i'm not missing anyone else).So, the point of this thread is not to call everyone idiots for not picking Rodgers, namely the 49ers who picked Alex Smith with the #1 overall pick. But what was the difference between Alex Smith and Rodgers, at the time, that had everyone thinking the world of Smith and not much of Rodgers?Because looking at it, Rodgers has an absolute cannon for an arm, his release is incredibly quick, he is insanely athletic and can avoid pressure and run for 1st downs, and he is the most accurate passer in the NFL. Were these traits not there at the time of the draft? Was Alex Smith, at the time, even more athletic, accurate, cannon for an arm?The thing is, I don't see how a guy's arm can get stronger, or his accuracy that much better, and definitely his athleticism is not going to grow. So all these traits that Rodgers has now, must have been present in large part, at the time. I can see development, mentally, like being able to progress through reads, read defenses pre-snap, understanding the offense, making great decisions, etc.Any ideas?

IIRC a big knock on Rodgers at the time of the draft was his lack of athleticism, and that he was basically a statue back there. On the other side of the coin, people raved about Smith's athleticism. This is corroborated by looking at their college stats. Rodgers ran the ball for ~100 yards, Smith for 600+ yards.Clearly things have changed after these 2 entered the NFL.

This cannot be true. I watched Rodgers plenty at the collegiate level, he was on one of my favorite teams of the time, Cal, and as a big Pac-10 guy, I always rooted and watched their games (unless going up against USC). He has always been VERY athletic. And athleticism is not something which grows much from age 22 to age 25, you're basically as athletic as you're going to get in your early 20's. You can add muscle, etc., but basically you're the same guy. So i don't buy this reason.

 

[Steed]

He also had a strange delivery coming out of college where his throwing motion would begin with the ball next to his earhole. Tedford used to call it "putting the ball on the shelf" and felt it was the safest spot to have the ball. I imagine it took Rodgers a couple years to break out of that and perfect his new release. Probably wouldn't have happened if he started his 1st two years.

 

[duaneok66]

He graded out at 99. That is all you need to know, all the rationalizing in the world does not change the fact that passing on a guy that talented out of the top 5, no matter what your situation is is ridiculously stupid!For example, in this year's draft there are no players graded out at either 99 or 98, that is how high scouts had AR rated. Luckily for the Packers, scouts do not usually make the picks.

come on - hinsight is 20/20 - like a poster above said - it was anticipated by some that Rodgers would slide after not going #1 . . .

 

[duaneok66]

A week before the draft, Rodgers was pretty much a lock to go #1...but then everyone started to second guess him because he was a Jeff Tedford product. If you remember, Tedford was the guy who mentored Kyle Boller, Akili Smith, Trent Dilfer, David Carr, and Joey Harrington to be top 10 draft selections. Now looking at that list, that is a murderers row of disasterous qb picks, the only one that was close to turning out merely o.k was Dilfer, but you need to remember that Dilfer was a top 10 pick and flamed out in Tampa before winning a Super Bowl. Essentially, Rodgers had Smith beat on all the physical measurables, but once San Fran decided to go with Smith, virtually everyone else got spooked and down he slid. Being a Packer fan, I vividly remember this day...I remember the excitement I felt when Rodgers was careening down the board, it was plainly obvious that this was what was hapening and thank goodness that TT had the foresight to understand that A.R was physically rated to be the #1 player on the board by many teams before this psychological meltdown occured. I mean, once you get into the mid 20s with your pick, I always think it is worth reaching for the best available talent rather than showhorning a person in who might fit a need. He also was probably licking his chops knowing that A.R would be able to sit a couple of years behind King Brett and thus have time to get acclimated to NFL living. I am sure a big reason that many of Tedfords qbs did not pan out was not the fact they lacked physical talent, yet they were all thrown to the wolves much too early and had all of their limitations exposed and their confidence destroyed. I mean if you think about it, everyone of those guys (except Boller)went to awful, awful organizations at the time of their drafting.Making it even better was the fact that the Vikings passed on him twice...what a bunch of idiots!!!!!! A.R falling to the Pack is one of the great mas drafting blunders of all time, simply because he was the #1 rated guy...this is not a case of Brady falling to the sixth or Montana getting picked in the third...those dudes were picked where they should have went at that time and place. A.R falling to the Pack would be similar to if the Colts picked Leaf instead of Manning and then having Manning fall to the bottom of the first, or if Rivers fell that far...overall, it was a great day in Packer history, and we basically have the inept Bucs/Lions/Texans/Bengals organizations to thank for him falling in our laps.

Exactly it.

OUSTANDING post . . .

 

[bcr8f]

Arm strength and athleticism can be improved with years of training, which he had. I'm sure he's heavier and stronger than when he was 21 or whatever.

Accuracy can be improved too, to a point. Again he has had years of "QB school" and studying defenses, and he also plays in a system based on high % passes.

Obviously a lot of teams passed foolishly but at the time there were not many teams picking before the Packers (who wanted Ware) who thought they needed a QB.

Joey Harrington/Aliki Smith is all you need to know.

When he was a rookie there were many reports he wasn't ready for the NFL.

The question should be should QB's start the 1st or 2nd year.

 

[bcr8f]

Why did Dan Marino slide to 27?

 

[Mr. Mojo]

I looked back at the draft and being a Redskin fan, saw that the next pick after Rodgers was Washington - QB Jason Campbell.

Missed him by 1 pick!

 

[Steed]

Why did Dan Marino slide to 27?

Rumors were rampant that he liked the Aspen.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

One thing that is sometimes overlooked is the extent to which Rodgers changed his game in the first 2-3 years of his career. He worked very hard year round, had good coaches, and completely changed his delivery and his body. Phil Sims wrote about it recently - said when he visited Packer training camp in Rodgers' first season he looked terrible and Sims was certain he would never be a starting QB in the NFL. Came back 2 years later and was amazed at the transformation. The common wisdom is that Rodgers was not NFL ready on draft day, not by a long shot. Thompson took a huge gamble and hit a jackpot. He strangely gets very little credit for the Rodgers pick, but in retrospect it is by far the greatest move he's made. Picking Rodgers, as his very first move as the new Packer GM, took huge balls of steel and strong conviction to see it through to where he is today.

 

[Fensalk]

One thing that is sometimes overlooked is the extent to which Rodgers changed his game in the first 2-3 years of his career. He worked very hard year round, had good coaches, and completely changed his delivery and his body. Phil Sims wrote about it recently - said when he visited Packer training camp in Rodgers' first season he looked terrible and Sims was certain he would never be a starting QB in the NFL. Came back 2 years later and was amazed at the transformation. The common wisdom is that Rodgers was not NFL ready on draft day, not by a long shot. Thompson took a huge gamble and hit a jackpot. He strangely gets very little credit for the Rodgers pick, but in retrospect it is by far the greatest move he's made. Picking Rodgers, as his very first move as the new Packer GM, took huge balls of steel and strong conviction to see it through to where he is today.

A lot of people rush to judgement. How many times do we read a game thread in the Shark Pool where a team has one bad drive and about 7 different posters declare the game is over? Impatience is one of the biggest mistakes people make.

 

[meatwad1]

A week before the draft, Rodgers was pretty much a lock to go #1...but then everyone started to second guess him because he was a Jeff Tedford product. If you remember, Tedford was the guy who mentored Kyle Boller, Akili Smith, Trent Dilfer, David Carr, and Joey Harrington to be top 10 draft selections. Now looking at that list, that is a murderers row of disasterous qb picks, the only one that was close to turning out merely o.k was Dilfer, but you need to remember that Dilfer was a top 10 pick and flamed out in Tampa before winning a Super Bowl.

Essentially, Rodgers had Smith beat on all the physical measurables, but once San Fran decided to go with Smith, virtually everyone else got spooked and down he slid. Being a Packer fan, I vividly remember this day...I remember the excitement I felt when Rodgers was careening down the board, it was plainly obvious that this was what was hapening and thank goodness that TT had the foresight to understand that A.R was physically rated to be the #1 player on the board by many teams before this psychological meltdown occured. I mean, once you get into the mid 20s with your pick, I always think it is worth reaching for the best available talent rather than showhorning a person in who might fit a need.

He also was probably licking his chops knowing that A.R would be able to sit a couple of years behind King Brett and thus have time to get acclimated to NFL living. I am sure a big reason that many of Tedfords qbs did not pan out was not the fact they lacked physical talent, yet they were all thrown to the wolves much too early and had all of their limitations exposed and their confidence destroyed. I mean if you think about it, everyone of those guys (except Boller)went to awful, awful organizations at the time of their drafting.

Making it even better was the fact that the Vikings passed on him twice...what a bunch of idiots!!!!!! A.R falling to the Pack is one of the great mas drafting blunders of all time, simply because he was the #1 rated guy...this is not a case of Brady falling to the sixth or Montana getting picked in the third...those dudes were picked where they should have went at that time and place. A.R falling to the Pack would be similar to if the Colts picked Leaf instead of Manning and then having Manning fall to the bottom of the first, or if Rivers fell that far...overall, it was a great day in Packer history, and we basically have the inept Bucs/Lions/Texans/Bengals organizations to thank for him falling in our laps.

That isn't completely accurate. Rodgers slid - once SF passed on him - in large part because the teams picking from 2-23 didn't have a strong need for a developmental QB. In fact, there was talk during the draft that if Rodgers didn't get picked #1, there were good odds that he would fall to the Redskins at pick 25, because nobody else wanted to pay 1st round $$ for a QB. So yeah, the reasons you mention above are why SF picked A Smith. But that is not why Rodgers fell to 24. The nuanced story is important here.

LOL, yeah, guy shouldn't pat himself on the back so fast. Just out of the 4 teams he specifically is blasting, the Texans & Bengals had both spent #1 overall picks on QB's within the prior 3 years. Why would they have drafted another QB? We know now they didn't turn out well, but there was no way to know that then.

Carr wasn't setting the world on fire but had just thrown for 3,500 yards in his 3rd year and led the Texans to their best season in existence at 7-9. Maybe if they had known that Carr & the rest of the Texans were going to implode the next year, but a lot of people were predicting the Texans as the surprise "sleeper" pick to make the playoffs. A lot of people were wrong.

Palmer was drafted #1 overall 2 years before and had looked really good in his first year starting in '04. How easily we forget that Palmer was a stud the next 3 years before injuries destroyed his career.

Dude...you did not carefully read my post...it was the failure of those Tedford qbs to do anything good in those pathetic organizations that lead to people second guessing his system. I wasn't thanking the teams for not picking him!First of all, David Carr has always sucked. The fact that he threw for 3500 yards in his third year really means nothing except that the Texans were always behind, had no running game, and he threw a ton because of that. For better or worse, everybody forms opinions of players right when they start playing, and Carr has ALWAYS been known as a player who holds on to the ball way too long and gets killed. By his third year, he had not changed that in any way shape or form.

Secondly, I do not understand why you are talking about Carson Palmer. Did Carson Palmer play under Jeff Tedford? The player you should be referring to is Bengals superstar Akili Smith. Palmer has nothing to do with why AR fell...now I understand that a team like the Bengals might not want to invest in AR

when that had Palmer at that point, but that is not what I was talking about. Sort of like where if a bunch of coaches came from a coaching tree and all failed, people would pretty much stop looking at any of that guys assisstants to promote.

 

[Johnnymac]

A week before the draft, Rodgers was pretty much a lock to go #1...but then everyone started to second guess him because he was a Jeff Tedford product. If you remember, Tedford was the guy who mentored Kyle Boller, Akili Smith, Trent Dilfer, David Carr, and Joey Harrington to be top 10 draft selections. Now looking at that list, that is a murderers row of disasterous qb picks, the only one that was close to turning out merely o.k was Dilfer, but you need to remember that Dilfer was a top 10 pick and flamed out in Tampa before winning a Super Bowl. Essentially, Rodgers had Smith beat on all the physical measurables, but once San Fran decided to go with Smith, virtually everyone else got spooked and down he slid. Being a Packer fan, I vividly remember this day...I remember the excitement I felt when Rodgers was careening down the board, it was plainly obvious that this was what was hapening and thank goodness that TT had the foresight to understand that A.R was physically rated to be the #1 player on the board by many teams before this psychological meltdown occured. I mean, once you get into the mid 20s with your pick, I always think it is worth reaching for the best available talent rather than showhorning a person in who might fit a need. He also was probably licking his chops knowing that A.R would be able to sit a couple of years behind King Brett and thus have time to get acclimated to NFL living. I am sure a big reason that many of Tedfords qbs did not pan out was not the fact they lacked physical talent, yet they were all thrown to the wolves much too early and had all of their limitations exposed and their confidence destroyed. I mean if you think about it, everyone of those guys (except Boller)went to awful, awful organizations at the time of their drafting.Making it even better was the fact that the Vikings passed on him twice...what a bunch of idiots!!!!!! A.R falling to the Pack is one of the great mas drafting blunders of all time, simply because he was the #1 rated guy...this is not a case of Brady falling to the sixth or Montana getting picked in the third...those dudes were picked where they should have went at that time and place. A.R falling to the Pack would be similar to if the Colts picked Leaf instead of Manning and then having Manning fall to the bottom of the first, or if Rivers fell that far...overall, it was a great day in Packer history, and we basically have the inept Bucs/Lions/Texans/Bengals organizations to thank for him falling in our laps.

This is pretty much what happened. Hell, Green Bay wasn't even looking to draft a QB, but when he fell that far they had to change their thinking quickly. The 49ers not drafting Rodgers (McCarthy was part of that 49er staff at the time) was a huge mistake in retrospect. Green Bay having the snarts to take him alos turned out to be huge.

 

[Ernol]

Here's a Peter King article in May of 2005 for SI. Nolan indicated that Rodgers was by far the more NFL-ready QB, not Smith.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/art...11018/index.htm

Most NFL drafts are quarterback-heavy near the top because teams that have a bad passer or an aging one want somebody new to play the most important position in the game. So for the last two months quarterbacks Alex Smith of Utah and Aaron Rodgers of Cal were considered the favorites to be the No. 1 pick in the draft, by the San Francisco 49ers. It figured that the player who did not go first would be taken by another team selecting in the top 10, clubs like the Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans or Arizona Cardinals, which all had a long-term need for a quarterback. So after the 49ers chose Smith, naturally Rodgers went....

That's where the 2005 draft took a curious turn. Rodgers fell to No. 24, at which point he was finally rescued by the Green Bay Packers. Neither quarterback had been considered a can't-miss player, and that ultimately carried more weight with those teams picking in the top 10 than many, including San Francisco coach Mike Nolan, had expected. "Nobody ever made us an offer for the pick," Nolan said last Saturday night, a surprising revelation considering he had talked with six teams about the top choice in the 48 hours before the draft. "But if someone had thrown a lot at us, I'd have made a trade. I know we could have won with Aaron. I liked him." But Nolan liked Smith even more.

The new coach was cagey during the evaluation process, hoping the Niners, 2-14 last season and with holes throughout their lineup, could hit the lottery in a trade with a team hungry for the player it thought San Francisco would select. But on Saturday night Nolan explained why he had selected Smith. He conceded that Rodgers has the more NFL-ready arm and is better prepared to play in the league right away. (For the Utes, Smith ran an option offense and operated almost exclusively out of the shotgun.) But Nolan said Smith's work ethic--the young man often broke down film with the Utah coaches for hours on Sundays, a college player's day off--and his easygoing leadership style and intelligence ( Smith earned a degree in economics in two years) made the decision easy in the end. What's more, some in the front office thought Rodgers came across too much like a big man on campus.

Nolan compared Smith with Phil Simms, who came out of Morehead State in 1979 and was drafted seventh by the New York Giants. "Like Simms, Alex proved himself by being the hardest worker on the team and by being a leader in every sense of the word," said Nolan, a friend of Simms's. "I couldn't get off that. Then there were a bunch of little things. Like when Alex talks to his mother, he says, 'yes, ma'am.' and [how he handled] what we put him through in his workout at Utah."

After Smith's carefully scripted workout for all interested NFL teams, the Niners wanted to see more. On a windy day in Salt Lake City in early April they worked him out on their terms. Nolan told offensive coordinator Mike McCarthy to put Smith through a tough, discomforting session. First, McCarthy took three jump ropes out of his equipment bag and handed them to Smith and his two receivers for the day, San Francisco starters Arnaz Battle and Brandon Lloyd. "You want to see how he'll accept coaching and if he'll compete," McCarthy said on Saturday. "So I told them they'd jump rope for 30 seconds on the right foot, 30 on the left and 30 on both. Alex's eyes got a little wide, but he competed. He got right into it." McCarthy made Smith throw into the wind. He made Smith do a crazy ball-handling drill. Smith passed the test.

As for Rodgers, plummeting from No. 1 to No. 24 will cost him about $10 million on his rookie contract. And after waiting almost five hours offstage in New York City to be selected, he has incentive to show the 21 teams that passed on him (the Minnesota Vikings and the Dallas Cowboys had two selections in the top 20) and the draft experts who played up his faults that they were wrong about him. " ESPN's been tearing him up all week," said Luke Rodgers, Aaron's 23-year-old brother. "Well, he didn't suddenly get worse."

Aaron ended the arduous experience on a more positive note. "We all believe Green Bay's the best place for me," he said. "I fell way down, but with the chance to play behind one of the best quarterbacks of all time [ Brett Favre], I fell into something great." -- Peter King

 

[gandalas]

God...looking back, that was an UGLY first round.

Ware, Rodgers, and Roddy White are the only 3 players who I would consider in the top-5 at their position out of that first round. Just an ugly draft year overall, looking at the entire draft. Not that much star power, compared to most other years.

 

[CalBear]

Secondly, I do not understand why you are talking about Carson Palmer. Did Carson Palmer play under Jeff Tedford? The player you should be referring to is Bengals superstar Akili Smith. Palmer has nothing to do with why AR fell...now I understand that a team like the Bengals might not want to invest in ARwhen that had Palmer at that point, but that is not what I was talking about. Sort of like where if a bunch of coaches came from a coaching tree and all failed, people would pretty much stop looking at any of that guys assisstants to promote.

Only morons would stop looking at assistants from a "coaching tree" because other assistants from that tree had failed. Coaches and QBs are individuals. Akili Smith played football for 15+ years, two of which had Tedford at offensive coordinator. Aaron Rodgers played football for 15+ years, two of which were for Tedford as head coach. The fact that Akili wound up failing has no bearing at all on whether Rodgers would fail. The converse is also true; the fact that Aaron Rodgers won a Super Bowl MVP does not mean that someone should now bring back Akili Smith. Mike Nolan failed; should you now avoid all coaches who were assistants under Dan Reeves or Brian Billick?

 

[meatwad1]

He conceded that Rodgers has the more NFL-ready arm and is better prepared to play in the league right away. (For the Utes, Smith ran an option offense and operated almost exclusively out of the shotgun.) But Nolan said Smith's work ethic--the young man often broke down film with the Utah coaches for hours on Sundays, a college player's day off--and his easygoing leadership style and intelligence ( Smith earned a degree in economics in two years) made the decision easy in the end. What's more, some in the front office thought Rodgers came across too much like a big man on campus.

That sums up the faulty 49ers thinking in a nutshell.....I am pretty sure most awesome qbs are cocky, BMOC types. It should be a red flag if the person isn't.

 

[meatwad1]

Secondly, I do not understand why you are talking about Carson Palmer. Did Carson Palmer play under Jeff Tedford? The player you should be referring to is Bengals superstar Akili Smith. Palmer has nothing to do with why AR fell...now I understand that a team like the Bengals might not want to invest in ARwhen that had Palmer at that point, but that is not what I was talking about. Sort of like where if a bunch of coaches came from a coaching tree and all failed, people would pretty much stop looking at any of that guys assisstants to promote.

Only morons would stop looking at assistants from a "coaching tree" because other assistants from that tree had failed. Coaches and QBs are individuals. Akili Smith played football for 15+ years, two of which had Tedford at offensive coordinator. Aaron Rodgers played football for 15+ years, two of which were for Tedford as head coach. The fact that Akili wound up failing has no bearing at all on whether Rodgers would fail. The converse is also true; the fact that Aaron Rodgers won a Super Bowl MVP does not mean that someone should now bring back Akili Smith. Mike Nolan failed; should you now avoid all coaches who were assistants under Dan Reeves or Brian Billick?

Uummmm....it was five failures, not one. Your thinking suggests that there is no such thing as 'groupthink'....that is quite simply, not true. If five coaches got hired off the Brian Billick express and all failed, then yes, many gms/fan bases would certainly be leery of having those people in charge.

 

[CalBear]

Uummmm....it was five failures, not one. Your thinking suggests that there is no such thing as 'groupthink'....that is quite simply, not true. If five coaches got hired off the Brian Billick express and all failed, then yes, many gms/fan bases would certainly be leery of having those people in charge.

Well, people are stupid, sure.