The case of Matt Barkley.
Before interviewing Barkley Saturday night at the combine, I asked three scouts about him. One spent two days at USC last season, and he looked at a lot of Barkley tape. The verdict: They liked his junior year (69 percent accuracy, 39-7 TD-INTs), didn't like his senior year (64 percent, 36-15) at all. One said he consistently put too much air under his throws and didn't have a good fastball. One thought he was a victim of poor coaching and a deficient offensive line last year, particularly when his starting center went out against Stanford and Barkley was beaten to a pulp.
I watched extended highlights of the Stanford and Oregon games from last season on YouTube. I didn't see the too-much-air thing, but I did see him trusting his receivers too much to make tough throws, throwing into traffic too much, and too many batted/deflected balls. He was a quarterback under siege against Stanford, once getting pummeled almost before the snap arrived on the goal line by an attacking Cardinal front. It's tough to dissect decision-making without knowing the offense or sitting down to watch tape with the guy, but he took too many chances for my taste.
At the combine, Barkley didn't throw because of a shoulder injury (rehabbed, not surgically repaired) suffered 14 weeks ago. He impressed several teams in his interviews; he probably could go as high as No. 7, to Arizona. But it's still a very fluid situation. I got the sense he could go seventh or 37th. The big question now is whether his damaged shoulder will allow him to throw free and easy four weeks from Wednesday at his Pro Day in Los Angeles.
Barkley told me he'd been throwing for a week and a half now, and, in his words, "I've definitely gained some zip on the ball. I'm rehabbing really seriously, like guys do after they have Tommy John [elbow surgery], and I believe I'll be able to throw the ball better than before I was injured. I've been able to really refine and improve my throwing motion.'' He's on a pitch count now, and he's been told he'll have no limitations when he throws for teams on March 27.
"My Pro Day will dispel those myths about my arm,'' he predicted.
Barkley seems very confident and very sure of himself without being cocky. "As I start my NFL career,'' he said, "I really want to set the record straight on a few things. People look at me like I'm some Cali boy, but I'm not that way -- I don't even know how to surf. I'm a football junkie. I'm football, 24/7.''
He talked ruefully of his challenging sessions with teams. Teams can speak with players for 15 minutes at night during the combine, and Barkley had nine such sessions (Jets, Eagles, Steelers, Raiders, Chiefs, Bills, Jaguars, Cardinals, Bucs) and informal sessions with Seattle, Cleveland and Atlanta. "We watch tape,'' he said, "and I haven't seen one TD of mine. I've seen a lot of interceptions, and they want to know why they happen. I think a couple of teams wanted me to throw coaches or whoever under the table. One team gave me sort of a trick question: 'Would you rather ride the bench and win a Super Bowl, or be a starter and not make the Super Bowl?' That's a trick question, really. I just said, 'I want to be a starter. As much as I want to win a Super Bowl ring, I don't want one handed to me without deserving it.' ''
Several teams asked about a fight in the locker room while USC was at the Sun Bowl this year, and whether he was involved. "Other than breaking it up, and saying, 'Guys, let's calm down?' No.''
He understands there's a prejudice against USC quarterbacks because of the recent failings of Mark Sanchez and Matt Leinart, and because Carson Palmer's career has declined. My thoughts: Sanchez started one full season and Barkley four, so that's not really apples-to-apples. Leinart's been a total bust. Let's not revise history on Palmer, who, from 2005 through 2007, threw 20 more touchdown passes than Brett Favre. He hasn't had staying power, but he's no bust. "My story's so much different,'' said Barkley. "When the big sanctions came down, coach [Pete] Carroll is gone, we have no A.D., it's the spring of my freshman year and I've got to stand up and speak for the program. We've got all these penalties, and I helped rally the troops. That actually helped me -- helped me become more of a leader. I think I bring a lot that's not quantifiable, starting with the fact that I've been a four-year starter.''
One of the last things we discussed is Barkley's trip to the Manning Passing Academy last July, his first trip to see into Peyton's and Eli's worlds. "I learned a valuable lesson from Peyton, about sometimes you have to be a d---,'' he said. In other words, if players don't want to work out in the offseason, you tell them there's no option; you tell them when and where to be somewhere. Now, maybe that doesn't happen in the first year. But a quarterback has to have the respect and authority to make sure players do what's necessary, particularly in these days of less intense offseason programs. NFL players are off until mid-April now. Next year, wherever he is, Barkley's going to have to get his guys in gear to work out somewhere before that.
"Doing what is asked is not enough to win in the NFL, I know that,'' he said. "You've got to do more. And I intend to.''
Fixed. Sorry everyone, as I am fighting a pretty wicked head cold tonight.
