Sam Bradford (1 Viewer)

[Steve Tasker]

Remember Matt Leinart? He was a can't miss superstar destined for greatness I believe. IMO QB is one of the toughest positions to project. Alex Smith also comes to mind.

Leinart is the guy Bradford most reminds me of.

Why? Because both Leinart and Bradford have run two of the most prolific passing offenses in NCAA history? I haven't watched much of Bradford, but Leinart's biggest problem is his work ethic. He doesn't seem to really be focused at the NFL level. To me that's pretty fluky because he had everything you'd want coming out, including fitting to a "T" those college numbers you look for - 30+ starts with >60% completions. He had all the big game experience you'd ever hope for.

I even still hold out hope that Leinart will get serious and turn it on, but that is fading over time. Anyway, I think Leinart is not a good guidepost to use for Bradford unless there's somehow also some question about how hard Bradford works or how easily he's distracted by living The Life.

And unless you know Bradford personally, I don't see how anyone can gauge this by watching his on-field play.

So, you know Bradford personally? Can I get an autograph? I mean you did just compare him to Kelly based on his on-field play.

What?You're the one comparing him to Leinart, who has a notoriously poor work ethic. I'm saying that your comparison is erroneous unless you know Bradford personally and can attest to a poor work ethic. Now if you are privy to some information that the rest of us aren't, you may be correct. But all we have to go on is Bradford's on-field play.

Bradford's play on the field DOES remind me of Kelly's on the field. Which is why I made the comparison. Your argument makes no sense.

 

[jurb26]

Remember Matt Leinart? He was a can't miss superstar destined for greatness I believe. IMO QB is one of the toughest positions to project. Alex Smith also comes to mind.

Leinart is the guy Bradford most reminds me of.

Why? Because both Leinart and Bradford have run two of the most prolific passing offenses in NCAA history? I haven't watched much of Bradford, but Leinart's biggest problem is his work ethic. He doesn't seem to really be focused at the NFL level. To me that's pretty fluky because he had everything you'd want coming out, including fitting to a "T" those college numbers you look for - 30+ starts with >60% completions. He had all the big game experience you'd ever hope for.

I even still hold out hope that Leinart will get serious and turn it on, but that is fading over time. Anyway, I think Leinart is not a good guidepost to use for Bradford unless there's somehow also some question about how hard Bradford works or how easily he's distracted by living The Life.

And unless you know Bradford personally, I don't see how anyone can gauge this by watching his on-field play.

So, you know Bradford personally? Can I get an autograph? I mean you did just compare him to Kelly based on his on-field play.

What?You're the one comparing him to Leinart, who has a notoriously poor work ethic. I'm saying that your comparison is erroneous unless you know Bradford personally and can attest to a poor work ethic. Now if you are privy to some information that the rest of us aren't, you may be correct. But all we have to go on is Bradford's on-field play.

Bradford's play on the field DOES remind me of Kelly's on the field. Which is why I made the comparison. Your argument makes no sense.

Read the posts again. I never made any claims about work ethic.

 

[Chase Stuart]

I don't think comparing someone to Matt Leinart is a bad thing. Leinart was a terrific QB in college and a highly touted prospect.

 

[Steve Tasker]

Remember Matt Leinart? He was a can't miss superstar destined for greatness I believe. IMO QB is one of the toughest positions to project. Alex Smith also comes to mind.

Leinart is the guy Bradford most reminds me of.

Why? Because both Leinart and Bradford have run two of the most prolific passing offenses in NCAA history? I haven't watched much of Bradford, but Leinart's biggest problem is his work ethic. He doesn't seem to really be focused at the NFL level. To me that's pretty fluky because he had everything you'd want coming out, including fitting to a "T" those college numbers you look for - 30+ starts with >60% completions. He had all the big game experience you'd ever hope for.

I even still hold out hope that Leinart will get serious and turn it on, but that is fading over time. Anyway, I think Leinart is not a good guidepost to use for Bradford unless there's somehow also some question about how hard Bradford works or how easily he's distracted by living The Life.

And unless you know Bradford personally, I don't see how anyone can gauge this by watching his on-field play.

So, you know Bradford personally? Can I get an autograph? I mean you did just compare him to Kelly based on his on-field play.

What?You're the one comparing him to Leinart, who has a notoriously poor work ethic. I'm saying that your comparison is erroneous unless you know Bradford personally and can attest to a poor work ethic. Now if you are privy to some information that the rest of us aren't, you may be correct. But all we have to go on is Bradford's on-field play.

Bradford's play on the field DOES remind me of Kelly's on the field. Which is why I made the comparison. Your argument makes no sense.

Read the posts again. I never made any claims about work ethic.

And I never made any claims about knowing Bradford personally.

 

[jurb26]

I don't think comparing someone to Matt Leinart is a bad thing. Leinart was a terrific QB in college and a highly touted prospect.

 

[Steve Tasker]

I don't think comparing someone to Matt Leinart is a bad thing. Leinart was a terrific QB in college and a highly touted prospect.

 

[T Bell]

Remember Matt Leinart? He was a can't miss superstar destined for greatness I believe. IMO QB is one of the toughest positions to project. Alex Smith also comes to mind.

Leinart is the guy Bradford most reminds me of.

Why? Because both Leinart and Bradford have run two of the most prolific passing offenses in NCAA history? I haven't watched much of Bradford, but Leinart's biggest problem is his work ethic. He doesn't seem to really be focused at the NFL level. To me that's pretty fluky because he had everything you'd want coming out, including fitting to a "T" those college numbers you look for - 30+ starts with >60% completions. He had all the big game experience you'd ever hope for.

I even still hold out hope that Leinart will get serious and turn it on, but that is fading over time. Anyway, I think Leinart is not a good guidepost to use for Bradford unless there's somehow also some question about how hard Bradford works or how easily he's distracted by living The Life.

Those college numbers don't predict future success.

Please point out where I said "predict NFL success".

 

[T Bell]

Remember Matt Leinart? He was a can't miss superstar destined for greatness I believe. IMO QB is one of the toughest positions to project. Alex Smith also comes to mind.

Leinart is the guy Bradford most reminds me of.

Why? Because both Leinart and Bradford have run two of the most prolific passing offenses in NCAA history? I haven't watched much of Bradford, but Leinart's biggest problem is his work ethic. He doesn't seem to really be focused at the NFL level. To me that's pretty fluky because he had everything you'd want coming out, including fitting to a "T" those college numbers you look for - 30+ starts with >60% completions. He had all the big game experience you'd ever hope for.

I even still hold out hope that Leinart will get serious and turn it on, but that is fading over time. Anyway, I think Leinart is not a good guidepost to use for Bradford unless there's somehow also some question about how hard Bradford works or how easily he's distracted by living The Life.

I don't claim to know anything about these guys personalities or work ethic. I don't get to interview them, NFL teams do. They will ultimately decide if they think he is a guy who could "lack focus." His on field game reminds me of Leinart... and that is not a bad thing. Try not to get your panties in a bunch.

I'm not invested in either Leinart or Bradford. You seem to be the guy who took my post as some sort of an attack rather than a contribution to the discussion as to how to evaluate Bradford. Take your own advice, Janice.

 

[jurb26]

Remember Matt Leinart? He was a can't miss superstar destined for greatness I believe. IMO QB is one of the toughest positions to project. Alex Smith also comes to mind.

Leinart is the guy Bradford most reminds me of.

Why? Because both Leinart and Bradford have run two of the most prolific passing offenses in NCAA history? I haven't watched much of Bradford, but Leinart's biggest problem is his work ethic. He doesn't seem to really be focused at the NFL level. To me that's pretty fluky because he had everything you'd want coming out, including fitting to a "T" those college numbers you look for - 30+ starts with >60% completions. He had all the big game experience you'd ever hope for.

I even still hold out hope that Leinart will get serious and turn it on, but that is fading over time. Anyway, I think Leinart is not a good guidepost to use for Bradford unless there's somehow also some question about how hard Bradford works or how easily he's distracted by living The Life.

I don't claim to know anything about these guys personalities or work ethic. I don't get to interview them, NFL teams do. They will ultimately decide if they think he is a guy who could "lack focus." His on field game reminds me of Leinart... and that is not a bad thing. Try not to get your panties in a bunch.

I'm not invested in either Leinart or Bradford. You seem to be the guy who took my post as some sort of an attack rather than a contribution to the discussion as to how to evaluate Bradford. Take your own advice, Janice.

You stated that you haven't watched much of Bradford then say that Leinart is not a good guidepost, even though I not once mentioned anything about work ethic. So, yeah. I do take a bit of offense to the fact that you try to call out the comparison even though you haven't watched Bradford play a lot or even understood why the comparison was made. If you haven't watched Bradford play much, why would you simply assume that the comparison was made due to work ethic or focus?

 

[T Bell]

Remember Matt Leinart? He was a can't miss superstar destined for greatness I believe. IMO QB is one of the toughest positions to project. Alex Smith also comes to mind.

Leinart is the guy Bradford most reminds me of.

Why? Because both Leinart and Bradford have run two of the most prolific passing offenses in NCAA history? I haven't watched much of Bradford, but Leinart's biggest problem is his work ethic. He doesn't seem to really be focused at the NFL level. To me that's pretty fluky because he had everything you'd want coming out, including fitting to a "T" those college numbers you look for - 30+ starts with >60% completions. He had all the big game experience you'd ever hope for.

I even still hold out hope that Leinart will get serious and turn it on, but that is fading over time. Anyway, I think Leinart is not a good guidepost to use for Bradford unless there's somehow also some question about how hard Bradford works or how easily he's distracted by living The Life.

I don't claim to know anything about these guys personalities or work ethic. I don't get to interview them, NFL teams do. They will ultimately decide if they think he is a guy who could "lack focus." His on field game reminds me of Leinart... and that is not a bad thing. Try not to get your panties in a bunch.

I'm not invested in either Leinart or Bradford. You seem to be the guy who took my post as some sort of an attack rather than a contribution to the discussion as to how to evaluate Bradford. Take your own advice, Janice.

You stated that you haven't watched much of Bradford then say that Leinart is not a good guidepost, even though I not once mentioned anything about work ethic. So, yeah. I do take a bit of offense to the fact that you try to call out the comparison even though you haven't watched Bradford play a lot or even understood why the comparison was made.

I guess I'm at a disadvantage here. I'm trying to convey my meaning (which, BTW, is quite different than what you've read) in written form, and your reading comprehension is lousy. What do do?

 

[jurb26]

I guess I'm at a disadvantage here. I'm trying to convey my meaning (which, BTW, is quite different than what you've read) in written form, and your reading comprehension is lousy. What do do?

 

[Chaos Commish]

Remember Matt Leinart? He was a can't miss superstar destined for greatness I believe. IMO QB is one of the toughest positions to project. Alex Smith also comes to mind.

Leinart is the guy Bradford most reminds me of.

Really? I have to disagree here (and we agree a lot). I went to great lengths to point out to the Leinart lovers that he had major issues throwing on the run (not Sam), throwing a deep out (which he simply could not throw at the time, and Bradford nails), and mainly with any downfield accuracy. These things were why I preferred Cutler and took some heat from a staffer for doing so in long tedious threads. And sure, some of us thought Leinart was less than advertised off the field too. I don't have a feel for Bradford's dedication. Bradford is accurate. I haven't seen a throw he can't make. But I agree there's similarity in ball velocity, footwork, throwing motion, etc. They look alike playing. One thing we (Wildman helped out) documented here, was dozens of easy touchdown passes Leinart missed. His offense was so good he had dozens of opportunities to make up for it, and his running game saved him regularly. But those misses had a bothersome pattern. He doesn't/didn't have any remotely consistent deep accuracy. A few highlights masked the issue. I haven't seen enough OU to say 100% for sure, but Bradford, by everything I have seen and confirmed by reading, is just crazy accurate all over the field. I think he'll be fine in the NFL.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

Remember Matt Leinart? He was a can't miss superstar destined for greatness I believe. IMO QB is one of the toughest positions to project. Alex Smith also comes to mind.

Leinart is the guy Bradford most reminds me of.

Why? Because both Leinart and Bradford have run two of the most prolific passing offenses in NCAA history? I haven't watched much of Bradford, but Leinart's biggest problem is his work ethic. He doesn't seem to really be focused at the NFL level. To me that's pretty fluky because he had everything you'd want coming out, including fitting to a "T" those college numbers you look for - 30+ starts with >60% completions. He had all the big game experience you'd ever hope for.

I even still hold out hope that Leinart will get serious and turn it on, but that is fading over time. Anyway, I think Leinart is not a good guidepost to use for Bradford unless there's somehow also some question about how hard Bradford works or how easily he's distracted by living The Life.

And unless you know Bradford personally, I don't see how anyone can gauge this by watching his on-field play.

Jurb 26 once again showing why it's really hard to come to the Shark Pool sometimes. Just terrible.

 

[jurb26]

Bradford is accurate. I haven't seen a throw he can't make. But I agree there's similarity in ball velocity, footwork, throwing motion, etc. They look alike playing.

This is what I was referring. There is no doubt that Bradford is more athletic.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

Glad to hear the guys who called the game last night giving a lot of credit to the Oklahoma Oline. I'm not sure what the status of Murray's injury is as of yet, but with out him I think Florida will have a much easier time preparing for Oklahoma. Let's hold off on the comments as to who is the best conference in the country this year. At least the "by far" ones. This game will go a long way towards confirming that IMO.

Murray will play in Miami, and the Big 12 was the best conference in college football this year. People who watch college football (not just have a membership to scouting sites) know this jurby.

 

[NorrisB]

There's no defense in the big 12

 

[jurb26]

There's no defense in the big 12

Oklahoma has an extremely talented D.

 

[metoo]

Does the fact that Bradford runs a spread offense (and granted he runs it very well) significantly hurt his draft stock? If he's going to be a top 10 pick, obviously not. If scouts aren't concerned about him running the spread, why not?

With a lot of spread quartebacks, the scheme makes them appear better than they are. No so with Bradford. He is a tremendous passer, who can read a defense and make every throw. He has great touch on his passes and seems to always hit the receiver in stride. He also consistently drops the ball perfectly over the defender on deep passes.I have only really been able to watch Stafford play one game, and was very impressed with what I saw. but it is a small sample size. I have seen Bradford in several games, he is the real deal, no question.

I wrote some specific observations in my scouting thread of the Cincy-Oklahoma game:

Scouting the Future - Cincy v. Oklahoma

Rest assured Stafford is the top QB in this class by a comfortably margin. His arm is just in elite class.

Having a strong arm isn't the most important talent for a QB to have. Just look at Jamarcus Russell. I haven't really watched Stafford a whole lot, but saying that Stafford is the best QB in the class by a comfortable margin just because he has a strong arm isn't very encouraging.

Funny how all the people in here who seem to think that Stafford isn't as good always seem to preface things by saying they haven't watched him a whole lot. Maybe you guys should watch him. He is far more than an arm. But he is the ONLY elite arm in this class.

I've watched him a lot and I think whoever drafts him will be pretty disappointed. He's the next coming of Joey Harrington.

I've watched him in many games and if he's the best QB in this class then many teams will be in trouble.

 

[T Bell]

There's no defense in the big 12

Oklahoma has an extremely talented D.

And that has what exactly to do with Bradford?

 

[jurb26]

There's no defense in the big 12

Oklahoma has an extremely talented D.

And that has what exactly to do with Bradford?

Nothing, why?

 

[Breesisdaman]

Best QB in nation. Should win the Heisman (Tebow finishes 2nd) and should be 1st QB taken in 09 NFL draft (assuming he declares). Looks like a future NFL (fantasy) stud. Matt Ryan this year = Sam Bradford next year. I can hear it now......Sam Bradford to Calvin Johnson for a TD!!

I will wait until after the Florida before I crown him the best. He has not seen near as tough defenses as Tim Tebow has and I predict a lopsided win for the Gators in that game similar to the lopsided win LSU had over the Sooners a couple years back. The national Championship has already been played last night and Florida beat Alabama for it. The rest is just filler.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

Best QB in nation. Should win the Heisman (Tebow finishes 2nd) and should be 1st QB taken in 09 NFL draft (assuming he declares).

Looks like a future NFL (fantasy) stud. Matt Ryan this year = Sam Bradford next year.

I can hear it now......Sam Bradford to Calvin Johnson for a TD!!

I will wait until after the Florida before I crown him the best. He has not seen near as tough defenses as Tim Tebow has and I predict a lopsided win for the Gators in that game similar to the lopsided win LSU had over the Sooners a couple years back. The national Championship has already been played last night and Florida beat Alabama for it. The rest is just filler.

LSU won that game by 7 SEC guy.

 

[T Bell]

There's no defense in the big 12

Oklahoma has an extremely talented D.

And that has what exactly to do with Bradford?

Nothing, why?

Just measuring your consistency. So far, so good.

 

[Christo]

I predict a lopsided win for the Gators in that game similar to the lopsided win LSU had over the Sooners a couple years back.

 

[jurb26]

Best QB in nation. Should win the Heisman (Tebow finishes 2nd) and should be 1st QB taken in 09 NFL draft (assuming he declares). Looks like a future NFL (fantasy) stud. Matt Ryan this year = Sam Bradford next year. I can hear it now......Sam Bradford to Calvin Johnson for a TD!!

I will wait until after the Florida before I crown him the best. He has not seen near as tough defenses as Tim Tebow has and I predict a lopsided win for the Gators in that game similar to the lopsided win LSU had over the Sooners a couple years back. The national Championship has already been played last night and Florida beat Alabama for it. The rest is just filler.

This is a better Oklahoma team that the one that played LSU. Florida is going to have a real challenge creating pressure on Bradford with how dominant the Oline has played this year.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

I think Stafford will be the 1st QB taken in 2009 and is much in the mold of Jay Cutler.

I said Cutler earlier in this thread. After last night I think that's a pretty good comparison.

 

[FUBAR]

I think Stafford will be the 1st QB taken in 2009 and is much in the mold of Jay Cutler.

I said Cutler earlier in this thread. After last night I think that's a pretty good comparison.

As a team who can use a young QB and have the 1.05, I'm liking this. But is that too early to pick him?

 

[FUBAR]

Best QB in nation. Should win the Heisman (Tebow finishes 2nd) and should be 1st QB taken in 09 NFL draft (assuming he declares). Looks like a future NFL (fantasy) stud. Matt Ryan this year = Sam Bradford next year. I can hear it now......Sam Bradford to Calvin Johnson for a TD!!

I will wait until after the Florida before I crown him the best. He has not seen near as tough defenses as Tim Tebow has and I predict a lopsided win for the Gators in that game similar to the lopsided win LSU had over the Sooners a couple years back. The national Championship has already been played last night and Florida beat Alabama for it. The rest is just filler.

umm, no. Florida could win it all, but you severely underrate Oklahoma. If the game were played in a truly neutral field, I'd probably take OU straight up.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

I said Cutler earlier in this thread. After last night I think that's a pretty good comparison.

Cutler would be a better comparison IMO based on the type of throws they can both make and also the very high football IQ of both of them. Bradford makes wonderful decisions going through his progressions and he has great accuracy on the sideline routes. Cutler probably has a little stronger arm but Bradford can make all the throws and has a nice touch on the deep ball.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

I think Stafford will be the 1st QB taken in 2009 and is much in the mold of Jay Cutler.

I said Cutler earlier in this thread. After last night I think that's a pretty good comparison.

As a team who can use a young QB and have the 1.05, I'm liking this. But is that too early to pick him?

Was 1.05 too early this year to take Matt Ryan? I'm thinking "no" at this point.

 

[FreeBaGeL]

Another great performance.

Against Mizzou...who made Juice Williams look like Tom Brady.I'm very interested to see what Bradford does in January against Florida. He definitely looks like he has all the tools, but the Big 12 defenses have just been downright awful this year (I know the offenses are good, but even out of conference teams like Eastern Washington were scoring more against their Big 12 opponents than they were against the unheard of D2 schools they were playing). It will be interesting to see if he looks as comfortable against a real defense.

Well there are a lot of errors in here. First of all Eastern Washington wasn't scoring more against "D2" opponents than they were against Colorado or Texas Tech so I'm guessing you don't know what a "D2" is. They played Western Washington from D2 and scored 52. Secondly, Big 12 is the #1 ranked conference in college football.

Finally maybe you forgot TCU who is in a offensive leaning conference and is 2nd in total defense in the NCAA. They did not allow more than 14 points against any opponent except one, OU which scored 35. Bradford was 19-34 for 411 yards and 4 TDs in that game. Cincinnati was 24th in total defense coming into the Hawaii game and Bradford was 29-38 for 395 yards and 5 TDs against them. Bradford also threw for 387 and 5 Tds against Texas who has a pretty good defense and the best in the Big 12.

OU scored 60 points in 5 straight games and the most in NCAA history for any FBS team. If you want to say that Bradford's success is based on probably the best O-line in college football then fine but you didn't mention that. If you want to base it on system you might not like what you find from the Stoops era past. If you want to say they didn't have a running game and were forced to pass then you'll forget about Chris Brown who ran for 1000 yards and Demarco Murray who himself is a great NFL prospect.

Spare us the Eastern Washington/Big 12 sucks shtick though. Florida gave up 30 points to Ole Miss and they haven't played an offense any where close to Ou's all year. The Big 12 is also by far the best conference in college football this year and the offenses in it are amazing. It has much less to do with bad defensive showings than it does with the Big 12 just being superior in offensive personnel and the draft over the next few years will prove that. OU scored 50+ points nine times this year, Sam Bradford was the biggest reason for that.

Wow, sounds like someone needs to take a chill-pill, and remember where they are. This is not a college football forum. No one is arguing who the best college football team is, or who the best college football conference is, save that schtick for your buddies. You kept bringing up how the Big 12 is perceived as the best conference in college football (over and over and over again). Ok, I agree with that, what's your point? Whether or not they're the top conference this year, the defenses are still AWFUL. Anyone watching the games can see their shoddy tackling and blown coverages that happen so often it looks like they're doing it on purpose.Hell, I'm immensely high on Bradford as an NFL prospect, as I've said in this thread he has uncanny vision, a great arm, great touch, good size, and is fairly mobile to boot. All I said was that it'll be interesting to see what he does against a top defense like Florida's.

As for Eastern Washington, here are their points scored in a handful of their games this year:

Montana: 3

Sacramento State: 13

Northern Arizona: 28

Texas Tech: 24

Colorado: 24

And don't give me any lines about garbage time points, as only 3 of those points against Texas Tech and Colorado came in the 4th quarter, and almost all of them came in the 1st half.

Also, in out of conference games against other BCS teams the Big 12 gave up more than 30 points in 8 out of 15 games, and 4 of those games that they held them under 30 were against some of the worst BCS conference teams in recent memory (Arkansas, Washington State, and two against Washington). The SEC gave up over 30 in only 4 out of 14.

As good as the Big 12 may be this year, the defenses are very bad.

 

[gump]

I'm sure everyone has seen this...but McShay is now saying that he believes Stafford will go #1 after discussing with several NFL insiders and getting a feeling for how they view his potential.

He also has Smith at #2...Bradford at #5.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

I'm sure everyone has seen this...but McShay is now saying that he believes Stafford will go #1 after discussing with several NFL insiders and getting a feeling for how they view his potential.He also has Smith at #2...Bradford at #5.

Has anyone heard anything else about whether or not he's declaring? I'm putting together a mock and it would obviously change things if he did. So far, I've excluded both he and Crabtree from my latest version.

 

[awesomeness]

I'm sure everyone has seen this...but McShay is now saying that he believes Stafford will go #1 after discussing with several NFL insiders and getting a feeling for how they view his potential.He also has Smith at #2...Bradford at #5.

Has anyone heard anything else about whether or not he's declaring? I'm putting together a mock and it would obviously change things if he did. So far, I've excluded both he and Crabtree from my latest version.

you shouldn't be excluding Crabtree imo. I think Bradford's said he was returning pretty early in the season, but that means little. I think if Bradford wins the national championship there's a much larger chance he declares. If not the feeling of unfinished business may be the tipping point causing him to stay another year.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

I'm sure everyone has seen this...but McShay is now saying that he believes Stafford will go #1 after discussing with several NFL insiders and getting a feeling for how they view his potential.He also has Smith at #2...Bradford at #5.

Has anyone heard anything else about whether or not he's declaring? I'm putting together a mock and it would obviously change things if he did. So far, I've excluded both he and Crabtree from my latest version.

you shouldn't be excluding Crabtree imo. I think Bradford's said he was returning pretty early in the season, but that means little. I think if Bradford wins the national championship there's a much larger chance he declares. If not the feeling of unfinished business may be the tipping point causing him to stay another year.

I dunno. Crabtree said he's leaning toward going back and his dad said the opposite. It makes for an interesting mock if those two aren't in it.

 

[awesomeness]

I'm sure everyone has seen this...but McShay is now saying that he believes Stafford will go #1 after discussing with several NFL insiders and getting a feeling for how they view his potential.He also has Smith at #2...Bradford at #5.

Has anyone heard anything else about whether or not he's declaring? I'm putting together a mock and it would obviously change things if he did. So far, I've excluded both he and Crabtree from my latest version.

you shouldn't be excluding Crabtree imo. I think Bradford's said he was returning pretty early in the season, but that means little. I think if Bradford wins the national championship there's a much larger chance he declares. If not the feeling of unfinished business may be the tipping point causing him to stay another year.

I dunno. Crabtree said he's leaning toward going back and his dad said the opposite. It makes for an interesting mock if those two aren't in it.

Do you think Crabtree is going to stay another year while Tech will be grooming in a brand new QB whose never started a game before? Considering he's likely a top 10 pick and looking at tens of millions of dollars in cash money, there's no chance in hell he comes back imo.

 

[Chachi]

I'm sure everyone has seen this...but McShay is now saying that he believes Stafford will go #1 after discussing with several NFL insiders and getting a feeling for how they view his potential.He also has Smith at #2...Bradford at #5.

Has anyone heard anything else about whether or not he's declaring? I'm putting together a mock and it would obviously change things if he did. So far, I've excluded both he and Crabtree from my latest version.

you shouldn't be excluding Crabtree imo. I think Bradford's said he was returning pretty early in the season, but that means little. I think if Bradford wins the national championship there's a much larger chance he declares. If not the feeling of unfinished business may be the tipping point causing him to stay another year.

I dunno. Crabtree said he's leaning toward going back and his dad said the opposite. It makes for an interesting mock if those two aren't in it.

Just to make a note, Crabtree was asked if he's coming back and basically said "Uh, ya". It's common for these guys to say "ya" when asked point blank for fear of demoralizing the team in the upcoming bowl game. When/IF Crabtree says "Uh ya" after the completion of the season then i'd worry. He has zero to gain from staying besides getting his education, he can lose millions by staying, his stock ain't going up, he could be facing a rookie salary cap next year.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Just to make a note, Crabtree was asked if he's coming back and basically said "Uh, ya". It's common for these guys to say "ya" when asked point blank for fear of demoralizing the team in the upcoming bowl game. When/IF Crabtree says "Uh ya" after the completion of the season then i'd worry. He has zero to gain from staying besides getting his education, he can lose millions by staying, his stock ain't going up, he could be facing a rookie salary cap next year.

I agree with all that. Same can be said for McCoy too (mostly) but he's staying, so who knows.Nobody thought Leinart would go back to school either.

 

[FUBAR]

I think Stafford will be the 1st QB taken in 2009 and is much in the mold of Jay Cutler.

I said Cutler earlier in this thread. After last night I think that's a pretty good comparison.

As a team who can use a young QB and have the 1.05, I'm liking this. But is that too early to pick him?

Was 1.05 too early this year to take Matt Ryan? I'm thinking "no" at this point.

Is Bradford another Ryan?If you took Ryan over Forte or CJ3 in most leagues, it probably was too early.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Is Bradford another Ryan?

In what way? A guy that can make an impact right out of the gate? Depends on where he goes. Ryan stepped into a pretty good situation.I think both have tremendous long term potential in the NFL.

 

[FUBAR]

Is Bradford another Ryan?

In what way? A guy that can make an impact right out of the gate? Depends on where he goes. Ryan stepped into a pretty good situation.I think both have tremendous long term potential in the NFL.

what do you mean "in what way?" you initiated the comparison.

As a team who can use a young QB and have the 1.05, I'm liking this. But is that too early to pick him?

Was 1.05 too early this year to take Matt Ryan? I'm thinking "no" at this point.

I assumed you meant Bradford should be roughly equal to Ryan, maybe you didn't mean that?

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Is Bradford another Ryan?

In what way? A guy that can make an impact right out of the gate? Depends on where he goes. Ryan stepped into a pretty good situation.I think both have tremendous long term potential in the NFL.

what do you mean "in what way?" you initiated the comparison.

As a team who can use a young QB and have the 1.05, I'm liking this. But is that too early to pick him?

Was 1.05 too early this year to take Matt Ryan? I'm thinking "no" at this point.

I assumed you meant Bradford should be roughly equal to Ryan, maybe you didn't mean that?

Bradford has at least as much skill as Ryan, and maybe more. Ryan might have the edge in leadership ability.When you asked "Is Bradford another Ryan", I needed to ask if you meant can Bradford step into the NFL and put up Ryan-like numbers, since it was you that seemed to be talking about dynasty. That's why I said it depends.

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

I'll get more into this as I break down tape this offseason, but the guy Bradford has always reminded me of is Peyton Manning.

Ideal Stature, Eerie Accuracy, Great Field Vision, Terrific Touch on the Deep Ball, Not the Most Athletic, but Moves Around Pocket Well, Mental Toughness not Sterling, but Mostly Good...

Of course NFL comparisons for college prospects are for entertainment purposes only.

 

[FUBAR]

When you asked "Is Bradford another Ryan", I needed to ask if you meant can Bradford step into the NFL and put up Ryan-like numbers, since it was you that seemed to be talking about dynasty. That's why I said it depends.

I see. I don't care too much about whether he can step in and have the best rookie season ever, but I care about his long term potential. I like what I see, but Ryan might be better.

 

[Bri]

I'll get more into this as I break down tape this offseason, but the guy Bradford has always reminded me of is Peyton Manning.

Ideal Stature, Eerie Accuracy, Great Field Vision, Terrific Touch on the Deep Ball, Not the Most Athletic, but Moves Around Pocket Well, Mental Toughness not Sterling, but Mostly Good...

Of course NFL comparisons for college prospects are for entertainment purposes only.

I love how once someone stirs up a negative in any form even slightlyhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMULDN99Ss8&fmt=18

boom it's gone.

one can easily foresee an NFL team rallying around him, being led by him etc. It's a weird phrase but ...he's very easy to root for

 

[Enforcer]

Oddly enough, I just watched Bradford play for the first time. I thought, "Yeah, he's got something. Perhaps..."'

But then immediately afterward I watched the Stanford-Cal game from the 80s with Elway that I had saved on my DVR. Wow. What a difference. Elway had a gun. A cannon. Lasers all over the place. Bradford may be a decent NFL QB, but he's really lacking in arm strength if you want to start making comparisons. Fair? Maybe not, but Bradford doesn't have a cannon mounted on his shoulder like I just witnessed. Manning, Favre, and Cutler have cannons. Bradford? Not so much.

I'm making no claims about his future NFL success. Lots of guys are plenty successful without giant arms, but if Bradford has a big arm I didn't see it get displayed yet. I'm looking forward to watching him in his bowl game.

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

Oddly enough, I just watched Bradford play for the first time. I thought, "Yeah, he's got something. Perhaps..."'But then immediately afterward I watched the Stanford-Cal game from the 80s with Elway that I had saved on my DVR. Wow. What a difference. Elway had a gun. A cannon. Lasers all over the place. Bradford may be a decent NFL QB, but he's really lacking in arm strength if you want to start making comparisons. Fair? Maybe not, but Bradford doesn't have a cannon mounted on his shoulder like I just witnessed. Manning, Favre, and Cutler have cannons. Bradford? Not so much.I'm making no claims about his future NFL success. Lots of guys are plenty successful without giant arms, but if Bradford has a big arm I didn't see it get displayed yet. I'm looking forward to watching him in his bowl game.

Elite Arm Strength is Overrated. Pennington (even early Pennington), Brees, Rivers, Ryan, Brady (especially early Brady) - none of them have cannons. I think accuracy and just a general "know what kind of throw you need to make to put it in THAT window" sixth sense is a better indicator of NFL success than arm strength.

 

[NorrisB]

Oddly enough, I just watched Bradford play for the first time. I thought, "Yeah, he's got something. Perhaps..."'But then immediately afterward I watched the Stanford-Cal game from the 80s with Elway that I had saved on my DVR. Wow. What a difference. Elway had a gun. A cannon. Lasers all over the place. Bradford may be a decent NFL QB, but he's really lacking in arm strength if you want to start making comparisons. Fair? Maybe not, but Bradford doesn't have a cannon mounted on his shoulder like I just witnessed. Manning, Favre, and Cutler have cannons. Bradford? Not so much.I'm making no claims about his future NFL success. Lots of guys are plenty successful without giant arms, but if Bradford has a big arm I didn't see it get displayed yet. I'm looking forward to watching him in his bowl game.

Elite Arm Strength is Overrated. Pennington (even early Pennington), Brees, Rivers, Ryan, Brady (especially early Brady) - none of them have cannons. I think accuracy and just a general "know what kind of throw you need to make to put it in THAT window" sixth sense is a better indicator of NFL success than arm strength.

Sam Bradford and Stafford seem like a Matt Leinart vs. Jay Cutler like debate, Leinart had outstanding field vision in college but only an ok arm, like Bradford played with top quality offenses against teams with all offense and no defense. I just really dont like Bradford as much as Stafford and if Bradford had to play against top quality defenses that Stafford faces in the SEC theres no way he'd put up those kinds of numbers.

 

[Enforcer]

Oddly enough, I just watched Bradford play for the first time. I thought, "Yeah, he's got something. Perhaps..."'But then immediately afterward I watched the Stanford-Cal game from the 80s with Elway that I had saved on my DVR. Wow. What a difference. Elway had a gun. A cannon. Lasers all over the place. Bradford may be a decent NFL QB, but he's really lacking in arm strength if you want to start making comparisons. Fair? Maybe not, but Bradford doesn't have a cannon mounted on his shoulder like I just witnessed. Manning, Favre, and Cutler have cannons. Bradford? Not so much.I'm making no claims about his future NFL success. Lots of guys are plenty successful without giant arms, but if Bradford has a big arm I didn't see it get displayed yet. I'm looking forward to watching him in his bowl game.

Elite Arm Strength is Overrated. Pennington (even early Pennington), Brees, Rivers, Ryan, Brady (especially early Brady) - none of them have cannons. I think accuracy and just a general "know what kind of throw you need to make to put it in THAT window" sixth sense is a better indicator of NFL success than arm strength.

I tried to say several times in my post that he may do fine. It's not a requirement, but its certainly a helpful tool to have in the toolbox. The best of the best can generally sling it like few others can. Marino, Favre, Elway, etc. If I had my choice, I would take the guy that can throw rockets. There's just so much about these young QBs that we just don't know yet. I think its next to impossible to measure the "intangibles", so why bother trying to account for those things? We're just not going to know about that sixth sense until several opportunities to shine have presented themselves. One for thing is certain for me, Bradford won't be afforded all that time in the NFL. No chance. Until he gets put in those situations we just won't know. How will he respond to "staring down the gun barrell" like Jaws always comments on? We just don't know for now. Given that, I'll take the big arm for now and hope for the best. Anyone that claims otherwise is just fooling themselves when it comes to this sixth sense you speak of. Purely my opinion.

 

[awesomeness]

Oddly enough, I just watched Bradford play for the first time. I thought, "Yeah, he's got something. Perhaps..."'But then immediately afterward I watched the Stanford-Cal game from the 80s with Elway that I had saved on my DVR. Wow. What a difference. Elway had a gun. A cannon. Lasers all over the place. Bradford may be a decent NFL QB, but he's really lacking in arm strength if you want to start making comparisons. Fair? Maybe not, but Bradford doesn't have a cannon mounted on his shoulder like I just witnessed. Manning, Favre, and Cutler have cannons. Bradford? Not so much.I'm making no claims about his future NFL success. Lots of guys are plenty successful without giant arms, but if Bradford has a big arm I didn't see it get displayed yet. I'm looking forward to watching him in his bowl game.

Elite Arm Strength is Overrated. Pennington (even early Pennington), Brees, Rivers, Ryan, Brady (especially early Brady) - none of them have cannons. I think accuracy and just a general "know what kind of throw you need to make to put it in THAT window" sixth sense is a better indicator of NFL success than arm strength.

I tried to say several times in my post that he may do fine. It's not a requirement, but its certainly a helpful tool to have in the toolbox. The best of the best can generally sling it like few others can. Marino, Favre, Elway, etc. If I had my choice, I would take the guy that can throw rockets. There's just so much about these young QBs that we just don't know yet. I think its next to impossible to measure the "intangibles", so why bother trying to account for those things? We're just not going to know about that sixth sense until several opportunities to shine have presented themselves. One for thing is certain for me, Bradford won't be afforded all that time in the NFL. No chance. Until he gets put in those situations we just won't know. How will he respond to "staring down the gun barrell" like Jaws always comments on? We just don't know for now. Given that, I'll take the big arm for now and hope for the best. Anyone that claims otherwise is just fooling themselves when it comes to this sixth sense you speak of. Purely my opinion.

You people who think arm strength is the most important trait of an elite QB are fooling yourselves. Just look at Kyle Boller and Jamarcus Russel from recent years. When your scouting a player, try not to get too enamoured on one trait, especially for a QB.