FB: Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference

[Adam Sayer]

Keep in mind that Jon Kitna is 34 years old and has been in the NFL for 10 years now. His best year in terms of yards was last year, but he still threw more INT's than he did TD's. He is on the down hill and other than a few good years (1999, 2003, and last year) he has been a very average QB. What happens to average QB's when they get old? Calvin Johnson did have 3 games this past year where he caught 2 or less passes. His season next year may be similar cause honestly, I don't see Kitna putting together 2 years back to back like he had last season.

Anthony Gonzales will catch his passes. Payton Manning throws and completes A LOT. Marvin Harrison will be in his 12th year next year and isn't getting younger. While Gonzo is learning football and working with the smartest player in The League, Calvin Johnson will still be searching for a QB to throw to him. Randy Moss is an amazing WR and going to the Patriots scares me, but how good has he been recently. No one can get him the ball.

[Adam Sayer]

As a #3 receiver in Indy's offense, Brandon Stokely caught 109 passes for over 1600 yards and 11 TD's during 2004 and 2005. He was injured last year. He's gone and filling his spot will be Anthony Gonzales.

[victorybell_57]

i am still in shock over miami drafting ginn. his foot injury is the same one that ended a few notable nfl careers, and one that doctors still do not have a good grasp on. i have heard of guys who have recovered, but only after 9 months of in-activity and a some major surgery. does anybody have any info on ginn's recovery? what they did to fix his foot?

mel kiper called troy smith the qb steal of the draft, thoughts?

[frank uible]

Troy Smith has a lot of upside for a 5th rounder - but a big "wash out" factor.

[M and L]

Concerning Smith

Sorry Sayer: but what does he offer in terms of productivity for an NFL team.  I don' think he is that fast as an Randel type of player.  He has the arm and the percecsion passing capability but i question his QB decision making.

He is moved to a slot back and is utilized as WR position then can catch a ball?

I don't see what Mel kipper sees in Troy Smith

[Adam Sayer]

He did win a Heisman and put up similar numbers as Quinn against similar competition. Quinn had more yards and TD, but Smith had better completion % and less INT. Smith's rating was also better. Other than one game, he picks it up and plays great in the spotlight.

Troy Smith was a 2nd round pick until the Florida game. JaMarcus Russell was a mid-late 1st round pick until the Sugar Bowl.  Lesson: Don't screw up in your last game.

[victorybell_57]

actually, i agree with sayer. if he whooped on florida, then maybe he would've been a higher pick.

[frank uible]

Kiper may see a young Jeff Blake in Smith.

[SaintsFAN]

He did win a Heisman and put up similar numbers as Quinn against similar competition. Quinn had more yards and TD, but Smith had better completion % and less INT. Smith's rating was also better. Other than one game, he picks it up and plays great in the spotlight.

Troy Smith was a 2nd round pick until the Florida game. JaMarcus Russell was a mid-late 1st round pick until the Sugar Bowl.  Lesson: Don't screw up in your last game.

Quinn played like **** against USC AND LSU right?

[victorybell_57]

no, i would say that his teammates dropped about 11 passes vs USC and his OL couldn't open a hole for his running backs. not being argumentative, but even the announcers were all over the dropped passes and that "great OL" being tossed around like a group of freshmen. i remember two dropped passes in the end zone. you cannot drop passes that hit you in the hands in the endzone and beat usc.

[victorybell_57]

he may have been killed by lsu, i was flipping through channels at that point. i have no story on that game except that lsu has an enormous team. a lot of really big people and they can run.

[M and L]

Well but, but i just haven't bought into Smith as a professional QB

[Adam Sayer]

He struggled against those teams. He wasn't horrible, but stuggled. He looked average in a lot of ND games this year and it all started with the OSU loss last year in the fiesta bowl.

He did put up some impressive bench reps though. I think he repped 225 for 22 reps.

[Superfoot Wallace]

Frank, Kiper?

See a young Bradshaw in Smith.

Gonna make a comparison here and hopefully the wrasslin' spirits don't get too upset.

The NFL goes in cycles and is perpetually evolving.  In basketball, there was a time when the Lakers and Celtics were running willy nilly with taller players and the long stride.  That is, until Isaiah and the Microwave came around and negated out and out speed with quickness and tenacity.

Now, the linemen in the NFL grew to Appalachian status once the use of hands was made more liberal for passblocking.  And outside of three wide sets and other unothodox sets, the short receivers utility was novelty.  Marvin the Martian and Mike Martz did much to rememdy this, but still, the tall recevier is considered prototypical.

Recently, have seen the advent or at least retrun of smaller, attendantly shorter linebackers, with greater quickness to be able to turn hips and help out in deeper pass coverages.  The caveat being Urlacher, but then again, that double monster invert thing they run has the center fielder, errrr middle linebacker playing in the box.

Think Troy might be the Isaiah type return to a quarterback that both buys time and rushes much like Zeke did for the Bad Boy Pistons.

If McNair hangs around and tutors Smith for a minute, might see the quarterback position evolve away from the Goliaths of Manning, Elway and Jim Everett and back toward the scrambling and tenacity of the Bobby Laynes, Steve Youngs and (heaven forbid!) Jon Kitnas.

If there was ever a quarterback to tutor Smith, should think it is McNair, afterall, he did tutor his own heir down in Tennessee, Vince Young, when Vince was a Longhorn.

Smith will need an acrobatic receiver or two and a tight end to get vertical.  While Martz might be considered multiple West Coast, the real West Coast guys, Holmgren and Chucky et al, look for quick reads with the eyes and arm as opposed to the feet....  probably why Kitna was bumrushed out of Seattle for the taller 'system' quarterback.

There was a considerable amount of West Coast mentality that evolved in Tennesse for McNair under Fisher, and this school looked more toward semi-splitting the backs from I with taller tailbacks.  Maybe the reason Jamal Lewis, lower center of gravity churning style has passsed under Billick.  Even Martz was gravitating this way with the Oregon State guy at tail.

If the evolution of those microbackers is compromised by the downhill forward lean of taller running backs, have to think extra footedness with the quarterback could help turn flank.

Smith the next Blake?  C'mon Frank,  where's the love babyboy.  Always the hater.  Love it, love it!!  Hater-haters collaborate.

Not a big Buckeye fan here, but like the potential for Smith.  His powerful build might allow him to do some things in the pros that a shorter quartebrack like Leak might not.  Think back to McNabb's injury year three seasons ago,  Feely and Koy come in and tear things up, but their slight builds compromise their health.  Garcia had these same skill sets, but little more powerful build and operates well out of one of the West Coast permutations under Holmgren's twin.

Smith is no Kordell.  Smith didn't play in the option, but betting while Kordell probably had the better 40 time, Smith is probably faster on the 20 shuttle.

Then again, anybody that watched the quarterback skills challenge the week before the draft is thinking it is a safe bet Smith plays something more Randle El than Cunningham.

signed,
Craig Stadler and Laimbeer's Mask

[dc_has_been]

When Troy Smith faced a team w/ real speed like Flordia he had no idea on what to do which resulted in a bad game for him.  Now take the speed of Flordia & multiply it by 10 & that is what he'll be facing in the NFL.
Now part of the blame does go towards his protection b/c he did pretty much have someone on top of him every play, but to me he didn't look like an NFL caliber qb to me.  Could I be wrong?  Absolutely, considering the rest of his career at OSU was amazing, but overall I see him making his career at another position.