Recruiting a great quarterback

[JTrain]

Here's a list of Big Ten players that have played QB in the NFL since the 2000 season. Players in bold have started at least 16 NFL games. Players in italics have played in games but not started. The player in gray italics was drafted and made a roster but hasn't played in a regular season game.

 

 

 

 

The last Husker to start an NFL game at QB was Turner Gill's backup, Bruce Mathison on October 11, 1987 for the Seahawks.

 

For decades, we were luckily enough to have a great head coach and offensive coordinator with a unique offensive system that allowed us to have incredible success with a running back/athlete/decision maker at QB. Frazier, Frost and Crouch were all great players but only adequate passers, and that was enough for our system.

 

Taylor Martinez was a similar case, although he didn't have many of the advantages that the '90s teams had, and he was never quite the same after his injury. He was perhaps a slightly better passer than those guys, but he still had significant issues and inconsistencies with his passing.

 

Since we aren't going to have consistent top ten recruiting classes, I think we will need a truly great dual-threat QB if we ever want to make the playoffs.

 

When was the last time we had a quarterback that could legitimately pass the ball at an NFL level while also being a running threat? I'm talking guys in the vicinity of RGIII, Manziel, Terrell Pryor, Vince Young, Braxton Miller, Dak Prescott, etc. I would argue either it was Turner Gill (class of 1980) or we never have. I haven't seen enough of Gill to know if his passing skills were at that level. He threw a nice ball but I wouldn't put him up there based on completion percentage. I don't think Tommy will ever be there (I'd gladly be proven wrong), although with some improvement and a little help he can win a Big 10 title.

 

Anyway, I mostly just thought the table was interesting and thought I'd share.

[secretasianman]

Many teams would love to have that type of talent at qb. That talent is hard to find, and maybe even harder to develop.

 

Development is key and our current and previous qb's were and are being coached by a grad assistant.

 

So, you're a blue chup qb with these attributes and plenty of schools want you--one touts a qb coach who has sent x-number of guys into the nfl. The other touts a feel-good Rudy story qb grad assistant coach.

 

There's why.

[lo country]

TA could succeed in TO's system. Beck, unfortunately wishes to call plays that do not play to the "passing" strengths of TA. He more often than not, short hops outs and screens. Throws a nice deep ball and appears to be decent at passes across the middle. Play to these strengths. If we don't have a QB that can routinely hit "all" the routes. Can those routes and design a passing tree that our QB can do. On that first series against MSU, PA would have done wonders to get them out of the box. IMO, TA's passing game is his vertical throws and Beck went back to the dink and dunk screen game that IMO, is not TA's strength.

 

I would like to see how TA would do with rolling the pocket for his pass pro and trying to hit a guy in the flats on an out. Get him away from the pressure and hit him one key read and then dump. He doesn't go through progressions anyway so design a passing game where his primary "should be" in his passing comfort zone.

 

If we want a more lethal pass oriented offense, we need a QB coach or a new QB.

 

CFB stats shows that on 3rd and 7-9 TA is throwing 67% going 6 for 9......Not bad. He's also completed 82 passes. Approx 47 were 15+ yards. (if reading correctly) Back to the Vertical game

 

http://www.cfbstats.com/2014/player/463/1048345/passing/situational.html

[jaws]

Not that it matters but did you forget Tom Brady on this list?

[Undone]

Since we aren't going to have consistent top ten recruiting classes, I think we will need a truly great dual-threat QB if we ever want to make the playoffs.

 

 

 

I have a feeling I'll get flamed for this, but oh well. I think you can fairly easily also hypothesize about what we'd have if we had a non-mobile throwing-capable pocket passer. Our offense might actually be better off in the Big Ten this season given the fact that Ameer is such a dynamic runner/receiver. And not even an NFL caliber pocket passer. Our receivers (as a unit) are just that good.

 

But, that's not the reality. The reality is that Armstrong is our quarterback, and he's going to have to improve his lateral throwing game if we're going to win a conference title this season. He's good enough at throwing down field. But throwing to the sidelines/out-routes, he's really struggling there.

[BaytownHusker]

Most if not all of those guys up there are not the dual threat type guy NEB recruits. if you want guys that are going to start in the NFL one day you are going to need a top 10 pocket passer. but thats not what comes here to Neb. It is what it is.

[JTrain]

Not that it matters but did you forget Tom Brady on this list?

 

Haha, yes.

[Hammerhead]

Most if not all of those guys up there are not the dual threat type guy NEB recruits. if you want guys that are going to start in the NFL one day you are going to need a top 10 pocket passer. but thats not what comes here to Neb. It is what it is.

 

My question is, do we not recruit those types, or do they look to other schools because of our history of not producing NFL-caliber quarterbacks? From a cursory glance of the recruiting forum, it seems to be a little of both, but I don't go too far down to look at guys who've long since crossed us off the list.

[BigRedBuster]

Why is it that when a dual threat QB kills us with their legs, we constantly get people saying, "we need to commit to a dual threat QB running game and stick with it. We are a running team and we need to commit to that. That is our identity"

 

When we get beat by a pocket passer we get people saying, "Why can't we recruit a true pocket passer that can pass the ball"....but yet when we do pass, we hear, "We have no identity."

[Undone]

Why is it that when a dual threat QB kills us with their legs, we constantly get people saying, "we need to commit to a dual threat QB running game and stick with it. We are a running team and we need to commit to that. That is our identity"

 

When we get beat by a pocket passer we get people saying, "Why can't we recruit a true pocket passer that can pass the ball"....but yet when we do pass, we hear, "We have no identity."

 

Meh. I'm definitely not saying that.

 

When you play an outstanding rush defense, you have to be able to throw. I think Armstrong can get there. He's really only played one season of football. I think his ceiling is very high, and he has six more games to get there. It can happen, and if it does, we win the conference.

[BigRedBuster]

 

Why is it that when a dual threat QB kills us with their legs, we constantly get people saying, "we need to commit to a dual threat QB running game and stick with it. We are a running team and we need to commit to that. That is our identity"

 

When we get beat by a pocket passer we get people saying, "Why can't we recruit a true pocket passer that can pass the ball"....but yet when we do pass, we hear, "We have no identity."

 

Meh. I'm definitely not saying that.

 

When you play an outstanding rush defense, you have to be able to throw. I think Armstrong can get there. He's really only played one season of football. I think his ceiling is very high, and he has six more games to get there. It can happen, and if it does, we win the conference.

 

Honestly, I think he had a bad game against a very good defense. I know that sounds easy to say. But, I bet if he played that game again, he would hit some of those wide open players in the flats with the player going 30 yards with wide open space. That would then open up the running more. But, he didn't.

 

Hopefully, he has a chance to redeem himself ( and the O line) in December.

 

 

PS....also, when was the last time you saw Westercamp simply drop a pass that he had two hands on?

[KazLong]

I think the bigger or better question is, why arent we developing quarterbacks into NFL players. I would love to have a top 10 recruiting class, I cannot remember which game I was watching, was some top 25 team whos head QB was a 2 star recruit.

 

I guess it is the age old question of the chicken or the egg.

 

Is it the recruiting or the coaches? Why do other teams seem to make coal into diamonds, and we still end up with coal?

 

Could not think of support so turned to my trusty friend Google.

 

Source: http://www.maxpreps.com/news/h0vwkl6FF0S941mMG8o3WQ/top-10--nfls-unlikely-starting-quarterbacks.htm

 

10. Jake Delhomme, Carolina Panthers

 

Although he threw for over 3,300 yards and 32 touchdowns his senior year at Teurlings Catholic High School inLafayette, La., Delhomme was not an All-State quarterback. Instead he earned All-State honors on defense at defensive back. He went on to play at University of Southwestern Louisiana and finished his college career 22nd all-time in passing yardage in NCAA history. After playing in NFL Europe, Delhomme had a brief stint with the New Orleans Saints before hooking up with the Carolina Panthers in 2003. Delhomme led the Panthers to Super Bowl XXXVIII where they lost to the New England Patriots.

 

9. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons

 

Ryan did not earn All-State honors during his three years as a starter at William Penn Charter School inPhiladelphia, but he was All-City first team as a senior in 2002. Ryan went to Boston College, where he started his final two seasons. He gained some Heisman Trophy consideration his final season and was the third overall pick in the 2008 draft.

 

8. Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens

 

Flacco was not an All-State choice while attending Audobon High School in New Jersey, but he did manage to receive a scholarship to the University of Pittsburgh. There, he was a backup his first two seasons, prompting him to transfer to University of Delaware, where he earned third team All-American honors his senior year. He was selected in the first round of the 2008 draft by the Ravens and became Baltimore’s opening-day starter as a rookie.

 

7. Kurt Warner, Arizona Cardinals

 

Warner’s rise from grocery store clerk to two-time NFL MVP has been well-chronicled. He started out as quarterback for Regis High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and led his team to the 3A title. He earned All-State honors by the Des Moines Register, but was mired at third on the depth chart until his senior year at theUniversity of Northern Iowa. He earned the Gateway Conference’s MVP award his senior year, but was not drafted by the NFL. After stints in NFL Europe and Arena Football, Warner eventually signed with the St. Louis Rams and led them to Super Bowl XXXIV where he was named the game’s MVP. He currently is the starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals.

 

6. Brett Favre, New York Jets

 

Although Favre played for his father at Hancock North Central High School in Kiln, Miss., Favre rarely passed in his father’s run-oriented offense. As a result, he received scholarship offers to play defensive back, according to his Wikipedia entry. Favre eventually worked his way up from seventh on the depth chart at Southern Mississippi. A second round draft pick by the Atlanta Falcons, Favre was traded to Green Bay in 1992 and has gone on to have one of the all-time great careers in NFL history. He is a three-time MVP and owns nearly ever career passing mark, including yards, touchdowns, completions and attempts. He was traded during the offseason to the New York Jets.

 

5. Tom Brady, New England Patriots

 

Brady was not an All-State player while playing at Serra High School in San Mateo, Calif. Although he received a scholarship to Michigan, he did not start until his junior year and earned honorable mention All-Big 10 honors his senior year. The 199th pick in the 2000 NFL draft, Brady became a starter in 2001 and has led the Patriots to four Super Bowl appearances and three NFL crowns.

 

4. Matt Cassell, New England Patriots

 

Have to include Cassell on this list even though he won’t be the starter once Brady returns from a knee injury next season. Cassell was All-City at Chatsworth High School in the Los Angeles area but never started a game in college. He was the backup to both Carson Palmer and Matt Leinert at USC before being drafted by the Patriots. Until Brady was injured in the first game of the 2008 season, Cassell had never started a game in his four-year NFL career.

 

3. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys

 

Romo played on losing teams at high school in Burlington, Wis., but managed to earn a spot on the all-county team. He went on to a sterling career at Eastern Illinois University and was the three-time Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year, but was not drafted by the NFL. He joined the Dallas Cowboys as a free agent in 2003 and worked his way up the depth chart before finally taking over in 2006. He has twice earned Pro Bowl honors.

 

2. J.T. O’Sullivan, San Francisco 49ers

 

O’Sullivan earned All-Metro honors by the Sacramento Bee while leading Jesuit High School to a Sac-Joaquin Section crown in 1995. Although he did not receive any Division I scholarship offers, he attended California-Davis and threw for 10,745 yards during his three-year career with the Aggies. He was drafted in the sixth round by the New Orleans Saints in 2002 and has played in NFL Europe and with eight NFL teams before landing a starting role with the San Francisco 49ers in 2008.

 

1. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

 

Rodgers received just one Division I offer while setting school records and earning All-Northern Section honors at Pleasant Valley High School in Chico, Calif. He turned down the offer to play junior college football at nearby Butte College, making Rodgers the only player on this list to play at the JC level before making it to Division I. California coach Jeff Tedford saw Rodgers on a recruiting trip to watch another Butte College player and signed Rodgers to a scholarship. He went on to three years as a starter with the Bears, earning All-Pac-10 honors in 2004. Drafted in the first round by the Green Bay Packers in 2005, he was the backup to Favre for three season before being handed the starting role this year.

Edit: One thing I will give the former powers that be at NU during the 2001-04 era they were great about coming to small school in Iowa, while getting ISU or UI to come scout was like pulling teeth.

[BigRedBuster]

Tommy Armstrong 47% completion rate.

 

Conner Cook 38% completion rate..

[BaytownHusker]

 

 

Why is it that when a dual threat QB kills us with their legs, we constantly get people saying, "we need to commit to a dual threat QB running game and stick with it. We are a running team and we need to commit to that. That is our identity"

 

When we get beat by a pocket passer we get people saying, "Why can't we recruit a true pocket passer that can pass the ball"....but yet when we do pass, we hear, "We have no identity."

 

Meh. I'm definitely not saying that.

 

When you play an outstanding rush defense, you have to be able to throw. I think Armstrong can get there. He's really only played one season of football. I think his ceiling is very high, and he has six more games to get there. It can happen, and if it does, we win the conference.

 

Honestly, I think he had a bad game against a very good defense. I know that sounds easy to say. But, I bet if he played that game again, he would hit some of those wide open players in the flats with the player going 30 yards with wide open space. That would then open up the running more. But, he didn't.

 

Hopefully, he has a chance to redeem himself ( and the O line) in December.

 

 

PS....also, when was the last time you saw Westercamp simply drop a pass that he had two hands on?

 

I agree with you 100%. It was a bad game. He rushed alot of throws when he was being forced. It was raining and cold. And JW dropped a ball that would have got us some points some how. If we get any of those 2 point plays when were screwed up by the center all we have to do is kick a field goal at the end. If the 2 wr's at the end of the game don't get bumped off their route TA doesn't throw that pick to end the game. If Ameer didn't fumble the ball early we get points.

 

I can go on and on just to show it wasn't just TA's fault. We will be fine and win some more games

[TGHusker]

I thought Johnny Stanton was that "all everything" QB recruit but he sits at # 3 on the depth chart. It seems like we over hype our QB recruits and rarely do we find a real difference maker.

My concern is that Armstrong by having 2 more years of eligibility & Stanton having 3, the great QB recruits may look at schools in which they know they will be able to have an immediate impact - either as a true freshman or red shirt. Of course if he is that good, he might move to # one on the depth chart if Bo can overcome loyalties. Maybe TA can still develop into the good consistent QB that we need. Saturday night he was shaken and rattled behind all of the mistakes of our OL