Would Tommy play QB in the NFL if ...

NUance said:
I'm surprised so many people just dismiss this question with a simple "no". Sure, I have my doubts as to whether Tommy could improve his passing skills to equal those of Joey Ganz. (The premise is pretty unlikely.) Ganz was accurate (65%) and didn't throw too many picks over his career (18/585 or a pick out of every 32.5 passes). But if Tommy did improve his passing skills to equal those of Ganz, I can't imagine that he'd go undrafted. Seems like he'd be a shoo in to make a roster somewhere. Especially given the number of athletic QBs in the NFL these days.
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Sure, why not? It's a big "IF" though. He would have to improve in several areas. I think you are getting the simple "no" answers because many don't think it "will" happen. You've stated your doubts above.

Couldn't you ask a similar question about any player? IF player X did <this> and <this>, would they get drafted? IF David Sutton caught 18 TD passes, would he get drafted?

 
WhatDoIKnow said:
NUance said:
I'm surprised so many people just dismiss this question with a simple "no". Sure, I have my doubts as to whether Tommy could improve his passing skills to equal those of Joey Ganz. (The premise is pretty unlikely.) Ganz was accurate (65%) and didn't throw too many picks over his career (18/585 or a pick out of every 32.5 passes). But if Tommy did improve his passing skills to equal those of Ganz, I can't imagine that he'd go undrafted. Seems like he'd be a shoo in to make a roster somewhere. Especially given the number of athletic QBs in the NFL these days.
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Sure, why not? It's a big "IF" though. He would have to improve in several areas. I think you are getting the simple "no" answers because many don't think it "will" happen. You've stated your doubts above.

Couldn't you ask a similar question about any player? IF player X did <this> and <this>, would they get drafted? IF David Sutton caught 18 TD passes, would he get drafted?
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I guess my point with Tommy is that he's not that far away. He has plenty of arm strength. He can throw on the run about as good as anyone. He just struggles with accuracy and touch. And it's not just the hard passes he struggles with. He'll miss an easy pass, then a few minutes later thread the needle on a much more difficult pass. It's perplexing really.

He shows flashes of brilliance. (1st quarter Rutgers.) But then he just seems to lose it. (2nd quarter Rutgers) Go figure.

 
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If he stops throwing off his damn back foot! That would help with some of his accuracy issues. Like Bale said earlier, he has great strength and speed, but is very small. He has comparable height to Brees, who is a very good QB. But Tommy's accuracy and decision making is horrendous at times. He has a lot of work to do this off-season if he wants a shot at getting drafted as a QB. If he wants to go pro and none of that improves, LB is the best choice.

 
NUance said:
I'm surprised so many people just dismiss this question with a simple "no". Sure, I have my doubts as to whether Tommy could improve his passing skills to equal those of Joey Ganz. (The premise is pretty unlikely.) Ganz was accurate (65%) and didn't throw too many picks over his career (18/585 or a pick out of every 32.5 passes). But if Tommy did improve his passing skills to equal those of Ganz, I can't imagine that he'd go undrafted. Seems like he'd be a shoo in to make a roster somewhere. Especially given the number of athletic QBs in the NFL these days.
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The difference between Ganz and TA is that TA has the arm strength to play in the NFL Ganz did not and does not. Ganz may be 6' on a good day and about 190 soaking wet. TA is a good 6'1" and at least 220. TA is built almost exactly like Mike Vick and truly he throws about as well as Vick did in college.

 
chainsaw said:
who told u chip kelley called him? i'm calling bs. no power5 teams recruited him as a QB except the huskers. he had suitors at other positions but he picked the huskers for a chance to play QB.
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Laughable. He was rated the #6 dual threat QB in the county and Nebraska was the only school that wanted him at QB?

 
To answer the first phrasing of the question: no. Tommy Armstrong will never be an NFL quarterback.

To answer the second phrasing of the question: Brett Favre.

Favre had the strong arm and was able to make throws other QBs wouldn't dare. Part of that daring resulted in mystifying and game-killing interceptions for both QBs.

The reason Favre had a much better completion percentage than Tommy is because he made very quick decisions: if he didn't see his primary receivers getting separation, he had no trouble dumping it off to his blocking RB for a safe, sure 4 - 6 yard gain. A lot of Brett Favre's 70,000 career yards are from 5 yard completions.

It's possible Tommy could learn that particular discipline, but I would have liked to see it by now -- his third year as a starter.

QB is about leadership and decision-making. Tommy's pretty good at the first, not so much the second. The quality of defensive secondaries is exponential in the NFL. Right now they would eat Tommy Armstrong for lunch.

 
Tommy struggles with Turnovers in the college game, so i just dont see anyway he would do well in the pro game.

Tommy is an above average College QB.

 
Guy Chamberlin said:
To answer the first phrasing of the question: no. Tommy Armstrong will never be an NFL quarterback.

To answer the second phrasing of the question: Brett Favre.

Favre had the strong arm and was able to make throws other QBs wouldn't dare. Part of that daring resulted in mystifying and game-killing interceptions for both QBs.

The reason Favre had a much better completion percentage than Tommy is because he made very quick decisions: if he didn't see his primary receivers getting separation, he had no trouble dumping it off to his blocking RB for a safe, sure 4 - 6 yard gain. A lot of Brett Favre's 70,000 career yards are from 5 yard completions.

It's possible Tommy could learn that particular discipline, but I would have liked to see it by now -- his third year as a starter.

QB is about leadership and decision-making. Tommy's pretty good at the first, not so much the second. The quality of defensive secondaries is exponential in the NFL. Right now they would eat Tommy Armstrong for lunch.
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I guess the question in my mind is not whether TA will be an NFL QB the question really is can he. IMO he can be. I don't watch a lot of NFL, but there are 32 teams and about what maybe 14 of those teams one would consider to have good QB play. A lot of the real good QB are getting a little old also. Manning of coarse, but Brady and Breeze arn't real young either. Rothlesbuerger is what 32-33 years old and isn't Aaron Rodgers at least this old also.

My point is that there are a lot of bad QB in the NFL also, He has the arm strength and leadership skills and appears fairly intelligent. He has just as good a chance in the NFL as a lot of guys that have started games for teams IMO.

 
It appears he is lucky to be playing QB in college. Not another single D1 school recruited I am told.

He does not have the ability to be an NFL QB.

He works hard, loves his team, that flies in college, it doesn't in the NFL.

Never ever going to happen.

 
skersfan said:
It appears he is lucky to be playing QB in college. Not another single D1 school recruited I am told.

He does not have the ability to be an NFL QB.

He works hard, loves his team, that flies in college, it doesn't in the NFL.

Never ever going to happen.
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He was recruited by more schools, dood. Who told u thaT nonSense?

 
Closest Armstrong is going to get to an NFL team is buy ticket like most of us. Throwing picks in the NFL is a sure path to riding the pine and a turnover machine like Armstrong isnt even going to get a look. He still has a year left and maybe two games this year, he has 32 picks to date. Put in perspective the same number of picks for our other Tommy is 11 in four years.

 
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Tommy would not play pro QB. They want a certain type and he aint it. Quick release proper footwork. Accuracy. He lacks all of those. He would get injured trying to scramble and wouldnt make it out of preseason IF he ever got a serious look, which of course no one will ever give. I have to wonder sometimes if Warren Moon came up in todays world if he would get a shot either.

 
NUance said:
I'm surprised so many people just dismiss this question with a simple "no". Sure, I have my doubts as to whether Tommy could improve his passing skills to equal those of Joey Ganz. (The premise is pretty unlikely.) Ganz was accurate (65%) and didn't throw too many picks over his career (18/585 or a pick out of every 32.5 passes). But if Tommy did improve his passing skills to equal those of Ganz, I can't imagine that he'd go undrafted. Seems like he'd be a shoo in to make a roster somewhere. Especially given the number of athletic QBs in the NFL these days.
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The problem is his mechanics - his footwork in particular - are so poor that he simply can not be a consistent thrower. His completion percentage is low and the NFL is a completion percentage league. The other thing - and it's probably related - is TA isn't a precision passer. That is, even when he completes passes, he's not hitting receivers on the move often enough. The passes are high, low or behind the receivers so they can't catch it on the run. You saw a lot of that in the Michigan State game where he almost got Westy killed a couple times and both Reilly and Carter have saved picks the last two games by taking the ball away from a DB who was in better position than the receiver. Also, the random throw up a punt decision every now and then won't fly for a second.

I know the premise of you question is "what if he improves." But TA's problem is the mechanical issues are so ingrained they simply can't be fixed. I could tell from his first start and it's still the same to this day.

 
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