NUance
Assistant Coach
What I see in Tommy is a QB with physical skills for running the ball that are almost unknown in the NFL. I made a comparison to Tim Tebow above and people pooh-poohed it. But think about it. Tommy is a shade smaller than Tebow. But I think he's a step faster too. Both can lower their shoulder and deliver a block or push for that extra yard. I think Tommy could outrun a lot of NFL LBs, not all, but a lot of them. I don't think Tebow could.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.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.:![]()
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.
So I see Tommy lacking two things (maybe three) that would make him an almost ideal NFL quarter back. First, increased accuracy in passing. Second, decision making--that is, not forcing throws that end up as picks, and knowing when to run versus when to take a sack. And third, possibly an inch or two of height. Is Tommy going to gain the passing skills necessary to make it in the NFL? Well, sure it *could* happen. But at this point in his career it's about as likely as him gaining that extra inch or two of height.
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