Pachyderm_Wave
Hartselle Tigers (15-0) 5-A State Champ
Slimm,
I would like to have your input on a qb question i have. I know its ot but maybe it can be stretched to be draft related
The neverending Tannehill long ball debate brought me back to a conversation I had awhile back with a qb college coach at some function
After giving a quick run down on all the specifics he coaches as a qb position coach he said something to the effect "One thing I cannot teach
and I don`t know anybody that can is accuracy. You either have or not. I suppose with long practice one could become more proficient but it can`t be taught"
Slimm, any truth to what he said?? I suppose accuracy could be affected by an ineffective suuporting cast ( O line play, route running deficiency)
Well, from my experience he's right. Accuracy can be improved, but it can't be taught.... in other words, it can't be given to you by someone else. A quarterback can improve his own accuracy to a certain degree, through improved footwork. But it's negligible improvement. It's more of an improvement on consistency than it is an improvement on accuracy. You can't make an inaccurate passer an accurate passer. You're either accurate or you're not.
Similar to how you're either fast or you're not. You can improve your time on a stopwatch through technique, but it's negligible improvement. You can't teach a slow guy to be fast. You're either fast or you're not.
Lastly, you have to get to the true definition of what accuracy is in terms of a quarterback throwing a football. Quite simply, it's the ability to throw the football exactly where you intend to throw it. Period.
It has nothing to do with completion percentage. There's too many variables that affect a statistic like that. For example, WVUBOB can throw 10 perfect passes in a row to a receiver that were dead on target. Every pass was directed exactly at the specific body part you intended for....but the receiver dropped 5 of 'em. Your completion percentage is 50%.
Conversely, TedSlimmJr can throw 10 passes in a row to his receiver that were all over the place, but the receiver made 8 outstanding catches, while 2 of 'em were simply too far off target to even hit the receiver in the hands. My completion percentage is 80%. But who's really the more accurate passer?
That's where the old adage, "There's lies, damn lies, and then there's statistics" comes into play. Statistics can always mean whatever you want 'em to mean. They're simply a compilation of raw data....an end result in numerical form. What they don't tell you is "how" and "why".
Ryan Tannehill struggles to make basic throws that a starting caliber quarterback has to make. He's shown himself to be incapable of making certain throws that require touch. Fades and deep vertical routes. The throws he makes best, and most comfortable making are out routes and comebacks. The exact same throws he was good and not good at coming out of college.
However, this is only a piece of what his issues always were, and continue to be. He has other issues that have nothing to do with art of physically throwing the football. These are things I talked about extensively in regards to Ryan Tannehill prior to his entry into the draft. It is what it is.