I have poured over my Aaron Rodgers tapes again over the past four or five days and I thought I should share my observations. For the record, I have all or a portion of the USC, UCLA, Arizona State, Oregon and Texas Tech games.
First of all, I think Rodgers in the better prospect between himself and Alex Smith, but I will focus this thread on Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers has possibly the most jaw dropping pocket presence and poise of any quarterback I have seen at the college level. He has that "sixth sense" to roll away from the pressure and step up in the pocket. This is something that often cannot be taught and cannot be undervalued. He has very underrated athletic skills. He will be able to take advantage of a defensive breakdown and get possitive rushing yards. He is fearless in the pocket. He keeps his eyes downfield and has no problem taking a big hit to deliver the ball. His arm strength is good and it will only improve if he is allowed to change his throwing motion and use a little more of his shoulder and lower body (Like he did when he first arrived at Cal). His accuracy is lights out at times.
Rodgers is tough because alot of what makes him special is the things that don't jump off the screen such as arm strength and size. That being said, this kid has the skills that the great quarterbacks in this league have.
In this NFL, as long as you have great accuracy, which he does, and enough arm, which he does, your success will turn on your poise, pocket presence, intelligence and fearlessness. Rodgers gets extremely high grades for these rare intangibles.
However, he is not without detractors. He is a Tedford man, and his offense raises some red flags. It is among the most boring I have ever seen. Run, Run, Run, Screen, Out. It was tough to really grade Rodgers because he was never asked to use his skills and light it up since Tedford is so conservative. You only saw glipses of what he is capable of, which is somewhat disappointing. I began to wonder if there playcalling was this way because of Tedford, or because Tedford did not trust Rodgers. My feeling is that he was playing to his strengths which were their two stud runners, rather than depend on an offensive line that pass blocked poorly at times. Also, I just think that is the type of offense Tedford likes. (Trust me, if you could not deal with Wannstedt's offense, don't watch Cal because Tedford is worse)
I am a big supporter of Rodgers and I would not be upset if Miami took him 2 overall, if he was there. See, I think the reason that many don't care for him is because he does not have the eyepoping measurables or arm strength that fans and often coaches drool all over at the top of the draft. But remember, it is not those quarterbacks who take their teams to the Super Bowl. It is the quarterback with good physical skills, good intelligence and a feel for the game who is willing to stand in the pocket and deliver the ball as does.
Try not to hold the fact that he does not excel at the "flashy" skills detract from the fact that he is excellent at the skills that matter most.
First of all, I think Rodgers in the better prospect between himself and Alex Smith, but I will focus this thread on Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers has possibly the most jaw dropping pocket presence and poise of any quarterback I have seen at the college level. He has that "sixth sense" to roll away from the pressure and step up in the pocket. This is something that often cannot be taught and cannot be undervalued. He has very underrated athletic skills. He will be able to take advantage of a defensive breakdown and get possitive rushing yards. He is fearless in the pocket. He keeps his eyes downfield and has no problem taking a big hit to deliver the ball. His arm strength is good and it will only improve if he is allowed to change his throwing motion and use a little more of his shoulder and lower body (Like he did when he first arrived at Cal). His accuracy is lights out at times.
Rodgers is tough because alot of what makes him special is the things that don't jump off the screen such as arm strength and size. That being said, this kid has the skills that the great quarterbacks in this league have.
In this NFL, as long as you have great accuracy, which he does, and enough arm, which he does, your success will turn on your poise, pocket presence, intelligence and fearlessness. Rodgers gets extremely high grades for these rare intangibles.
However, he is not without detractors. He is a Tedford man, and his offense raises some red flags. It is among the most boring I have ever seen. Run, Run, Run, Screen, Out. It was tough to really grade Rodgers because he was never asked to use his skills and light it up since Tedford is so conservative. You only saw glipses of what he is capable of, which is somewhat disappointing. I began to wonder if there playcalling was this way because of Tedford, or because Tedford did not trust Rodgers. My feeling is that he was playing to his strengths which were their two stud runners, rather than depend on an offensive line that pass blocked poorly at times. Also, I just think that is the type of offense Tedford likes. (Trust me, if you could not deal with Wannstedt's offense, don't watch Cal because Tedford is worse)
I am a big supporter of Rodgers and I would not be upset if Miami took him 2 overall, if he was there. See, I think the reason that many don't care for him is because he does not have the eyepoping measurables or arm strength that fans and often coaches drool all over at the top of the draft. But remember, it is not those quarterbacks who take their teams to the Super Bowl. It is the quarterback with good physical skills, good intelligence and a feel for the game who is willing to stand in the pocket and deliver the ball as does.
Try not to hold the fact that he does not excel at the "flashy" skills detract from the fact that he is excellent at the skills that matter most.
