"ESPN ranks Stanton as the 56th best player available in the draft. I personally don't know enough about Stanton or QB evaluation to make an intelligent assessment. He makes me nervous but if professional draftniks think he's potentially a franchise QB who needs some development, then he just might be what the Dolphins need while Culpepper rehabs his career."
---I hope I can speak as a person who is very well educated on Drew Stanton...I have been on the field for several of his games...As well as on the field for games Quinn has played...Even against each other...
The setbacks he faced at MSU were not his fault, entirely...Any quarterback, with an injury plagued Oline, missing his star RB to injury, wide receivers that dropped passes on the numbers and horrible coaching would suffer the same fate...
But people dont know the MSU situation enough to see why Stanton had some struggles...John L Smith collapsed as a coach...his leadership was so bad, the only voice people respected in the locker room was Stantons...So figure the pressure this kid had on his back...Not only was he carrying the team, he was carrying the program...His offensive coordinator, David Baldwin, would let him open it up in the first half and would completely freeze in his play calling in the second half...No game sums this up better than in the second half of the '06 Notre Dame game when up by almost 21 points with 7 minutes left, all Baldwin could muster up with calls were option sweeps for Stanton...And Im not kidding...It was one after another...He left Stanton out to dry on so many occassions...But this kid, never said one bad word about the program...He never blamed Smith or Baldwin for the team's failures, and it was easy considering they were jeopardizing his draft stock....I cant say one bad word about this kid...I know countless people who are friends with him and his character is unblemished...I know Cam wants a leader to be his QB and in my mind, there is no better choice than Stanton...He bled green and white for 4 years, even when they were stupid enough to put a star QB recruit on the punt team and tore up his knee...never one bad word about the program uttered from his mouth...John L Smith and Dave Baldwin did nothing but ruin his draft stock, yet after their firing he was a big person not to drive the final nail in their coffin to preserve his draft positioning...
Now about his skills...Having seen him and Quinn, I can tell you the Dolphins would be well served by having either...I have gotten into several fights over this on finheaven already...but having seen them both play on several occassions for field level, stanton is the superior athlete...the guy just explodes...his passes are like rockets...when he breaks for a run, hes like a freight train...its no QB running the ball, hes like another running back, just as elusive, just as able to knock you back off the line...i have no question about his arm because i believe it is strong enough...yes, he ran the spread and he didnt always have the opportunity but it is better than quinn's...its really hard to describe drew's talents and sum them up in a couple words, you have to watch for yourself
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vkci1jSX5B0
if people wonder if he can be just as explosive at the next level consider this...in '05, when the MSU o-line, was not nearly as weak as it was in '06, Stanton was unstoppable...he put up close to 30 first half points against Ohio State, which had a defense of several first round picks, (AJ Hawk, Bobby Carpenter, Dante Whitner)...in '04 and '05 he went up and down the field against Michigan and Notre Dame at will...
I know you Quinn supporters have blind faith in him and hope he is the Dolphins pick in the draft...It wouldnt be such a bad idea to consider other options, especially since taking a QB at number 9 is such a risky proposition...Consider Drew Stanton because to me, he is the best QB in the draft...and I have seen him and Quinn play numerous times from field level...
