NFL QB's with FEWER College Starts than Tannehill

[Wildbill3]

Before being traded:

Brett Favre (one year): 4 attempts
Steve Young (two years): 501 attempts
Jay Cutler (three years): 1164 attempts

It's not splitting hairs to say Steve Young's situation is much closer to Cutler's than Favre's. I agree that Young did not look Canton bound in Tampa, but he was still thought highly enough of that the 49ers spent a 2nd and a 4th to get him. Cutler looked better than that in his first three seasons, but the Bears also traded much more to get him.

The Drew Brees situation is fairly similar to Young's as well, but he wasn't traded and had more than 1800 attempts.

These kinds of situations just do not come up very often. My understanding, though, is that the Dolphins nearly traded Dan Marino to the Raiders in the late 80s or early 90s. They actually came to an agreement twice but then Shula reneged and upped the price. Finally Al Davis had had enough and canceled it. But it came close.

The original poster's arguement was ... how often do elite canton bound QBs get traded, and while i see your point, I'd have to agree with him and say... never. unless you count trades before they emerged as elite.

ok after some digging and I'm actually surprised no one mentioned it before now... Joe Montana. Elite. Canton Bound QB traded off his original team.

Joe Montana, who helped the 49ers win four Super Bowls and was urged by fans to run for mayor, is officially leaving San Francisco.
Tonight, the 49ers traded the 36-year-old quarterback -- along with safety David Whitmore and a 1994 third-round draft pick -- to Kansas City for the Chiefs' first-round selection (the 18th over all) in the National Football League draft on Sunday.

 

[Kinzua]

http://www.thephinsider.com/2012/4/...with-fewer-college-starts-than-ryan-tannehill

NFL Quarterbacks with fewer college starts than Ryan Tannehill

1. Matt Cassel - 0
2. Matt Flynn - 13
3. Cam Newton - 14
4. Joe Flacco - 15
5. Mark Sanchez - 16

There's not much encouraging about this list. Flacco is the only one who's a decent starter. Cassel and Sanchez look to be busts as starters. Newton was good as a rookie but who knows if he continues to develop. Flynn has 2 NFL starts in meaningless games with the best offense in the NFL, and Seattle grabbed a QB in the third round (Russell Wilson) as insurance.

I suspect the list showing all the current NFL QBs who played other positions in college before they became QBs would be non-existent except for Tannehill.

 

[Kevbo855]

Jets gave up a 1st and a 2nd round pick for that bum Sanchez......Tannehill is faster, more accurate, and smarter then him already. Plus he's got a hot wife, hot wife means he's got confidence.

 

[KevInMotion]

Quarterbacks with a bigger vagina than Mark Sanchez: ..........................................................None.

Post of the year, and quite possibly one of the REALEST things I have ever read.

 

[TheWalrus]

The original poster's arguement was ... how often do elite canton bound QBs get traded, and while i see your point, I'd have to agree with him and say... never. unless you count trades before they emerged as elite.

ok after some digging and I'm actually surprised no one mentioned it before now... Joe Montana. Elite. Canton Bound QB traded off his original team.

I thought about Montana, but he was at the end of his career then. Same with Warren Moon, who was traded from the Oilers to the Vikings when he was 38. Moon played six more years and eventually ended up in the Hall.

 

[The Omen]

Jesus Christ. Did I say he was Canton bound? Did I say he was elite?

The point is that his low winning % in college didn't mean he didn't have NFL caliber talent. Certainly better than the two "winners" taken ahead of him: Vince Young and Matt Leinart.

By the way, there's at least one quarterback in Canton who was traded off his original team (and not in some end of his career scenario).

His name? Steve Young.

u can add Brett Favre to that list in a few years as well

Edit: should have read after your post to see that Brett was mentioned multiple times... lol

 

[Vaark]

There's not much encouraging about this list. Flacco is the only one who's a decent starter. Cassel and Sanchez look to be busts as starters. Newton was good as a rookie but who knows if he continues to develop. Flynn has 2 NFL starts in meaningless games with the best offense in the NFL, and Seattle grabbed a QB in the third round (Russell Wilson) as insurance.

I suspect the list showing all the current NFL QBs who played other positions in college before they became QBs would be non-existent except for Tannehill.

Again I don't see where actually having been a successful WR, being on the field all 4 years, with all the perspective and understanding that affords is anything but a good thing that at least partially offsets the relative lack of snaps experience.

But using the past as a future barometer, likewise, I can think of Sid Luckman, maybe Marty Domres as a stretch, aside from our own vaunted Jay Fiedler as the only successful Ivy League QBs -and Luckman was from an ancient era so he doesn't really count. I did find a few like Domres who were like Fitz late round picks who hung on barely as journeymen, but for all intents and purposes, if we use Fiedler as a benchmark, realistically, based on those who came before from the same environment, how much probability of success would you predict for Fitz?

 

[The Omen]

I suspect the list showing all the current NFL QBs who played other positions in college before they became QBs would be non-existent except for Tannehill.

yeah I can't think of any... So what exactly is your point?

T-Hill wanted to help his team in anyway he can and wanted to see as much playing time as possible, so he became a WR, not only a WR but a starting WR after just a few practices (Who can actually do that?)... Then moved back to his natural position as a QB...

So if T-Hill told his coach to **** off when asked if he wanted to play WR, he would have a better chance as a NFL QB?

 

[Stanlap]

There is just something about this kid Tannehill that i feel is going to be special!! I think he has all the physical tools, and i think he has the brains too. It just seems like football is his true passion. Just needs time to mature, and learn the speed of the game. I think we have something to be excited about for a very long time.

 

[Kinzua]

Again I don't see where actually having been a successful WR, being on the field all 4 years, with all the perspective and understanding that affords is anything but a good thing that at least partially offsets the relative lack of snaps experience.

But using the past as a future barometer, likewise, I can think of Sid Luckman, maybe Marty Domres as a stretch, aside from our own vaunted Jay Fiedler as the only successful Ivy League QBs -and Luckman was from an ancient era so he doesn't really count. I did find a few like Domres who were like Fitz late round picks who hung on barely as journeymen, but for all intents and purposes, if we use Fiedler as a benchmark, realistically, based on those who came before from the same environment, how much probability of success would you predict for Fitz?

If Fitz can put up decent numbers with a decent team around him (something he hasn't had yet) and lead the Bills to a couple of playoff seasons, that would be a major accomplishment for him -- and the Bills. Anything else would be all gravy.

I have no illusions that Fitz is the next Brady or Manning. If all it took to be great was leadership and a willingess to do whatever it took to win games, then Fitz would be an All Pro. Unfortunately, he lacks the arm and accuracy to be a great QB.

OTOH, Alex Smith and Joe Flacco almost made the Super Bowl in 2011 behind stout defenses and good running games. The Bills look to be building on that very same model, so who knows?

 

[dolfan_]

look bottom line football is a team sport. College football has over the past ten years basically been about one conference, the SEC, AND ABOUT 10-12 TEAMS. So if your not in that pack, you didn't win a lot of games. The elite players seem to always go to the same programs. T-hill has all the attributes to be a great one, and I love his high wunderlict test score because it shows his intelligence, and most of all his work ethic.

 

[juniorseau55]

The funny thing is that the Quarterback position is not all about experience now a days, they look into someone who is going to turn into a potential starter. A guy who is tall, long arms, throws from the pocket with little pressure, and that is able to adapt to the game through every minute that counts is what an nfl is looking for.

 

[Wildbill3]

I thought about Montana, but he was at the end of his career then. Same with Warren Moon, who was traded from the Oilers to the Vikings when he was 38. Moon played six more years and eventually ended up in the Hall.

so we got moon, montana, it's certainly its not often, there were a few qbs traded that I thought... well were they elite... yes... are they canton bound? No. Bledsoe shows up on list, but with a ~80 career QBR, and the fact that his first trade was facilitated by the emergence of brady, I don't know if i'd call him elite at that time.


I was reminded of the fact the bills traded a first round pick for Rob Johnson, and traded for the aforementioned bledsoe. Ah the bills.

 

[LikeUntoGod]

yeah I can't think of any... So what exactly is your point?

T-Hill wanted to help his team in anyway he can and wanted to see as much playing time as possible, so he became a WR, not only a WR but a starting WR after just a few practices (Who can actually do that?)... Then moved back to his natural position as a QB...

So if T-Hill told his coach to **** off when asked if he wanted to play WR, he would have a better chance as a NFL QB?

I'm not 100% sure but I think becoming a WR was his coaches idea. It seems like he could not beat out the other guy to start at QB so their coaches wanted him to play WR. It is "possible" that they never thought he had a chance at the starting QB position.

But you are correct is saying that not only was Tannehill open to the idea, he worked hard to become a starting WR. When you compared that to Patty White, you can see that Ryan has has a bigger pair and a better mindset of doing what was needed to help his team then Patty did.

 

[Wildbill3]

I'm not 100% sure but I think becoming a WR was his coaches idea. It seems like he could not beat out the other guy to start at QB so their coaches wanted him to play WR. It is "possible" that they never thought he had a chance at the starting QB position.

But you are correct is saying that not only was Tannehill open to the idea, he worked hard to become a starting WR. When you compared that to Patty White, you can see that Ryan has has a bigger pair and a better mindset of doing what was needed to help his team then Patty did.

Heart is a hard thing to measure, and you can usually on judge a man's heart by his actions during adversity. Certainly Tannehill > pat white's of the world.