2015 NFL Draft – QB

NFL Draft (2)

Note: On NNR today Samantha Bunten of NBC Sports & I previewed the NFC East.  The podcast is on https://fryingpansports.com/radio-show/.

Bill Smith

1. Brett Hundley QB UCLA rJr 6-3 227

Hundley could have been the 1st pick in the 2014 draft but decided to stay in school. He suffered this year from a lack of quality receivers and a bad line.

Strengths:

He has played in a pro style system in terms of pass patterns although has not worked much under center. He has an NFL arm and anticipates throws fairly well. He reads college defenses well but will need work to adjust to NFL coverages. He is athletic and can run when necessary. He will be a value and be taken in the middle of the 2nd round.

Weaknesses:

Like almost all QB’s coming out of college, he needs to improve his drop back footwork. He also has not seen many complex defenses in the Pac-12.

2. Marcus Mariota QB Oregon rJr 6-4 215

Mariota will likely be the 2nd QB off the board. There is a concern if he can adapt to the NFL pocket style passer.

Strengths:

He is a winner. He led his team to … Read more at FryingPanSports

2014 Browns Autopsy today on NNR

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Note: On NNR today Samantha Bunten of NBC Sports & I reviewed the Browns 2014 season and discussed the needs of the team in the draft and free agency for 2015. The podcast is on https://fryingpansports.com/radio-show/.

ESPN Cleveland’s Tony Grossi has talked about covering the Browns in terms of the 100 years’s war. Unless the Browns are able to convince a veteran QB to come, they will be forced to start Johnny Manziel or a rookie QB in 2015. That could well make the 100 year’s war seem like a weekend in Vermont.

There is almost no chance that the Browns can bring in a quality veteran QB in giving the reputation of instability and lack of solid wide receivers. But there is no chance to bring a quality WR in without a solid QB to throw to him. The best chance the Browns have is to trade for a QB under contract then recruit a veteran WR.

My first choice would be to trade with the Titans for QB Zack Mettenberger. He played college ball at LSU in a pro style offense. He is 24 years old and started 6 games for the Titans. If they decide to Read more at FryingPanSports

The Browns are not the train wreck that some believe.

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Note: On NNR today Ziffles & I discuss the Browns situation, the NFL’s issues and the SB. The podcast is on https://fryingpansports.com/radio-show/.

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports wrote an article detailing his view of the Browns team issues. While I really enjoy reading his articles, I disagree on several points he made.

We disagree on the departure of offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and QB coach Dowell Loggains. When Shanahan put in or was forced to play Johnny Manziel the OC tried to use the RG3 read option offense rather than design something specifically for Manziel. The problem was that Manziel had never run the read option at Texas A&M. Shanahan should have known that and designed something with which his QB would have been more comfortable.

Add to that the total disintregration of the mechanics of QB Brian Hoyer. Shanahan and Loggains were either unable to fix the problem or were unaware of the mechanical flaws. That is inexcusable. But I do think the Browns should have gotten a draft pick or two from whatever team signed them.

There was a comment about the firing of Mike Holmgren. As I said here before Mike was hired, he was Read more at FryingPanSports

The NFL better come down very hard on the Patriots.

Goodell Pressed

Note: On NNR Samantha Bunten of NBC Sports & I discussed the Super Bowl game including issues around the Browns recent hires. The podcast is on https://fryingpansports.com/radio-show/.

Mary Kay Cabot of the Plain Dealer reports that Browns GM Ray Farmer faces a multi-game suspension and loss of draft choices for texting and or calling coaches during games. That is an illegal use of technology under NFL Rules.

He is not an X’s and O’s guy. Based on his first two first round draft picks last year, I am not sure if he is a player evaluator either. He had a habit of calling or texting former QB coach Dowell Loggains. Based on how the QB position deteriorated over the season, Loggins clearly needed all the help he could get.

Now if the Browns can be punished like that for something as dumb as illegal texting, the penalty for Bill Belichick and the Pats should be 10 times that for Deflate-gate. But we all know it will not.

If a player had violated the rules, he would have faced suspension for the next game. Conveniently the NFL was not able to complete their investigation in the two weeks leading Read more at FryingPanSports

The Browns chose wisely for their OC.

John DeFilippo

Note: The NNR podcasts are on https://fryingpansports.com/radio-show/.

Yesterday the Browns introduced John DeFilippo as their new offensive coordinator. In my judgment, that was an excellent choice. He had been the QB coach of the Raiders. But what I like best about him is he brings a history of fixing broken QB mechanics. If the Browns are ever going to get anything out of their 1st round pick of Johnny Manziel, DeFilippo is going to have to do major surgery on Johnny’s mechanics and attitude.

As QB coach for the Jets in 2009, he faced a difficult problem. The team drafted rookie Mark Sanchez who had started just 1 year for USC. It was DeFilippo’s job to turn Sanchez into an NFL starter. He was able to help Sanchez lead the Jets to the playoffs with a 9-7 record.

As QB coach for San Jose State, he molded Jordan La Secla into a serviceable QB that threw for 2860 yards and a QB rating of 125.8 in 2010. The next season he helped Matt Faulkner throw for 3149 yards and a QBR of 131.6.

In 2012 he was named QB coach for the Raiders. He turned Terrelle Pryor from Read more at FryingPanSports

Deflationgate

Deflategate

Note: The NNR podcasts are on https://fryingpansports.com/radio-show/.

Deflationgate is a disaster for the NFL, the Pats, HC Bill Belichick and QB Tom Brady. I do not believe that anyone in the Pats organization even blinks without approval of Belichick. He runs that team with an iron fist. To think that he did not know about balls being under inflated is a joke.

If the AFC Championship game was the first time that it had happened, it could be seen as an anomaly. But we have learned that the same thing happened when the Pats went to Indy to play the Colts. The latest report from NBC Sports is that the game balls used by the Pats in the Indy dome were also deflated.

For those of you that have not been around football, let me make one thing clear—There is no way that an NFL QB can pick up a ball that is 2 pounds per square inch under inflated by 16 percent without knowing that something is different. At 10.5 psi the hand can dig into the ball significantly. It is MUCH easier to grip and throw particularly in bad weather. Brady claims he didn’t realize there Read more at FryingPanSports