McCarron had a good combine. A lot of compliments.
- Thread starter Bamabuzzard
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Kind of an aside here, but I will note, though, that if you look at the quarterbacks who have been stars the past couple of decades in the NFL at the QB position, you really tend to find a bunch of guys with good arm strength, but by no means great arm strength. Brady, Peyton, Brees, Eli, Roethlisberger, Rodgers, Young, Aikman, Warner, and Elway (at least towards the end of his career when he actually won it all) very much fit into that mold. The guys with the absolute howitzers -- Jeff George, Kyle Boller, JaMarcus, etc. -- don't tend to perform anywhere near as well as some would think (Favre being the obvious exception, even though he's something of a special case).
More than a few coaches have talked openly before about how, at some point, arm strength can actually hinder development, and I think that's right. Not only does it coax a lot of guys into thinking they can force any throw through the most non-existent of windows, which obviously results in a lot of turnovers -- anyone who really watched Jeff George and Kyle Boller know this well -- but I think you can also argue that it reduces emphasis placed on accuracy, kind of a restatement of the old "if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail" axiom.
More than a few coaches have talked openly before about how, at some point, arm strength can actually hinder development, and I think that's right. Not only does it coax a lot of guys into thinking they can force any throw through the most non-existent of windows, which obviously results in a lot of turnovers -- anyone who really watched Jeff George and Kyle Boller know this well -- but I think you can also argue that it reduces emphasis placed on accuracy, kind of a restatement of the old "if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail" axiom.
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Regarding McCarron, one of the self-appointed NFL draft gurus said something the other day that I tended to agree a lot with. His basic take on McCarron was that, provided the throws stay between the numbers and no more than twenty or so yards beyond the line of scrimmage, he is generally very good. Once you drift further down field, though, or you require him to throw wide outside the numbers, his effectiveness nosedived.
That take doesn't exactly portend well for McCarron in the NFL, mind you, but I thought it was pretty accurate based on what he did at Alabama.
That take doesn't exactly portend well for McCarron in the NFL, mind you, but I thought it was pretty accurate based on what he did at Alabama.
I always heard that a little differently - "If you are a hammer, everything looks like a nail..."
I agree with everybody you listed but Aaron Rodgers. He has great arm strength.
I concur. Rogers has a great arm, though I doubt he's top 5 in the NFL for overall arm strength.
I am not sure what to think about those throws because, at Alabama, he never threw the WR screens on a rope. He always threw touch passes in that spot. So I have no idea what he is capable of there. Did he make those passes at the combine?
As for the longer throws down the field - this has always been a problem for AJ. He puts too much air under those passes for the NFL. He is going to have to figure that one out from scratch, because that is a required throw in the NFL.
As far as how far they can throw it agreed, but there is not a QB in the league that throws a ball with more velocity on any 20-40 yard routes.
Rodgers throws it well, no doubt, but again I wouldn't put him in that howitzer category. If you're talking arm strength in the NFL right now, it's Flacco, Stafford, and Cutler who put themselves above the rest of the guys in the League, Rodgers included.
And again, I tend to believe that only supports the theory above...
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I swear I remember them touting his completion rate beyond 25 yards or something during at least a couple different broadcasts this past year. It was like 50% or something gaudy at one point.
I still don't think AJ gets enough credit for his physical ability. He has thrown as pretty a deep ball as I've seen on numerous occasions. He will be branded as an "Alabama Game Manager" until he makes his mark in the pro's which I firmly believe he will do sooner than a lot of "experts" think...
The interesting thing is that we've gone from one extreme to another. Croyle, who did have a howitzer, never put enough air and, as soon as the pass left his hand, you thought "five yards too far." With AJ, you think "jump ball."
JP was the same as Croyle. Every time he threw the long ball it was on a rope with little or no chance for any adjustment on the WR's part to make the catch - must have been the 3rd baseman's arm.
Just a note, and this was something I heard from either NFL Network or ESPN, but the ONLY knock AJ had coming out of the combine involved his interviews. They said it left some people with some questions still, and that he would have a chance to put some of those things to rest at Pro-Day. If I can find a video link, I will post it..
Maybe they're afraid that he'll pull a McElroy and call out the whole team, based on the last couple of weeks...
Aren't the interviews also used for seeing how much football knowledge a player has? For example having a quarterback explain a certain formation/play and what they'd do if the defense did this or that. I know the NFL Network with Steve Mariucci (sp) does this with some of the qb's to give the viewer an inside view of what goes on in these interviews.
It could be they had some questions in this area. His understanding of reading defenses and memory recall.
It could be they had some questions in this area. His understanding of reading defenses and memory recall.
From his interviews at UA, he kind of had a lot of CNS rub off on him in that he seems annoyed with the questions and came off a bit ambivalent. Someone could easily take that to mean a lot of things. It's amazing how the same interview or presentation can be viewed differently by different people. I doubt he bombed football related knowledge, but I may be mistaken.
I always thought that passes outside the numbers were one of AJ's strengths. I remember a LOT of passes at or near the sidelines that he completed to keep drives alive and the chains moving.
You would think. But who knows? I would hope it wasn't a character issue they had red flags about in his interview.
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