Teddy played OK completing 29 of 38 for 341 yards, 2 TDs and no picks. He’s done absolutely no harm to his NFL stock.
I do love Blake Bortles though, and really hope he doesn’t declare for the draft after this season. I’d love to see him and redshirt junior RB Storm Johnson in Croke Park next year. It’s unlikely though:( UCF head coach George O’Leary is another alright sort.
There’s brief highlights of the game here, click on UCF upsets UL…
[quote=“Sandymount Red, post: 848576, member: 1074”]Teddy played OK completing 29 of 38 for 341 yards, 2 TDs and no picks. He’s done absolutely no harm to his NFL stock.
I do love Blake Bortles though, and really hope he doesn’t declare for the draft after this season. I’d love to see him and redshirt junior RB Storm Johnson in Croke Park next year. It’s unlikely though:( UCF head coach George O’Leary is another alright sort.
There’s brief highlights of the game here, click on UCF upsets UL…
http://espn.go.com[/quote]
Thanks. So Teddy ahead of Clowney is the expectation is it?
In the modern NFL you have to have an elite QB or you are going nowhere. I can’t see anyone but the Jags picking #1 and their QB situation is horrific. Barring serious injury Florida native Bridgewater will go #1 to the Jags. Given how important the QB position is it wouldn’t surprise me if a QB went #2 also. Tajh Boyd is the most probable but if Marcus Mariota or Brett Hundley were to declare we could see a scramble to get up into the top 2 and 3.
Clowney has been poor this season and has been accused of feigning injury and taking plays off. His stock is starting to slide. He has too much talent to slip out of the top 5 and the first team with a proper franchise QB to draft will gladly snap him up. That could well be the NY Giants who are in free fall. If they could get Clowney and match him up with JPP that would be one hell of a fearsome pass rush.
[quote=“Sandymount Red, post: 848596, member: 1074”]In the modern NFL you have to have an elite QB or you are going nowhere. I can’t see anyone but the Jags picking #1 and their QB situation is horrific. Barring serious injury Florida native Bridgewater will go #1 to the Jags. Given how important the QB position is it wouldn’t surprise me if a QB went #2 also. Tajh Boyd is the most probable but if Marcus Mariota or Brett Hundley were to declare we could see a scramble to get up into the top 2 and 3.
Clowney has been poor this season and has been accused of feigning injury and taking plays off. His stock is starting to slide. He has too much talent to slip out of the top 5 and the first team with a proper franchise QB to draft will gladly snap him up. That could well be the NY Giants who are in free fall. If they could get Clowney and match him up with JPP that would be one hell of a fearsome pass rush.[/quote]
Lots of teams seemed to defer their QB needs in this year’s draft and with the likes of the Texans now adding to the mix there could well be some scramble for QBs next year.
I think the elite QB thing is getting overstated though. Flacco and Eli weren’t considered elite before they won one. Obviously if you get Andrew Luck you’re laughing, but it’s still possible for a moderate enough QB to win a Superbowl if the rest of the team is strong enough.
[quote=“Rocko, post: 848659, member: 1”]Lots of teams seemed to defer their QB needs in this year’s draft and with the likes of the Texans now adding to the mix there could well be some scramble for QBs next year.
I think the elite QB thing is getting overstated though. Flacco and Eli weren’t considered elite before they won one. Obviously if you get Andrew Luck you’re laughing, but it’s still possible for a moderate enough QB to win a Superbowl if the rest of the team is strong enough.[/quote]
True. Defence wins championships for the most part.
Not any more. You need a proper QB to get you over the line. Eli and Flacco, whilst both wildly erratic, have proved they can heat up at the right time and get the job done in the play offs.
I’d have serious reservations about the likes of Dalton, Schaub and Alex Smith ever doing that no matter how good their Ds were.
This upcoming draft is far better for QBs than last year, especially if Hundley and Mariota declare. I expect to see serious fireworks on draft day if they do.
[quote=“Sandymount Red, post: 848690, member: 1074”]Not any more. You need a proper QB to get you over the line. Eli and Flacco, whilst both wildly erratic, have proved they can heat up at the right time and get the job done in the play offs.
I’d have serious reservations about the likes of Dalton, Schaub and Alex Smith ever doing that no matter how good their Ds were.
This upcoming draft is far better for QBs than last year, especially if Hundley and Mariota declare. I expect to see serious fireworks on draft day if they do.[/quote]
I think that QB analysis is a bit self fulfilling. I’m non knocking Flacco or Eli but until they had those play-off wins they weren’t much better than Schaub (before his utter collapse this season). Romo of course is also touted regularly as not good enough to win a Superbowl which is nonsense.
Flacco was excellent in January and February but he wasn’t in the top 10 QBs until then. His play-off record isn’t big enough to argue that’s his true level.
Flacco is almost the exception that proves the rule that if you’re not very good then your defence has to be excellent. What other ‘average’ qb has won it in the last 20 years, only brad johnson and trent dilfer, both carried by their d’s
Eli was considered average until he won, now he is considered elite because he won.
Anyway, going back to the draft question, how many of the current elite QBs were high picks anyway? Brees was second round (San Diego drafted LT and Brees with their first two picks, even after trading down - super picking), Brady was way down, Rodgers was #24, Romo was undrafted. The Mannings are the exception rather than the rule nearly.
[quote=“Rocko, post: 848707, member: 1”]Eli was considered average until he won, now he is considered elite because he won.
Anyway, going back to the draft question, how many of the current elite QBs were high picks anyway? Brees was second round (San Diego drafted LT and Brees with their first two picks, even after trading down - super picking), Brady was way down, Rodgers was #24, Romo was undrafted. The Mannings are the exception rather than the rule nearly.[/quote]
Luck, cam newton, rg3 three early picks that look good. Alex smith, sam Bradford, matt stafford, vick havent been elite but not busts either. I dont think the return of good/bad is any worse than in other skill positions picked high.
Maybe the term elite is thrown around too easily. Peyton and Rodgers are two of the best ever. Does elis achievement not elevate his status, he was under rated early on because of his comparison with peyton i think.
[quote=“Rocko, post: 848707, member: 1”]Eli was considered average until he won, now he is considered elite because he won.
Anyway, going back to the draft question, how many of the current elite QBs were high picks anyway? Brees was second round (San Diego drafted LT and Brees with their first two picks, even after trading down - super picking), Brady was way down, Rodgers was #24, Romo was undrafted. The Mannings are the exception rather than the rule nearly.[/quote]
It’s not an exact science, that’s what makes it so interesting. Can’t miss prospects like Luck, Manning, Elway etc don’t come around very often. Teams put too much emphasis on measurables IMO which is why the likes of Brees and Russell Wilson fell out of the first round. Brady wasn’t a starter for much of his college career and had a poor combine.
Rodgers was the strangest of the lot. He was rumoured to have been a bit arrogant but that’s not a bad trait for a QB IMO. He went to college at Cal and the nearby Niners had the first overall pick and were desperate for a QB. It looked a perfect fit. I guess when the Niners passed on him that triggered a chain reaction that put off a lot of teams.
Romo and Warner went to small schools and that is why they slipped under the radar. Joe Flacco also attended a small school, Delaware, but he was much hyped due to the numbers he put up there.
Watched #14 Mizzou beat #22 Florida earlier. The Gators were very poor offensively and deserved to be beaten. Great result for the unbeaten Tigers who were without their starting QB James Franklin. Redshirt junior QB Maty Mauk, starting his first game, was superb.
It will be interesting to see where Mizzou can go from here. The SEC east is looking fairly weak this year. Their opponents next week, #11 South Carolina, suffered a shock 23-21 defeat on a FG as time expired to lowly Tennessee. There was another upset in the east as #15 Georgia went down 31-27 against Vanderbilt. Mizzou have a great chance of getting to the SEC conference game.
Johnny Football and Texas A&M down by 4 with a minute left. (V Auburn) on now
Cracking weekend just gone with plenty of shocks, and some real movers and fallers in the Heisman race.
The game of the weekend was undoubtedly #5 Florida State going into Death Valley and serving up an almighty 51-14 beating to #3 Clemson. The Seminoles have got to be considered legit candidates for BCS glory now. Redshirt freshman QB Jameis Winston has catapulted himself to the head of the Heisman race after passing for 444 yards and 3 TDs, whilst Tajh Boyd had a nightmare and is not only out of the Heisman race but could see himself fall out of the top 10 in the NFL draft.
Oregon QB Marcus Mariota continues to impress, and was once again in scintillating form as the Ducks brushed aside Washington State. Oregon faces UCLA this weekend and it will be a fascinating clash of two sophomore QBs who have caught the imagination of the NFL scouting community. UCLA signal caller Brett Hundley fluffed his lines against Stanford last week though.
A real dark horse for Heisman honours is also emerging in Oregon. But it is the Oregon State QB Sean Mannion that is turning heads. The Beavers gunslinger is putting up some eye-watering stats averaging over 427 yards passing per game and has a great chance to really promote his Heisman candidacy this weekend when the Beavers host #8 Stanford.
Could be a major shock in the offing in the game I’m watching. Wake Forest lead #7 Miami 14-10 with less than 11 minutes left. The 'Canes have just punted though and pinned Wake Forest inside their 5.
ESPN have changed their schedule later on and will be screening the UCLA @ Oregon game at the midnight slot.
[quote=“Sandymount Red, post: 852107, member: 1074”]Could be a major shock in the offing in the game I’m watching. Wake Forest lead #7 Miami 14-10 with less than 11 minutes left. The 'Canes have just punted though and pinned Wake Forest inside their 5.
ESPN have changed their schedule later on and will be screening the UCLA @ Oregon game at the midnight slot.[/quote]
What time are the Baylor and Alabama games?
Tennessee @ Alabama is the next game up on ESPN in about 30 mins. Baylor @ Kansas kicks off at midnight.
#7 Miami get out of jail again as Duke Johnson goes in from 1 yard out for the go ahead score with 53 seconds left to beat unranked Wake Forest. This is the third sluggish performance in a row from The U and they are a top 10 team in name only.
They face a daunting trip to Tallahassee next week to face the rampant Seminoles.
After a lacklustre week college football is back with a bang. This weekend is pivotal in the race for the BCS championship game.
The action starts tomorrow night when two of the main protagonists put their credentials on the line. The biggest game of the weekend sees #2 Oregon travel to the bay area to tackle their nemesis, #6 Stanford. This looks by far the hardest game left on the Duck’s schedule and if they win they should run the table.
Dark horses for the BCS title game #5 Baylor are also in action tomorrow night when the host #12 Oklahoma. The Sooners would love nothing more than to smash the Bears title aspirations. The Bears have plenty of tough games left though and know one loss would see them eliminated.
Watching on with interest will be #1 Alabama. They have their toughest game of the season on Saturday when they host #10 LSU. If Oregon win the pressure on the Tide will be immense. Florida State look like they will run the table, with their final game @ Florida looking like the only dodgy one left.
If Oregon and Florida State both run the table a 1 loss Tide are out. And with an Iron Bowl game to come against a resurgent Auburn, plus the SEC title game, Nick Saban knows they cannot let up.
I was reading a SI article today and it brought up the Ohio State situation. The Buckeyes are undefeated too but are seen as a level below Bama/FSU/Oregon, and likely need two of those teams to lose to get into BCSNC contention. The article raised the hypothetical situation where the top 4 all run the table (not totally inconceivable), with FSU finishing 2nd ahead of Oregon in the BCS (with FSU finishing with impressive wins and Oregon struggling over the line). We would then have #1 Bama v #2 FSU in championship game and #3 Oregon v #4 Ohio St in the Rose Bowl, with the winners NOT facing off and with two teams having legitimate National Championship claims. Crazy shit altogether.
The final year of the BCS is looking like the final snapshot of its utter ridiculousness, with a marginally less shit system replacing it, still open to some of the anomalies which have blighted its predecessor.