Quarterback Analysis

[NDAlumSon]

As some you know from my previous postings, while I am a big Brady Quinn supporter, I am also a huge Brady Quinn doubter. I am of the opinion that his inconsistent throwing accuracy has, more than any other element of the ND offense, led to their poor offensive productivity.
Some of my previous opinions on the matter can be read here, here, and here.


In that vein and to satisfy my own egotistical hubris, I have dissected his play against UCLA to try to further this opinion. I've reviewed every throw from the UCLA game to determine his effectiveness and its result on ND's offensive productivity. But to keep you from committing hari-kari from sheer boredom, I'll list only the first half passes where the quarterback's throws either did make or could have made an important impact on the game and its outcome. And as we all know his last three throws should be considered accurate and great.

So how do I define throwing effectiveness? I'm going to use a simple mathematical formula. A+B=C
A is Velocity or Touch. How much zip or arc is on any particular throw.
B is Location. Where does the ball arrive at the receiver's body in relation to the receiver's movement.
C is Accuracy.


Now, are there other factors besides the quarterback simply throwing the ball that determine accuracy?
Of course. There's protection, there's coverage, there's wind, a wet ball, the sun, etc.
I try to factor all those in. But for our purposes here, we can eliminate wind, a wet ball, and the sun.
So that leaves protection and coverage.


So, onward. First, his game stats.


Notre Dame vs UCLA
Brady Quinn #10 Quarterback
27 of 45 for 304 yds Avg. 6.8 yds/completion 2 TD's 0 INT


Now on to the particular throws.


(1^st possession) (There was only one pass in this possession)
1^st & 10 @ ND 28 14:36 1^st Qtr.
Under center, three step drop, quick flair to Walker
Good touch + good location = good accuracy
Great start.


(2^nd possession) (There were 2 passes in this possession)
3^rd & 9 @ ND 30 11:11
Shotgun, good protection, 5 yd. out to Grimes
Good touch + good location = good accuracy.
However, a 5 yd. out on 3^rd & 9 with the coverage of Grimes that Brady saw is a bad decision.
Brady had plenty of time to wait for another receiver to get open downfield.


(3^rd possession) (There were 3 passes in this possession)
1st & 10 @ UCLA 44 7:25
Under center, play action (fake reverse) deep post pass to McKnight.
Good (enough) protection and Rhema is open in the end zone. Incomplete.
Poor touch (not enough arc, too flat) + good location (at least it wasn't under thrown) = Bad accuracy
Should have been a touchdown.
4^th & inches @ UCLA 40 6:00
Under center, play action, great protection, 10 yd square-in to Carlson. Complete.
Poor touch + poor accuracy + poor timing = bad accuracy.
Ball thrown 2 seconds too late, way too softly, and Brady doesn't lead his receiver.
Completed yes, but it should have been ANOTHER touchdown.
3^rd & goal @ UCLA 3 4:10
Under center, play action, Jeff across the back of the endzone.for a TD
Good velocity + bad location = bad accuracy
Ball is thrown high and once again not out in front of the receiver.
Jeff jumps (he shouldn't have had to), adjusts his forward motion (same thing) and makes the grab.


(4^th possession) (There were 2 passes in this possession)
1^st & 10 @ ND 47 3:12
Under center, 3 step drop, sideline fade to McKnight. Incomplete.
I have no idea what this was. Either Rhema missed the out cut or the pass was weakly and dangerously under thrown since there were two defenders there.
Accuracy here is impossible to tell. Ugly nonetheless.
3^rd & 11 @ ND 46 2:30
Under center, play action, heavy rush. Brady steps up but doesn't slide to his right where there's lots of room, throws into the ground to Walker in the right flat. Upon further review, Brady goes down without being touched. Bad pocket presence.


(5^th possession) (There were 3 passes in this possession)
2^nd & 4 @ ND 23 13:08 2^nd Qtr.
Under center, 3 step drop, 5 yd out to McKnight. 1^st Down.
Good velocity + good location = good accuracy.
2^nd & 10 @ ND 29 12:28
Under center, 5 step drop, good protection, deep sideline bomb to McKnight.
This is a whopper. Telegraphs the play the whole time. Doesn't look the safety off. Throws into double coverage and badly under throws it. Perfect interception ball. Lucky it wasn't picked.
It seems he refuses to lead his receivers and let them go and get it. This one got my goat !
Poor touch (little arc) + poor location + poor distance = Horrible accuracy
3^rd & 10 @ ND 29 12:21
Shotgun. One man breaks through protection on Brady's right, he buys some time but rolls the wrong way. Sack. Probably a coverage sack but bad pocket presence nonetheless. He had plenty of time to make something happen if not just throw it away.


(6^th possession) (There were 2 passes in this possession)
1^st & 15 @ ND 15 9:28
Play action, 5 step drop, great protection, lots of time. Brady checks down to a wide open McConnell in the right flat. Throws it at his feet. Incomplete.
Poor velocity + poor location = poor accuracy
3^rd & 13 @ ND 17 8:37
Shotgun, beautifully designed 'rolling pocket' to the right, great protection, lots of time, McKnight crossing deep to the corner. Severely under thrown, another prime pick off ball. 'Heavy' ball with little spiral that could have been a touchdown.
Poor velocity (little arc) + poor location + poor distance = Horrible accuracy


(7^th possession) (There were 10 passes in this possession)
1^st & 10 @ ND 20 6:58
Play action, 5 step drop, good protection. Carlson in right flat. Complete
Good velocity + poor location (back shoulder forces receiver to turn around) = bad accuracy
2^nd & 5 @ ND 20 6:29
Shotgun, great protection, quick out hitch to Carlson. Good velocity + good location = good accuracy
1^st & 10 @ ND 31 6:13
Shotgun, great protection, 10 yd. out to Grimes at the sideline. Low throw forces receiver to go down in bounds to catch the ball. Keeps clock moving.
Good velocity + bad location = bad accuracy
2^nd & 1 @ ND 40 5:44
Shotgun, 2 step drop, quick slot screen to Samardjiza.
Good velocity + good location = good accuracy
2^nd & 12 @ ND 40 4:32
Shotgun, designed screen left to Walker. UCLA reads it well, but Darius is open even though he probably doesn't gain much positive yardage. Brady throws it into the ground. Tough call here.
3^rd & 12 @ ND 40 4:27
Shotgun, great protection, 12 yd. out to McKnight. Complete. Rhema didn't square the route off properly and came up short of the 1^st down.
Good velocity + good location = good accuracy
1^st & 10 @ UCLA 47 4:03
Shotgun, quick slant to McKnight
Good velocity + good location = good accuracy
1^st & 10 @ UCLA 36 3:46
Shotgun, great protection, Carlson post pattern. Complete.
Good velocity + great location (nice and high, for once) = great accuracy
1^st & 10 @ UCLA 16 3:39
Play action, good protection, pocket collapses, Brady escapes for nice run.
2^nd & goal @ UCLA 4 0:40
Brady fumbles snap on pass play. No pass accuracy needed. Possible touchdown?
3^rd & goal @ UCLA 6 0:16
5 Wide formation. Brady inexplicably audibles to a quarterback sneak. I don't understand it.
Drop back throw a touchdown. Drop back throw it away if no one is open. Hell, drop back and take a sack if you have to. It'd still be a chip shot field goal. A bad decision.
HALFTIME


The second half is much the same from an accuracy standpoint, i.e., INCONSISTENT.
Notre Dame should have beaten UCLA by 3 or 4 touchdowns. They should have a least put 21 to 28 on the board themselves by halftime.
And in my humble opinion, such is the bulk of the season up to this point.
I've heard various reasons for ND's offensive ineptitude from protection breakdowns, receivers not getting open, receivers not hustling to get open, lack of a running game, etc.
You should notice however, that the throws that I deemed inaccurate had, with very little exception, nothing to do with protection and very little to do with coverage. After all he did deliver the ball in these instances and some were completed but far too many are poorly thrown and ineffective.
I frankly thought this game was quite similar to the others that ND has played so far.
Notre Dame has played some stout defenses up to this point in the season but NOT ONE has effectively or completely shut down the passing game by itself. Unfortunately, Brady Quinn has had a big hand in accomplishing that with his inconsistency and inaccuracy.
Now I realize that he's still a college kid and I really don't expect him to be perfect with every throw.
But for a leading Heisman candidate on a top 10 team with the whole football world expecting him to be drafted either #1 or #2 by some NFL team, I certainly expect better play than he has shown thus far. I truly hope his performance improves. As of now, I still say he's got NFL Europe written all over him.
I'd welcome any input or descent on any of this, especially from those who still have access to the game and have reviewed the plays I've described here.


Yours truly, Paul Hornung (J/K)

 

[DaDeuceDW]

I'm assuming you did this during your coffee break???
just kidding!!
Seriously though, nice analysis.

 

[Irishkid23]

Great analysis.

I beliieve Quinn has lost quite a bit of confidence, especially after the Michigan game. I also believe that the team as a whole is not hitting on all cylinders . One play the Ol is good, the next it's not. Same for the Wr's, the defense, etc., etc.


Brady has to step up and take control of the team as a captain and force his will upon it. I see him do this at times, but he needs to do it more. LEADERSHIP and CONFIDENCE go hand in hand. Maybe the UCLA game will bring it all back and we can use these next few games to get our rythym back. Then let's beat USC.

 

[tchris555]

i think in the beginning of the year his accuracy wasn't as good as last year but recently his throws have been extremely accurate. You can maybe nitpick his conservative decisions but his accuracy has been outstanding. I too was once a BQ accuracy doubter based on the sheer amount of jump balls last year.

However, his deep throw to McKnight should have been a TD, and the throw was perfect. Rhema stopped running and mis-timed it.

I feel like I'm pretty unbiased here considering I have an outstanding bet with a friend that dates back to when we were freshman in 02 (me, my friend, and rhema) that McKnight would be an all-american (1st, 2nd, or 3rd team) by the end of his career. It's a beer bet meaning the winner gets to make the loser chug a beer at any time they want not including time right before driving or test taking. This demostrates how much of a #5 fan i am.

To summarize, BQ's accuracy is no longer an issue since the 2nd half of MSU.


It'll be interesting to see our opinions of our QB's performance when we don't have arguably the best QB in the country and not arguably the best pro prospect.

 

[marv81s]

He's taking a beating this year more than he did last year, which makes for happy feat in the pocket, which means he isn't setting his feet as much and passes will be off target. When he is settled down and gets his feet planted and gets the protection he should, his passes have been right on target.

 

[guff]

3rd & goal @ UCLA 3 4:10
Under center, play action, Jeff across the back of the endzone.for a TD
Good velocity + bad location = bad accuracy
Ball is thrown high and once again not out in front of the receiver.
Jeff jumps (he shouldn't have had to), adjusts his forward motion (same thing) and makes the grab.

Did you think this may be by design? How many balls not thrown to the endzone were thrown high? By your analysis- none. Throughout the year he has overthrown very few crossing/out routes that aren't run into the endzone and many of his TD throws on crossing routes are thrown high. So maybe they are supposed to be thrown that way.

I'll leave the QB analysis up to Weis and Vaas, they know more than me.

 

[jerseyborn1971]

I have subscribed to the Charlie Weis philosophy of "the only stat I care about is wins". Brady has 6 wins and only 1 loss. I too will leave the analysis up to Weis & Vaas. I think there are just to many variables (offensive personal & schemes/ defensive personal & schemes) for the laymen to review a game tape and determine why BQ's completion % has dropped from 68% last year to 63% this year with 5 games left.

Admittedly, I choose to live life through gold & blue glasses though. I have come to terms with the fact that I'm a straight up homer.

 

[chadder20]

Did you think this may be by design? How many balls not thrown to the endzone were thrown high? By your analysis- none. Throughout the year he has overthrown very few crossing/out routes that aren't run into the endzone and many of his TD throws on crossing routes are thrown high. So maybe they are supposed to be thrown that way.

I'll leave the QB analysis up to Weis and Vaas, they know more than me.

On his crossing routes, he throws behind almost every receiver. Great catches by the receiver have made him look good. But, I have to give him credit on his throws down the middle right over the shoulder to carlson. I dont know if its luck or what, but he puts the ball on the dot on those throws. Post patterns and down the side line he is five steps ahead of the receiver. Screen passes are right at the back, not in front so they can keep their eyes down field, last year BQ was highly effective at the screen pass. I totally agree with the start of this post that BQ has a lot to do with the three and outs. Teams are making him beat them throwing and stuffing the run. This puts a lot of pressure on BQ with the long third downs. I think at one point during the UCLA game, ND was averaging 3rd and 7.5.

If ND continues to have that problem, every game will be close. The Navy game is scarry coming up, since 10 guys in the box couldnt stop UCLA from gaining 4-5 yards a carry. Poor tackling and run pressure is going to add up to many yards on the ground for Navy. Hopefully, ND can just wear them down.

 

[NDAlumSon]

I'm assuming you did this during your coffee break???

Yeah, one of those 80 cup breaks and boy do I have to piss.

I think in the beginning of the year his accuracy wasn't as good as last year but recently his throws have been extremely accurate. You can maybe nitpick his conservative decisions but his accuracy has been outstanding.

To summarize, BQ's accuracy is no longer an issue since the 2nd half of MSU.

Well...we obviously disagree.grin:

He's taking a beating this year more than he did last year, which makes for happy feat in the pocket, which means he isn't setting his feet as much and passes will be off target. When he is settled down and gets his feet planted and gets the protection he should, his passes have been right on target.

I beg you to review the tape. He had much better protection against UCLA than people realize. Like I wrote, on most of the throws I site protection is NOT the issue, not even close to being an issue.

Did you think this may be by design?

No I don't.

Throughout the year he has overthrown very few crossing/out routes that aren't run into the endzone

Sorry, I don't understand this.

I'll leave the QB analysis up to Weis and Vaas, they know more than me.

Yeah, but what about me??
Then again, who's to say they don't see it too ??

 

[Stealingshrimp]

Throughout the year he has overthrown very few crossing/out routes that aren't run into the endzone and many of his TD throws on crossing routes are thrown high. So maybe they are supposed to be thrown that way.

I'll leave the QB analysis up to Weis and Vaas, they know more than me.

Have you watched ND football this year?, quinn has completed 1? pass on the money deep all year. Yes others have been caught, but they have been because of WR heroics.


The following is a HUGE problem of fans in general. If the TV announcers, or a significant number of posters, say anything - not matter how incorrect - everyone believes it. Brady's protection was actually quite nice in the first half - there were a few times they would blitz 2-3 and we'd pick it up beautifully. Now I'm not saying the OL played beautifully the entire game, but they weren't near as bad as everyone has mentioned.

 

[FleaFlicker]

I partially disagree with the OP, and partially agree. I agree that Brady needs to take some blame for the offensive woes. But I think we are right in giving most of that blame to the O-line and DW. Our running game is one of the worst in the country. That puts a tremendous amount of pressure on the passing game. When everyone knows you are going to pass, it isn't easy.

For instance, good defenses like GT, UCLA, UM all were able to defend our pass well because they were so good at stopping the run. (Although DW had a decent running game against GT).

I have watched all of the throws over again, and I don't agree with all of your analysis. For one, you issue attributed like "bad" and "horrible" far to often. Many of those that you said had "bad" placement, were still caught balls. Meaning the placement was at least good enough for the completion, which should count for something.

Did you also notice that when a pass has "Good touch + bad location = bad pass"... Even if the pass was completed? Why is it that one positive and one negative = a negative. It makes more sense that you would say an "Average" pass came out of that. Seeing as "Average" would be the exact middle of what he could do.

The pass to Jeff in the end-zone was innacurately thrown behind him a bit, but velocity and height were dead on. I've seen 3-4 passes like this to Jeff this year, and they are always that high. You don't think it is designed that way? Jeff is taller and can jump higher than almost any DB that is playing him, it would make sense to throw a ball that he has to jump for.

Yet you addressed that throw like so...

3rd & goal @ UCLA 3 4:10
Under center, play action, Jeff across the back of the endzone.for a TD
Good velocity + bad location = bad accuracy
Ball is thrown high and once again not out in front of the receiver.
Jeff jumps (he shouldn't have had to), adjusts his forward motion (same thing) and makes the grab.

Again, a TD pass that was a bit behind the reciver is now deemed "bad accuracy"? Bad accuracy would have been missing Jeff completely.

I agree that Brady isn't perfect, but you clearly are labeling decent throws as "bad" and great throws as "good". You have to realize that every QB has throws like this. Hell, Troy Smith's receivers normally have 3 steps on their guy, he can throw the ball anywhere and they will catch it for a TD. Same with VY last year. He would throw balls that were just remotely close to his receivers, and they would make a play. It's just how CFB works.

If you are judging brady in comparison to the like of Peyton Manning, he's not there yet. But he can get there, which is why he is projected so high.

 

[bigdon]

Thank you NDAlumSon for your analysis. I did not read the entire post but congradulate you on broching a subject that might be unpopular on this site--criticism of BQ.

I agree that he is inconsistent and nowhere as effective as last year. The reasons may be myriad, or just the poor play of the OL but whatever, he is just not the same player.

When the season started I thought the Heisman was his to lose. Now I think he will have to put up some super numbers to win it. Perhaps he will but ifthe first half is any quide he will have to beat the odds.

I take a back seat to no one in support of ND. It has been a lifelong endeaver. But sometimes that kind of support gets in the way of objectivity. I like BQ a lot but he has not shown the type of leadership I expected. Maybe he'll shine in the second half.

Last year there was a serious post asking if we thought he was the "greatest ND QB ever". I can go back to Lujack and there have been many superior ND QB's since. BQ is a fine college player but he is certainly not "in a class by himself".

Anyhow, thanks for the topic. We should be able to express genuine feelings about the team and you have done that with great analysis to support it.

 

[NDAlumSon]

I have watched all of the throws over again, and I don't agree with all of your analysis. For one, you issue attributed like "bad" and "horrible" far to often. Many of those that you said had "bad" placement, were still caught balls. Meaning the placement was at least good enough for the completion, which should count for something.

You're right. I do attribute some "caught" balls as poorly accurate.
Here's some things to consider:
1) The only receiver who makes any YAC is Samardjiza. And that is because this All-American receiver has the athletic ability to make the first guy miss, but not the speed to accelerate from a dead stop (which is the position from which he usually makes his first move) to outrun pursuit. Most of the rest of the completions are stopped at the point of reception.

Did you also notice that when a pass has "Good touch + bad location = bad pass"...Even if the pass was completed? Why is it that one positive and one negative = a negative.

If I throw pass to you when you're sprinting across the field with a defender on your back shoulder and I throw it to you in stride so that the defender cannot burst in front and knock it down or intercept it AND you do NOT have to break stride for, that is "good" velocity or touch.
However if that same pass bounces off your ankles incomplete, its "location" was bad and the end result has to be considered a "poor" pass.
So, in effect both A and B have to be "good" for the pass to be considered accurate (C).

It makes more sense that you would say an "Average" pass came out of that. Seeing as "Average" would be the exact middle of what he could do.

This is the play that I would consider an "average" throw.

4^th & inches @ UCLA 40 6:00
Under center, play action, great protection, 10 yd square-in to Carlson. Complete.
Poor touch + poor accuracy + poor timing = bad accuracy.
Ball thrown 2 seconds too late, way too softly, and Brady doesn't lead his receiver.
Completed yes, but it should have been ANOTHER touchdown.

Please, please, I beg you,...If you still have access to the game, check it out.
NBC has a great camera shot replay from the endzone that will show you exactly what I mean.
Carlson mini-curls into the secondary from his tight end position. He head fakes to the outside and then breaks left towards the middle. The fake worked !! The safety is beat. John has turned around to look at Brady before the ball has been released, meaning it wasn't a strict timing route. Brady has great protection, watches John come out of his break and hangs onto the ball too long, when he does throw it, he throws too softly and does NOT deliver it out IN FRONT of the receiver. Missed touchdown opportunity.

You're not going to get a better example of what my WHOLE criticism of Brady is about than this play.

The pass to Jeff in the end-zone was innacurately thrown behind him a bit, but velocity and height were dead on.... You don't think it is designed that way?

Jeff was 2 to 3 steps wide open. It didn't need to be thrown high or over someone. Why make the catch more difficult than it has to be. IMHO, it's just bad location.

I agree that Brady isn't perfect, but you clearly are labeling decent throws as "bad" and great throws as "good".

Boy, I sure tried NOT to do that. I think I used the adjectives "great", "good", "poor" and "horrible". 2 up and 2 down. I tried not to exaggerate or misinform. Though certain sets of eyes and perception are sure to "see" different things and that's very understandable.

You have to realize that every QB has throws like this. It's just how CFB works.

Well, here I will strongly, and respectfully, disagree with you. Not a Heisamn candidate designated to be the #1 pick in the NFL draft.

If you are judging Brady in comparison to the like of Peyton Manning, he's not there yet. But he can get there, which is why he is projected so high.

It's my heart felt hope.
Thanks for the feedback FleaFlicker. Much appreciated.

Thank you NDAlumSon for your analysis. I did not read the entire post but congratulate you on broaching a subject that might be unpopular on this site--criticism of BQ.

I certainly hope people will realize it's not my intention to BASH just for the sake of bashing and I'm sure such criticism doesn't sit well with some of our "family".
But it has been my opinion going all the way back to last year and I think I've been pretty consistent in this view. Thanks for the kind words, bigdon.

Anyhow, thanks for the topic. We should be able to express genuine feelings about the team and you have done that with great analysis to support it.

I agree and Thanks again.

 

[jerseyborn1971]

I don't think the analysis of BQ this year compared to last year is completely fair. We have to realize that last year ND's entire offense, BQ especially, was a complete surprise to fan, analyst and opposing team alike. Expectations were much lower, therfore, he was not scrutinized nearly as much as he is now. The focus was on his numbers. Defenses didn't have much, if anything, to prepare with.

This year he has come in with a year's worth of film for opponents to study and the spotlight of being a potential Heisman winner and #1 draft pick. No one was breaking down his games pass by pass last year.

Considering that he is up against better prepared defenses & people studying and picking apart each individual pass he throws, he is doing quite well. His stats are relatively the same despite having fewer plays per game and the above mentioned better prepared defenses.

But again, I am an admitted homer and I don't follow my beloved Irish with the thought of being objective. I'll leave that to the experts.

 

[jiggafini19]

I credit Quinn with major "win shares" over Ga Tech, MSU and UCLA.

They will miss him more than we realize next season, but ND will have a young offensive line that will make up for inexperience with a completely nasty attitude of physicality that we'll really enjoy as fans and followers. If what some people are saying from practices and from the older players themselves, these freshmen are tough hombres on that O Line.

Whoever replaces Quinn could be pretty lucky.

 

[NDAlumSon]

I just had one more thought that I forgot to include.
I think it might help if guys watched for the number of times balls are caught with the hands ONLY on crossing routes.
This is the BEST indicator that the ball is delivered in the proper "location".

So, the next time that you see Jeff running a crossing route and catching a ball where his hands are positioned thusly: (Thumb-tips touching, palms facing the quarterback, fingers spread wide, arms extended out in front, his hands chest to helmet high) {TRY IT, It's fun!} you'll know you've just seen a perfectly delivered ball.
THEN...watch the Yards After Catch happen.

If only that happened on THIS play: (Not in my original post)

(10th possession)
1st & 10 @ ND 25 8:45
Shotgun. Good protection, quick 4 yd. over the middle route to Samardjiza. Incomplete.
Poor velocity + horrible location (at his knees) = Horrible accuracy
No more than an 8 yard throw from point-to-point, mind you, and BADLY delivered !!!

You all remember this one ! Even Haden said that that play could have gone for 60, 70+ yards if not a touchdown.
Once again NBC had that great end zone camera angle for the replay.
I don't know how any quarterback in college football doesn't at least COMPLETE that pass.
Please, please someone check this out and confirm that what I see is correct before my whole world, as I see it, starts crashing down all around me.

 

[NDAlumSon]

I credit Quinn with major "win shares" over Ga Tech, MSU and UCLA.

No question about it, Jiggs !!
In fact we don't win those games without him.
My point, however, is if he's accurate,...we don't NEED to come from behind to beat those teams. We're already a couple scores up.

 

[guff]

NDAS, I have a great deal of difficulty taking anything you say regarding any QB seriously when you boldly predict that Quinn will taking snaps in NFL Europe next year. That's absolute insanity.

The second bit of insanity comes from bigdon questioning of Quinn's leadership ability. That's straightjacket wearing crazy. He is without doubt the leader.

Could Quinn be more accurate? Sure, he missed some throws probably more than last year, but to characterize him as inaccurate is wrong.

 

[bigdon]

Guff, I did NOT say that Quinn was not THE leader. Read the post!! I said I was dissapointed in his leadership. I thought it would be much more exemplary or forceful. I still feel that way.

 

[NDAlumSon]

NDAS, I have a great deal of difficulty taking anything you say regarding any QB seriously when you boldly predict that Quinn will taking snaps in NFL Europe next year. That's absolute insanity.

Somebody's got to expose the truth.
Whose else is gonna do it? YOU? You, Lt. Weinburg? I have a greater responsibility than you could possibly fathom. You weep for Brady, and you curse my efforts. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know. That Brady's future path, while diminished, probably saved receiver's lives.
And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves receiver's lives.
You don't want the truth because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on this keyboard, you need me on this keyboard.
We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very truth that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said THANK YOU, and went on your way, Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a TiVo, and stand a post. Either way, I don't give a DAMN!! what you think you are entitled to !












BTW...all in good fun.

 

[FleaFlicker]

You're right. I do attribute some "caught" balls as poorly accurate.
Here's some things to consider:
1) The only receiver who makes any YAC is Samardjiza. And that is because this All-American receiver has the athletic ability to make the first guy miss, but not the speed to accelerate from a dead stop (which is the position from which he usually makes his first move) to outrun pursuit. Most of the rest of the completions are stopped at the point of reception.



If I throw pass to you when you're sprinting across the field with a defender on your back shoulder and I throw it to you in stride so that the defender cannot burst in front and knock it down or intercept it AND you do NOT have to break stride for, that is "good" velocity or touch.
However if that same pass bounces off your ankles incomplete, its "location" was bad and the end result has to be considered a "poor" pass.
So, in effect both A and B have to be "good" for the pass to be considered accurate (C).



This is the play that I would consider an "average" throw.

4^th & inches @ UCLA 40 6:00
Under center, play action, great protection, 10 yd square-in to Carlson. Complete.
Poor touch + poor accuracy + poor timing = bad accuracy.
Ball thrown 2 seconds too late, way too softly, and Brady doesn't lead his receiver.
Completed yes, but it should have been ANOTHER touchdown.

Please, please, I beg you,...If you still have access to the game, check it out.
NBC has a great camera shot replay from the endzone that will show you exactly what I mean.
Carlson mini-curls into the secondary from his tight end position. He head fakes to the outside and then breaks left towards the middle. The fake worked !! The safety is beat. John has turned around to look at Brady before the ball has been released, meaning it wasn't a strict timing route. Brady has great protection, watches John come out of his break and hangs onto the ball too long, when he does throw it, he throws too softly and does NOT deliver it out IN FRONT of the receiver. Missed touchdown opportunity.

You're not going to get a better example of what my WHOLE criticism of Brady is about than this play.




Jeff was 2 to 3 steps wide open. It didn't need to be thrown high or over someone. Why make the catch more difficult than it has to be. IMHO, it's just bad location.





Boy, I sure tried NOT to do that. I think I used the adjectives "great", "good", "poor" and "horrible". 2 up and 2 down. I tried not to exaggerate or misinform. Though certain sets of eyes and perception are sure to "see" different things and that's very understandable.



Well, here I will strongly, and respectfully, disagree with you. Not a Heisamn candidate designated to be the #1 pick in the NFL draft.



It's my heart felt hope.
Thanks for the feedback FleaFlicker. Much appreciated.



I certainly hope people will realize it's not my intention to BASH just for the sake of bashing and I'm sure such criticism doesn't sit well with some of our "family".
But it has been my opinion going all the way back to last year and I think I've been pretty consistent in this view. Thanks for the kind words, bigdon.



I agree and Thanks again.

I appreciate the well thought out reply. But there are a few more things I would like to throw in here.

I will agree with you that he hasn't been ideal with his crossing route throws. And I agree that the pass to Carlson wasn't perfect. But you don't label a pass a "good throw" unless it was dead-on accurate, prefect speed, perfect placement. You are going to get some of those passes a game from Brady, not all, just like any other QB in the nation, pro or college.

Name me a college quarterback right now that makes those throws almost every time... I've seen QB's like Troy Smith and Matt Leinart make a few bad throws here and there, but by and large, they were better than most other quarterbacks in college, hence the attention.

It is the same situation with Brady.

 

[guff]

Analyze 'til you're blue in the face this sums it up:

"He's not only one of the best quarterbacks in college football, he's one of the best players in college football. Period," Weis said. "I wouldn't trade him in for anybody."

I'll take the opinion of the expert over the guy with Tivo everytime.

 

[NDAlumSon]

Guff, ol' boy, it's important, as I've repeated again and again, not to conflate the issue I raised which was "inconsistent throwing accuracy.
"Nothing more and nothing less.
These are two previous posts that proclaim just that.

1) "He's got every tool that the pros covet.
Ideal size.
Great strength.
Strong arm.
Good vision.
Good mechanics.
Good recognition skills. Audibles out of bad plays when the defense show itself.
Smart. To digest Charlie's playbook, you have to be.
Calm in the clutch. See Stanford last year and MSU this year.
Unfortunately, for me, it all comes back to accuracy."

2) "Now, I'm on record as saying that ND is a legitimte national championship capable team
and has the chance to do something special this year but that doesn't preclude me from objectively commenting about the inconsistent throwing accuracy of one Brady Quinn.
I am commenting:
Not on his personal character.
Not on his academic acuity.
Not on his in-game decision making, his leadership skills, his toughness and certainly not on whether he's "getting along" with anybody else.
I'm commenting on his inconsistent throwing accuracy and what effects that has on the offense."

With all that said, yesterday's performance was his best of the year.
Brady looked more comfortable than he has all year.
He was economical. He was extremely effective in the passing game. In fact he only threw three bad balls all game.
He showed calmness in the pocket, scrambled at just the right times, hell I even saw him "slide" IN the pocket on a couple of occasions.
An outstanding, beautiful, completely enjoyable performance to watch.
A true Heisman caliber Saturday outing.

 

[polishdomer]

Guff, ol' boy, it's important, as I've repeated again and again, not to conflate the issue I raised which was "inconsistent throwing accuracy.
"Nothing more and nothing less.
These are two previous posts that proclaim just that.

1) "He's got every tool that the pros covet.
Ideal size.
Great strength.
Strong arm.
Good vision.
Good mechanics.
Good recognition skills. Audibles out of bad plays when the defense show itself.
Smart. To digest Charlie's playbook, you have to be.
Calm in the clutch. See Stanford last year and MSU this year.
Unfortunately, for me, it all comes back to accuracy."

2) "Now, I'm on record as saying that ND is a legitimte national championship capable team
and has the chance to do something special this year but that doesn't preclude me from objectively commenting about the inconsistent throwing accuracy of one Brady Quinn.
I am commenting:
Not on his personal character.
Not on his academic acuity.
Not on his in-game decision making, his leadership skills, his toughness and certainly not on whether he's "getting along" with anybody else.
I'm commenting on his inconsistent throwing accuracy and what effects that has on the offense."

With all that said, yesterday's performance was his best of the year.
Brady looked more comfortable than he has all year.
He was economical. He was extremely effective in the passing game. In fact he only threw three bad balls all game.
He showed calmness in the pocket, scrambled at just the right times, hell I even saw him "slide" IN the pocket on a couple of occasions.
An outstanding, beautiful, completely enjoyable performance to watch.
A true Heisman caliber Saturday outing.

I agree with you NDAlumSon...I am a big Brady fan, but he has thrown some garbage balls, with his receivers making some spectacular catches. That one throw to Grimes for the TD was a great pass, but still underthrown. He shows somewhat good accuracy within 10-15 yards, but past that his accuracy wavers a bit...again, his receivers make him look better...