Jonathan Rand: What if (Matt) Ryan's there? - Page 3

shaneo69 · 04-10-2008, 04:27 PM

What if Ryan's there?
Apr 10, 2008, 2:15:51 AM by Jonathan Rand

What should the Chiefs do if Matt Ryan from Boston College, considered the standout quarterback in this draft, is sitting there when it’s time to make the fifth overall pick?

Thousands of Chiefs fans would be screaming, “Take him!” Some of these same fans, no doubt, were throwing chairs at their big screens last year as the Chiefs declined to trade up during Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn’s free fall. The Browns traded up with the Cowboys to grab Quinn at number 22 and the Chiefs, sitting chilly in the 23rd spot, took LSU wide receiver Dwayne Bowe.

Quinn, whom many fans urged the Browns to draft with the third overall pick, now backs up Derek Anderson — a sixth-round choice in 2005 who was waived by the Ravens.

Bowe enjoyed a standout rookie season. Had the Chiefs traded up, they would have lost Bowe and an extra high draft pick that they would have had to give to the Cowboys. For the Chiefs, trading up would have been a big mistake.

Drafting quarterbacks is a lot trickier than you might think. The list of first-round busts at this position is much longer than the list of first-round successes, which is bizarre when you consider how much tape, statistics and workout information is generated by quarterbacks.

But the adjustment from college football to the NFL is so dramatic that “can’t-miss” quarterbacks are few and far between. We still don’t know if JaMarcus Russell, the LSU quarterback picked first overall by the Raiders a year ago, was a wise pick.

The Chiefs need, first and foremost, a top-flight offensive tackle. But if Michigan’s Jake Long is one of the top four picks, the next-best tackle may not be a good enough athlete to justify taking with the fifth pick.

The Chiefs could then try to trade down or take the best player still available. And what if they consider Ryan to be that player?

Chiefs coach Herm Edwards attended Ryan’s campus workout, and should have an educated opinion on whether he’s a superior prospect to incumbent Brodie Croyle. Ryan, 6 feet 5 and 224, gets positive reviews for his size, arm and ability to throw on the run.

The Chiefs haven’t committed a first-round pick for a quarterback since they misfired with Penn State’s Todd Blackledge in 1983. Considering their long-term failure to develop a young passer, is it time now for them to finally take the plunge?

Even if the Chiefs could draft Ryan, they’d have to wonder who’d be blocking for him. It makes no sense to commit a high pick to a quarterback if you can’t protect him, and the Chiefs stand three starters short of a decent line. When the Browns drafted Quinn, they’d already solidified their protection by taking Wisconsin tackle Joe Thomas with the third overall pick.

Houston’s David Carr was a classic case of a highly drafted quarterback who received scant protection. The first overall pick in 2002, he was sacked 249 times during his first years as a Texan. Recently released by the Panthers, it’s tough to know whether Carr ever had the tools to win in the NFL. But it’s fair to say it was hard for him to develop while staring at the sky.

If the Chiefs consider drafting Ryan, they need to be convinced he’s a “can’t-miss” prospect, project him as the opening-day starter and feel confident they can quickly rebuild their offensive line. The chances of Ryan being the real deal and getting enough protection to help the Chiefs progress this year appear remote. It would come as a surprise if they draft him.

http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2008/04...f_ryans_there/

**The Bad Guy** · 04-10-2008, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

If we DO take him, I don't see the point of waiting until 2009 to start him - get him out there and break his ass in. We have little/nothing to play for as it is.

Otherwise, you're spending a Top 5 pick on a guy that won't likely make an impact until 2011, if he makes one at all.

I see the point. There's no way he would remain intact behind this Oline this year. Let Croyle get shitbeat, exit about Week 2. Let Huard come in and take his lumps.

Let Ryan take over fully in 2009 with an upgraded line.

Deberg_1990 · 04-10-2008, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Bad Guy

Let Croyle get shitbeat, exit about Week 2. Let Huard come in and take his lumps.

Let Ryan take over fully in 2009 with an upgraded line.

Id be down with that. Most teams that have stopgap QB's do this.

Even Eli didnt start until halfway or towards the end of his his rookie year. The Giants had Kurt Warner to take the lumps.

**OnTheWarpath15** · 04-10-2008, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Bad Guy

I see the point. There's no way he would remain intact behind this Oline this year. Let Croyle get shitbeat, exit about Week 2. Let Huard come in and take his lumps.

Let Ryan take over fully in 2009 with an upgraded line.

I guess I'm more optimistic about the OL than you are.

IMO, no matter WHO plays, it will be better than last year, because dumbass Solari won't be hanging them all out to dry.

A reeruned monkey on a meth bender could do a better job of situational play calling than Solari did.

People are so worried about "David Carr-ing" a QB.

If this kid is as mentally tough and a great leader that some claim him to be, getting beat up a bit isn't going to shell-shock him.

Get him building a rapport with Bowe and the others ASAP.

By the time this kid hits his stride (approximately 3-4 years after getting the starting gig, see: Rivers, Philip and Manning, Eli) Dwayne Bowe is going to be twenty-****ing-eight years old.

Deberg_1990 · 04-10-2008, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

People are so worried about "David Carr-ing" a QB.

If this kid is as mentally tough and a great leader that some claim him to be, getting beat up a bit isn't going to shell-shock him.

Agreed. David Carr had more than enough chances to prove himself. People can make all the excuses they want for him but he just wasnt very good.

At some point a good QB will rise above his situation, make plays and lift the team up around him.

**OnTheWarpath15** · 04-10-2008, 07:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

Agreed. David Carr had more than enough chances to prove himself. People can make all the excuses they want for him but he just wasnt very good.

At some point a good QB will rise above his situation, make plays and lift the team up around him.

Exactly.

People just assume that the OL ruined a #1 overall pick, when really it was that the kid just didn't have some combination of the talent, smarts and heart to play at this level.

Christ, John Elway is the most sacked QB of all time. He turned out OK.

Mecca · 04-10-2008, 07:24 PM

If he's there at 5 they have to take him period.

**OnTheWarpath15** · 04-10-2008, 07:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mecca

If he's there at 5 they have to take him period.

And I'm fine with that, provided they play him.

Which, of course, they won't.

**BigMeatballDave** · 04-10-2008, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mecca

If he's there at 5 they have to take him period.

Even if Dorsey or Ellis is there?

Deberg_1990 · 04-10-2008, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigChiefDave

Even if Dorsey or Ellis is there?

Whats the most important position on any NFL team??

eazyb81 · 04-10-2008, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tribal Warfare

According to who, specifically?

Well if you're going to play dumb, I believe you were the one who said Croyle can do anything that Ryan can do.

To make a statement like that you must place a priority on pure arm strength, because that's the only area anyone would agree that Croyle can compete with Ryan.

**Tribal Warfare** · 04-10-2008, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eazyb81

Well if you're going to play dumb, I believe you were the one who said Croyle can do anything that Ryan can do.

Yeah, and where is just arm strength come into it? I've never said that. I was a Trent Green backer too, and the man never had a strong arm.

**the Talking Can** · 04-10-2008, 07:55 PM

well, if you believe he is a franchise QB then you have to take him....

QB is the most important position on the team, and the most important face of the franchise....

eazyb81 · 04-10-2008, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tribal Warfare

Yeah, and where is just arm strength come into it? I've never said that. I was a Trent Green backer too, and the man never had a strong arm.

Like I just said, every single analyst would agree that the only area that Croyle can match or beat Ryan is in arm strength. That is why Ryan is a top five overall prospect and Croyle was a middle-round nobody.

Thus, if you think Croyle can do everything that Ryan can do, you must place a HUGE priority on arm strength.

**Tribal Warfare** · 04-10-2008, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eazyb81

L
you must place a HUGE priority on arm strength.

Again, where do I say this? Really, point it out to me where I say I favor Croyle because he has a stronger arm. I've said this over and over the reason why I don't like the Ryan pick is it would be a lateral move.

**OnTheWarpath15** · 04-10-2008, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eazyb81

Well if you're going to play dumb, I believe you were the one who said Croyle can do anything that Ryan can do.

To make a statement like that you must place a priority on pure arm strength, because that's the only area anyone would agree that Croyle can compete with Ryan.

Considering Ryan has yet to play a NFL game, I'm not sure how you can say that.

The only thing you can say with any certainty that Ryan > Croyle is injury history while in college.

Otherwise, their college stats are similar.

Ryan 60% completion percentage, Croyle 56%

Croyle 13 yards per attempt, Ryan 11.5

Croyle 1.86 TD's per INT, Ryan 1.51

Matt Ryan is no more guaranteed to be a good NFL QB than Croyle is to bust.

Crapshoot.

04-10-2008, 04:27 PM
shaneo69 Smug Weasel Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Bleachers at Busch Casino cash: $10004900	Jonathan Rand: What if (Matt) Ryan's there? What if Ryan's there? Apr 10, 2008, 2:15:51 AM by Jonathan Rand What should the Chiefs do if Matt Ryan from Boston College, considered the standout quarterback in this draft, is sitting there when it’s time to make the fifth overall pick? Thousands of Chiefs fans would be screaming, “Take him!” Some of these same fans, no doubt, were throwing chairs at their big screens last year as the Chiefs declined to trade up during Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn’s free fall. The Browns traded up with the Cowboys to grab Quinn at number 22 and the Chiefs, sitting chilly in the 23rd spot, took LSU wide receiver Dwayne Bowe. Quinn, whom many fans urged the Browns to draft with the third overall pick, now backs up Derek Anderson — a sixth-round choice in 2005 who was waived by the Ravens. Bowe enjoyed a standout rookie season. Had the Chiefs traded up, they would have lost Bowe and an extra high draft pick that they would have had to give to the Cowboys. For the Chiefs, trading up would have been a big mistake. Drafting quarterbacks is a lot trickier than you might think. The list of first-round busts at this position is much longer than the list of first-round successes, which is bizarre when you consider how much tape, statistics and workout information is generated by quarterbacks. But the adjustment from college football to the NFL is so dramatic that “can’t-miss” quarterbacks are few and far between. We still don’t know if JaMarcus Russell, the LSU quarterback picked first overall by the Raiders a year ago, was a wise pick. The Chiefs need, first and foremost, a top-flight offensive tackle. But if Michigan’s Jake Long is one of the top four picks, the next-best tackle may not be a good enough athlete to justify taking with the fifth pick. The Chiefs could then try to trade down or take the best player still available. And what if they consider Ryan to be that player? Chiefs coach Herm Edwards attended Ryan’s campus workout, and should have an educated opinion on whether he’s a superior prospect to incumbent Brodie Croyle. Ryan, 6 feet 5 and 224, gets positive reviews for his size, arm and ability to throw on the run. The Chiefs haven’t committed a first-round pick for a quarterback since they misfired with Penn State’s Todd Blackledge in 1983. Considering their long-term failure to develop a young passer, is it time now for them to finally take the plunge? Even if the Chiefs could draft Ryan, they’d have to wonder who’d be blocking for him. It makes no sense to commit a high pick to a quarterback if you can’t protect him, and the Chiefs stand three starters short of a decent line. When the Browns drafted Quinn, they’d already solidified their protection by taking Wisconsin tackle Joe Thomas with the third overall pick. Houston’s David Carr was a classic case of a highly drafted quarterback who received scant protection. The first overall pick in 2002, he was sacked 249 times during his first years as a Texan. Recently released by the Panthers, it’s tough to know whether Carr ever had the tools to win in the NFL. But it’s fair to say it was hard for him to develop while staring at the sky. If the Chiefs consider drafting Ryan, they need to be convinced he’s a “can’t-miss” prospect, project him as the opening-day starter and feel confident they can quickly rebuild their offensive line. The chances of Ryan being the real deal and getting enough protection to help the Chiefs progress this year appear remote. It would come as a surprise if they draft him. http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2008/04...f_ryans_there/
Posts: 4,910

04-10-2008, 07:24 PM	#36
Mecca Hockey Town Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Kansas City, Missouri Casino cash: $-712950	If he's there at 5 they have to take him period.
Posts: 115,380

04-10-2008, 07:55 PM	#42
the Talking Can Supporter Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: street Casino cash: $9162208	well, if you believe he is a franchise QB then you have to take him.... QB is the most important position on the team, and the most important face of the franchise.... __________________ Clark Hunt: "Thank god for the Dominican pool boy"
Posts: 51,585