5 Rookie Quarterbacks picked last night as written!
We wrote this post last March 17th 2017, if you wish to read this again. We are posting this exact column one more time, in order to understand why Rookie QBs are just that. A team has to have a QB to have any chance in the NFL.
MARCH 17, 2017
All 32 teams have one. Some have two or three but at the end of the day only a handful of teams have a real one. We know the big names: Brady, Manning, Rogers and perhaps a few more but what of the other teams with young quarterbacks, older ones, middle of the road, up and coming or over the hill leaders who just don’t get the job done? With rookie QBs drafted every year we see the new possible stars of tomorrow and the busts of the draft. In order to make a wager on a team you first start with your QB.
He has a few seconds to stand over the center, see the defense and decide whether he’ll go with the play called in the huddle or change it at that very moment. He’s the man who will bark out a few words that will have 22 men running at each other. If it’s a running play, the ball will be snapped from the center and he will take a few steps back before handing it off to his running back. However, if it’s a pass the fun begins. He will have to read the defense and see who his match-ups are and decide: does he have the right receiver to throw to or does he pick on a rookie or a not so talented defensive back? He will get the ball from the center, take a few steps back and, in some instances, fake a hand off to one of his backs to keep the pass rush at bay. All the while, keeping an eye on his blockers around him and looking downfield. An elite quarterback can look left but throw right, for example – but this is only for the best of the best.
If he is covered, he then has to decide if he will get open or be on a timing route. Only then does he start looking at his secondary receiver and check off a man over the middle. This all takes place in about 1.5 to 3 seconds so his brain, arm and legs have to all be in sync to make any throw in the pocket on the run with the strength, speed and accuracy needed to complete the pass. In these situations he might even have to make the decision to run for it or simply throw the ball away once he’s out of the pocket.
Amazing that this all happens in a handful of seconds. This is why the term Elite Quarterback is enshrined to only a few Quarterbacks in the league. You can take a winning Quarterback to the bank under the right conditions. The same can be said for identifying a bad one. The same bank accepts deposits for cashing in on wagering against bad ones too!
A rookie QB will make mistakes his first time in there. All mistakes turn into points for the other team. There are now up to 5 more situations available to cash in on.