ESPN Picks Between Newton & Luck

[fieryprophet]

I'm not convinced Luck is all people say he is. This assessment from reddit has some concerns pointed out I hadn't thought about:

http://www.reddit.com/r/nfl/comments/lpd55/my_casual_fan_assessment_of_andrew_luck/

Negatives

* Will sometimes force throws into windows that are not open, particularly in downfield and middle of the field routes

* When his throws are off, they are typically off short, and he will occasionally sidearm a pass in the face of pressure. This will sometimes result in tipped passes or interceptions because the ball drops to the defender rather than the intended target

* Is not immune to locking onto his first option, and will sometimes telegraph his intentions with his eyes

and

Potential Concerns

* Plays behind one of the best offensive lines in college football, so his body of work under true NFL-caliber duress is slim. Often has the luxury of waiting for plays to develop that would not occur at the next level

* His typical level of defensive competition is not great. Many of his opponents play very simplified zone schemes that often leave receivers wide open, and it remains to be seen how his skills translate at the next level where man-to-man coverage is more prevalent and secondaries much more talented

* Only has two bona-fide come from behind wins, although this is due more to being routinely involved with blowout victories. Threw two crucial interceptions, including one in the endzone, in a loss to Oregon that kept Stanford out of the BCS title picture

* Has benefited from having a strong running game to lean on, so he has not had to shoulder the offensive load alone, which leaves him less exposed to defensive pressure than most quarterbacks

Possible Hype?

Andrew Luck has shown to have both the physical tools and mental ability to be a potentially elite NFL quarterback. However, it must be stressed that this is potential only, not a guarantee as the media seems to propagate. There are three aspects to his game that I believe are being somewhat exaggerated:

1.) His ability to read coverages and dissect defenses

Having heard the comparisons to Peyton Manning, I was underwhelmed when I watched the caliber of defenses that he was playing against. Oftentimes, there wasn't a coverage to dissect, merely standard four man rushes and either soft zones or man-to-man coverages. The time afforded him by his offensive line, combined with his ability to roll away from pressure and throw on the run, meant that what coverages there were often broke down in time for him to deliver a strike. This is not knock against him, per se, as he's not the one making these claims about himself, only an observation that there is an element of hype in this regard. I was expecting to see more plays where he reads the blitz, audibles his receiver to the spot where the blitz is coming from, and delivers a strike into a now undefended area, but mostly what I saw were blitzers being picked up or the pocket being rolled long enough for the coverage to break down.

2.) His accuracy

Again, his accuracy is leagues ahead of the vast majority of college quarterbacks and even some NFL QBs, but there is an astonishing number of wide open players catching those passes. His touch on deep throws is also not anywhere near as good as it is on his shorter routes, as he has a tendency to float them despite having the arm strength to throw them on a frozen rope. He will throw them off his back foot from time to time as well. This has led to interceptions and near interceptions because the defenders are able to catch back up to the play.

3.) His decision making

This is probably the one aspect that I have truly been confused about when watching him play when compared to the national media's assessment of him. For a player judged to be the next Peyton Manning, I saw way too many plays where he locked into a particular route, and a number of forced throws that simply shouldn't have been attempted. I honestly think that if he played in the SEC, where future NFL defensive prospects abound and teams run much more complex coverages, he would probably have a 60% completion percentage and more than double his interceptions. He does read through his progressions and he will take his checkdowns, but the number of times that he will hold onto the ball and wait for a single route to open up is way too high for an NFL quarterback.

[pdandy1994]

I'm pretty sure you just said Luck > Newton

but right there you said they're equal and you can't compare

Im guessin youre just trollin

[Udogg]

Fact: Careers are defined by 7 games

Fact: You told us everything we needed to know about Cam after watching his youtube highlights.

[Chaos]

Something tells me John Elway is going to offer the farm to whichever team lands the #1 spot to get Luck in Denver. That would be fine with me, to sit back and watch John Fox ruin him.

[CarolinaPanthersFan#1]

This has probably already been posted but ...

Check out this good article about Cam from ESPN today. It's a good read about his development process this year with the coaches, etc.

"There's no doubting Cam Newton now: Rookie's fast start erases questions about his ability to become a top quarterback"

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/page/hotread-CamNewton/cam-newton-fast-start-erases-doubts-ability

[pdandy1994]

This has probably already been posted but ...

Check out this good article about Cam from ESPN today. It's a good read about his development process this year with the coaches, etc.

"There's no doubting Cam Newton now: Rookie's fast start erases questions about his ability to become a top quarterback"

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/page/hotread-CamNewton/cam-newton-fast-start-erases-doubts-ability

yessir, posted earlier today. still a good read

[footballisasport]

Luck has to prove himself in game time, too. Maybe to some fans he's already arrived, but where it actually matters Luck is going to have to prove himself.

U mean the kind of "prove himself" where he gets excuses made for him simply because he was automatically choosen by the media to be the super-star of the NFL. Yeah, we all know how that works. Tons of excuses will be made for him and he will have his accomplishments played up and padded while his weaknesses are all but dismissed. U should know by now how the game is played. Stop playing gullible. :D

[GritsRgreat]

Which ever the team, that Luck jersey is going to be sweet looking. Luck(y) no. 7 would be awesome.

[footballisasport]

99% of NFL QBs > Matt Moore (including The Golden Calf of Bristol)

:nono::nono::rofl:

[Camdemonium]

Fact: You told us everything we needed to know about Cam after watching his youtube highlights.

You have me confused with the rest of the Huddle

U mean the kind of "prove himself" where he gets excuses made for him simply because he was automatically choosen by the media to be the super-star of the NFL. Yeah, we all know how that works. Tons of excuses will be made for him and he will have his accomplishments played up and padded while his weaknesses are all but dismissed. U should know by now how the game is played. Stop playing gullible. :D

You.Are.Crazy.

[pdandy1994]

Which ever the team, that Luck jersey is going to be sweet looking. Luck(y) no. 7 would be awesome.

youre post are irrelevant with that sig

[CarolinaPanthersFan#1]

You should read some of the posts on a Miami Dolphins message board called "Finheaven" that I occasionally visit.

Those fans are jealous that the Panthers have a potential superstar at QB with Cam. They have been through about 15-20 different QBs desperately looking for their "next Dan Marino".

A lot of the Dolphins fans just come right out and say that they want the team to continue to lose all the rest of their games so they can (maybe) get their hands on Andrew Luck. They say "let's SUCK FOR LUCK" all the time. Dolphins fans might be ticked off if they WIN a game and some other team like the Colts grab Luck. Crazy but true.

QB poverty sure does suck. It's really hard on NFL fans, players, and coaches as we saw last year. It looks like Panthers fans won't be having those aggravating problems since we grabbed Cam. Hopefully, Cam really is going to have a long career playing at elite levels like Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, etc. It looks pretty good so far.

It's great to have a little "peace of mind" when you think about the QB of your favorite NFL team isn't it? Most teams don't have it. They're stressed out all the time with worries about their QB screwing up their season.

[fieryprophet]

You know what, I'm calling it now, and Camdemonium and Grits can eat it:

Andrew. Luck. Has. Major. Problems.

I've been reading through pages of draft assessments, watched some of his games, and something keeps coming out to me. He has poor pocket presence, despite playing behind a great offensive line. Anytime the pressure comes, he's gone, scrambling. The number one thing all these analysts wanted to criticize Cam about is what this kid does constantly. He rarely reads his progressions, he forces throws, and he plays in the woeful Pac-12. If any of these defenses played halfway decent coverages, they would have balls giftwrapped to them constantly.

Anyone guaranteeing this kid will do squat in the NFL refuses to see the glaring issues behind his obviously talented arm. The comparisons between him and Peyton Manning are laughable.

Peyton actually stays in the damn pocket.

[ickmule]

You know what Luck rimes with?

SUCK.