Crazy note on USC QB's being lame in the NFL
- Thread starter PatBaum
- Start date
Not crazy at all. Carson's had a fine career, if not stellar he has provided some great moments. But the rest? Not so much. Sanchez had the best chance, IF he had stayed one more year. Leinart was lazy and had "injuries" and bad "luck." Booty, Barkley, etc., etc. Not NFL talent. SC does not recruit speed at QB so a running QB is usually not an option. Darnold is the best since at least Palmer, maybe far better than Palmer. He has far greater escapability than Palmer ever did
Brutal first line...
"Suck For Sam comes with a warning for Jets fans: USC quarterbacks in the NFL have generally sucked." How true.
Speaking of NFL QB's, did you see that Timm Rosenbach, head coach somewhere small, gave a scholle to a girl kicker?
Barring a sophomore slump, Darnold is easily the best USC QB in years, and he's the best QB in the Pac-12 at this juncture.
Well Matt Correa ,a top USC recruit at USC just decommitted and is looking at Alabama and other top schools.
There are numerous layers to that story--some of which I am privy to, and others I am not. It would have been a troubled relationship, I can say that. I don't think QB is a position the Trojans are worried about....yet
Maybe she can kick???
They're 5-16 in his two seasons... Maybe he should focus on coaching and not fishing???
My not-so-scientific analysis is that for super-power programs like USC, Alabama, Ohio State, etc., QB performance (as it relates to the NFL) is actually more difficult in many respects than it is at a place like WSU, Cal, Purdue, etc.
At super programs, QB's have the luxury of being protected by elite linemen, throwing to elite WR's, and handing the ball off to elite RBs. A good chunk of their stats come against lesser competition. The still carry the lion share of the offensive load, but the game plans are completely different than they are at the middle-tier programs. Carson Palmer (great NFL career, by the way), Mark Sanchez, JDB, Matt Barkley, etc. look like studs coming out of college. They have "the measurables" that the NFL scouts drool over, but when you put them in a league where every team has virtually the same talent level, you don't know how they'll respond.
When a program like WSU puts out guys like Thompson, Rypien, Rosenbach, Bledsoe, Leaf, Gesser, and now Falk, they *should* warrant hard looks by NFL scouts given the fact that they had to be exceptional in order to elevate a typically middling program. Gesser was different given his measurables, but most every "great" WSU QB has done fairly well in the NFL; certainly worth their draft risk. Leaf was another, obvious exception, but I don't know his was a talent issue.
If I were Falk's agent, that how I would spin him to the NFL scouts. System guy or not, he's led more 4th quarter comebacks against traditionally superior opponents than most of the guys in WSU's fairly solid QB history.
At super programs, QB's have the luxury of being protected by elite linemen, throwing to elite WR's, and handing the ball off to elite RBs. A good chunk of their stats come against lesser competition. The still carry the lion share of the offensive load, but the game plans are completely different than they are at the middle-tier programs. Carson Palmer (great NFL career, by the way), Mark Sanchez, JDB, Matt Barkley, etc. look like studs coming out of college. They have "the measurables" that the NFL scouts drool over, but when you put them in a league where every team has virtually the same talent level, you don't know how they'll respond.
When a program like WSU puts out guys like Thompson, Rypien, Rosenbach, Bledsoe, Leaf, Gesser, and now Falk, they *should* warrant hard looks by NFL scouts given the fact that they had to be exceptional in order to elevate a typically middling program. Gesser was different given his measurables, but most every "great" WSU QB has done fairly well in the NFL; certainly worth their draft risk. Leaf was another, obvious exception, but I don't know his was a talent issue.
If I were Falk's agent, that how I would spin him to the NFL scouts. System guy or not, he's led more 4th quarter comebacks against traditionally superior opponents than most of the guys in WSU's fairly solid QB history.
I don't know that you can blame a kid for playing with talented players. However, there is value in having to elevate the play around you, leading others to play beyond their perceived ability and handling the adversity of a pass rush.
If you go through college and never really get hit and have the luxury of a big time running game, I don't think you can take anything away from the kid. I just think you can't add any point for intangibles either.
I don't know any USC fan not personally related to them who would call JDB or Barkley "studs" as QBs when they left SC. Neither of them had the measurables at all....and that's why they ended up where they did/are. I agree that the programs like SC have better surrounding casts....
That's kind of my point. Guys like that only received attention because of the school they played for. At WSU, if you lead a winning program for a couple of years, it means a lot more. To me it does, anyway.
well, they were also highly ranked out of HS. Booty forewent his senior of HS to get on the field sooner, and Barkley was one in the long line of QBs in the Mater Dei pipeline. My only adjustment to your point would be to substitute "successful" for winning in your statement. SC and WSU define the word differently but I think both schools would agree it means a ton to lead the team in a "successful" season, be it 11-2 or 8-5. I think also one has to bring in beating the rivals into the discussion too. A successful season at SC means--at the very least--a split with ucla/nd.....and most likely beating them both. It used to be that the cougs could go 4-7 but if they beat the fuskies that was a "successful" season--esp. if they played spoiler. I don't think that's the case anymore, and the bar has been raised. I think Falk is still looking for THAT win to cement his legacy (although he's had several great comebacks on his resume). I think he has been unfairly been smeared with the "he's only successful because of the system" crap, but whatever, I think he needs to win the AC to preserve a legacy that won't have caveats all over it.
I didn't read the article, but is the argument that SC hasn't produced good NFL QBs, save for Palmer? So...basically like every college program? How many college programs have produced more than 1 quality QB recently?
Boston College maybe? Ryan & Hasselbeck.
Purdue? Brees & Kyle Orton (if you want to consider Orton a "successful" NFL QB)
Marshall? Pennington & Leftwich.
It's not like a lot of colleges have recent resumes much better than USCs.
Boston College maybe? Ryan & Hasselbeck.
Purdue? Brees & Kyle Orton (if you want to consider Orton a "successful" NFL QB)
Marshall? Pennington & Leftwich.
It's not like a lot of colleges have recent resumes much better than USCs.
Agree completely. I like Falk, but you have to objectively credit a big portion of his statistical success to the system he plays in. On the other hand, I think he deserves recognition for the toughness (if not ignorance) he displays by hanging in the pocket and taking hits, and of course the comebacks he led; particularly on teams that hadn't proven yet that they were capable of winning. It's one thing when Tom Brady leads a comeback, and an entirely different thing when Falk leads WSU down the field at UCLA, immediately following what looked like an epic defensive collapse. Had it not been for a missed FG, Falk's comeback against Stanford would have been legendary as well.
With all of that said, I'm not sure how NFL good Falk is. There's a big part of me that thinks the next WSU QB may be even better than Falk, as he'll be entering a much more mature program (provided Leach sticks around). Still, I think that if I were an NFL scout, Falk's intangibles would intrigue me as much as a moderately regarded, strong armed kid who plays for Alabama, LSU, Florida State, etc.
To me the only thing Falk is missing is a quicker trigger. His release is ok, his velocity is average by NFL standards, but his accuracy is solid and his touch is superb. He also usually makes good decisions with the ball. I just wish more of them came faster.
