high draft QBs in their preseason debuts

off the net from JoeMad

Only one QB has done well in recent years in their preseason debuts….. (Andrew Luck, maybe it’s because Luck faced the Rams)

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Marcus Mariota URL – http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2015/8/14/9157705/2015-nfl-preseason-scores-results-marcus-mariota

Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota made his preseason debut with the team on Friday, and it was a so-so performance overall. Mariota was mostly accurate with his passes, completing 7 of 8 for 94 yards, but it wasn’t smooth sailing by any means.

Mariota didn’t look particularly comfortable in the pocket, which was one of the biggest complaints about him coming out of college and it’s obviously something he still needs to spend time working on at the next level. Still, he only missed on one pass and he did lead the Titans on a scoring drive.

Unfortunately, that one miss was his first interception in a Titans uniform, when he was picked off by Justin Durant. That drive led to an Atlanta Falcons field goal. The ensuing Titans possession was even worse — Mariota had the ball knocked out of his hands, and the Falcons managed to recover it and take it in for a touchdown, putting them up, 17-0.

So yeah, Mariota did struggle, but he also finished with a decent stat line and a quarterback rating of 76.0. His backup, Zach Mettenberger, came in and played well for the most part. Mettenberger completed 8 of 10 passes for 129 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

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Jameis Winston: http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2015/8/15/9160447/jameis-winston-buccaneers-preseason-debut-highlights

The last time Jameis Winston played in a football game, his Florida State Seminoles were walloped in the Rose Bowl. The stakes were a lot lower when Winston stepped onto the field Saturday night for his first game as a Buccaneer, and he finished strongly after a sluggish start.

Winston went 3-for-10 and threw an interception in Tampa Bay’s first six possessions of the first half. But then he settled down and led the Bucs on a 76-yard touchdown drive as the first half was coming to a close.

Winston completed his first five passes of the drive before scrambling into the end zone for an eight-yard touchdown run with 1:12 remaining in the second quarter. It was an impressive display of pocket awareness from the rookie, especially considering some of his early miscues.

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Cam Newton; http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/08/13/a-look-back-at-cam-newtons-first-preseason-game/

It’s going to take Cam Newton time to develop into a quality starting quarterback.

In the meantime, at least the Panthers are a lot more interesting to watch.

Newton entered his first preseason game in the second quarter to a huge ovation, which only grew during a thrilling first drive. Offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski kept Newton on the move throughout the drive.

Newton made a short toss on the run and sold a terrific play-action where the defense all went with Newton because they feared his running ability. Newton even had a run-pass option near the goal line. Throw in a 30-yard dart to Greg Olsen up the seam and it felt like the Jimmy Clausen era was ready to end.

The Panthers wound up settling for a field goal on the drive, and the rest of Newton’s night wasn’t quite as exciting.

He did a lot of throwing off his back foot. His accuracy was on and off, although he hit a few big plays. The Panthers didn’t move the ball consistently, and Newton took a couple of hard hits. (And he got up with a huge smile after them.)

Newton finished 8-of-19 for for 134 yards. The numbers tell the story well. He showed a knack for the chunk play, but was erratic. Newton got nearly one half of action, and the Panthers scored six points with him in the game.

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Andrew Luck http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000049038/article/andrew-luck-highly-impressive-in-indianapolis-colts-debut

INDIANAPOLIS — His day done, Reggie Wayne was standing on the sidelines, watching the rest of the Indianapolis Colts’ first-team offense march down the field. Before he knew it, the action was coming right toward him.

With 5:22 left in the second quarter of his much-anticipated debut, quarterback Andrew Luck had spun away from a rusher, rolled to his left and found no one open. As Luck looked up, the veteran Wayne raised his arms high to the opened roof, only to watch the ball sail far over them and into the bench area.

“I put my hands up to tell him to throw it to me,” Wayne said afterward. “I was saying throw it away.”

Wayne paused.

“I’m sure I didn’t have to do that,” the longtime Colts star continued, “I’m sure he knew to do that anyway. He’s pretty good at making decisions. He’s going to be special.”

The highlights of the Colts’ 38-3 win over the Rams in their preseason debut will be playing on a loop for days. How Luck’s first pass went 63 yards for an ear-splitting touchdown to running back Donald Brown. How his mobility led him to dodge countless blitzers, especially on his nine-yard run. How he threaded the needle perfectly in finding Quan Crosby on a 32-yarder to set up the final score. How he finished 10 of 16 for 188 yards with two touchdown passes and a 142.7 passer rating on 24 snaps.

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Sam Bradford: http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2010081455/2010/PRE1/vikings@rams#menu=gameinfo&tab=recap

Vikings rough up rookie QB Bradford, beat Rams

ST. LOUIS — Sam Bradford took the field to a big ovation. Soon enough, reality sank in for the centerpiece of the Rams’ rebuilding effort.

Bradford, the No. 1 overall draft pick, had an early case of the jitters, short-arming a pitch and bobbling a snap on his first two plays, looked poised while hitting four of his first five passes, then ended with an extended rough patch during the Minnesota Vikings’ 28-7 preseason-opening victory Saturday night

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2009 Matthew Stafford; http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2009/aug/15/fbn-falcons-lions-081509/

DETROIT — Matthew Stafford threw a touchdown, an interception and had some passes dropped in his debut with the Detroit Lions.

Jason Hanson’s 47-yard field goal as time expired lifted Detroit to a 27-26 win over the Atlanta Falcons in the preseason opener for both teams.

Stafford, the No. 1 pick of the NFL’s first 0-16 team, completed half of his 14 passes for 114 yards, with a 25-yard TD to fellow rookie Derrick Williams and an interception that Tony Gilbert returned for a score. Keary Colbert dropped Stafford’s first pass and two more.