Jared Cook opts for Green Bay over Carolina, Atlanta, Chicago

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/15082273/jared-cook-sign-contract-green-bay-packers

Jared Cook could be the pass-catching threat Mike McCarthy wants down the middle of the field, and the Packers’ interest in Cook dates back to last year when they tried to acquire him before the trade deadline, Rob Demovsky writes.

Cook agreed to a one-year, $3.6 million contract, sources told ESPN. He signed the deal after passing a physical Monday, a source told ESPN Packers reporter Rob Demovsky.

The Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons and Chicago Bears also had interest in the 28-year-old, sources told ESPN, but he opted to join Green Bay and its offense led by quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

The Packers made an offer to Cook during his visit March 14, a source told Demovsky. Green Bay also pursued Cook last season before the trade deadline.

Cook, who signed a five-year, $35 million deal with the Rams as a free agent in 2013, was a casualty of Los Angeles’ purge on Feb. 19, when the team cut him along with veterans James Laurinaitis and Chris Long. Keeping Cook would have carried an $8.3 million cap hit.

He posted 142 receptions for 1,786 yards and eight touchdowns while playing with multiple quarterbacks in his three seasons with the Rams, including 39 catches for 481 yards in 2015.

Prior to arriving in St. Louis, the 6-foot-5 Cook played four seasons with the Tennessee Titans after being selected in the third round of the 2009 NFL draft. Cook, who will turn 29 next month, has 273 receptions for 3,503 yards and 16 touchdowns in 107 career games.

Ian Rapoport ‏@RapSheet
Nick Fairley chose the #Saints over offers from the #Patriots and #Texans. With a 1-year deal, no question he’ll be motivated. Solid move.

Yeah the qb one I started the thread out with is old.

canadaram wrote:

This MMQB article by Robert Klemko is good.

The Coaching Perspective of the Draft’s Top Quarterbacks

The Coaching Perspective of the Draft’s Top Quarterbacks

There’s only so much to be learned watching a player on tape. To better understand Jared Goff, Carson Wentz and Paxton Lynch, NFL personnel men and scouts are asking their college coaches how much responsibility each QB had in the offense. Here’s what they’re hearing, plus more notes

Robert Klemko

http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2016/03/23/nfl-draft-carson-wentz-jared-goff-paxton-lynch

BERKELEY, Calif. — It was the funniest scene of the pro day circuit.
There was Cal quarterback Jared Goff, tossing a few extra passes at the end of his much ballyhooed workout, and there was Browns quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton spraying water on Goff’s 9 and 1/8-inch hands, doing his best to simulate November conditions in Cleveland on a sunny day in NorCal.
Goff did fine with wet hands, but did it matter? Did he prove anything? The real evaluation happens behind closed doors, in interviews with Cal coach Sonny Dykes and his staff, and phone calls to coaches who worked with Goff and have since departed.

Tony Franklin, the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Middle Tennessee State, has fielded inquiries from four teams digging into Goff’s history. The former Cal coordinator for all of Goff’s time at Berkeley says not one NFL scout, coach or team executive has asked him about Goff’s ability to secure the football with his hands, which are below-average in size for an NFL quarterback. They wanted to know how he studied, how he led and how he practiced.

But mainly, they want to talk football. Specifically, teams interested in quarterbacks want to know from college coaches exactly how much responsibility a prospect was afforded in an offense. It’s an underrated predictor of success for quarterbacks asked to start on Day 1. Experience in a pro-style offense is one thing; mastery of that offense is another.
Below you’ll hear from three coaches who worked closely with the top three quarterbacks available in the 2016 draft—Jared Goff, Carson Wentz and Paxton Lynch (in no particular order). Each have been interviewed at length by NFL scouts, whose inquiries often reveal their team’s biggest concerns about each passer as he enters the league.

THE QB: Jared Goff, Cal
THE COACH: Tony Franklin, offensive coordinator, Middle Tennessee
OFFENSE: Bear Raid

Franklin, 58, ran a perennial Top 10 offense at Cal for three seasons under Dykes before returning to Middle Tennessee, where he was the offensive coordinator in 2009. Franklin says the biggest misconception he’s had to address is the complexity of the Bear Raid offense, a branch off the Air Raid offense developed in the late 80’s by Hal Mumme and Mike Leach, which many football types believe affords the quarterback little opportunity to make pre-snap judgment calls. They couldn’t be more wrong, Franklin says.
“People think because we’re in this Air Raid family that there’s one or two progressions for the quarterback, which is really an insult because it’s nowhere near the truth,” Franklin says. “We give the quarterback an incredible amount of responsibility and (Goff) got more than any quarterback since I’ve been coaching.

“He probably had more on his shoulders before the snap than any quarterback in the NFL.”

Under Franklin, Goff had the ability to choose between the called run play and an alternate pass play, and vice versa, based on the alignment of the defense. Goff had the ability to audible individual routes on pass plays, and Franklin estimates he adjusted the protection scheme on about 10% of passing plays.

“He probably had more on his shoulders before the snap than any quarterback in the NFL,” a former Cal coach says of Goff.

Says Franklin: “The longer last season went on he started doing it more because I think he was tired of getting hit in the mouth.”

And while coaches declined to press Franklin on Goff’s 23 career fumbles (he had just four in 2015), they did want to know about the quarterback’s frame and ability to take hits (despite the fact he started 37 of 37 games). At 6-4 and 205 pounds, Goff is the leanest of the draft’s top five quarterbacks by about 15 pounds. Franklin says there’s a good reason for that: During his time at Cal, the coach put little emphasis on weight training for quarterbacks.

“You have to look at where he was and where he is,” Franklin says. “He probably weighed about 178 when he walked in the door. He was a pencil.
“I had a very limited quarterback workout; we called it the Drew Brees workout after learning about his shoulder surgery rehab. There was very little upper body weight training. I think that’s something he’ll get more into. Two years from now he’ll be 230 pounds.”

Aside from the physical and mental traits, scouts pressed Franklin on Goff’s leadership ability. Do his teammates like him? Goff came to Cal in 2013 as a four-star recruit out of nearby Kentfield, Calif., and was promptly handed the reins to the offense. “He was the golden boy, and he got more press than anybody from the beginning. He very easily could’ve been disliked by his teammates, but they voted him captain sophomore year.”

THE QB: Carson Wentz, North Dakota State
THE COACH: Tim Polasek, offensive coordinator, NDSU
OFFENSE: Multi-spread

Polasek, 36, returned to North Dakota State to lead the offense in 2014 after a short stint at Northern Illinois. Carson Wentz passed for 3,111 yards and 25 touchdowns with 10 interceptions in his first season as a starter in 2014, utilizing vertical passing concepts popular in pro football and foreign to many college spread offenses.

During the pre-draft process, Polasek was quizzed on Wentz’s mastery of the offense and his pre-snap responsibilities. Like Goff, Wentz had the ability in an injury-shortened 2015 season to check to a prescribed run or pass play with an additional check the coaches simply called “Carson.” If Wentz recognized a trouble situation, he could spout any play in the book. Additionally, Wentz was required to call out the protection on every pass play, a job for most NFL centers.

“The NFL people have been blown away with what he’s had to handle protection wise,” Polasek says. “The quarterbacks he’s being compared to are not necessarily allowed to make checks or the right protection call. There’s going to be multiple times in a game where he checks from run to pass. He’s got situations that he has to get us out of otherwise I look really bad as a play-caller.”

However, the most popular questions Polasek faced concerned the level of competition: How good is the FCS, really? What has this kid really been exposed to?

NDSU has won the last five FCS titles and has never had a losing season, and they currently boast five active NFL players, including Jets cornerback Marcus Williams, who picked off six passes in 2015. The same cannot be said for conference opponents like Missouri State and Southern Illinois. NDSU coaches have been using variations of the same anecdote to defend the level of play: Wentz schooled the best defense in the FCS on a daily basis in practice.

“He torched our defense in practice since he walked on campus,” Polasek says. “The corner he picked on when he was a redshirt freshman was Marcus Williams.”

From a physical standpoint, at 6-5, 237, Wentz checks all the boxes, but scouts have wondered about his mechanics. Several have noted Wentz’s tendency to hold the ball longer than necessary or hold the ball for a split-second too long when the open man appears.

Says Polasek: “Can he play faster? Yes. And I think he’s ready for that. There are so many times when he was like, can we make that five steps instead of seven?”

The truly thorough NFL teams, including one whose entire offensive staff has already worked out Wentz privately in Fargo in advance of his pro day today, have quizzed Polasek on Wentz’s character. Can he really be the consummate leader he’s being described as?

“They say, guys, there’s got to be something with his character. This guy can’t be perfect. But those questions have gone away,” Polasek says. “Carson does his best work while we’re not watching, and he’s not a nightlife guy. This is a kid who would be in his truck by 4 p.m. on Saturday and go hunt geese all weekend, and be in the office by 7 a.m. Monday morning and still get a 4.0 GPA.”
* * *

THE QB: Paxton Lynch, Memphis
THE COACH: Darrell Dickey, assistant head coach, Memphis
OFFENSE: Spread

Dickey, 56, accompanied Justin Fuente to Memphis in 2012, adopting the head coach’s TCU spread offense which fueled much of Andy Dalton’s success there. Lynch, a three-star recruit out of Deltona, Fla., in 2012, earned the starting job in 2013, displacing a popular senior quarterback.
Lynch struggled in his first season, passing for 2,056 yards in 12 games with nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions. But scouts particularly have been interested in how Lynch handled the transition off the field, with media and fans questioning Fuente’s decision and Lynch’s bonafides.

“There was a QB controversy, not so much on the team but with media and fans,” Dickey says. “And he just kept his head up and worked. When he had bad games, he responded like any other freshman. He got a little down in the dumps, but he would bounce right back. He handled it really well.”
“After Wentz and Goff,” says one NFL scout, “this is a great backup quarterback draft.”

Physically, the 6-7 Lynch has had his athleticism questioned. In addition to rushing for 687 yards and 17 touchdowns in three seasons, he ran a 4.86 40-yard dash and jumped 36 inches at the combine.

“When you have a 6-7 quarterback I think a lot of people go into the scouting process assuming the guy is a stiff, un-athletic, awkward, clumsy, pocket quarterback, but the opposite is true with Paxton,” Dickey says. “He was an excellent high school basketball player. I think what teams are finding out is that he’s a great athlete.”

One of the biggest reasons Lynch is considered in the second-tier of available quarterbacks—below Goff and Wentz, but above Christian Hackenberg and Connor Cook—is his limited experience with pro-style concepts and a lack of responsibility in the Memphis offense. Said one scout: “After Wentz and Goff, this is a great backup quarterback draft.”

Of the top three QBs, Lynch had by far the least responsibility in his offense, where plays are called in from the sideline without much room for interpretation.

“We didn’t do a whole lot of checking at the line of scrimmage, no reading blitzes and making protection adjustments, but he’s very capable of doing that,” Dickey says. “He could give a receiver a different route, but he didn’t have the freedom to do whatever he wanted.”

Paxton Lynch’s passer rating vs. ranked teams in 2015 was better than Michigan State’s Connor Cook (107.23), Penn State’s Hackenberg (106.18) and even Cal’s Jared Goff (104.24). Lynch’s 66.9 completion percentage against the three ranked opponents Memphis met this season also dwarfs the previously mentioned passers.

from off the net

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Rams Junkie

I saw a bit about Lynch. on Path to the Draft. From my perspective he came across as a sort of a goofy but likable character. He made me think of Marino’s personality when he was drafted. Lynch was asked about his first football memory and he said it was when he shaved the #20 in his head because that was his number. So maybe he is not your prototypical leader but I would guess he would be a guy teammates would like. With Gruden he talked about players being his brothers and that he loved the guys. Lynch mentioned his size (6’6.5 245lbs) and athleticism as his strengths. He mentioned watching Cam Newton as he is a QB with a large frame and athleticism.

Casserly was asked about what he thought about where Lynch would be drafted. Casserly said it would be to the Rams at 15 which was the high point and the lowest would be Denver. He said KC at pick number 28 has interest. Casserly said Denver might want to trade up to prevent someone else from jumping in front of them. Casserly said he could easily see a team trading back into the first round to get Lynch.

-X- found this.

…

zn wrote:

But the lawsuit argues that the Rams’ departure doesn’t terminate the lease; the Rams went year-to-year, as allowed in the lease, and the year simply expires. The lease, the suit continues, says the $1 option survives a termination, not an expiration.

Moreover, the suit argues that the lease gives the Rams the option forever, without an end date — and the law does not allow someone to tie up a property in perpetuity.

Jim Shrewsbury, president of the Dome Authority board, said he wasn’t emotional over the issue.

“It’s a dispute over the terms of the lease,” he said. “They believe they have an option. We do not believe that option is enforceable.”

“It’s a business dispute,” he said. “My goal is to do what’s best for the regional sports authority and for the region.”

I actually think it would be kind of classless for SK to exercise that option.

It is true that it was yet another bad move by the St. Louis 90s negotiating team and another screw-job perk Shaw got out of them.

I do think that it’s valid to challenge whether or not the option is valid or enforceable. I am no lawyer but the challenge sounds reasonable.

But then I wonder why SK would exercise that option at all…IMO it looks bad and he really has nothing to gain from it.

Laurinaitis wants to prove Rams wrong

Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/jim-thomas-on-football-laurinaitis-wants-to-prove-rams-wrong/article_0de64f47-d0e3-5f9e-97a2-8201c697952b.html

The closer your parking space was to the players’ entrance at Rams Park, the closer your time was nearing an end with the team.

That was the running joke linebacker James Laurinaitis had with family and friends. With parking spaces assigned by seniority, turns out there was some truth to it. Laurinaitis made it all the way up to the No. 2 parking spot after seven seasons with the Rams.

Only defensive end Chris Long parked closer to the door, with eight seasons in St, Louis.

Both were released last month.

“You get to a point at (year) five or six and you never get surprised by anything anymore because you see so many guys you thought would be safe on cut day, and guys that would get released or traded,” Laurinaitis said Thursday in a conference call with New Orleans reporters.

Laurinaitis officially signed his contract with his new team, the Saints, this week.

What did surprise Laurinaitis about his Rams departure? Not only was sent information about the team’s March 4 informational meeting in Los Angeles, and asked if would attend, he also was asked by the team to do an interview for ESPN LA (and did so).

“And then two days later I was released,” Laurinaitis said. “That is what caught me off-guard. … You understand it is a business, but the fact that there was really no communication — I think to have certain players do interviews for your organization and then to be released shocked me.”

The NFL can be a cold, cruel business. Just ask Rams fans in St. Louis still struggling with the departure of their team to Los Angeles.

In looking for a new team, Laurinaitis told agent Tom Condon that he wanted an organization that was a playoff contender with an established offense and a successful quarterback. Basically he had none of that during his time in St. Louis.

Then again, the Saints haven’t exactly been making deep playoff runs lately. The team has finished 7-9 in three of its last four seasons — not too different from the Rams under Jeff Fisher. But New Orleans did finish 11-5 in 2013. The Rams haven’t seen 11 or more wins in a season since 2003.

Laurinaitis told New Orleans reporters he was excited about the stability of the organization.

“When you have a coach like Sean Payton and you have a quarterback like Drew Brees, you always have a chance,” Laurinaitis said. “That’s all I kept receiving when I would get texts from guys around the league.”

Laurinaitis said five or six teams expressed interest in him following his Feb. 19 release by the Rams, but New Orleans was the first team to call.

“Their vision for me was they want someone to come in that has leadership and that had football intelligence to help some of the young players,” Laurinaitis said.

The Rams released Laurinaitis because they felt he was a declining player. According to a source at Rams Park some of the in-house evaluations were harsh, saying Laurinaitis “was holding the defense hostage” because he had become a liability in man coverage, and that the team could “be so much better” at middle linebacker.

Laurinaitis, 29, obviously feels otherwise.

“Whenever you are released by a team or fired, because essentially that is what it is … there is definitely extra motivation to go out there and prove yourself,” Laurinaitis said. “Look, I have a lot left in the tank, and can go out there and play great football,”

According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Laurinaitis’ three-year deal is for $8.25 million. He was scheduled to make $5.8 million in 2016 with the Rams. Laurinaitis has sold his home in St. Louis, with an April 15 close.

FREE AGENCY REVIEW

Granted, Laurinaitis and Long were no longer wanted by the Rams. But even in a free agency period where the Rams prioritized re-signing their own players — particularly on defense — the team will have four new starters on defense in 2016.

“I’m pleased that we were able to retain some of our guys that were important to us,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher said at the NFL owners meetings this week. “We knew going in there was a chance we’d probably lose one of the four defensive backs. I didn’t anticipate losing two. But we have depth on our roster.”

The Rams lost cornerback Janoris Jenkins (New York Giants) and free safety Rodney McLeod (Philadelphia) in free agency. They retained cornerback Trumaine Johnson via the franchise tag and re-signed hybrid Mark Barron to a five-year, $45 million deal that will have him playing weakside linebacker much more than safety.

As for Jenkins, who signed a monster $62.5 million contract with the Giants, Fisher said: “We were a lot closer than people think. I was a little disappointed. I thought we’d get him … and then the money did take off.”

The Rams don’t have a clear-cut replacement for McLeod at free safety, and one possible option in free agency — Arizona’s Rashad Johnson — agreed to terms with Tennessee on Friday. Cincinnati’s Reggie Nelson, in whom the Rams have expressed some interest, remains on the market.

SUBTLE CRITICISM?

Long signed a one-year, $2.4 million contract with the Patriots. And Fisher had plenty of good things to say about Long when approached by New England writers at the NFC coaches breakfast.

“There’s no holes there,” Fisher said. “He’s great. Really consistent day in and day out over the years. Loved to come to work. Always had a great attitude. Playful. Jokes around — the right way. … Obviously, last couple years injuries set him back. We released him and then 10 days later he texted me a picture of his newborn.”

But when asked how much Long, who turns 31 on Monday, had left in the tank, Fisher also suggested that Long needs to work out harder in the offsesason.

“If he’s gonna have anything to do with it, he’ll get it done,” Fisher said. “But that’s the question. It’s gonna be up to him. He’s gonna probably have to train a little bit more than he has in the past because of the injuries.”

Broncos passed on RGIII due to character concerns

http://www.theredzone.org/BlogDescription/tabid/61/EntryId/55615/Broncos-passed-on-RGIII-due-to-character-concerns/Default.aspx

The Denver Broncos reportedly considered bringing in Robert Griffin III but chose not to seriously pursue him due to character concerns according to Mike Klis of 9News in Denver.

RGIII likely would have jumped at the chance to play for the team he grew up rooting for but the call never came. Klis reports that Broncos team president/GM John Elway made a few phone calls about Griffin but ultimately decided he was not a good fit in Denver. One of those calls was undoubtedly to Elway’s former head coach Mike Shanahan, who famously clashed with Griffin while both were with the Washington Redskins.

There are those who might suggest RGIII had some legitimate beefs with Shanahan considering the latter sent him out to play in the 2012 playoffs when he was obviously injured and may have wrecked his career. It is no secret Griffin did not get along with the Shanahans or some of his teammates and he sometimes inserts foot in mouth during interviews but it should be noted that he was pretty much a stand-up guy in 2015, not complaining about his permanent seat on the bench. Griffin has also never been in trouble with the law, never failed a drug test, and as far as we know has never hit a woman. is Mark “Butt Fumble” Sanchez really an upgrade from RGIII?

Rams exit could come with $19 million parting gift

By David Hunn St. Louis Post-Dispatch

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/rams-exit-could-come-with-million-parting-gift/article_d48166aa-75ee-532a-85e3-8a944a339f3f.html

CLAYTON • The Rams have left St. Louis but there may be a $19 million parting gift for the team still on the table.

The same lease that allowed the National Football League team to leave for Los Angeles, may also allow it to buy its practice facility in Earth City for just $1.

The public board that governs the Edward Jones Dome, where the Rams played, sued on Thursday to block the team from buying Rams Park.

The Jones Dome authority owns the park’s 27 acres. It leased the facility to the Rams for $25,000 a year.

Now the board wants to sell the land, once appraised by the county for nearly $19 million. The proceeds could be used to refill dome authority bank accounts, after efforts to plan a new riverfront stadium and keep the Rams in St. Louis totaled more than $16 million. The authority has previously acknowledged it does not have enough money for future facility upkeep.

But a clause in the Rams lease gives the team the option to buy the park — for $1 — after the dome’s 29th anniversary in 2024.

And the dome authority says it can’t sell the land if the Rams have such an option.

The suit, filed by authority attorneys Blitz, Bardgett & Deutsch, wants an answer now.

“The (dome authority) owns the training facility, which is a valuable asset,” said Blitz attorney Chris Bauman. “We have a responsibility to maximize the value of that. And to do that, we need certainty concerning this invalid option.”

Rams owner Stan Kroenke applied to National Football League owners in January to move the team to Los Angeles. In his application, he blasted the region, arguing St. Louis’ population and economic growth is so sluggish it can’t support three professional sports teams.

Later that month, the NFL owners approved Kroenke’s move, leaving local officials embittered and fans distraught.

Now leaders here wonder if the Rams really do want to buy the land; they have intimated they do, the suit says.

“I think it would be bad form and in bad character,” said Dave Peacock, co-chairman of the effort to build the riverfront football stadium, along with attorney Bob Blitz. “Just because you have the right to do something doesn’t make it right.”

It is unclear if anyone has asked Kroenke to give up the option. Kevin Demoff, the Rams’ chief operating officer, declined to comment.

The Rams lease on the Jones Dome expires Thursday. The lease on Rams Park was extended to April 30, according to the lawsuit.

On its face, the lease says the Rams have the right to buy Rams Park for $1. Moreover, it says, that option “shall survive any termination of the Lease regardless of the reason for such termination, and Lessee shall after any termination continue to have the right to exercise the Option as herein provided.”

But the lawsuit argues that the Rams’ departure doesn’t terminate the lease; the Rams went year-to-year, as allowed in the lease, and the year simply expires. The lease, the suit continues, says the $1 option survives a termination, not an expiration.

Moreover, the suit argues that the lease gives the Rams the option forever, without an end date — and the law does not allow someone to tie up a property in perpetuity.

Jim Shrewsbury, president of the Dome Authority board, said he wasn’t emotional over the issue.

“It’s a dispute over the terms of the lease,” he said. “They believe they have an option. We do not believe that option is enforceable.”

“It’s a business dispute,” he said. “My goal is to do what’s best for the regional sports authority and for the region.”

And the dome authority, he said, needs the money.[

Back-to-back years of strong grades put Doughty higher than most, but he’s shown accuracy to all levels of the field.

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https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2016/02/22/draft-10-crazy-good-stats-heading-into-the-nfl-scouting-combine/

Brandon Doughty (QB, Western Kentucky) was the NCAA’s most accurate passer in 2015.

Doughty led the nation in many categories, but the most impressive was his accuracy. No QB had a better accuracy percentage in 2015 or 2014 than Doughty’s 81.8. At the combine, Doughty will need to prove he has NFL-caliber arm strength.

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http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1765589/brandon-doughty

BRANDON DOUGHTY, QB

HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6-3 / 213 LBS.

PLAYER OVERVIEW

A three-year starter in Western Kentucky’s spread offense, Doughty left school with 111 touchdown passes (15th all-time in FBS) and was 10th all-time with a 68.6 completion percentage. Doughty was the third quarterback in FBS history with 4,000 passing yards and 40 TD passes in consecutive seasons.

Doughty carries himself like a coach and is a never-say-die competitor. But he has an adequate arm, but relies on touch and timing over velocity and struggled to speed up his process vs. better competition on his schedule. Projects as a mid-to-late round prospect with the NFL ceiling of a backup, drawing some on-field comparisons to A.J. McCarron.

STRENGTHS

Stands tall and tough in the pocket. Adequate arm strength, squaring his shoulders to his targets and generating force through his hips. Shifts his weight well in the pocket with a calm shuffle to slide, reset and keep his eyes downfield. Improvises well when moved from his spot, showing much improved pocket maneuverability to regain his rhythm.
Detailed setup and delivery (sometimes too methodical, but can speed up his process). Above average field sense, awareness and vision. Smooth release. Relies on timing and touch, allowing routes to develop and working through his progressions. High football IQ and fully immersed in the playbook.

Not intimidated by small windows, but not shy about throwing the ball away if the throw isn’t there – short memory passer (not a “rear-view mirror” quarterback according to WKU head coach Jeff Brohm). Tough passer to blitz, understanding where his outlets are.

Battled through adversity to work his way back from multiple knee injuries. Tireless worker preparer, especially in the film room. Highly productive and led the FBS in passing yards and touchdowns the last two seasons (first FBS quarterback to tally 97 passing touchdowns over two seasons), leaving school with almost every school passing record.

WEAKNESSES

Lanky body type and lacks ideal build. Average arm strength, lacking a howitzer to fire downfield strikes off-balance. Inconsistent deep ball thrower and routinely leads his receivers too far. Tape shows cracks in his foundation when pressured, not stepping into this throws or following through.

Accurate vision, but not proficient using his eyes – bad habit of staring down targets and leading defenders to the ball. When late making his first read, he can struggle to find his second and third option in time, holding the ball too long. Too much air under his passes, not hitting his target in stride or forcing his receivers to wait at times. Pocket awareness has shown improvement, but his internal clock is still a work in progress.

Benefited from a wide open offense with a lot of throws within seven yards of the line of scrimmage and plays after the catch. Ball security has room for improvement (13 career fumbles). Older prospect and will be a 25-year-old NFL rookie. Medicals need vetted after the ACL tear in his right knee (Sept. 2011) that held him back for two seasons.

IN OUR VIEW: A three-year starter in Western Kentucky’s spread offense, Doughty was an ideal fit for the up-tempo scheme that relied on a quick release and smart decisions, making most of his reads pre-snap and identifying soft spots in coverage. He has improved functional pocket mobility and carries himself like a coach.

Doughty has an adequate arm, but relies on touch and timing over velocity and struggled to speed up his process vs. better competition on his schedule. He got away with some bad habits at the college level that he won’t be able to in the NFL and although he’s very impressive when in rhythm, it’s the opposite when that rhythm is taken away.

He projects as a mid-to-late round prospect with the NFL ceiling of a backup, drawing some on-field comparisons to A.J. McCarron.

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WKU QB Brandon Doughty shows signs of pro potential

Bucky Brooks

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000607022/article/wku-qb-brandon-doughty-shows-signs-of-pro-potential

MIAMI — The lack of quality quarterbacks in the NFL forces scouts to take a long, hard look at any prospect that displays a hint of potential at the position. After watching Western Kentucky’s Brandon Doughty post gaudy numbers as the director of one of college football’s most prolific offenses, I thought I would take a trip to the Miami Beach Bowl to see if the Hilltoppers’ standout has the goods to develop into a franchise quarterback at the next level.

Following his impressive showing (32 of 45 for 461 yards and three touchdowns) against South Florida in a 45-35 win, here are my thoughts on Doughty and his potential:

Athleticism

Doughty is a mobile quarterback with slightly above average athleticism. Although he is not a true dual-threat at the position, he flashes enough agility and movement skills to work the edges on sprint outs and bootlegs from the shotgun. The Hilltoppers take advantage of his mobility by featuring a number of movement-based passes in the game plan, which allows him to escape inside pressure to attack the coverage with a number of high-low concepts on the flanks. Inside the pocket, Doughty is capable of eluding and evading rushers by climbing toward the line of scrimmage or laterally sliding to the right or left to find a clear throwing lane.

Arm talent

Doughty has enough arm strength to attack every area of the field. Although I would rate his arm as a solid “B” on the scale, he pushes the ball down the field on vertical throws and fires intermediate routes (curls, digs and comebacks) with adequate velocity. Doughty capably fits the ball into tight windows on throws inside the numbers, but he lacks the RPMs to consistently squeeze the ball in against swift defenders keying his eyes in zone coverage. Thus, he must play with exceptional timing and anticipation against defenses featuring NFL-caliber athletes on the second level. I noticed this when I watched his performance against LSU on tape; it showed up against a very athletic South Florida team that appears to have a number of promising athletes in the back end.

From an accuracy standpoint, Doughty was on-point delivering the ball between the strike zone on short routes, particularly on “now” and tunnel screens at the line of scrimmage. Additionally, he showed adequate ball placement on intermediate throws (curls and comebacks) from the numbers to the boundary. This is an important aspect in the evaluation for teams employing a version of the West Coast offense with quick-rhythm ball-control routes. Doughty delivered a dart to Nicholas Norris on a dig route that resulted in a 69-yard touchdown. The pinpoint throw not only showcased Doughty’s anticipation and timing as a quick-rhythm thrower, but he showed scouts he could fit the ball into a tight window between the hashes. Although Doughty had a few intermediate passes knocked down by fast-closing defenders, he certainly has enough arm strength to throw most of the staple passes featured in most NFL playbooks.

On deep balls, Doughty is a little erratic with his ball placement and touch (high and outside). He repeatedly misfired on vertical throws in the first half, including a wide-open post route on a flea flicker in the first quarter. While Doughty eventually connected on a post route on a flea flicker in the second quarter, Doughty’s inconsistent deep-ball accuracy stood out in the first half. In the third quarter, Doughty finally settled in and looked like the red-hot passer that’s created a buzz in league circles. He opened the third quarter with a pinpoint pass on a seam route down the boundary to Norris for a 55-yard score that looked straight off a coaches’ clinic highlight reel. He later connected on another flea flicker along the boundary that showcased his touch, anticipation and ball placement. Although Doughty threw the deep ball better in the second half of the Miami Beach Bowl, his inconsistent accuracy and ball placement on a dozen deep-ball attempts will lead some evaluators to question his ability to thrive in a vertical-based offense.

Pocket poise

Elite quarterback prospects must be able to thrive in the midst of chaos within the pocket. This is one of the biggest factors scouts must discover during the quarterback evaluation. Looking at Doughty on tape, I thought he displayed good poise and patience in the pocket. He didn’t look to flee the pocket at the first sign of pressure; he showed courage by repeatedly delivering the ball with rushers in close proximity. Against South Florida, Doughty showed toughness and resiliency standing tall in the pocket, but I was miffed by his inability to feel free rushers coming off the edge. He took a few sacks (and unnecessary hits) in the pocket by not anticipating the extra rushers off the corner. Granted, defensive coordinators can make it tough to decipher which defenders are rushing, but Doughty’s lack of blitz awareness will need further investigation from evaluators.

Football intelligence

Doughty shows good football intelligence and situational awareness. He has a keen understanding of his scheme, as evidenced by his ability to get to his second and third read in the progression. Doughty will quickly dump the ball off to his backs on swing passes when the coverage blankets his primary receiver. This is critical to sustaining drives at the next level, which is why coaches will give Doughty positive marks for his overall intelligence.

In regard to Doughty’s situational awareness, I was impressed with his ability to execute a two-minute drill at the end of the first half. He quickly moved his offense down the field, but wasn’t overwhelmed by the moment. He wisely used a “spike” to stop the clock in the closing seconds to ensure his team walked away with a field goal at the end of the half.

With most NFL games decided by seven points or fewer, Doughty’s execution in critical situations will make him an attractive prospect in some circles.

Clutch factor

Quarterbacks from non-Power 5 schools must take advantage of their opportunities on the biggest and brightest stages to convince NFL scouts they are capable of playing with the big boys at the next level. Doughty has compiled quite an impressive resume during his time at Western Kentucky, including a number of single-season and career marks for passing yards and touchdowns. However, scouts will dig into the tape to see how he performed against the top competition on the Hilltoppers’ schedule. Prior to the Miami Beach Bowl, I had some concerns about Doughty’s ability to perform against defenses with ultra-athletic defenders based on his disappointing play against LSU this season. Doughty not only struggled with his accuracy and ball placement in that contest, but he had a number of balls tipped and deflected at the line. He couldn’t find clear throwing lanes against the Tigers’ athletic rushers and his inability to navigate through the trees was an issue.

Thus, I thought it was important for Doughty to carve up a South Florida defense that was loaded with speedy defenders in the back end. For most of the first half, Doughty struggled finding his rhythm as a drop-back passer. While his numbers were solid (21 of 30 for 221 yards), he misfired on a number of intermediate throws that were considered “lay ups” in the Hilltoppers’ offense. Doughty repeatedly missed high and outside on tightly contested routes, leading to a number of tips and deflections in the secondary. In addition, he also delivered the ball late on a few curls and comebacks, which allowed the Bulls’ defensive backs to bat the ball away from the intended receivers.

In the second half, I was impressed with how quickly Doughty made adjustments and attacked the Bulls’ secondary. He wasted little time exploiting the vulnerable areas of the Bulls’ coverage, leading to a 28-point third quarter on the strength of his impressive play from the pocket. Although he wasn’t completely flawless in the second half, I walked away convinced that Doughty’s guts, moxie and resiliency would give him a chance to succeed as a pro.

Conclusion

It is hard to find quarterbacks with the arm talent, football intelligence and confidence to develop into quality starters in the NFL. Thus, quarterbacks with any hint of potential deserve strong consideration in the draft. After taking a long, hard look at Doughty on tape and in person, I believe he is an intriguing developmental prospect with the potential to develop into a quality starter down the road. I believe he is best suited to play in a quick-rhythm offense that features a number of short and intermediate throws on the menu designed to take advantage of his quick release and superb decision-making skills. If I had to compare him to a current player, I would cite Ryan Fitzpatrick based on their similar skills as systematic playmakers. It might take a couple of years for him to develop into a capable starter, but he certainly possesses enough tools to warrant consideration as a borderline Day 2 (Rounds 2-3) prospect in the 2016 class.

I personally am against it. I don’t much support the entire “grow the product” mentality of the Jones-dominated NFL era. I not only think it’s bad for football as a game, I think it’s bad business too.