The expectations for rookie quarterbacks have increased, and that's not necessarily fair.
People might expect every rookie quarterback to be an Andrew Luck right away, but that’s hard. It’s a process.
We saw five rookie quarterbacks become the primary starters for their teams during the season. Each of them showed some good things and some bad things, and that’s all normal in the development of a quarterback in the NFL. Let’s take a look at where they stand and what they still need to work on after their rookie seasons (we’ll break down four of them here, for more on Johnny Manziel you can read my in-depth look at him during last season here and here):
Blake Bortles, Jacksonville Jaguars
This offseason, Bortles has to go back to basics. He lost his technique.
There are all kinds of valid reason for that – the Jaguars offensive line was below average, the offense was inconsistent, there was an inability to stay on schedule during games because of that inconsistency and the Jaguars trailing most of the time – but the bottom line is he lost his technique and needs to go back to school and start from scratch. I don’t mean that in a negative way. But before the Jaguars get to “What are the best route concepts against ‘Cover 4’ zone?” they need to work with him so he has repetitive proper fundamentals. Otherwise he won’t throw it accurately enough on a consistent basis.
One thing I noticed is Bortles started to have a tendency to drop the ball too low in his release. That throws off the timing, if the release and stride isn’t working together. Then you lose velocity and accuracy. Bortles has a good arm (though not a great one) but his arm strength suffers when the mechanics suffer. There are too many moving parts.
Bortles also showed during the season he didn’t have a great feel for coverages; he did not recognize quickly and intuitively understand where defenders are in zone coverage, for example. And he would play fast at times and react to perceived pressure when it wasn’t there, but that has to do with a lack of protection. But those are normal things for a rookie quarterback, and there were good things from Bortles too.
Here’s a play that highlights many things he does well, a 44-yard gain to Allen Hurns in Week 4 at San Diego. Bortles showed the ability to avoid the rush, move, keep his downfield focus and make intermediate and vertical throws.
Bortles will have to work on his fundamentals this offseason, but there were good signs in year one.
Teddy Bridgewater, Minnesota Vikings
I like Bridgewater, and he’s a very interesting case. He has a lot of positive traits, like his feel for the game, understanding where to go with the ball, he has good pocket presence and accuracy, but there’s one other issue: He has a below-average arm.
Picture this: Imagine a waiter carrying a tray with his wrist and palm at a 90-degree angle. That’s how Bridgewater throws it. The ball sits on his palm. You can’t generate torque and velocity throwing like that.
So Bridgewater has a lot of traits you really like, but I just wonder what his ceiling is because there are throws that he’s not going to be able to make. And I don’t think it’s a strength issue that’ll be helped by their weight program over the next couple years because I don’t think you can change the way he throws the ball, although I could be wrong.
So the question ultimately is, how can you win with Bridgewater? The Vikings already tweaked their offense to fit what he does well. You didn’t see the deep digs and deep corner routes you usually see in Vikings offensive coordinator Norv Turner’s offense (and you did see those when Matt Cassel was the starter earlier in the season). Do you need to start the offense with a consistent running game, and then use what Bridgewater does well to complement that? You have to decide that as an organization. But when the Vikings review Bridgewater's rookie season they will like what they saw. He did a lot of very good things coaches like, such as his anticipation and awareness.
He had very nice anticipation on a 21-yard touchdown throw to Greg Jennings late in the season at Miami, in which he started to pull the trigger knowing where Jennings would be.
That’s what makes Bridgewater so interesting. He does so many things well. Will that be enough to compensate for his arm?
Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders
Of all these 2014 rookie quarterbacks we’re talking about, I think Carr has the best combination of arm strength, pocket play and movement. He has a really good arm. There are times he snaps it off like Aaron Rodgers in the pocket.
Here’s a good example of high-level quarterbacking, and from a rookie. It came against San Francisco late in the season. His initial read was to the three-receiver side but the 49ers took that way with “Cover 3 lurk” with the safety Eric Reid as the lurk defender. Carr came back to the boundary lock side with Perrish Cox in man-to-man on Andre Holmes for 16 yards. It was a great read with full command of the pocket, and most importantly his feet followed his eyes so he threw on balance with good lower-body mechanics, which you can really see from the end-zone angle.
Like the others, he has a lot to work on too. Most notably, to take the next step I think he’ll have to see things a little more clearly at the intermediate level and turn it loose on those throws. I don’t think he saw things well at that level (and that’s OK for a rookie quarterback) and often got rid of the ball short. That’s something that can improve with experience, and we’ll see how that progresses in a new offense this season.
Carr’s tendency to get rid of the ball short isn’t a bad thing. The Raiders’ sack numbers were way down. He didn’t stand there and hold the ball with a deer-in-the-headlights look. That tells me his processing was functioning. He didn’t always throw to the right guy, but he didn’t get stuck in the pocket. He struggled at times with lower body mechanics, but he had the instincts and feel of a pocket quarterback. And he showed progress with his lower body mechanics as the season went on.
Carr played well as a rookie, and as long as he progresses as he should in seeing things at the intermediate level, there’s a lot to like with him going forward.
Zach Mettenberger, Tennessee Titans
If I were the Tennessee Titans, I would not pick a quarterback with the second overall pick of this upcoming draft.
There are pros and cons with Mettenberger. The biggest problem people have with him is he is too plodding and lead-footed, and I understand that. He’s not a quick-twitch athlete (which Carr is, for example). He’s an old-school pocket quarterback who is willing to stand in the pocket, he’s oblivious to bodies around him, he’ll wait for the last minute to deliver the football. Those are positive things to build on.
His anticipation is also very good for a young player, as he showed on this 80-yard touchdown to Nate Washington against the Steelers. He is oblivious to the pressure around him and delivers a great throw against Pittsburgh's "quarters" zone coverage.
I think Mettenberger is the type of quarterback who needs the running game as the foundation of the offense. He’s very good at play action, very good at turning his back to the defense and then snapping his head around and picking up what he needs to pick up. That’s a valuable skill.
There are things for Mettenberger to clean up. He has to learn the intricate balance between pocket patience and holding it too long. His ball placement is a bit of an issue – he has to be a little more precise. But he’s not a scatter-shot thrower so that can development. But there are signs that Mettenberger, even with some flaws, can be a good pocket quarterback. That is, if the Titans pass on a quarterback with the second pick and see if Mettenberger can develop.
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NFL analyst and NFL Films senior producer Greg Cosell watches as much NFL game film as anyone. Throughout the season, Cosell will join Shutdown Corner to share his observations on the teams, schemes and personnel from around the league.
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