Okay Mallet, make me a believer

[Rob's House]

Isn't that true about any qb? Not trying to be a smartass.

Mallet had his chance to prove he was a gamer lastnight. He failed. If you noticed after he had his rahrah speech on the side line, the team never got another point. Just saying. I know he is trying to be a leader, but to me, you either have it or you dont.

That's true to some extent, but you can't put dropped passes on the QB. Once the ball leaves his hand there's nothing more he can do. If he puts it where it needs to go and the receiver can't come up with it you can't fault him for it. Most teams don't drop 5 clean passes in a single game. I know people like to put all success and failure on the QB b/c it alleviates the need for in depth analysis (which to me is a lot more fun) but it doesn't necessarily give you an accurate assessment.

Edited January 5, 2011 by Rob's House

[NoSaint]

Isn't that true about any qb? Not trying to be a smartass.

Mallet had his chance to prove he was a gamer lastnight. He failed. If you noticed after he had his rahrah speech on the side line, the team never got another point. Just saying. I know he is trying to be a leader, but to me, you either have it or you dont.

 

 

the read he had in front of him was more then a little difficult - take a sack? a minute left, no timeouts i believe, and would be 3rd and 20 from about the 25-30.... in hindsight i bet he wished he used that huge arm to launch a rocket over the heads of those receivers and into the 3rd row of the stands but.... such is life. im just curious what your correct play would have been for a leader. he tried to force the play a throw or two before he had to though.

[K Gun Special]

Well then, I guess you could say the same thing about Luck, if you watched him play against Oregon...

 

youtube.com/watch?v=SlpuXzS6tQ4

 

 

That one pretty much blew any chance Stanford had to win that game, to go undefeated, and to win a national championship. I'd definitely call that " anti-clutch ", no?

 

Just say no to Luck, I guess - right?

.

 

 

If throwing an INT with 1 min remaining in a bowl game is the same as throwing one in the 3rd quarter then yea.

[texasjute]

I've seen a lot of talk about DeMarcus Love as an OT option for us in the 2nd. I didn't watch him closely on every play, but it seemed like Heyward got the better of him a few times, and Mallet was often under pressure. Love also had one false start. One interesting thing - he moved back and forth from LT to RT. I thought he was off the field a couple of times and then realized he had moved to the right side. Moving a tackle from side to side is something I haven't noticed very often.

[Justice]

Some of you guys make me laugh! Mallett isn't a first rounder? We'll see about that! He will definitely go in the first!

 

He didn't rise to the occasion, last night, you say? Well, those dropped passes was the only reason why he was in that situation to begin with. And so what if he did rise to the occasion? Would he be a top five pick, then? Vince Young and others have played their best in big-time games and never amounted to nothing, so don't put too much weight on that.

 

If the Bills pass on Mallett, I sure hope they select Cam Newton. I've changed my tune on the guy since I did a little bit of investigation work. We need a franchise QB more than we need anything else. We can fix the defense with the rest of the draft and free agency.

[DDD]

Being a redneck may get some brownie points with Nix and Gailey.

[BuffaninATL]

Being a redneck may get some brownie points with Nix and Gailey.

 

Very insightful post.....

[ajzepp]

Some of you guys make me laugh! Mallett isn't a first rounder? We'll see about that! He will definitely go in the first!

 

He didn't rise to the occasion, last night, you say? Well, those dropped passes was the only reason why he was in that situation to begin with. And so what if he did rise to the occasion? Would he be a top five pick, then? Vince Young and others have played their best in big-time games and never amounted to nothing, so don't put too much weight on that.

 

If the Bills pass on Mallett, I sure hope they select Cam Newton. I've changed my tune on the guy since I did a little bit of investigation work. We need a franchise QB more than we need anything else. We can fix the defense with the rest of the draft and free agency.

 

The dropped passes became irrelevant the minute Mallett had the ball in the red zone following the blocked punt. Mallett had an opportunity to lead his team to victory right there, and he choked (as expected). We've had enough chokers on this team over the years. Time to find some winners.

[The Senator]

its amazing to me how much some people believe guys should jump on every td pass and plummet with every interception. arkansas was clearly overmatched talent wise for most of their "big games" but because mallet didnt single handedly win all of the games despite dropped passes, pressure on him -- he blows. i heard someone takl about how luck didnt deserve his accolades because of that second half performance. these are 20 year old kids and there are going to be poor quarters and halves here and there. not every throw is going to be the perfect read, perfect accuracy, perfect zip...... why do we expect perfection out of our pick but not out of our current qb? i know hes playing at a higher level but has a lot more support and experience.

 

this thread hasnt been too bad about selling these guys down the river -- in fact its been a downright open friendly conversation for the most part, but in both fan and "expert" debates you see this notion that eating **** on a couple of throws means you cant be the qb of the future.

 

i dont think most have killed mallet for a couple of tough losses, but i think its fair to acknowledge some worries about his late game performances. that said, i see him winning none of the big games last year, and now a lot of them this year. his completion percentage jumped. his wins on the road jumped. hes shown a lot of growth, but i think the person that said a year or two on the bench would help is right. i would hope that it would help humble him, teach him the work that goes into being an nfl qb, and help him learn to use the INSANE measurable physical tools that he has at his disposal. he has a huge arm, a quick release, slides in the pocket acceptably - if we traded down a few spots and picked him up around 10th, i would be thrilled to let him sit behind fitz all year, and then let them fight it out the next season. the one thing that would hurt is a lockout stealing a lot of reps from young guys, as we wouldnt have minicamps, training camp, etc..... so it might be prudent to avoid projects this year.

A fine rebuttal and a fine post, UnSaintly One!

 

I have no problem eschewing all QBs in this draft - there'll be a Darron Thomas in 2012 (or 2013) or some other draft darling, like there is every year. Fitzpatrick still has another year on his contract, and no rookie - Luck, Mallett, Newton, Gabbert, etc. - is going to come in and take the starting QB job away from Fitz (nor should they).

 

OTOH - if Mallett declares, and if Nix drafts him, I'm also more than OK with Mallett as our QB of the future. Like Luck, Mallett is a rare talent - and I'm not sure another year at Arkansas under Petrino will help his development more than spending a year or two under the tutelage of Gailey & Fitzpatrick.

 

I just find it amusing that the majority of TSW members who were hoping so hard for Andrew Luck (also a fine QB with a stellar future in the NFL) seem to have such a distaste for Mallett - to the point of holding him solely responsible for yesterday's loss (and, apparently, every pinpoint-accurate pass he threw that was dropped anyway) - while overlooking any and all errant passes and decisions by St. Andrew!

 

As always, JMO...

 

GO BILLSSS!!!!

 

PosLUSZny!!!!!

[NoSaint]

The dropped passes became irrelevant the minute Mallett had the ball in the red zone following the blocked punt. Mallett had an opportunity to lead his team to victory right there, and he choked (as expected). We've had enough chokers on this team over the years. Time to find some winners.

 

 

im not arguing he made the right play, but what play could he have made instead that you would have liked? it seems like 3rd and 10 was going to be best case scenario which makes it very hard to lead his team to victory, and that is a result of his teams blocking breakdown.

[Justice]

The dropped passes became irrelevant the minute Mallett had the ball in the red zone following the blocked punt. Mallett had an opportunity to lead his team to victory right there, and he choked (as expected). We've had enough chokers on this team over the years. Time to find some winners.

 

Really? Wasn't there a dropped pass right before the interception? Did that dropped pass have no bearing on the very next play call? I guess we'll never know, but the guy (Mallett) clearly has talent that no one can deny. You take an offensive minded coach like Gailey and see what RM can become. This kid, remember he's just a kid, needs to be coached-up. He will get better with the right tutelage.

 

If I remember correctly, Peyton Manning was known as a choker in college football, as well. Now I'm not saying RM is PM, but you do get my point.

[ajzepp]

im not arguing he made the right play, but what play could he have made instead that you would have liked? it seems like 3rd and 10 was going to be best case scenario which makes it very hard to lead his team to victory, and that is a result of his teams blocking breakdown.

 

Not sure I am following you here. You are touted as a "top QB" in college, you get the ball back in the red zone with enough time to run a series of plays, down by 5 pts in the biggest game of your college career, I would expect anything other than a pick/choke. It's the same crap that Bledsoe pulled in the Steelers JV game a few years ago...winners find a way to win.

[The Senator]

If throwing an INT with 1 min remaining in a bowl game is the same as throwing one in the 3rd quarter then yea.

You know, you have a valid point.

 

I should have posted Harris' second interception of Luck that game - the one he threw with only 2 minutes left in the game, with Stanford driving for a comeback TD and subsequent onside kick, full of momentum, last chance to come back and win/remain undefeated/vie for #1 and a national title, etc., etc....

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8W_mFyVOag8

 

 

That one was a much better example of ' anti-clutch ' - thanks for correcting my oversight.

Edited January 5, 2011 by The Senator

[ajzepp]

Really? Wasn't there a dropped pass right before the interception? Did that dropped pass have no bearing on the very next play call? I guess we'll never know, but the guy (Mallett) clearly has talent that no one can deny. You take an offensive minded coach like Gailey and see what RM can become. This kid, remember he's just a kid, needs to be coached-up. He will get better with the right tutelage.

 

If I remember correctly, Peyton Manning was known as a choker in college football, as well. Now I'm not saying RM is PM, but you do get my point.

 

To your point, I'm on board with taking the kid some time AFTER the first round, for the exact reasons you cited. But no way is this kid a top 3, top 5, or top 10 pick in the draft. Pick him up later on, great...coach him up til ur blue in the face and maybe he turns into soemthing. I just do NOT want our #3 pick spent on this guy.

[Johnny Hammersticks]

I've seen a lot of talk about DeMarcus Love as an OT option for us in the 2nd. I didn't watch him closely on every play, but it seemed like Heyward got the better of him a few times, and Mallet was often under pressure. Love also had one false start. One interesting thing - he moved back and forth from LT to RT. I thought he was off the field a couple of times and then realized he had moved to the right side. Moving a tackle from side to side is something I haven't noticed very often.

 

 

You know...for some reason I didn't make the connection until reading your post. Yeah, DeMarcus Love got absolutely abused by Cam Heyward last night. Don't know if Love just had a bad night, or if Cam just had a terrific night. Probably a little of both. I have watched several Arkansas games this season, and have always been impressed with Love's play. I also found it a bit "curious" that he was shifted back and forth from the left side to the right side. Wonder why this was done?

[K Gun Special]

You know, you have a valid point.

 

I should have posted Harris' second interception of Luck that game - the one he threw with only 2 minutes left in the game, with Stanford driving for a comeback TD and subsequent onside kick, full of momentum, last chance to come back and win/remain undefeated/vie for #1 and a national title, etc., etc....

 

youtube.com/watch?v=8W_mFyVOag8

 

 

That one was a much better example of ' anti-clutch ' - thanks for correcting my oversight.

 

 

Yes that does help your point very much so. Not as close of a game but still they were with a hope.

 

I dont think the dig on Mallett for choking it away last night is worth that much discussion. All the greats choke away a game, some more than others.

 

If we take Mallett i dont see it at #3.

 

And for those saying the combine will change minds, it rarely does, and i believe Nix is on record saying game film is far more important.

[reddogblitz]

Mallet didn't look that good to me. Looked like when pressured (which for the Bills would be a lot) he was unable to get away and was either sacked or threw an incompletion or pick. He choked at the end of the game and threw that pick. I thought Pryor looked like the best QB in that game. Based on last night's game, I pass on Mallet at 3 and take Pryor later on if he's there.

[NoSaint]

Not sure I am following you here. You are touted as a "top QB" in college, you get the ball back in the red zone with enough time to run a series of plays, down by 5 pts in the biggest game of your college career, I would expect anything other than a pick/choke. It's the same crap that Bledsoe pulled in the Steelers JV game a few years ago...winners find a way to win.

 

 

im not saying it was the right play to try and force the throw, i was saying given his receivers drop the play before, his lines breakdown letting a free man straight through the A-gap, i dont see a game winning play he couldve made there. i was curious if you prefer him trying to force one, or taking a sack in that situation, or???? it seems like his team really did hang him out to dry all game, and on that series.

 

i suppose its a slightly irrational question to ask of you but looking back at the play his receivers were blanketed and the blitz got there sooooo quickly it was ridiculous. it wasnt a matter of him being able to make a play to win the game there, he just needed to not lose it but even the sack might have been all she wrote for arkansas. just pontificating on how hard it is to win without a team around you that is atleast playing serviceable.

Edited January 5, 2011 by NoSaint

[Fan in San Diego]

With alot of time on my hands, I rewound every pass play he had last night. Not only does he NOT stare down receivers, he was excellent in looking off DB's to set up his throws when the play call allowed him time. He has a fabulous arm!! The late pic was caused by an unblocked blitzer forcing an off balanced throw that the LB anticipated. Happens to every QB, and is correctable.

 

I'd be fine with him as a Bill.

 

Wow what game did you review? Everyone at my house was commenting on how he telegraphs his throws. And they are all college LB's and DE's that made those comments. And did you count how many defenders jumped the routes and nearly caught his passes? So whatever dude.

Edited January 5, 2011 by Fan in San Diego

[aristocrat]

Isn't that true about any qb? Not trying to be a smartass.

Mallet had his chance to prove he was a gamer lastnight. He failed. If you noticed after he had his rahrah speech on the side line, the team never got another point. Just saying. I know he is trying to be a leader, but to me, you either have it or you dont.

 

right after that speech the defense went out and got the safety and then he drove the team down and they got a field goal. then the defense got that strip when the osu rb fumbled diving over the pile. i think that was when mallett hit that wr on the numbers on that 3rd down play that would have put them inside the buckeyes 30 but he dropped it and they punted. he led that team back and put them in position to win that game but the guy just isn't superman...he can't throw the ball to himself.