Willful delusion

[bphi11ips]

Great posts by Rey Pygsterio and Biggus Piggus.  There is definitely some reason that Tennessee and Minnesota passed on a QB so obviously superior to those they selected.  Tennessee's offense doesn't necessarily fit Mallet, but it could - and should.  The vast majority of Super Bowl winners featured a classic dropback QB like Mallett, who may ultimately stretch the field like no one before him.

So, given the obvious, proven talent, why did every team pass?  There has to be a reason or a combination of reasons.  I personally think the off-the-field "character" issues were related to reports from students who know him (some of whom have claimed to post here).  However, the "character" issues that really concern GMs are most likely related to on-field issues. 

There was plenty of discussion here after the Auburn game about the "concussion".  Maybe it was a concussion, but the way Mallett and his dad seemed to handle the situation during the game may have created the impression there was more to it than met the eye.  Mallett was not far removed from two bad game changing decisions against Alabama, and he looked shaky out of the gate at Auburn.  Nick Fairly threw him to the ground roughly on a sack, but it didn't look like Mallett suffered a blow to the head.  What was up?  Who knows, maybe nothing but a concussion (and we all know how careful athletes and trainers need to be with concussions), but something didn't feel right.  It wasn't just Hogville posters who noticed it.  Then, given the chance to drive a stake in OSU's heart on the biggest stage of his career, Mallett throws a ball he never should have to an end who dropped back into coverage.  Posters here insist Ryan didn't see the defender.  I've watched the play several times.  Ryan saw the guy.  He just made up his mind where he was going with the ball before he threw it.  It happens.   Unfortunately where Mallett was concerned, critical mistakes at critical times seem to have happened a bit too often for NFL GM's level of comfort where a first round pick was concerned.

Anyway, that's my theory and I'm sticking to it, as well to my belief that Mallett will be one of the best QBs ever to play in the NFL if he stays healthy.

[ArkansasI]

Interested take on Ryan BP.  I agree with much of what you say, but I still think a lot of guys think Ryan might break in half when he gets hit.  I think that is why Ryan goes tonight in the second round.

Of course, none of that explains the sunshine pumping of the 4 that have been taken ahead of him...  If I am a GM/owner looking at Cam, I have to wonder if he'll lay down after he gets paid what Carolina has to pay him for being No. 1.  His motivation for money is gone after he gets his first contract, and his apparent me first attitude is not gonna fly with a bunch of professionals who are co-dependent on him for their next contract.

I don't intend to sound hateful - I don't know the kid and dislike him because of the way things have gone Auburn's way this year - but the idea that he is going to be able to pick up a secondary receiver appears to be a couple of years from being fulfilled.  A QB can't succeed in the NFL on single reads.  Carolina is looking solely to sell tickets - they are not drafting to win games.

Jake Locker...  I don't know what to say.  Somebody must think they can fix his accuracy issues.  He sounds like a great kid.

Gabbert has the look of a QB, but he struggled against good teams.  I think he might develop into a nice player, but he had no charisma in the Gruden interviews.  From my casual observations, leadership is Gebbert's big issue.  If he plays for a great coach, perhaps he'll win.  I think of him as a Phil Simms type - certainly nothing to be ashamed of...

I don't know much about the Florida State kid.  He surprised me because we haven't heard much about him.

Good luck to them all.  I just think that this entire draft is rather uninspiring.  Given that, I don't understand why someone wouldn't take a flier on the best available passer in this year's class.  That is what you have to do to succeed as a QB in the NFL - read defenses, check to secondary receivers and pass with great accuracy. Whatever Ryan's negatives, his upside seems higher than guys taken ahead of him.  I am terribly biased, but none of this makes much sense unless you are convinced he will crumble on first contact. 

[Biggus Piggus]

Nick Fairly threw him to the ground roughly on a sack, but it didn't look like Mallett suffered a blow to the head.

Then, given the chance to drive a stake in OSU's heart on the biggest stage of his career, Mallett throws a ball he never should have to an end who dropped back into coverage.  Posters here insist Ryan didn't see the defender.  I've watched the play several times.  Ryan saw the guy.  He just made up his mind where he was going with the ball before he threw it.  It happens.   Unfortunately where Mallett was concerned, critical mistakes at critical times seem to have happened a bit too often for NFL GM's level of comfort where a first round pick was concerned.

1. No it wasn't a sack, Fairley horsecollared Mallett (illegal in fact) AFTER Mallett had let go of a touchdown pass. And yes, Mallett had a concussion and a shoulder separation.

2. Mallett threw that ball to the guy who was designed to be the hot receiver on that play. It was a one-read play, Petrino called it, and it was a surprise that a lineman dropped into coverage. Mallett had not been coached to improvise on that play. It was one read and dump. Very similar to the first play where Wilson threw a pick at Auburn. Same coaching oversight. The QBs were blind to it because they weren't prepared for that. The DCs did some good scouting.

[bphi11ips]

Interested take on Ryan BP.  I agree with much of what you say, but I still think a lot of guys think Ryan might break in half when he gets hit.  I think that is why Ryan goes tonight in the second round.

Of course, none of that explains the sunshine pumping of the 4 that have been taken ahead of him...  If I am a GM/owner looking at Cam, I have to wonder if he'll lay down after he gets paid what Carolina has to pay him for being No. 1.  His motivation for money is gone after he gets his first contract, and his apparent me first attitude is not gonna fly with a bunch of professionals who are co-dependent on him for their next contract.

I don't intend to sound hateful - I don't know the kid and dislike him because of the way things have gone Auburn's way this year - but the idea that he is going to be able to pick up a secondary receiver appears to be a couple of years from being fulfilled.  A QB can't succeed in the NFL on single reads.  Carolina is looking solely to sell tickets - they are not drafting to win games.

Jake Locker...  I don't know what to say.  Somebody must think they can fix his accuracy issues.  He sounds like a great kid.

Gabbert has the look of a QB, but he struggled against good teams.  I think he might develop into a nice player, but he had no charisma in the Gruden interviews.  From my casual observations, leadership is Gebbert's big issue.  If he plays for a great coach, perhaps he'll win.  I think of him as a Phil Simms type - certainly nothing to be ashamed of...

I don't know much about the Florida State kid.  He surprised me because we haven't heard much about him.

Good luck to them all.  I just think that this entire draft is rather uninspiring.  Given that, I don't understand why someone wouldn't take a flier on the best available passer in this year's class.  That is what you have to do to succeed as a QB in the NFL - read defenses, check to secondary receivers and pass with great accuracy. Whatever Ryan's negatives, his upside seems higher than guys taken ahead of him.  I am terribly biased, but none of this makes much sense unless you are convinced he will crumble on first contact. 

Good post.  I do have another theory that is pretty basic - people are stupid.

[tiber]

The entire NFL doesn't just make a mistake.

I believe Tom Brady feels the entire NFL made mistakes for 5 rounds before Bob Kraft finally got it right...

Favre probably has feelings along the same lines...

Marino...

Just pointing out that there is precedent for great talents to fall deep in the draft. 
I am NOT saying Mallett will be the next in line with those guys.

[uams1989]

I don't get the smear campaign conspiracy theorists.  Do you actually believe that every team, competing with each other, would buy into some smear campaign without doing their own research?

All of the teams with interest evaluated Mallett.  He has a cannon of an arm, but, he didn't always make the best decisions.  From an outsiders prospective who watched almost every game of his career that I was able to, he seemed to be great when not under pressure, but, if the D line was getting to him, he overthrew on a consistent basis.  LSU in 2009 was a prime example.  Bama in the 2nd half last year is another.

Whether real or not, I can tell you, again without cardinal Hog glasses on, there is a perception that he is cocky and somewhat of a punk.  It may not be true at all, but, he came across that way.  That's fine if you can back it up, but, he never seemed to back it up in big games.

Missing a meeting was a huge mistake, as well.  If you want a job, would you miss an interview?

He'll be picked and will have the chance to prove some team got a huge value.  It will be up to him to prove the naysayers wrong.

[dacskc]

He DID NOT miss the interview. He was sent home.

[OTTER]

He DID NOT miss the interview. He was sent home.

Some people tend to read and remember only the parts of the story that supports their point of view.  Why should they deal with the truth, for goah sakes, it's beyond their IQ.

[SRFL]

Wally needs a pap smear.

[bphi11ips]

1. No it wasn't a sack, Fairley horsecollared Mallett (illegal in fact) AFTER Mallett had let go of a touchdown pass. And yes, Mallett had a concussion and a shoulder separation.

2. Mallett threw that ball to the guy who was designed to be the hot receiver on that play. It was a one-read play, Petrino called it, and it was a surprise that a lineman dropped into coverage. Mallett had not been coached to improvise on that play. It was one read and dump. Very similar to the first play where Wilson threw a pick at Auburn. Same coaching oversight. The QBs were blind to it because they weren't prepared for that. The DCs did some good scouting.

1.  Mallett was horsecollared during a sack.

2.  At least you didn't claim he never saw the reciever.  Mallett shouldn't have let go of the ball.  Petrino didn't have a gun to his head.  Mallett made a mistake.  He didn't make many, but the timing of that one cost him some dough. 

[IronHog]

I'm not trying to crack on Mallett because I think it's crazy an arm like that doesn't go in the first round, but maybe it's time Arkansas fans stopped acting like Auburn fans with Cam Newton and looked at this more objectively.

There is obviously something there that would keep such a talented arm out of the first round. The entire NFL doesn't just make a mistake. They've all evaluated these players to the fullest extent they can before risking millions on them.

Wally said in his column on Thursday that there is a "well-planned smear campaign" against Mallett that is affecting his draft position and I've heard the same sentiment echoed on the talk shows.

Really? Exactly who is planning this smear campaign and why? Someone please answer this because I hear the conspiracy theories over and over again. How have "they" planned it and what is the motivation?

Answer: There is no well-planned smear campaign.

Wally also said that Mallett's "character/off-the-field/drug issues - if they happened - occurred when he was an 18-year-old freshman at Michigan, far from his friends and family."

That's not what I've heard from UA students dating back to when Mallett arrived on campus.

The above quote is a great example of the willful delusion regarding Mallett. Again, he's a talented quarterback who deserved to go in the first round, but why must we lie to ourselves in order to make him out to be a hero we can unabashadly cheer for?

And I love how for the same reasons as above we can make so many excuses for an athlete's bad behavior. Wally writes it off as "He is mischievous and loves to have fun."

And regarding the preseason feature story on Mallett by Kane Webb, who Wally calls "one of the most talented writers in the history of this great state," I have often looked back at that fan-club story and wondered why there was not even a hint of questioning Mallett's Golden Boy status.

Kane Webb is a great writer -- his GSD piece is one for the history books -- but that story on Mallett gets an incomplete in light of everything else.

The story probably didn't help tame Mallett's ego, either.

Mallett is one of the most talented college quarterbacks in the country, he probably has the best arm of anyone, he has proven to be very coachable under a hard-a$$ coach, and he has great football IQ.

So why wasn't an NFL team interested enough in a player like this to help them win more games that they would spend a first-round pick on him?

The answer is out there somewhere, and it's not because of a well-planned smear campaign.

Actually the problem is playing games in RRS.


Mallett would have beat Bama in WMS and gone in the first round......Vanilla Ice style.

[IronHog]

Bama in the 2nd half last year is another.

Why do you hafta bring Bama into everything?


Childs tweeking the ankle and the absence of Johnson was the major issue in the second half.  Bama's DL really didn't do that much with Darius injured in the game.

[moses_007]

I saw this interview with Mallett on ESPN and Ryan was dressed in an ugly gray T-shirt.  He should have bought some new clothes for such occasions instead of going on national TV looking like a slouch.  That didn't do him any good either.

[hawgXi]

you've got to give mallett credit for being very sharp if he was able to hide a drug habit from CBP's watchful eye for over 3 years.

[Blue35]

Are we there yet?