Quarterbacks

Overheard

Chris Redman, off a horrible combine, held a private workout and recovered some of the ground he lost. He ran in the low 5 range and was almost perfect on his throws.

Tim Rattay threw some
fluttering deep balls in
a workout following the combine and some teams are lowering their opinion of him.

      While there might not be a "franchise" type grade for any of the 2000 QB crop, there
are a few good signal callers who can payoff handsomely with development. Although Chad Pennington  and Chris Redman do not have the skill packages of last year's top rated QBs (Couch, Mcnabb, Smith, and Culpepper), they do have the competitive drive and smarts to
one day make a difference. The NFL is full of QBs who don't have a cannon arm or run skills. Joe Montana is an example of a QB who got by with smarts and accuracy, not amazing 40s, vertical leaps, and a bazooka for an arm. If you want a mobile QB who can be a threat running the ball, you may want to consider Tee Martin and Joe Hamilton. Teams cannot expect the moon in `2000; this crop needs time to learn.

TSN compares Chad and Chris

1)  Chad Pennington     6'3"      229     4.84       Marshall
Plays smart, could be because he is the son of a coach. He is a
leader that loves to compete. He has decent mobility and has
worked hard to build arm strength; it use to be weak but now
is good but not great. He has good pocket presence and can
throw with touch. He spreads the ball around and can thread
the needle on short and intermediate routes. He is tough; can
take a hit and will sacrifice his body. A dedicated athlete who
will work hard to get better. His biggest weakness is unrefined
deep passing skills.
Dave Te: "Holds the ball high, consistently firing tight spirals upfield..."

STATS:     `99-  3515 Yds, 34 Tds, 10 Ints, 68% comp
                  `98-  3419 Yds, 24 Tds, 7 Ints,  65% comp

2)  Chris Redman     6'3" 222      5.03     Louisville
Like Pennington, he is the son of a coach and it shows when he
surveys the field. He is not as nifty in the pocket as Chad, and
at times seems unaware that he is about to get hit. He does have
a quick release and solid mechanics. He has had "hot" stretches
in which he can make every type of throw you want. He has
the ability to thread the needle on throws of any length, but he
does not have a bazooka arm. Adept at the play-action fake.
He may have too much poise, because he hangs on to the ball
too long on occasion. He has good vision but may need an
effective O-line to excel because he has a hard time avoiding
pass-rushers.
Dave Te: "Excels at looking off defenders and throwing on time..."

STATS:     `99-  3647 Yds, 29 Tds, 13 Ints,  65% comp
                  `98-  4042 Yds, 29 Tds, 15 Ints,  65% comp

3)  Tee Martin     6'2"      227     4.61       Tennessee      
Very mobile. Has a big arm and can throw on the run. He is a
tough QB who will stand in the pocket and take the hit. He has
a good setup and throwing motion. He works hard and is going
to pay the price to get better. But like Steve McNair, he might
not be ready in year one, or maybe two, because he has trouble
when a defense gives him multiple looks. He also has to improve
his decision making under pressure.
Dave Te: "...Boom or bust type, but has possibly the best athletic
package of any quarterback in this draft."

STATS:     `99-  2317 Yds, 12 Tds, 9 Ints,  54% comp
                  `98-  2164 Yds, 19 Tds, 6 Ints,  57% comp

4)  Giovanni Carmazzi     6'3"     224      4.63     Hofstra
He has a big arm and is pretty fast for a QB. Plays with toughness
and smarts. He played in a run and shoot type offense and is adept
at throwing all types of patterns. Pretty accurate on short routes.
Sort of spunky. His demeanor reminds me of Steve Young. He
does have problems throwing accurately deep and on the move.
He also has sloppy footwork that must be corrected as well as a
bad habit of tipping off his throws with an elongated delivery.
Dave Te: "Hits his backs in stride on swing passes..."

STATS:    `99-  2651 Yds, 21 Tds, 10 Ints,  62% comp
                 `98-  2730 Yds, 18 Tds, 12 Ints,  62% comp

5)  Marc Bulger      6' 2"      208      4.85       West Virginia
Before `99 he was a hot prospect, then because of a poor `99 he
slipped. It must be noted that he lost alot of weapons from the `98
campaign and had to endure a brutal beating running for his life this
year. He does have a NFL arm and decent mobility. He does well
in picking his spots in short to intermediate zones and has good
leadership potential. He was injured at midseason and seemed to
buckle under pressure as the hits mounted week in and week out.
This year he uncharacteristically started to throw balls up for grabs.
Dave Te: "Tough, gritty player who is a proven leader..."

STATS:     `99-  1709 Yds, 11 Tds, 13 Ints, 60% comp
                  `98-  3178 Yds, 27 Tds, 8 Ints,  65% comp

6)  Tom Brady     6'4"      211     4.99       Michigan
A pocket passer who throws a slant like a pro. He can see
the whole field and likes to spread it around. He has good
height but is lanky and goes down in a stiff wind. He lacks
velocity on his ball. His time management has been a sore
spot also. He does throw accurately most of the time and
is a leader type. He is a smart guy who can succeed in a
West Coast style if he is protected.
Dave Te: "Can torch defenses once he gets into rhythm..."

STATS:     `99-  2586 Yds, 20 Tds, 6 Ints, 62.8% comp
                  `98-  2636 Yds, 15 Tds, 12 Ints, 61.1% comp
        

7)  Tim Rattay     6'1"      215      4.79       Louisiana Tech
Very efficient in a short passing game which spreads a defense
out with multiple receivers. Deadly accurate on short routes. Has
leadership qualities and plays smart and under control. Has top
notch instincts. Will find the weakness on a defense. Has a quick
delivery and makes good decisions under fire. A coach on the
field. He does not have a good arm. He is not the prototypical
size you look for. He must prove he can play as well in a pro-
style offense, unless he goes to the Bears, who use a similar type
of attack.
Dave Te: "Scans the field quickly to find his secondary receivers..."

STATS:     `99-  3922 Yds, 35 Tds, 12 Ints,  66% comp
                   `98-  4943 Yds, 46 Tds, 13 Ints,  68% comp

8)  Joe Hamilton     5'10"    192      4.67     Georgia Tech
Some believe he deserved the Heisman trophy. His arm belies
what you would expect from such a small package. He has a
gun, but his deep touch needs work. He sets up quickly and can avoid the rush well. Can break ankles with his quick stop and go.Corraling him is like trying to catch a loose chicken.Of course
the knock will be his height and overall size. But he is a dynamic athlete nonetheless. He did not run well in Indy but impressed in
private workouts.
Dave Te: "The heart of a lion, but the size of a mouse is what
concerns most teams."

STATS:     `99-  3060 Yds, 29 Tds, 11 Ints, 66.6% comp
                  `98-  2166 Yds, 17 Tds, 8 Ints,   56% comp

9)  Doug Johnson     6'2"      226     4.90     Florida    
Underrated player who may be a steal. Has a strong frame and
throws sharp darts with a pretty spiral. Is fairly good at throwing
on the move and spotting receivers when flushed out. Has nice
touch; can drop balls between zones. The questions that arise are
related to his leadership ability and his overall football "smarts".
One scout compared him to Brad Johnson, a guy that needed to
learn the game before his career took off. Underrated.
Dave Te: "Reacts well vs. the pass rush and won’t force his passes
if his receivers are covered..."   

STATS:     `99-   2574 Yds, 20 Tds, 13 Ints, 56.4% comp
                  `98-  2346 Yds, 19 Tds, 8 Ints, 56.2% comp

10)  Todd Husak     6'3"      216     5.05       Stanford
Very cerebral. Learned alot from Ty Willingham, who runs a
Pro-style offense. Has decent pocket awareness and a good
but not great arm. There are certain routes that he can't throw
very well, but he can be effective in most offenses; ones that
look short first. Limited upside but is a fighter. Good size but
limited movement skills and foot speed outside the pocket.
Too many hot and cold fluctuations and a low completion
percentage have been causes of concern.
Dave Te: "...needs better consistency going long..."

STATS:     `99-  2688 Yds, 18 Tds, 11 Ints, 57% comp
                 `98-  3092 Yds, 17 Tds, 7 Ints, 52% comp

11)  Phil Stambaugh     6'3"      217      5.01          Lehigh
A tough, take command type. Can contol the huddle. Has a
big arm and is fairly accurate at all lengths. Surveys the field
well, and won't get wild. Does need to work on his feet and
develop a more consistent dropback and throwing motion.
He holds on to the ball too long on occasion and has not
faced a high level of competition. He does have the spunk
you look for.
Dave Te: "Very accurate in the short range, firing the slants
with authority..."

STATS:     `99-  2995 Yds, 26 Tds, 13 Ints, 68% comp
                  `98-  3121 Yds, 22 Tds, 12 Ints, 66.3% comp

12)  Tim Lester     6'3"      202     4.92     Western Michigan
Can rifle the ball down the field when he steps into his throws. Is a
good slant thrower and can go long with average accuracy. In the
short area he will hit targets in stride. Tough competitor who can
sidestep a rush but won't win too many foot races when flushed
outside the comfort of the pocket. He is not a flinger; he needs to
have his mechanics in order to be effective and won't wow you
with ad-lib skills. A gamer who won't be intimidated and is very
durable.
Dave Te: "Very quick in his release... Very effective at hitting
open receivers..."

STATS:     `99-  3639 Yds, 34Tds, 13 Ints, 60% comp
                  `98-  3311 Yds, 22 Tds, 16 Ints, 58.1% comp

Others

Just missed the cut: Billy Volek(Fresno St.), Bill Burke(Michigan St.), Keith Smith
(Arizona), Sean Keenan(Williams Coll), Chris Chaloupka(Sam Houston), Kevin
Feterik(BYU), Todd Bankhead(Massachusetts), Mike Moschetti(Colorado)

Disclaimer: Some information was gathered from Sportspage.com
and their lead draft expert, Dave Te Thomas. Items are quoted
and may not be displayed elsewhere.