Mr. Scot

Falling in love with physical tools rather than pro-level quarterbacking skills is how you end up with a Trey Lance.

Smitty comments...

Pretty much. Instead of trying to teach him to play in a pro-style system, t hey built a college style offense around him. It's possible the idea was to slowly transition him into a more traditional offense, but they just decided what they had was good enough and stuck with it. Turner showed them that they could have worked with him on that, although maybe it would have meant him starting a little later instead of day one. That's a trade off I'd take for a longer, more successful career.

Or they go to certain colleges

What you'll hear from analysts (and it's generally true) is that when you have someone like Newton or Jackson, you basically have to build the offense around their skill set. That's what the Panthers did early on. Norv Turner switched it up and had him running a Coryell type offense, and it worked. But he was already well into his career by the time that change was made. I'll always wonder what could have been if someone like Turner had been around early on. You'd likely have to do that with Richardson as well if you wanted him to start this early. More likely you're taking a couple of years to try and coach him up, so you don't get any immediate returns. Stroud or Young you could much more easily slide into a WCO or E-P type system because they've already got the skills needed.

Now being reported that he wants to play for the Patriots. That drew this response...

I get it. Lord knows his skill set is something else.

That was you? Good job

Technically the thread title doesn't say which team he'll be playing for

Which there is chatter about them doing...

I don't think anyone questions that he's going to be good. What they're all worried about is whether he can stay healthy.

You never take the guy who needs to be taught quarterbacking skills over the guy that already has them. I don't care how big, strong or fast he is.

I'd say there's a reason for that (and not just the injury) There might not be enough info to call him a bust yet but things don't seem to be trending in the right direction.

So it's Will Levis then

The Panthers are posting threads on The Huddle?

Pretty sure Kyle Shanahan thought the same thing.

With that history, it'd make a great story, wouldn't it? My preference is still Stroud, though.

Breer on the QB question... From Fid (@RandyFidler): You're the Panthers GM draft day. Who are you selecting and who would you target with the 2nd round pick to complement? I think Bryce Young. Everything I’ve heard about Young as a kid is A-plus-plus. His OC from Alabama, Bill O’Brien, told teams in the fall he’s never had a player like Young, and O’Brien coached Tom Brady. Scouts will tell you his accuracy, instincts, pocket movement, football IQ, competitiveness and toughness are all A-plus. I’ve also heard he absolutely blew away Carolina coach Frank Reich when they sat down and talked football. If he was 6'3" and 220 pounds, there’d be no discussion. He’d be the first overall pick. But he’s not, and that is not a cursory issue for teams. And it could be a problem for Young, too, because CJ Stroud does have closer-to-prototype size (6'3", 214 pounds) for the position, and brings a lot of what Young does to the table. The questions with him are more on his willingness to run, put his body on the line and create off-schedule—things he actually did flash in his final college game, which happened to be a national semifinal against Georgia. Ultimately, I think there’s a good chance Stroud winds up going first, because he’s close enough to Young traits-wise, and you’re well within the scouting guardrails size-wise for a quarterback with him. But I’ve heard enough people call Young special—really special—to the point where it’d be hard for me to pass on him. Link

Favre has one, yes. How many does Brady have? Also FYI, I don't give a sh-t about awards. Ron Rivera has two Coach of the Year awards. You want him back?

Accuracy is absolutely one of the most important traits a quarterback can have. Your job isn't to throw it hard. Your job isn't to throw it far. Your job isn't to throw it fast. Your job is to throw it to a spot, and in such a way that your receiver can catch it and make a play. A lot of analysts and former players will tell you that the "big arm" thing is heavily overrated by fans.

The key is what you can do consistently. Brett Favre was a guy who could throw a pass that made you go "how the hell did he do that" then follow it up with a pass that made you go "why the hell did he do that". Tom Brady? Certainly not as exciting a player as Favre, but amazingly consistent. Gunslingers are certainly more fun to watch, but technicians tend to win more games. A guy with consistent ball placement like Stroud fits the NFL mold much better.

Fans like exciting players. Coaches and personnel guys know that exciting players aren't always the best players.

Our record during the Newton years would suggest otherwise. Every quarterback needs a strong supporting cast. Newton was no exception. Neither is Richardson.