Friday, February 15, 2008

Not buying Matt Ryan hype


















Matt Ryan had a pretty solid senior year and was a Heisman candidate, a favorite even, at one point in the season. Bucky Brooks of SI.com listed him as his #1 QB in the 2008 draft. I'm not sold. He writes:


"His accuracy, touch and arm strength are all rated above average; but it is his
leadership
that scouts find most impressive. Ryan is best described as a winner
who has all of the intangibles needed to lead his team to victory. He has consistently shown the ability to direct his team to wins in adverse conditions (Boston College defeated three ranked opponents on the road in '07), and his penchant for orchestrating late game comebacks has cemented his status as the ultimate competitor."

Bucky sounds like a stat guy. In the same article he mentioned that Michigan signal caller Chad Henne (Ranked #5) "only completed 58 percent of his throws as a senior." Ryan's completion percentage was only 1 percent higher. Henne's passer rating was 3.5 points higher than Matt Ryan's was. Boston College's QB was entertaining to watch in his last minute heroics in Blacksburg and it would be hard to question his heart, but his play has been pretty inconsistent. He may be 6'5'', but he doesn't have a lazer, rocket arm and seems to rely on the dump down game - see Tom Brady. An ESPN draft risk study showed that 53% of QBs selected in the first round are busts. I don't see Ryan being a bust, but I can't see him being a spectacular NFL quarterback either, intangibles or not. He threw up big numbers against Wake Forest, NC State, Army, and Bowling Green...big deal. Matt Ryan = Brady Quinn = Rob Johnson. They all look like stud quarterbacks and that is the reason people fall in love with them. For those of you who don't remember Rob Johnson, he played for the Jaguars, the Bills, the Bucs, the Skins, the Raiders, and had a brief stint on the Giants' practice squad. He went to USC where he set virtually every major passing record and was a Heisman favorite for the majority of his senior year. In the NFL he earned the nickname "Robo-sack" and held the record for most sacks per passing attempt...impressive.

And Florida would have beat the shit out of Ryan.

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