Staggering news out of NFL Films headquarters: Greg Cosell, Ron Jaworksi's off-camera Xs and Os alter ego, writes in his most recent Sporting News column that Matt Leinart and Alex Smith just aren't very good.
Hardly mind-blowing, I know, but unlike the rest of us, Cosell watches hours of game film before espousing his views. Apparently, if you were looking for a quarterback who would be the exact wrong fit in 49ers offensive coordinator Mike Martz's scheme, Smith would be that guy.
He's not quick enough in his pass drop, he has a long arm action, and his throws are Chad Pennington-like in velocity but Kyle Boller-esque in accuracy. That's a recipe for sideline viewing. Shorter version: there's a reason J.T. O'Sullivan's starting.
Leinart is a different story, although his arm is more popcorn-erific than Smith's.
His shortcomings transcend coordinators and systems and will make it difficult for him to be a quality NFL starting quarterback.Seriously, Greg, don't hold back -- just tell me much Leinart really sucks.
Start with arm strength: It's average at best. And don't let people tell you that arm strength is overrated as a defining attribute in the NFL. You can not prosper at this level if you cannot make stick throws into tight windows in critical situations in the third and fourth quarters of close games. Leinart cannot do that with any consistency. ...
Watch Leinart on film, and you will see a sloppy and undisciplined quarterback with a deliberate drop, slow feet in the pocket and a methodical delivery.
So basically, Kurt Warner is the Cardinals quarterback for 2008, and either the team should give serious consideration to extending his contract (which ends after this season), or get to work on scouting the college guys who'll be eligible for the 2009 draft.
Oh, and this probably bears mentioning (via the all-knowing Brinson): The 49ers waiting until the 2006 draft to get Leinart would've likely ended in much the same way the whole sordid Smith saga worked out. "Jay Cutler and Braylon Edwards would be a horrible combination for the future," Brinson chortled.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-01-2008 @ 5:56PM
steve said...
considering some of comments came from a guy, Who had no field vision at all it amazing. Ron , could of been a great one.
His stumbling feet , Cost Eagles numerious games.
His only fame is he out threw all recievers, Defenders.
Some where seen laughing together woundering who he was throwing too. Hurts huh Ron... Think next time you speak.
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9-01-2008 @ 6:05PM
steve said...
It really takes a brain surgeon to make the call that Leinart, and Smith are terrible QB's? Must be a slow news day
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9-02-2008 @ 12:17AM
Jim Elliott said...
Smith is probably a good kid - he just is not an NFL QB. He has never shown even flashes of potential. The Niners simply blew their #1 on him and should just cut their losses and move on.
ESPN's Colin Cowherd has said numerous times that NFL teams should not use a #1 pick on QBs because it is an extremely difficult position to forecast for success in the NFL based upon collegiate experience.
I actually thought Leinart might be a better pro than Smith but even if he is, he may only ever be a journeyman QB.
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9-02-2008 @ 9:55AM
roberto said...
For most quarterbacks, confidence is the key. Very early in Joe Montana's career, when the 49ers got near the goal line, Bill Walsh would send Montana in to score, just to build his confidence. In effect, the starting quarterback was a set-up man for Montana. When Peyton Manning was awful in his rookie season, Dungy had his back and built his confidence. And frankly, mediocre career or not, the coaches had Jaworski's back. In Leinart's rookie year he looked decent and but for a dropped pass and a couple of missed field goals, his record would have been pretty good. And most of the announcers, Ditka, (and probably Jaworski as well) talked about Leinart being a good one. Now, 2 offensive systems and 3 offensive coordinators later Leinart's confidence has dropped off the face of the earth. Forget about sticking throws, he now has trouble making throws he routinely made in college. His swagger? It ain't there and I think Ken Whisenhunt has to take a bunch of the blame. Why? He made Leinart the starter last year, only he really didn't (wink-wink). Leinart got to start and run the basic offense, facing every package a defense could throw at him. Then, if Leinart faltered in any way, Kurt Warner got to go in and run the no-huddle, which meant the defense couldn't get their extra packages in. Warner got to throw touchdowns. Leinart got to be his set-up man. If Whisenhunt really understood how to build quarterback confidence he would have put Leinart on the bench last year from the get-go and let him watch Warner run the offense. With quarterbacks you can't do it half-way. And, of course, that doesn't mean I think Leinart's going to be a great NFL quarterback ; it simply means a quarterback who had the guts to audible to a long pass on fourth and nine and win a game has turned into a guy who lost his mojo and Whisenhunt's way of handling Leinart was a lot different than, say, Dungy and Walsh and a whole bunch of other coaches that could be named. Whether Leinart can dig himself out remains to be seen.
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