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Mel Kiper on Jamarcus Russell
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  1. You hit it right on the head, here's the 411 from wikipedia.com (not sure why they list Carr like they do):

    Tedford is known as a groomer of NFL quarterbacks. He coached each of the following first round NFL draft picks at the quarterback position:

    * Fresno State
    o Trent Dilfer 6th overall 1994, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
    o David Carr 1st overall 2002, Houston Texans
    * Oregon
    o Akili Smith 3rd overall 1999, Cincinnati Bengals
    o Joey Harrington 3rd overall 2002, Detroit Lions
    * California
    o Kyle Boller 19th overall 2003, Baltimore Ravens
    o Aaron Rodgers 24th overall 2005, Green Bay Packers

    He also coached Billy Volek, a backup quarterback for the San Diego Chargers, and A.J. Feeley, a backup quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles.

    Although Dilfer won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens, none of the Tedford-coached quarterbacks drafted into the NFL have become stars. The NFL struggles of Tedford-groomed prospects has resulted in the popular perception of those players being products of the Tedford offensive system, lacking talents in their own right.

    At this point, Jeff Tedford = unsuccessful NFL career
  2. I think the intelligence metric is overrated. All these QB's have to take the Wonderlic and it is by no means a consistent way to project QB success. That guy Fitzpatrick from Harvard scored perfectly but he's not knocking down the doors to the Hall of Fame. Then you have Vince Young who scored like a 6 or something and the pundits are saying he will be Off. ROY. Besides, most of the Hall of Famers had average intelligence.

    On a more subjective note, whenever I hear JR speak to the media, I don't get the impression that he is below average in intelligence at all. As far as I know, he doesn't have any grade problems. Also, Mel Kiper seems to be the only person that mentions this besides Miles, but the guy NEVER gets rattled! He is so cool under pressure and seems to be having a good time. That reminds me a lot of Joe Montana.
  3. LSUHotdog, when I speak of intelligence, I am referring to football smarts.

    You are correct, the Wonderlic is a pretty sorry way of determining football intelligence.

    Of course instincts is yet another underrated intangible. I think that is another problem area for JR and something you won't be able to teach him.
  4. I disagree, I think JR has made huge improvements in decision making and his instincts are as good as anyone else. I honestly cannot think of another QB I would rather have leading this team than JR. After the Florida game I would agree with you but if you analyze the past 6 games, he has really come of age. Every time I watch LSU on tv the announcers comment on how mature and confident he is.

    If he comes back next year, he could have a dream year of winning the Heisman, the NC, and be the #1 over all draft pick.
  5. islstl said it well while i was off parenting my kids and having a life. good job islstl.
  6. You need to contact Okie's husband.......he trained her so he doesn't have to do all that. She's like one of them field trial labs, whistle and all. :hihi:
  7. I like ya islstl, but if that's what you think, you would be wrong. I can't understand you people that still knock him after all his accomplishments. Does he make mental mistakes from time to time? Yes, but what QB doesn't? You guys just have unrealistic expectations for him to be perfect.
  8. I can certainly understand a view such as yours. It's hard to deny what he has done statistically this past season (albeit most of it against porous defenses).

    I guess I just look at the intangibles more. If you see football instincts in JR, then that's what you see. I don't see it. I see pure raw talent and that's it. I see limited mobility and a slightly inaccurate arm. In the NFL you have to lead these receivers perfectly and they are flying all over the field (obviously faster than at the college level). I just saw way too many passes in which our receivers had to make incredible catches or were stymied to get any yards after catch because of a misguided throw. I think you need to remember he was paired with the best set of wideouts that ever played at LSU collectively.

    He will have to make some tremendous strides to be really successful in the NFL. I hope he's paired with the right OC and QB coach. That will be critical for his survival.

    That being said, I don't think JR can improve any at LSU as a senior. I don't think he has the proper coaches or OC to put him in a position to be any more successful that he was this season. If I were him and he is rated that high in the mock drafts, you got to take the money.

  9. Football smarts are certainly what counts. Any of you ever met Terry Bradshaw before? Has to be one of the most legendary dumbasses in LaTech history, and yet his excellence on the field is unquestionable. Hence he had the football smarts. Even today, the guy doesn't exactly come off as a Rhodes scholar, but on the field, he had it.

    Remember Josh Booty? Phenominal skills and a legendary dumbass. Widely acknowledged that he could only handle half of the playbook and it had to be reduced to accomodate him. Didn't kill in the classroom and couldn't make it on the field in the pros.

    I have to admit there have been plenty of performances of Russell's that have made me scratch my head, but I rarely(this year) thought his mistakes were completely mental and not also physical. It seems to me that he has shown more restraint this year than last, and perhaps has learned he can't actually make every throw on the field, even though he can make more impossible throws than any other QB in college today. Is there any game you have seen him play when the announcers have not pounded this very mantra? He knows he can make throws that you should not be able to, and the scouts see that too. Even so, that is not enough to get him rated so highly. He also has the intangibles that cannot be taught; the short memory of bad plays, a calming effect on his teamates, leadership, desire to have the ball in his hands to win the game.

    Every one of us have seen these same qualities in him the last two years, and have heard them parroted by the announcers but what we may lose sight of is that this does not make him unbeatable. Mauck was a pretty safe QB right? But do you remember how close he came to single-handedly throwing the NCG away to Okie? BullSh*t you say? Go back and watch that game again. Mauck made plays but also kept Oklahoma in that game. There just isn't going to be the perfect QB that has all the skills, makes all the correct decisions, makes all the impossible throws, and wins all the games. He doesn't exist. When Farve(in his prime) made horrible decisions, which equaled successful plays and big wins to overcome his 2-3 interception games, did Green Bay doubt him, much less call for his head? No, we just all hailed him as a competitor, as a winner. Of all the comparisons of Russell to NFL QBs, this is the one we should compare him too. Russell doesn't whine, doesn't sell out his team, plays that game without an ounce of fear, and knows how to win after we have all given up.

    If you think the NFL scouts have not zoned in on this aspect of his game...?? His physical skills are unreal, but I believe in his heart and his head as well. Given the opportunity to stay at LSU or continue on to the NFL, he will excell for these reasons, not just his arm. After Jan 3rd, the rest of the world will watch him spar with the mighty Quinn, and they will all see it as well. :thumb:
  10. Perfectly stated. This is almost exactly how I feel about Russell. Once he's gone we are all going to miss him more than many people realize. He's a great leader and one of my favorite players ever to wear the purple and gold. PLEASE COME BACK FOR ONE MORE YEAR!
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