Note: These opinions were copy and pasted from DRays Bay, without permission. Any edits were made solely for formating purposes, so there are some grammatical and spelling errors, as well as jokes in bad taste. My opinions stated in this roundtable are based upon 6 games I saw of Josh Johnson's senior season at San Diego.



PlayOnWords: Which of you tards wrote that JJ is a 3rd round talent?

Suttree: THIS GUY.

PlayOnWords: That your legit opinion? Never saw him play in college; or, as FreeZo's commie brethren in Asiatown call it - university.

Suttree: Actually, yeah. His tools are as good as anyone drafted in the first round, his only negatives are competition (which Joe Flacco/Tony Romo/Steve McNair and others have squashed as being a legitimate criticsm), an iffy deep ball (though excellent arm strength), and on the thin side (though plenty tall).

He could be a Randall Cunningham that doesn’t turn over the ball. No matter who you’re playing, you don’t throw 1 interception wihout some degree of intelligence, patience, and ability to read a defense.

Suttree: In all seriousness, I'll take Josh Johnson murdering II-A competition then Josh Freeman performing poorly against the Big 12. Especially when the only tool Freeman has on Johnson is size.

rglass44: He could be a Randall Cunningham So Steve Young?

Suttree: Honestly? There's a big disconnect between where he is and where Steve Young was with the Niners (obviously), but he's cut from the same mold.

rglass44:  Cunningham without the TOs= Steve Young...
 
Suttree: Well, you say a guy's upside is Randall Cunningham and you're okay. You say a guy’s upside is Steve Young and people immediately laugh at you, but depending upon how his deep ball has developed, this could be the case.

rglass44: Well, you say a guy's upside is Randall Cunningham and you're okay. Especially if he’s black…

Suttree: Beyond Steve Young, name me a list of quarterbacks known for their mobility and short to intermediate accuracy.

rglass: Rich Gannon

Sandy Kazmir: Joe Montana
Ken Stabler
Rich Gannon

Suttree:Gannon and Montana were mobile, but not to the degree that Johnson is.

Sandy Kazmir: We've seen him execute one run, and he has said he would prefer to be a drop-back passer than running around like a fool.

Suttree: Oh, he is much more of a drop back passer. Actually, Gannon is probably the most apt comparison. Johnson plays a very simple game and it’s fantastic.

rglass44: Jeff Garcia PLEASE GOD NO

P Brady: Garcia throws INT. He’s basically Fran Tarkenton.

Suttree: Oh no, Johnson's much more patient in the pocket and has a better arm. Though, vintage Garcia was pretty badass.

Sandy Kazmir: I want to see more of it, sneak peek at my next article, if I'm still on board looks I did a data pull to look at all QB’s (on a single game basis) in their first season that had a completion % <= 40%,
QB rating <= 50.4, and at least 15 yards rushing. It’s a pretty sweet list with a quite a few good QB’s on it

Suttree: His numbers are super deceptive. Yeah, he was facing soft coverage, but he had a third down pass dropped and a sure touchdown dropped. Those two drops completely skewered his numbers.

Sandy Kazmir: What about the drops that Leftwich had 3rd down drops are absolutely killer, we have now talked more actual football in this thread than Buc Em has all day

Suttree: I feel bad for Leftwich. He's a decent quarterback in a situation that was not good for him. The receivers let him down, the play calling has been unimaginative, his tight ends can’t block, and his offensive line is decent, at best. He’s made some bad decisions, but there have been a lot of plays left on the field thanks to his receiving core.

I’m excited for Johnson because he can bring some life to the offense that Leftwich can’t without better playcalling and design. He’ll take what the defense gives him, which will mean some success for us until teams start clamping down on the underneath routes and force him to prove he can lace a pass between a corner and a safety on the sideline fifteen yards downfield.

Suttree: corp, not core.
 
Top Gun Numba 1: lol, got that one wrong too. corpS

Buc Wild: This is all the dialogue I was looking for over there. Acknowledgement that JJ has his upside but that this wasnt a Leftwich fail and he can succeed (and did) with the right scheme and help.

rglass44: Leftwich was better than Big ben in Pittsburg...

Suttree: Right. Although people say,“Leftwich has a big arm – let’s run a run heavy scheme!” that’s actually counter productive. His lack of mobility is a serious issue and by making him such an easy target (play the run on first down, understand you can blitz the offensive line because the tight ends are awful in pass protection), you expose him to getting hit on a regular basis and eventually making terrible decisions, which is exactly what happened.

Sandy Kazmir: So basically a faster Gradkowski As far as clamping down and forcing the deep ball. I think JJ has a much better arm, but he has to prove it. That deep throw down the sideline was on the money too bad no one can catch. With a top-5 pick next year I’m seriously debating whether we should just say screw the defense and get a great receiver. Our offense is a big-time playmaker away (assuming competent QB play) while our defense is an absolute mess and will not be solved by one draft.

Suttree: Better arm, less retarded than Gradkowski. Gradkowski also racked up his impressive completion percentage totals in an offense based on screen passes and wide receiver hitches. Johnson ran a pro-style West Coast offense where he was hitting slants and post patterns on a regular basis.

P Brady: I remember thinking his deep ball was a bit too floaty in college, actually. Officially now the head of the Lobstein bandwagon.

Suttree: Johnson has an issue with his deep ball, namely he doesn't consistently throw a rainbow. But, neither did Phillip Rivers. They both had a low release point, but I think Johnson can make the adjustments in his release so he can drop it over the shoulder without leaving it hanging. He’s got the arm strength for it.

rglass44: Rivers was also one of the ebst passers teh ACC has seen...

Suttree: Is dominating his competition as impressive as what Rivers did? Of course not, but it is impressive and frankly, better for his development than what Josh Freeman went through. You learn bad habits at the college level and they are tough to shake. I don’t think the speed of the game will catch up to Josh. The complexity of blitz packages and coverages? Possibly, but he’s had a whole year of breaking down tape and practicing against an NFL defense. If Joe Flacco, who looked retarded any time a team through a zone blitz at him in college, can succeed in the NFL, I think Josh Johnson has a shot.

rglass44: I still can't get over the fact that TYLER PALKO was the cause for Flacco transferring.
 
Suttree: It's outrageous, but Dave Wannstedt isn't the best evaluator of quarterback talent. Also, it takes certain situations to bring out the best in a player. Tom Brady was a huge underachiever in college, consistently beaten out by Brian Griese, but the skills we see at the NFL level were there at the college level. He just needed the right environment to bring out the best in him. Maybe it was the same for Flacco.

rglass44: I almost touched on that as well. He’s such an idiot.