Points of View, May 16, 2008

[madlithuanian]

I think you may be right about the flipped pages!

 

I agree with you that regardless, I will be rooting for whoever is under center...and that it does look like a legit open competition at this point. I just hope Orton or Rex prove some of us wrong and end up being a great QB. We so desperately need one...

 

 

It sounds like we might be on the same page just flip flopped. I do agree Rex played terrible at the beginning of the year, but the reason I keep eluding to that 3.5 game stretch is because that was the last we saw of him. I woulnt be so optimistic if he just played well three games and then went back to old Rex. So his last three and half games played his highs werent as good as the first half of 06 but he was playing safer and more consistently which is what everyone wanted.

 

For the record I am very happy about the open competition and Im glad each guy gets their own shot to earn the job. Im also a fan of Orton and think he deserves his shot. Whoever gets the job I will be rooting for wholeheartedly and I think if the other skill guys perform and the line improves either one can have success. Just so you know, I wasnt the one bashing Orton anywhere either. I think he has starting potential.

[GakMan23]

Trying to sum this up.

 

Orton played almost a full season as a starter his rookie year yet has never been given a chance to practice with the first string. Never given a chance to prove he could be a starter.

 

Rex sucked at the start of 2007 because teams have him figured out. Get pressure up the middle and he'll float the ball to your DB. Therefore he got benched. Passer rating at time of benching probably just above 50.

 

Griese came in and had a 75.7 passer rating but he was not the answer.

 

Rex comes back in and plays ok with only an 88.8 passer rating but he was not the answer.

 

Orton came in and sucked in his first game back but then settled down and played decently. Passer rating 73.5 and he is the answer. Of course during his three games he didn't get a fair shake from the coaches who did not have him practice with the first string?

 

I only want the best QB to win the competition even if it's Caleb Hanie. I think Grossman has proven more than Orton in terms of boom or bust. Orton has only taken the middle road and I've never seen anything from him that made me say sign him long term and nothing that made me say cut him now (ala Grossman). The way this argument is being setup on either side no matter who wins and starts game 1 the other side is going to cry foul.

 

 

Ok first and formost Training camp is used to get timing down and learn players tendencies. When a player doesn't play with those individuals during this timeframe they dont build a Repor with the other starters as they are not practicing with them. Throwing a player out there after preseason and training camp without having played with the people around you puts the individual at a disadvantage.

 

Orton has never been given the opportunity before this year, as he has been the 3rd string QB, to take significant reps with the starters and get used to their tendencies. THAT is the problem I believe most people have had.

 

Getting to practice between weeks after a player goes down does not give a player time to get timing down and game speed down until they have played a few games. Orton's numbers were getting better and he was getting more comfortable last year and for once didn't have a skeleton version of the playbook to run. We have seen what Grossman can do, he is inconsistant. People now want to see what Orton can given the same reps and chance to win the starting job, not to mention how he will look with a full preseason and training camp with the first team to get the timing down.

 

I hope either or both of them have a breakout year and we have a nice problem of having 2 starter quality NFL QB's on the team instead of none.