Armchair Athlete - The Class of 40
by adelfish | 7 years ago | 0 Comments
Adel
08/03/2018
Armchair Athlete The Class of 40 - Mailbag The Draft Class of 40 - Revisiting the Loaded Quarterback Class
In Season 40, the league shifted because of the incoming rookie class. This was one of the most important drafts in the league, top to bottom - and the reason was due to the unusual amount of quarterback prospects that entered with starting aspirations. Red Zone saw a few elite quarterbacks come out of the draft this year, but no class produced enough prospects like this one did.
I went back to the draft, to see where these youngsters started off, and where they ended up.
Hunter Snyder
7th Overall Pick - Cleveland Browns
Other Teams - 49ers, Jaguars
Record as Starter with Browns – 21-27
Starting at the top, if you didn’t know already, a few of these quarterbacks we’re going to talk about are no longer with the team that drafted them - and Snyder is no longer with Cleveland.
Touted as the most ‘Red Zone ready’ quarterback in the draft, after a poor Season 39, the Browns knew that the Ravens were about to take serious flight, and with a haul of draft picks in tow, they made their move on a franchise quarterback.
Talking with Coach Eikim, he told us how impressive this class was. It wasn’t until the Pro Days where these kids started to differentiate themselves, and Snyder was the clear favorite to them. He blew them away in private interviews, talked about how he wanted to help resurrect Cleveland as a football town, and how he wanted to make people forget about the history of losing.
The Browns ran to the podium after the first six picks were announced - they had their pick of the litter, and they wrote down ‘Snyder, Hunter’ on the piece of paper and handed it to the commissioner. The former Wisconsin Badger, was now a Cleveland Brown.
In Week 1, the Snyder era started off with a bang. Snyder and the Browns went to Green Bay, falling to the Packers 41-38 in a shootout that saw Snyder throw for 4 touchdown passes, and 0 interceptions. Despite the loss, you couldn’t temper expectation anymore - this kid was ready. The future appeared to be now in Cleveland, and playoff aspirations were in the back of their minds after the Browns finished 6-10.
Snyder finished his rookie season with 25 touchdowns and 21 interceptions, and the aforementioned 6-10 record. The Browns had no qualms, they knew the growing pains would be there. Unfortunately for the next two seasons, development and performance became more sporadic. Snyder’s touchdown to interception ratio became inverted, combining for 43 touchdowns and 63 interceptions in two years.
The front office made an extremely difficult choice in the offseason of Season 43 - they let him walk. Snyder tested free agency, and instead of taking the opportunity to engage talks with the team that drafted him, he took an offer with the 49ers, expressing his disappointment with his tenure in Cleveland.
No doubt this set the Browns back - they have been playing quarterback musical chairs since, and Snyder has faded off. He has lived off one year deals in San Francisco, and a prove-it deal in Jacksonville. The former 7th overall pick firmly entered ‘Bust’ territory.
Curtis Pearson
10th Overall Pick - Pittsburgh Steelers
Record as Starter with Steelers – 50-46
The next quarterback off the board went 3 picks later, in the same division. Pearson was touted for his deep arm, and his crazy pro-ready figure. Out of LSU, he was one of the best prospects in the draft, and certainly was outspoken that he should have gone number one overall. The Steelers loved him along, and were absolutely ecstatic when he fell to them at 10. The Steelers knew Cleveland desperately needed a quarterback, just like them – so they loved seeing them pick the guy they didn’t want.
‘Look, we loved Snyder in the pre-draft stuff, we really did – but there was something about Curtis that really stood out to us. His demeanor, his character, his attitude about winning. We knew this guy would be the right one to take the reins from Roethlisberger.’
There was no learning curve for Pearson, as he was thrust into the starting role in his first regular season action against the hapless Bengals, what could have been touted as a fifth preseason game. Pearson threw a puzzling 48% completion, but didn’t need to do much to win and get his first victory under his belt.
After a game that many had more questions than answers, Pearson went on a stretch that many call the best in rookie history for Red Zone. Between Weeks 1 and 12, Pearson accounted for 3 total interceptions, incredible numbers, and only one game in which he didn’t account for a score (Week 6 against Denver, a victory albeit). Pearson proved to master his craft early on, and show he was worth the selection.
The Steelers made the playoffs as a wild card, falling in the second round to the Baltimore Ravens, which would plunge them into a three year stretch of 6-10 or worse. Pearson wasn’t the problem down the stretch, due to Coach Reid’s departure, and then eventual return. The Steelers managed to stockpile assets during those three seasons, and when Reid returned the Steelers combined for a 21-11 record in two seasons, but failed to make the playoffs – leaving Pearson’s only playoff appearance as a rookie.
Overall, Pearson was a solid quarterback for Pittsburgh, and did a lot of great things while he was there, in the regular season. His rookie year was the peak of team success, and you hate to see that from a franchise quarterback. I put most of the responsibility on the coaching staff, and Coach Reid leaving and returning – the franchise was in disarray, and Pearson helped them tread water.
Damon Stamer
15th Overall Pick - Jacksonville Jaguars
Other Teams – New York Giants
Record as Starter with Jaguars – 22-26
This was perceived as the first true ‘reach’ of these quarterbacks, with Stamer being selected by Jacksonville at 15. Stamer didn’t blow anyone away at the combine throwing drills, and was compared by many to an A.J. McCarron kind of guy – a quarterback who saw plenty of success at the collegiate level due to his program (Ole Miss), and will translate into an above-average backup in the pros.
Stamer was selected high by Jacksonville after a fantastic pro day, and Coach Caiello became enamored by the raw athleticism of Stamer. He was one of the best play action passers in college, due to his speed out of the bootleg, and his short accuracy passing. The Jaguars saw themselves as a smash mouth style of offense already with Leonard Fournette, so they figured this could be the perfect compliment.
Amazingly enough, Stamer actually exceeded initial expectations his rookie season, accounting for 3194 passing yards, and 22 touchdowns. The Jaguars finished 11-5, won the AFC South, and hosted a thrilling playoff loss to the New York Jets, in which Stamer was brilliant – accounting for 250+ total yards and 2 scores, as the Jags fell 29-23. The future was beyond bright now in Jacksonville, and they just needed to stay the course, and build around their young signal caller.
The following year was full of frustration, as the Jaguars limped to 5-11, amidst injury woes, and losing 5 of their 11 losses by 7 points or less. Stamer was injured, and Andy Dalton stepped in for spot work, leading to essentially a lost season for Jacksonville.
Things changed in his third season, as the Jaguars wanted to push Stamer. They brought in Dak Prescott through free agency to challenge Stamer in training camp, and the Jaguars ended up giving the job to Prescott. Amazingly enough, it completely paid off. The Jaguars found their way, winning 14 games, and securing the 2nd seed in the AFC. New England came to town, an underdog, and completely a monumental upset in defeating the Jaguars 38-35. Stamer actually came in to relieve Prescott, and threw for 228 yards and 1 touchdown.
That’s the last success Stamer saw in Jacksonville, his final year with the team saw him split starting duties, en route to a 6-10 finish, and only 2178 passing yards. Stamer was released by the Jaguars, and found a new home with the New York Giants.
The Giants were in a quarterback conundrum of their own, after trading for Nash Zelenka who struggled, they opted for Stamer after the preseason. Stamer went on for an incredible statistical, yet inefficient season. He accounted for 5196 passing yards, 31 touchdowns, yet 29 interceptions. The Giants ultimately finished 9-7, outside the NFC playoff picture. Finally, Stamer’s last season was a limping 4-12 finish with the Giants.
Overall, this reach proved to be justified. Stamer was incredible inefficient as a passer, multiple seasons of 20+ turnovers, and only topped 60% completion one season. He seemed to just be the perfect example of someone who wasn’t meant to start in this league, but I also go back to how horribly miss managed the Jaguars were from a front office standpoint. The kid may never have had a chance.
Jared Yount
24th Overall Pick - Denver Broncos
Record as Starter with Broncos – 47-49
Falling into the 20s came the last three big name quarterbacks, and out of Penn State, Jared Yount was selected 24th overall by Denver. After failed experiments with Trevor Siemian, Marcus Mariota and more, the new regime was determined to get ‘their’ guy in the building.
Denver will be the first to admit that Yount wasn’t their top choice – but they knew the reality of the draft. Pearson was number one on their board, and unless they mortgaged their future of assets, he would be going to Cleveland or Pittsburgh. They loved Yount as their second quarterback on their board, and the Denver war room erupted when Stamer went off the board to Jacksonville – they knew the teams between 16 and 23 were already set at the position.
Yount came in to training camp as the presumed starter, and ran away with the job. His biggest talent on, and off the field, was his intellect. Yount scored the highest at the Mojilic IQ test of all quarterbacks, and his training camp showcased his ability to dissect defenses at a veteran level. Could his average arm and college career benefit from such an intelligent football mind?
Unfortunately, Yount would have an injury plagued rookie campaign, only accounting for 2420 yards, and a 14/9 TD/INT ratio. The Broncos team was so talented, along with an excellent young running back in Derek Spencer, managed 10 victories, but just outside the playoff picture.
In his second season, Yount would play every game – and lead the Broncos to an AFC West title at 9-7, winning a home playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts, in which Yount accounted for 4 touchdowns and 337 yards. Denver went on the road to Buffalo the following week, and was drilled by the Bills. Yount put forward a valiant effort of 350 yards and 4 scores, but the Denver defense couldn’t stop Buffalo’s ground game. Nevertheless, Denver saw the two best games of their young starting quarterback when it mattered the most.
The following season saw Yount’s best as a starter, with 4200 yards and 30 touchdown passes, but also an 11-5 record and another AFC West title. The power seemed to be shifting away from Kansas City, and into the hands of the Broncos, Chargers, and even the Raiders (who we will discuss later).
The Broncos hosted the Los Angeles Chargers in a home playoff game, losing 44-38, another defensive lapse in the postseason. Yount accounted for 350 yards and 3 scores, but threw 2 costly interceptions – while rival Jorian Holmes threw for 390 yards and 5 touchdowns, and rushed for 50 yards as well. Simply put, the Denver defense choked. Holmes did whatever he wanted, and Yount watched as his offensive effort went with a whimper again.
Little did Denver fans know that would be the last playoff appearance of the cycle for the Broncos. Yount had his statistical best season in his fourth year, although they finished 5-11, Yount accounted for 5126 yards and 38 touchdowns. After that, he combined for 38 touchdowns and 34 interceptions his final two years in Denver, finishing a combined 12-20 as a starter.
Overall, Denver would have liked to see more from this team as a whole during these six seasons with Jared, he obviously provided them with the spark they needed offensively, and he definitely exceeded expectations for his career. Denver had a window from Season 41-43 in which they could have done damage in the postseason, but their defense held them back from taking the next step.
Stanley Parks
36th Overall Pick - Washington Redskins
Record as Starter with Redskins – 71-25
And, the home run. Selected with the fourth pick in the second round, the Redskins took Stanley Parks, former New Hampshire quarterback. The Redskins limped through a terrible 3-13 campaign the year before, with guys such as Alexander Vinatieri and Tevin Howell (??) taking meaningful snaps at quarterback. The Redskins passed on taking a quarterback with the fifth overall pick, opting to select defensive tackle Tacoi Moss instead, who ended up being one of the best defensive linemen of the cycle. Safe to say, they nailed this draft.
Redskins’ fans booed their front office when Parks was selected. They knew Miles Rachal was more captivating and exciting, and Parks was just a boring, run of the mill pocket passer who would lead them to 6 wins this season. Parks won the job in training camp, and expressed to the media how lucky he was to be in this situation. At New Hampshire, Parks never had help – he had terrible protection, and even worse weapons. Now, he had Rashawn Brockers and Aundre Hamilton.
His first season saw growing pains, accounting for 3334 yards, 27 scores and 19 interceptions, and a pretty unimpressive 58% completion. Parks threw a lot of prayer balls, deep shots downfield hoping for his receivers to make a play. The Skins finished 8-8, outside the postseason. After that season, fans of this football team were in for an unforgettable ride.
After that, over the next five seasons, the most games the Redskins would lose in a year would be 4. They averaged 12.5 victories, winning the NFC East three times, making the NFC Championship Game three times, and capturing a Red Zone Championship. Parks ascended to the second best quarterback in the league unanimously, and proved to be worth the 36th pick and more.
Parks got better every single year in the league, with three 4000 yard seasons, and a 5000 yard season under his belt. He never fell below 60% completion after his sophomore year again, and always topped 31+ touchdowns, save for a strange down year when he threw 20. Most impressive? His ability to win in the NFC – Parks won double digit games every year of his career outside of his rookie season.
Let’s fast forward to his fifth year in the league – Parks and the high flying Redskins finished with a 12-4 record, and ran through the Eagles, 49ers, and Lions in the postseason to finally reach a RZ Bowl. The Redskins downed the Jets in a thriller, with Parks winning MVP of the game, and this organization capturing its first ever title.
Idreis Bird credited the development of Parks to their success, his ability to lead an offense and a locker room was invaluable to them. It’s extremely difficult to grade heart and work ethic, but I bet the Redskins would make this pick 100 times out of 100.
Miles Rachal
39th Overall Pick - Oakland Raiders
Other Teams – Minnesota Vikings Record as
Starter with Raiders – 21-32
And finally, we come to Miles Rachal. The Boise State product fell into the second round due to what some called a poor skillset from a passing standpoint, but a completely dynamic playmaker. Rachal had the tools to hit home run balls and move the chains, but could struggle with short throws, and diagnosing defenses. Oakland loved him earlier in the draft, but opted to wait and cross their fingers that he would be there in the second round.
Lo and behold, he was. Rachal fell to the 8th pick in the second round, and Oakland snatched him up. This was a team that had fallen behind the AFC West race drastically, seeing the Chargers draft Jorian Holmes, the Chiefs with Mahomes, and the Broncos grabbing Jared Yount earlier. The Raiders got their guy, and thrust him into the starting role in his rookie season.
Rachal blew everyone away, and then some. He threw for 4144 yards, 33 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions. He won Rookie of the Year, and MVP honors, leading the Raiders to an AFC West title. Unfortunately the Raiders were beaten by the aforementioned Curtis Pearson led Steelers. It appeared the future in Oakland looked bright with their MVP quarterback, and they looked to be the class of the AFC West going forward – but we’ve all read this story before.
Rachal struggled with turnovers for two straight years, as the Raiders limped to a combined 9-23 record, with no playoff appearances. The Raiders stuck to their guns with Rachal, almost entering contract talks for an extension. In his fourth season, Rachal started 1-4, and the Raiders grew impatient. They knew before the deadline it was now or never to make a decision, and the Minnesota Vikings came calling. They traded three draft choices to the Raiders for Rachal, and just like that, the era was over.
In Minnesota, Rachal had two playoff appearances, and a career year of 4620 yards, and 68% completion. In his two appearances, the Vikings fell to Washington and Detroit. He never reached those MVP numbers again, and ended his cycle with a broken femur in Week 13.
When we look back in the history books, this will be one of the strangest MVP winners of all time. If you ever want to win a bar bet, ask someone who won MVP for the Oakland Raiders this cycle – it might take them awhile.
---- Mailbag ----
Q - ‘Where can I learn all the off game secrets of Madden? I feel so far behind. I am trying not to be in the bottom 5 GMs next year.’
• Turtles Tasty Tomato Toes
I don’t believe there are secrets, it requires investment. Looking ahead and seeing the culmination of the decisions you make are huge. I see often every offseason that a few guys live for the moment and the splash, trading assets away just to make headlines. Signing guys to huge contracts impacts everything you do, and I think taking that extra time to prepare means so much.
Q - ‘Can we add a third trade before Week 8?’
• Dave from Maine
This has been in the rule change hopper for quite awhile now. We will see what comes in Madden 19, Dave from Maine.
Q - ‘Can we end the cycle after this season?’
• Checked Out Vinny
This could be a lot of people at this point, hate to break it to you Vinny…
Q - ‘Who would be the most delicious member of the Red Zone to eat if you were stranded on an island with no food for weeks on end?’
• I Will Eat You
First of all, be more creative with your monikers. In the question after the submission that reads ‘Any topics you want to see on future articles’ this submitter put ‘Food’. Hopefully you ate, because you were clearly very hungry. You have to go with Weedseed or Cave in this scenario - meat on their bones, tender cuts, would look good with various island delicacies such as coconut or ripe bananas. Is it weird that I just salivated?
Q - ‘Which coaches have made the biggest improvement from last cycle to this cycle in your opinion?’
• Jim
Astin is an easy answer, but as I’ve stated before, I believe the roster inflates those numbers - and that is by no means a slight. I’m very impressed by what Pat did this year, a guy who was completely forgettable with the Ravens when he joined the league, currently is 67-79-2 overall, with 3 winning seasons (in an extremely difficult division) and a NFC Championship Game appearance, where he was a few minutes away from a showdown with Astin. Black Magic as well has been great, building a high flying offense that we saw shades of in Madden 18, he solidified that with a championship this past season.
Q - ‘Who is your favorite league underdog currently?’
• Jake’s Tiny Penis
Love this question, because there are a lot. I’ve always had a soft spot for those Cleveland Browns, I would love to see Eikim make the playoffs and have a run. He has been close, but that division is brutal at the top, and the wild card spots in the AFC are usually locked up. Corn is the lovable loser of the league, guy who cares deeply, but can’t seem to put a winning campaign together. Who knows, maybe next year is the Year of Corn.
Q - ‘How many podcasts is too many? Is there a niche you’d like to see in podcasts that we haven’t had?’
• I Have Worms
That moniker actually made me laugh, and I feel childish for it. I don’tt hink you can have enough media content - ‘All In’, ‘The Checkdown’, and whatever else is coming down the pipeline. I know there are two more shows in production right now that will be coming. As for the ‘niche’ we haven’t seen? I think podcasts are pretty cut and dry, sure you can have a segment-heavy show, more freeform, or guest oriented. I think most of the bases have been covered in the league, and that’s not a bad thing. People will always listen.
Q - ‘Who is the first user to drop out next year?’
• Pecker Head
Last year at this time I predicted that we would have lost Corn because of his frustration of losing, and I’m so happy we didn’t. Nick is the obvious and easy answer - what are the chances he reads this?
Q - ‘Why am I so pretty?’
• Tauph
Good genes, and you don’t crush Debbie Snack Cakes like your life depends on it.
Q - ‘We ventured into stock playbooks this cycle, do you see any changes to the playbook choices in Madden 19?’
• The Real SIM Shady
Great moniker, and after the information about how schemes and playbooks was released, it all but eliminated customs.
Q - ‘In your opinion, what are top 3 rivalries in the Red Zone? Do we have enough trash talk in the league?’
• Uncle Guiseppe
Man that’s a tough question, so let me start with the second half of your question so I can think. I do think trash talk starts out early in the cycle, as all 32 users feel as though the playing field is even, and they always have a chance to win. As the cycle goes on, I think you settle into your ‘place’ in the league, and some of that trash talk fades. Right now I think the biggest rivalry in the league is between Moji and Weed - these two hate playing each other legitimately, there is real animosity between them. I don’t think other rivalries come close, but others I could think of are Jake v Pat, Mans v Astin, Sin v Metal.
Q - ‘For the bottom 5 users this cycle, which one do you think will have the best turnaround next cycle?’
• Stiffest Rod
Right now the bottom 5 users in the league in terms of winning percentage are Turtles, Corn, Eddie, Beat Oven, and Trent. The easy call here is Trent, because of these five, he is the only one who has had real success, with a Super Bowl appearance (what seems like decades ago). Sneaky call? I think Corn has the opportunity to improve. He has the Patriots roster, in a division that is considered the weakest in the league. If there was an opportunity, this will be it, especially early.
Q - ‘As an investor, making the right deal at the right time is everything. Who are 3 coaching stocks I should buy, and who are 3 stocks I should sell off for next cycle?’
• Your Local Banker
I mentioned this on my appearance on ‘All In’, but I think buying stock in Roc will be an easy win. He has the Ravens with Lamar Jackson as a rookie, in a division that isn’t star studded. I really like him to take the next step and maybe win a championship in a weaker conference. Quicker buys for me would be Eikim and Moji - Moji struggled (I use that term loosely) in a division with Weed and Mans, mostly to win in the postseason. I think in a weaker division (albeit, better conference) with Jake, Beech, and Trent, you’ll see Moji make 9-10 appearances in the postseason. Eikim has the same story, easier division and a weaker conference. I would sell the stock of Tiko, Spittah, and Cave. The reasons are they are joining more difficult divisions, and are inheriting weaker rosters. So not only do they not have the luxury of 2-3 divisional opponents who aren’t giving competition, they have to play catch up. Although I do think Cave will be in the mix after the first two drafts.
Q - ‘If Silk could relocate his team, where would he go?’
• Amber Alert
Vegas!!
Silk loves gentlemen’s clubs, gambling, and buffets. Imagine being able to run your football team close to all your favorite things! Also, secret diehard fan of the Blue Man Group.