Chris Simms' Season 70 QB40 Countdown - #30-26
by JAMoney14 | 3 years ago | 0 Comments
Another day, 5 more QBs! Our third piece is starting to take us into the nitty gritty. Some guys who plan on shutting me & other media jerkoffs up and some who may not even see a snap this season.
First, let's review what we've been through so far:
Quite the list, if I do say so myself... But it's not yet complete. Let's chip away!
#30 - Cam Newton, Pittsburgh Steelers
Obviously a highly saught after name heading into the waiver wire, Cam fell pretty far, all the way down to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are still projected to start Ben Roethlisberger. The question is, under new leadership, how long will that be the case? I'm sure all it will take is a few bad throws here and there and that spoiled Pittsburgh fanbase will be shouting for the excitement and change to Cam Newton.
Cam brings a historically strong arm to the table, but he's far from the game-changing, electrifying two-way talent he once was. He's not going to be trucking through defenders and scoring TDs both through the air and on the ground, but that's not to say he can't take advantage of the receiving weapons at his disposal in Pittsburgh if he gets the chance. Newton has never been "Manning" accurate, but has always been accurate enough when he has the guys to create space. That part hasn't changed. What has changed is that Cam no longer lives in a system that is perfect for him because he's not perfect enough for a system to be made for him. I still think he could steal this job mid-way through the season, but even if he doesn't, you can't ask for a better backup if Ben gets the ole 3-pick-sit.
#29 - Colin Kaepernick, New England Patriots
You know, I really thought about making a tie for #29 between Kaep and Cam, but that's not what the QB40 is all about, so someone has to go higher and in this case, it will be New England veteran backup Colin Kaepernick.
Another guy who was looked at by several teams during the waiver wire, Kaep has not played in the league since way back in Season 35 or so, when he started 7 games for the Rams and was 1-6 in those starts. He's definitely fallen off, that's no doubt, but most of what I said about Cam can be used here. In the early stages of their career, their skillset was absolutely different but it seems they've regressed to the same point. I'd still say Cam is more accurate with Kaep holding that slight air of speed and agility over him. At any rate, Kaep has to go above Cam here because 1. His coach has more experience and 2. He has the #1 rated OL in football, whereas Pitt has #32.
Kaep likely will see no playing time outside of 3PS and injuries to Mac Jones, but is still one of the best backups in football in a league that looks to have plenty of INTs.
#28 - Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
This one wasn't easy to do, because I think T-Law has incredible arm talent, but that Jaguars team STINKS. In fact, I'd argue that Lawrence is better individually than the next few names, but this list isn't just about your raw talent, it's about a combination of factors.
One of the most important is surrounding weapons. Now guys like James Robinson and DJ Chark aren't bad per se, but Trevor doesn't have any kind of transcendent piece that will lead him to victory like some of the other names higher on the list. In addition, Lawrence is coming into a system/coaching staff with a long history of ignoring the QB position or at the very best, making it a low priority. Coach Huseman's staff is well aware of their strengths and know how to build a great team, so it's not in their best interest to change that all the time. That said, there did exist a time where he introduced the fabled "Lob Mob" in San Diego, so who knows? I'm rooting for Lawrence, but he's going to need to surprise some folks.
#27 - Carson Wentz, Indianapolis Colts
Carson has fallen hard since being a top draft pick in the league and flaming out of Philly. Wentz was highly saught after in last cycle's Red Zone, eventually landing in New England, but this is NOT that Wentz.
Carson Wentz does have a lot of positive around him, especially in a dynamic running game and young weapons like Parris Campbell and Michael Pittman. He's also very capable of getting footballs to those dynamic players. Unfortunately, he's also playing in a system prone for risks and risks are not his specialty. Wentz has become the most cookie-cutter, vanilla, solid-but-not-great QB we have in the Red Zone. Despite being so average relative to the peers higher than him on this list, Carson may not even be long for his spot in Indy, as that staff has even hinted Sam Ehlinger could see time at the QB position, a player who Wentz could QB under the table. It's an uphill battle for Carson, and his time is running out. If not year one, he could be relegated to a "really good clipboard holder" for the remainder of the cycle.
#26 - Tua Tagavaiola, Miami Dolphins
Our final QB for today's drop is Tua Tagavaiola. #26, I feel is respectable for his relative expectations in Season 70, because he too does not walk into a very enviable situtation.
His toolkit is what gives me hope. He's a very dicy QB throwing the mid-range or deep ball, but he has very good ability to escape the pocket and keep plays alive. The key here will be in the coaching staff. Tua is absolutely not Patrick Mahomes, but I think that's going to be a good thing for him. We all saw what this coaching staff did last year in KC, throwing Mahomes to the wolves and taking historically bad risks that caused Mahomes to struggle early on. Eventually, they did dial it back and figure it out and having that experience, I believe, will actually benefit them in the long-run. Tua's speed and accuracy woes are visible and I think Miami's staff builds around that until Tua develops further. I could see this name being top 10 or top 5 in a future QB40 as long as do this right...
but for now, Tua is just "good" and unfortunately, his team is not. Good luck kid.
So there you have it! 5 more off the list! We're back tomorrow for #25-21. See you then, shirts.
