All the pieces of the puzzle were there..

Rumors about the Bills offense were leaking out:
-No huddle, up-tempo
-Read Option
-Spread offense
-Down the field passes
-The extreme secrecy on what the Bills were going to do

There is only 1 QB in the draft that made sense when you think about it, and that is Manuel. Nobody picked up on it (me included) but looking back on things it all makes sense.

We are going to see the Bills run the full college hyper speed spread offense. If everyone knew this then they would have known that EJ would be the guy.  Who knew that the “Chip Kelly” offense wouldn’t only be in Philly… but also 6 hours northwest in Buffalo.

Get ready for a huge year from CJ, he is the perfect spread option RB… now the Bills need that movable FB/TE player (I’m not sold on Dickerson).

Was he my favorite QB?  Nope, but it doesn’t matter b/c none of the other guys can do athletically what Manuel can.  The real question is throwing the ball.  Either way, the Bills offense will be a lot more fun to watch this year. I just hope it doesn’t implode

I see Matt Barkley and I just wish someone could trade arms with him. Everything else is there. Bill Walsh would have made this guy a super star, but he just can’t get the ball there when his feet aren’t set.

Anyways… here are my notes after watching multiple Barkley games:

- very catchable ball
-great touch, especially on the fade
-exceptionally accurate when he can setup
-talent advantage @ WR in all games, took advantage, but how would he be with lesser WR’s
-4 yr starter –> scouts rarely miss on these guys
-marginal arm strength, not even average, really shows when under pressure
—– notable QB’s (Brady, Brees) have strengthen their arms in NFL, can he do the same?
-pro style offense
-gets in trouble when under pressure b/c eyes see the throw, but the arm cannot get it there
-plus anticipation, but he has to anticipate almost too much b/c of weak arm
-INT vs SU on the post was the worst throw he made, most of INT’s were either mix-ups or b/c of pressure
-reminds me so much of Chad Pennington, also some Matt Hasselbeck

Can you win with Barkley? I say yes you can, would much rather take a chance with him improving his arm strength, than trying to take someone like Glennon or Wilson and teaching him the mental side of the game and improving accuracy.

Where would I take him? If I was sure I could get his arm to the NFL average, I would have no problem taking him in the top 10. But as is, he’s a late 2nd early / 3rd rounder b/c of his weak arm

Some thoughts about Tyler Bray the QB from Tennessee.

• Really really undisciplined
• Poor mechanics
• Poor footwork
• Any kind of pressure and he seems to break down
• Relies on his arm way too much
• However, he has a great arm
• Makes good throws when he sets up properly
• Can make throws when things break down
• Shows flashes that make you think if he gets “coached up” he could be a real good one

Overall Tyler Bray seems like someone who has had it easy his whole life due to an amazing arm and hasn’t worked to refine his craft.  Coaches will see the high upside and think they can make him a superstar.  But why hasn’t he developed?  To me if I was a team looking for a QB, I would draft one in the 1st or 2nd round and then try and get Bray in the 4th or 5th.  Perhaps not being the “star” will light a fire under his ass and get him to really refine his technique.  Because the raw material is there… think a poor man’s Jay Cutler

It’s Super Bowl Sunday… a fantastic day, but also a sad one that marks the end of the NFL season.  Before we all start stuffing our faces and open up a beverage; here are my keys to this year’s Super Bowl.

• How healthy is Justin Smith?  Once he got injured the 49ers pass rush started to struggle.  He is vital in the stunts that they run up front to get other rushers free.  A good pass rush will really bother the Ravens who like to throw the ball downfield
• The one spot where I see a distinct advantage for the Ravens is their WR’s vs the 49ers DB’s.  Boldin and Torrey Smith need to have big games to give Baltimore a chance to win.
• The Ravens will try and run the football and I wouldn’t be surprised to watch them split out their TE’s more than usual.  The 49ers would often have Willis go outside and play in coverage, and I would rather have Willis out by the sideline than in the box when running the football
• How will the Ravens defend the 49ers option?  You cannot defend it the same way every time.  The 49ers have proven that they will alter how they run it and especially how they block it.  They will take advantage of teams that defend it in the same way every time.   If the Ravens play it like Atlanta did and how they have earlier in the season, look for a big game by Frank Gore and even some PA to Bruce Miller to really confuse the Ravens defense.

In conclusion, I think this game heavily favors the 49ers.  Their defense hasn’t even played especially well these playoffs and they have beaten the NFC’s 2 best offenses.  The Ravens, a team that lost to Charlie Batch and needed 2 miracles to even be here (4th and 29 and bomb against Denver) just are not in the same league as the 49ers.  As a neutral, I want a good Super Bowl, but I think the Ravens need to play a perfect game to win.  And a great game to keep it within 1 score.

My prediction… 49ers 27 Ravens 17

I just watched 4 games worth of Ryan Nassib on youtube (USC, Rutgers, Louisville and Missouri) and think that he is an NFL QB.  However in my opinion he is not a top 10 guy, while he has some obvious strengths and there are things he needs to work on to be a good pro QB.  On to my thoughts:

- Very much a 2 speed passer.  Fastballs and a deep lob.  Towards the end of the season he got better w/ his touch, but still too many rocket balls to guys 3-5 yards away

-Great arm, no doubt he can make all the throws

-Best throw is the intermediate pass, just wonderful at making throws 10-25 yards down field.  Would carve teams up with the intermediate pass, he very much belongs in a vertical passing offense.  However, when he would throw the deep ball / lob, he would tend to underthrow it.  Not because of arm strength issues, just mistiming.

-The biggest negative I have on him is his jitteriness (I know that’s not a word) in the pocket.  S ometimes he would have lots of body movement while in the pocket. When he was like that he was at his worse.  Played better when body language was calm.  Could almost tell the outcome of the play just by watching to see if he was calm or jittery in the pocket.

- Not great with pressure, but not many QB’s are.  And I must say, there were times where he got terrible blocking (esp. vs USC)

-Willing runner, some hip shake, but not fast.  Runs like a TE

-Will get rid of the ball and throw into small windows.  Kid definitely trusts his arm and his eyes.  Did not see too many sacks because of him holding onto the football.  Gets the ball and gets rid of it.

-Average to good release, has a bit of a windup but nothing that I would see as a negative or strong positive.

I struggled to find a comparison to him, just because he is such a vertical passer, yet so frantic at times as well.  Perhaps a poor man’s Phil Rivers (totally different release, but play similar) is the best off the top of my head.  I think the early 2nd round would be a good range for him.  But you never know with how QB’s get pushed up the board now.  Definitely something to work with though.