GSRelyea
05-31-2006, 10:58 AM
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/2006-05-31-rookie-qb-focus_x.htm
By Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY
Fourteen weeks before NFL games start counting again, here's the condensed view from Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher on rookie quarterback phenom Vince Young:
"This will not be an easy thing. He'll take two steps forward, then one step back. But we've got time," Fisher says by phone, encouraged by what he has seen.
Fisher could very well have been Arizona Cardinals coach Dennis Green on the other end of the line, pondering how to break in Matt Leinart.
Fisher also bears resemblance to Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, bringing Jay Cutler into the fold.
There is no rush.
CAST YOUR VOTE: Which QB from the class of 2006 will have the best NFL career?
As Green says, the increasing speed and sophistication of blitz-happy NFL defenses make it more difficult for quarterbacks to adjust. The three passers selected among the top 11 picks last month in the NFL Draft entered situations where their teams have viable veteran options.
So the draft-hype debate about which of the three would ultimately become the best pro can be tabled. With none of the premium investments penciled in as immediate starters, they are taking baby steps into their new world.
Take Leinart, selected 10th overall. During the draft buildup, he was hailed as the most NFL-ready of the trio after going 37-2 at Southern California with two national titles, nearly a third, and a Heisman Trophy.
Green's take: "We're hoping Kurt Warner stays healthy and leads us to the playoffs. Matt can come in and battle for the backup job. There's a lot to be learned by watching."
Green has a handy reference: his development of Daunte Culpepper with the Minnesota Vikings. Culpepper was the only one of the five quarterbacks chosen in the first round in 1999 who didn't start a game as a rookie. Sitting behind Jeff George and Randall Cunningham, he didn't even throw a pass in a game.
The next year, Culpepper didn't miss a start, had a 98.0 passer rating and won a playoff game.
"We've had some success doing it this way," Green says.
Ready for any scenario
Culpepper was the first quarterback in 12 years (since Jim Harbaugh with the Chicago Bears) not to start a game as a rookie after being drafted in the first round.
Yet such an approach is no longer an anomaly. Since Culpepper, six first-round quarterbacks didn't start as a rookie, including Carson Palmer, chosen No. 1 overall by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2003.
Palmer sat behind Jon Kitna for a year, then quickly blossomed into a Pro Bowler who led the NFL with 32 touchdown passes last season.
"Everybody has their own philosophy, but I'll bet that as a rookie Carson wanted to play," Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Byron Leftwich says. "It happens on the field. You learn a lot more by being out there, being able to learn from your own mistakes."
Leftwich, seventh overall in 2003, started 13 games as a rookie. He stepped in when Mark Brunell suffered an elbow injury, then never relinquished the job.
"One day, late in the season, it just clicked," Leftwich says.
The adjustments included a faster game, more elaborate defenses, hundreds of playbook entries to memorize and the grind of a long season with its "rookie wall."
But Leftwich points to the instant his vision became such that he could see the entire field — and even the coaches on the sidelines and officials — as the graduation of sorts. He expects Young, Leinart and Cutler will have a similar epiphany.
"When I started, it was a blur," he says. "I could only see a portion of things. Once you see everything, the game slows down. Or actually, you're speeding up to the level where everybody else is."
Knowing the pitfalls, Green understands he needs to get Leinart ready as a contingency. The immobile Warner, 35 in June, hasn't started 16 games in a season since 2001. Last year, just 12 NFL passers started all their team's games.
"If you're going to have a winning team, you'd better have another quarterback who can come in and help if you need it," says Green, impressed with Leinart's knowledge of offensive concepts. "But it's a much better situation if you're preparing your younger guy for the future."
In Young's case, the Titans have seen the undeniable athletic skills wrapped with an impressive presence during minicamps. Although Fisher is unconcerned with Young's ability to grasp the material in his thick new playbook, the rate at which he handles the sheer volume of it likely will define his progress toward the starting lineup.
The Titans are expected to release veteran Steve McNair, who was given permission to seek a new team amid stalled talks to restructure a contract that counts more than $20 million against the salary cap for this season. (The players union filed a grievance seeking McNair's immediate release, which would likely lead the quarterback to join the Baltimore Ravens; the arbitrator who presided over a May 16 hearing has yet to rule.)
The Titans probably would turn to seventh-year pro Billy Volek as the starter. Yet given Volek's status as a career backup, Young, chosen third overall, might be the best positioned of the rookie quarterbacks to play first.
"We're going to hand the keys over to him when he's ready," Fisher says. "How much playing time Vince will get (as a rookie) remains to be seen. The challenge we'll have is to fight the temptation and not play him before he's ready because of his athleticism."
McNair, drafted third overall in 1995, broke in conservatively under Fisher. He was given spot duty, then started two games late in his rookie year. He started four games in 1996 and didn't become a full-time starter until his third season.
"Steve got some valuable exposure," Fisher says. "But they're two different people. Every case is different."
And how. Peyton Manning, arguably the NFL's best quarterback, has started every game since being drafted No. 1 overall by the Indianapolis Colts in 1998.
Pittsburgh Steelers star Ben Roethlisberger set an NFL record by winning all 13 of his regular-season starts in 2004.
Prep work begins in minicamps
The next few weeks could provide clues for how fast the rookie quarterbacks can be expected to progress as they get on-the-field training.
Cutler — whose knack of throwing accurately on the run at Vanderbilt projects well for a scheme with a healthy dose of rollouts and bootlegs — will have 17 organized team workouts and several weeks of informal sessions before reporting to training camp July 27.
With Jake Plummer back for a fourth season in Denver, Cutler will split backup snaps in camp and get a crash course in Shanahan's playbook.
"You throw everything at everybody," Shanahan says. "He will have the same learning curve that every rookie has. It's a lot like learning a new language. It just doesn't happen overnight."
Cutler, chosen with the 11th pick, relishes the chance to learn from Plummer, 31. But after starting for four years in college, the idea of not vying for playing time seems unnatural.
"I'm going to come in here with an open mind," Cutler said on draft weekend. "I've competed my whole life, so I don't see that changing. It's just going to be a matter of how quickly I can process the information and do it on the field."
While there's no rush, there's an abundance of anticipation.
Plummer has revived his career in Denver and had a career-low 1.5% interception rate in 2005, but he also has a 1-3 playoff mark that could be factored into a quarterback controversy of the future.
Plummer has said he would rather worry about the present challenge of getting to a Super Bowl. He doesn't believe it is realistic for a rookie to learn Denver's complex scheme and play at a high level but also told Shanahan he would have made the same move to draft Cutler.
"Jake understands this is a competitive profession," Shanahan says. "If you're afraid of that competition, you won't last very long in this league, especially at quarterback.
"He's won a lot of games with us over three years. But Jake also knows we're going to do whatever it takes to win. He's seen me start free agents over first-round draft picks."
Posted 5/31/2006 1:27 AM ET
By Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY
Fourteen weeks before NFL games start counting again, here's the condensed view from Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher on rookie quarterback phenom Vince Young:
"This will not be an easy thing. He'll take two steps forward, then one step back. But we've got time," Fisher says by phone, encouraged by what he has seen.
Fisher could very well have been Arizona Cardinals coach Dennis Green on the other end of the line, pondering how to break in Matt Leinart.
Fisher also bears resemblance to Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, bringing Jay Cutler into the fold.
There is no rush.
CAST YOUR VOTE: Which QB from the class of 2006 will have the best NFL career?
As Green says, the increasing speed and sophistication of blitz-happy NFL defenses make it more difficult for quarterbacks to adjust. The three passers selected among the top 11 picks last month in the NFL Draft entered situations where their teams have viable veteran options.
So the draft-hype debate about which of the three would ultimately become the best pro can be tabled. With none of the premium investments penciled in as immediate starters, they are taking baby steps into their new world.
Take Leinart, selected 10th overall. During the draft buildup, he was hailed as the most NFL-ready of the trio after going 37-2 at Southern California with two national titles, nearly a third, and a Heisman Trophy.
Green's take: "We're hoping Kurt Warner stays healthy and leads us to the playoffs. Matt can come in and battle for the backup job. There's a lot to be learned by watching."
Green has a handy reference: his development of Daunte Culpepper with the Minnesota Vikings. Culpepper was the only one of the five quarterbacks chosen in the first round in 1999 who didn't start a game as a rookie. Sitting behind Jeff George and Randall Cunningham, he didn't even throw a pass in a game.
The next year, Culpepper didn't miss a start, had a 98.0 passer rating and won a playoff game.
"We've had some success doing it this way," Green says.
Ready for any scenario
Culpepper was the first quarterback in 12 years (since Jim Harbaugh with the Chicago Bears) not to start a game as a rookie after being drafted in the first round.
Yet such an approach is no longer an anomaly. Since Culpepper, six first-round quarterbacks didn't start as a rookie, including Carson Palmer, chosen No. 1 overall by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2003.
Palmer sat behind Jon Kitna for a year, then quickly blossomed into a Pro Bowler who led the NFL with 32 touchdown passes last season.
"Everybody has their own philosophy, but I'll bet that as a rookie Carson wanted to play," Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Byron Leftwich says. "It happens on the field. You learn a lot more by being out there, being able to learn from your own mistakes."
Leftwich, seventh overall in 2003, started 13 games as a rookie. He stepped in when Mark Brunell suffered an elbow injury, then never relinquished the job.
"One day, late in the season, it just clicked," Leftwich says.
The adjustments included a faster game, more elaborate defenses, hundreds of playbook entries to memorize and the grind of a long season with its "rookie wall."
But Leftwich points to the instant his vision became such that he could see the entire field — and even the coaches on the sidelines and officials — as the graduation of sorts. He expects Young, Leinart and Cutler will have a similar epiphany.
"When I started, it was a blur," he says. "I could only see a portion of things. Once you see everything, the game slows down. Or actually, you're speeding up to the level where everybody else is."
Knowing the pitfalls, Green understands he needs to get Leinart ready as a contingency. The immobile Warner, 35 in June, hasn't started 16 games in a season since 2001. Last year, just 12 NFL passers started all their team's games.
"If you're going to have a winning team, you'd better have another quarterback who can come in and help if you need it," says Green, impressed with Leinart's knowledge of offensive concepts. "But it's a much better situation if you're preparing your younger guy for the future."
In Young's case, the Titans have seen the undeniable athletic skills wrapped with an impressive presence during minicamps. Although Fisher is unconcerned with Young's ability to grasp the material in his thick new playbook, the rate at which he handles the sheer volume of it likely will define his progress toward the starting lineup.
The Titans are expected to release veteran Steve McNair, who was given permission to seek a new team amid stalled talks to restructure a contract that counts more than $20 million against the salary cap for this season. (The players union filed a grievance seeking McNair's immediate release, which would likely lead the quarterback to join the Baltimore Ravens; the arbitrator who presided over a May 16 hearing has yet to rule.)
The Titans probably would turn to seventh-year pro Billy Volek as the starter. Yet given Volek's status as a career backup, Young, chosen third overall, might be the best positioned of the rookie quarterbacks to play first.
"We're going to hand the keys over to him when he's ready," Fisher says. "How much playing time Vince will get (as a rookie) remains to be seen. The challenge we'll have is to fight the temptation and not play him before he's ready because of his athleticism."
McNair, drafted third overall in 1995, broke in conservatively under Fisher. He was given spot duty, then started two games late in his rookie year. He started four games in 1996 and didn't become a full-time starter until his third season.
"Steve got some valuable exposure," Fisher says. "But they're two different people. Every case is different."
And how. Peyton Manning, arguably the NFL's best quarterback, has started every game since being drafted No. 1 overall by the Indianapolis Colts in 1998.
Pittsburgh Steelers star Ben Roethlisberger set an NFL record by winning all 13 of his regular-season starts in 2004.
Prep work begins in minicamps
The next few weeks could provide clues for how fast the rookie quarterbacks can be expected to progress as they get on-the-field training.
Cutler — whose knack of throwing accurately on the run at Vanderbilt projects well for a scheme with a healthy dose of rollouts and bootlegs — will have 17 organized team workouts and several weeks of informal sessions before reporting to training camp July 27.
With Jake Plummer back for a fourth season in Denver, Cutler will split backup snaps in camp and get a crash course in Shanahan's playbook.
"You throw everything at everybody," Shanahan says. "He will have the same learning curve that every rookie has. It's a lot like learning a new language. It just doesn't happen overnight."
Cutler, chosen with the 11th pick, relishes the chance to learn from Plummer, 31. But after starting for four years in college, the idea of not vying for playing time seems unnatural.
"I'm going to come in here with an open mind," Cutler said on draft weekend. "I've competed my whole life, so I don't see that changing. It's just going to be a matter of how quickly I can process the information and do it on the field."
While there's no rush, there's an abundance of anticipation.
Plummer has revived his career in Denver and had a career-low 1.5% interception rate in 2005, but he also has a 1-3 playoff mark that could be factored into a quarterback controversy of the future.
Plummer has said he would rather worry about the present challenge of getting to a Super Bowl. He doesn't believe it is realistic for a rookie to learn Denver's complex scheme and play at a high level but also told Shanahan he would have made the same move to draft Cutler.
"Jake understands this is a competitive profession," Shanahan says. "If you're afraid of that competition, you won't last very long in this league, especially at quarterback.
"He's won a lot of games with us over three years. But Jake also knows we're going to do whatever it takes to win. He's seen me start free agents over first-round draft picks."
Posted 5/31/2006 1:27 AM ET