Quinn believes he should be No. 1

[youcandoit1687]

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) -- Brady Quinn already has taken a down-and-out football team and turned it around. He figures he can do it again.

That's why the Notre Dame quarterback believes he is highly qualified to immediately help a troubled NFL franchise -- and why he should be the first Fighting Irish player taken with the opening pick in the NFL draft in 35 years.



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"I've been through the adversity. I've gone through losing seasons. I know what it feels like to lose, but I know what it feels like to win," he said. "I know what it's like to go through that transition."

Quinn didn't say it, but he also knows what it's like to try to win when not all the pieces are in place. Quinn played on an Irish team that didn't have overpowering offensive lines and its defense was average at best.

Critics say Quinn couldn't win big games, but it's hard to beat Michigan, Southern Cal or LSU when the three scored an average of 44 points against the Irish last season.

"When Peyton Manning came out, people said he couldn't win the big one, he couldn't beat Florida," said Gil Brandt, an analyst for NFL.com, who was vice president of player personnel for the Dallas Cowboys from 1960-89. "People say the same thing about Brady Quinn. I disagree with all that. I think if it wasn't for Brady and his production, Notre Dame never would have been there playing LSU and they wouldn't have been playing in a game as big as the USC game was."

So the question facing NFL teams looking to use an early first-round draft pick on a quarterback is: Do you prefer Quinn or LSU's JaMarcus Russell?

Quinn was a four-year starter who passed for 11,762 yards and led his team to a 29-18 record, including 19-6 over his final two seasons. Russell was a two-year starter who threw for 6,525 yards and led his team to a 25-4 record.

Many drafts observers believe Quinn is more polished, but Russell might have more potential. Quinn states flatly that he is the better choice.

"JaMarcus obviously is a big kid with a strong arm. But I'm a big kid with a strong arm and much more," he said. "I'm not as big as him. I'm a little leaner. But I've played four years, started the past four years and been through a lot."

The stakes are high. NFL draft history is littered with failed college quarterbacks, such as Ryan Leaf, Heath Shuler, Todd Marinovich, Rick Mirer, Joey Harrington and others. But Brandt believes Quinn will succeed.

"I think the guy is a polished, mature individual that knows where he's going and knows how he's going to get there," he said.

Irish coach Charlie Weis, who concedes he is biased, said if he were an NFL head coach he would want Quinn on his team, saying he has that special "it" leaders have.

"I think that everything about him points to him being a successful quarterback in the NFL. The way he carries himself on and off the field, his athletic ability, his moxie, his leadership. That 'it' that certain people have, well he has it," he said. "I'm a big Brady Quinn fan."

Notre Dame hasn't produced a standout NFL quarterback since Joe Montana was taken by San Francisco in the third round of the 1979 draft. Steve Beuerlein, taken by the Raiders in the fourth round in 1987, had one Pro Bowl season with Carolina 12 years later. Mirer was the second pick overall in 1993 by Seattle and had a good rookie year, but he eventually became a journeyman.

Brandt said part of the problem is Notre Dame's quarterbacks tend to have inflated value because of the media spotlight on the school.

"Beano Cook created Ron Powlus because when he played there as a freshman he was going to be the Heisman Trophy winner for two years and so forth," he said. "I think that probably some of the quarterbacks they've had there were probably overrated. They probably weren't as good as people thought."

Another problem, he said, is that for years the Irish ran an option-oriented offense that didn't prepare players as well for the NFL.

Powlus, who is now the Irish quarterbacks coach after two years as director of personnel development, agrees, crediting the pro-style offense Weis brought to Notre Dame from New England.

"Every guy on our football team is more prepared for the NFL than a lot of other places because of coach Weis," he said.

Quinn, who also ran the West Coast offense for two years under Tyrone Willingham, says playing for Weis was an "internship" that taught him how to prepare for a game, how to deal with a head coach and what an NFL coach will expect from him.

"Every step of the way, Notre Dame has prepared me better than I think I would have been prepared at any other university," he said.

Quinn, who got a degree in December in finance and political science, has expressed frustration about reports of his draft status moving up or down. But more frustrating is not knowing where he will end up.

"I'll sit down and think, 'I don't have a clue where I'm going to live.' I'm one of those guys who like to plan ahead, so it's kind of hard," he said.

Weis doesn't know either, but he's confident Quinn will go early in the draft because he's ready to play early.

"I think that's significant. This is the day of free agency. You no longer have the luxury of taking someone that high in the draft and sitting there for a few years while you're waiting for them to get ready to play," he said. "You'd better be able to put them in there and play them."

Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


Your thoughts?

[chaz]

i think calvin johnson is the best player in the draft, but if oakland goes for a QB he's right. this is nothing new though he always has stated this. i have always felt people are being way to critical of him and he is by far the best and most polished qb in the draft. no less than second best player overall IMHO

[Drek]

Critics say Quinn couldn't win big games, but it's hard to beat Michigan, Southern Cal or LSU when the three scored an average of 44 points against the Irish last season.

Thought that deserved some accentuation.

[watermock]

"Any thoughts?"

Has he lost his ****ING MIND?!! Why would he want to go the equivalent of the Tower of London, Alkatraz, Sing Sing, Levenworth and the Bastille all rolled into one? Wait till he finds out Kiffin isn't Weis. He had a pro coach at ND, he would be getting a college coach in the pros in Oakland.

What do you think Cutler would say about landing in Shanahan's lap? I'm hoping he lasts to 7 and the HornHeads. At least they have an OL.

[BroncoFiend]

Originally Posted by watermock

"Any thoughts?"

Has he lost his ****ING MIND?!! Why would he want to go the equivalent of the Tower of London, Alkatraz, Sing Sing, Levenworth and the Bastille all rolled into one? Wait till he finds out Kiffin isn't Weis. He had a pro coach at ND, he would be getting a college coach in the pros in Oakland.

What do you think Cutler would say about landing in Shanahan's lap? I'm hoping he lasts to 7 and the HornHeads. At least they have an OL.

Nahh, he knows he's not going number one, but of course he has to say the he believes he deserves to. That way when Detroit or Cleveland is on the board they can think 'well hey, we can get a number 1 overall pick for our number 2 or 3!'.

QBs need confidence, his agent told him this and he is trying to show it. Personally I think he showed last season that he has a ceiling, and it's not that high. Weis has polished him up, but he won't mprove too much in the pros.

[Drek]

Originally Posted by BroncoFiend

Nahh, he knows he's not going number one, but of course he has to say the he believes he deserves to. That way when Detroit or Cleveland is on the board they can think 'well hey, we can get a number 1 overall pick for our number 2 or 3!'.

QBs need confidence, his agent told him this and he is trying to show it. Personally I think he showed last season that he has a ceiling, and it's not that high. Weis has polished him up, but he won't mprove too much in the pros.

I disagree, but then I've said that in many a Quinn thread. All of his issues are technical. Does he have a cannon? No, but he's got a solid B+ arm, enough to make all the NFL throws. He just needs someone to help him with his overthrowing the ball resulting in sailing deep passes and hitting receivers on intermediate routes in the feet. After that its standard NFL adjustment and improvement. If he can translate his collegiate game over to the NFL with those minor tweaks to his passing he'll be a damn good one. But of course, like all players (especially QBs) how well your abilities translate to the NFL depends heavily on dedication.

[Steve Prefontaine]

Not to turn this into a Russell vs. Quinn thread but…

One of the knocks against Brady Quinn is that he put up those great numbers at ND because of all the talent he had around him. I think it’s ironic that LSU is going to have a WR drafted in the first round and another in the 2^nd round (maybe 3^rd), but yet I never hear the same thing said about Russell. I think he had some talent around him also.

[ludo21]

Quinn can make all the throws that an NFL QB should make... I think he will do fine at the next level.

[Dukes]

I'd still take him of Russell. Although I couldn't really care less where he lands. He'd be a good pick for Minn.

[Los Broncos]

I seen an interview with Quinn and he was saying he cant believe how players stock rises and falls so often and so quick from day to day. I dont see how the fade can possibly pass on Russell.

[Circle Orange]

When Russell showed up at the combine with man boobs and running a 4.9, I wondered what all the fuss was about.

Meanwhile Quinn is trying to parlay his 'gym rat' physique into a top slot. If he dumps the 1965 hairdoo he might have a chance. I'll be interested to see what Mel Kiper has to say who (bless him) always finds a way to get Elway's name into the draft year after year.

[ludo21]

Originally Posted by Circle Orange

When Russell showed up at the combine with man boobs and running a 4.9, I wondered what all the fuss was about.

Meanwhile Quinn is trying to parlay his 'gym rat' physique into a top slot. If he dumps the 1965 hairdoo he might have a chance. I'll be interested to see what Mel Kiper has to say who (bless him) always finds a way to get Elway's name into the draft year after year.

russell didnt work out at the combine..

[Circle Orange]

Espn had a clip of him doing a dash, (during draft coverage) whether or not it was official I don't know...there was another shot of him with his shirt off. The Michelin tire man has better definition...he looked softer than soft. Then told the reporters he was in the best shape he'd ever been. Ugh.

[goldengopher1976]

I don't have the numbers in front of me, but I'm willing to bet that LSU has had better overall talent than ND over the last 4-5 years. If the production of each QB is to be mitigated by the talent around them, I give the nod to Quinn. It seems to me that the main reason people are slotting Russell to the Raiders is their propensity to prefer the long pass. Quinn is more polished, can make all the throws, but is probably better suited to a West Coast system.

I wouldn't wish ill for either of these QBs personally, but if either of them are chosen by the Faiders, I hope they bust.

[youcandoit1687]

Originally Posted by Circle Orange

Espn had a clip of him doing a dash, (during draft coverage) whether or not it was official I don't know...there was another shot of him with his shirt off. The Michelin tire man has better definition...he looked softer than soft. Then told the reporters he was in the best shape he'd ever been. Ugh.

JR ran a 4.85 I believe, quite extraordinary when you consider he is bigger than Peyton or Brady. He was also faster than Troy Smith and Quinn ran a 4.75. JR can also throw it a lot more accurate and harder than Quinn ever will. He can throw much better on the run. Their running is a wash. JR is big so you'd think he can take hits better. JR's intelligence and work ethic questions have never been anything but speculation and Les Miles raves about his film study(take that for what it's worth), I've never seen anything to show he doesn't love the game. He has "it" which is leading his team to victory multiple times in close situations, sometimes on his bad days, other times on his good days. He has a knack for stepping it up when the game is on the line and winning. You can't say that about Quinn. You can make excuses, but you know JR has "it", Quinn is a guess at this point. That is the best thing about JR, he had a pretty bad Tenn. game but he stepped it up big time when the clock was running out. Isn't that what the great ones do?

[Drek]

Originally Posted by youcandoit1687

JR ran a 4.85 I believe, quite extraordinary when you consider he is bigger than Peyton or Brady. He was also faster than Troy Smith and Quinn ran a 4.75. JR can also throw it a lot more accurate and harder than Quinn ever will. He can throw much better on the run. Their running is a wash. JR is big so you'd think he can take hits better. JR's intelligence and work ethic questions have never been anything but speculation and Les Miles raves about his film study(take that for what it's worth), I've never seen anything to show he doesn't love the game. He has "it" which is leading his team to victory multiple times in close situations, sometimes on his bad days, other times on his good days. He has a knack for stepping it up when the game is on the line and winning. You can't say that about Quinn. You can make excuses, but you know JR has "it", Quinn is a guess at this point. That is the best thing about JR, he had a pretty bad Tenn. game but he stepped it up big time when the clock was running out. Isn't that what the great ones do?

You've really swallowed the Russell hype huh?

Russell ran a 4.83 at his pro day, Smith ran a 4.72, Quinn ran a 4.73. Thats not the same and I wouldn't call it a wash since that .10 is often enough to get a RB dropped from the first round to the end of the first day, or throw a CB out of day one entirely.

Lets consider the talent each had around them.
LSU '06 offensive draftees: Joseph Addai (30), Andrew Whitworth (55), Skylar Green (125), Bennie Brazell (231).
lsu '07 offensive prospects: Dwayne Bowe (92 scouts inc. rating), Craig Davis (86)

ND '06 offensive draftees: Anthony Fassano (53), Maruice Stovall (90), Dan Stevenson (205).
ND '07 offensive prospects: Ryan Harris (74), Darius Walker (67), Rhema McKnight (64), Jeff Samardzja (was a 90 before withdrawing).

Total number of defensive players who where in the NFL last season.
LSU: 4
ND: 0

Number of defensive players who should be taken in the upcoming draft.
LSU: 2 (Laron Landry, 97 and Chase Pittman, 55)
ND: 2 (Victor Abiamiri, 83 and Derek Landri, 65)

I don't know, those draft pedigrees say a lot about the respective teams each has been on the past two years. Now consider their personal performances.
Russell '06 passing stats:
3129 yards, 28/8 TD/INT, 232/342 att./comp.
'05 stats:
2434 yards, 15/9 TD/INT, 187/310 att./comp.

Quinn '06 passing stats:
3426 yards, 37/7 TD/INT, 289/476 att./comp.
'05 stats:
3919 yards, 32/7 TD/INT, 292/450 att./comp.

So Quinn put up better numbers both of the last two seasons, and with less NFL level talent to work with.

Want to talk about stepping up in big games? How about LSU's defense never letting an opposing team break 30 on them last season and only three times the year before that with no other games over 20? Meanwhile what did Notre Dame's defense do? Allow four teams to break 36 on them last season and only hold one team, Army, below double digits. Wasn't anything new though, in '05 they let four teams break 30 on them and couldn't keep any team from putting double digits up on them, including Syracuse, Navy, and Brigham Young.

That said, its not like Quinn didn't do everything in his power to try make the big games winnable. They beat Michigan 17-10 his second game in Weiss' system without a turnover and throwing two TDs and if it hadn't been for some horrible late game officiating he'd have a win over USC with Leinart and Bush under his belt. You consider Russell's comeback win over 9-4 Tennesse a big win, but Quinn took 9-4 Penn St. out behind the woodshed and laid a 41-17 beating on them last year.

The "it" Russell had was an all world defense the past two seasons, one that could stand toe to toe with any offense and keep them in check. Quinn out performed him handily as a QB with less receiving talent while being thrust into a completely new offensive system his final two years of college.

Act like having Weiss as his coach is a knock against him, but the fact is he stepped into an entirely different offense and succeeded his first year out. Thats exactly what transitioning to the NFL is. Russell meanwhile spent pretty much his entire collegiate career working in the same offense and he only stepped it up in his third year.

Its a lot like the Manning v. Leaf draft, the proven guy who "didn't win the big game" versus the guy with tons of potential. The Colts made the right choice that year, I'm hoping the Raiders don't. I can't wait for them to take Russell, rush him on the field, and watch him blow up in their faces when they realize he's a project totally unready for the NFL game. Meanwhile Quinn will be adding wins to the Lions', Browns', Dolphins' or Vikings' season.