I think the issue is you don't want to hitch your wagon to a "good but not good enough to win it all" QB, especially after what we were used to with Watson. I'm not saying Mills is that, but that is the concern, they show you just enough to keep their job, but not enough to take you all the way.
That exact same sentiment could be applied to literally any QB. If anything Mills is better in that regard as a 3rd round pick because at least he won't be attached to the sunk cost fallacy like a top 10 pick. If he plateaus or regresses I'm sure they won't hesitate to move in a different direction. If the franchise isn't smart enough to realize when he's plateaued ..well then they will just keep being the Texans. There's no scenario in which Mills playing well is a bad thing if this front office is competent...
I have been critical of Mills and still am not convinced he will be good enough to win games at an elite level. Having said that, have you looked at the team around him? The Texans are terrible and Mills has overall played very well. He isn't likely to be a Pro Bowl QB, but he has the most potential of the QB's on this roster and if you dive into his college and high school background, you will see he had a lot of fluke bad luck beyond his control. He makes mistakes, and he misses reads and sometimes he throws the ball to the check down too soon.... he is also a rookie and he is better than anyone else on the roster except for Mr. Serial Sexual Assault. Who said he is the franchise QB? He also doesn't usually **** all over himself. In general he tends to be middling with a strong game every 3rd game. That is not even taking into consideration that is on possibly the least talented football team in the NFL and he is a rookie quarterback. If the Texans think there is a franchise QB available in this draft, then by all means get him..... but the reality is that they likely do not see one available. Why? The Texans are going to suck next year, and Mills has some upside. Why on earth would you get a veteran to compete against him? That is just stupid.
I think in general- people are in wait and see mode on Fields because Nagy is a sitting duck and people want to see what Fields can do with another offensive scheme before deciding where they stand on Fields.
Wilson and Lawrence should probably get the same treatment. They’ve looked better than Fields has, not sure they have that different of situations. Jags might be worse
At the beginning of the season some scouts were saying he was quite possibly the worst QB prospect they had ever seen! SO THERE IS PROGRESS!! Thats what its all about - and thus why I said I'd like to see it on consecutive FULL games - make it to where you cant get rid of him because of his actual play and not because of his "potential". He has been playing BETTER and a high level of play should be expected from him every single game moving forward. It shouldnt take YEARS before you see enough to know whether a guy is a franchise QB or not. I've already said I'd be fine with him as the starter next year if there really isnt a better option, but why gift it to him? Excuses are already starting to be made on why he's sucked this year instead of people just saying "yeah he sucked this game" its part of the process. Instead tweets and stats get thrown around to paint the picture like he is the best rookie QB in the draft - while not implementing the poor team/coach logic equally! Its to the point where some of these fans if given the chance would rather hold onto Mills vs swapping out for Lawrence or Wilson or Mac Jones and its pretty loopy. Davis Mills made some impressive throws this game - he is finally starting to attack downfield and become MORE than a game manager and he will have to do more of that in order to hold onto this job. No agenda here - QB is the most important position on the team and I've rode the QB carousel enough as a fan of this team - my patience isnt what it used to be to continually make excuses for this franchise.
Ok everyone, let's go full nut-nut here. Davis Mills Games Started: 9 TDs: 12 INT %: 2.7% Completion %: 66.6% QB Rating: 86.2 Stud Quarterback A - Rookie Year Games Started: 10 TDs: 13 INT %: 1.2% Completion %: 65.3% QB Rating: 89.8 Superstar Quarterback B - Rookie Year Games Started: 11 TDs: 10 INT %: 3.8% Completion %: 52.8% QB Rating: 67.9 Answers below Spoiler Stud Quarterback A = Joe Burrow Superstar Quarterback B = Josh Allen
We dont know how Mills career is going to turn out. We dont know how any of these young QB's career is going to turn out. I know that you aren't going to win a SB with the selfish style of Watson's QB play. The fact that he was making the same mistakes he was making as a rookie speaks volumes. He's a selfish guy both on and off the field.
I think he has shown progress that I did not think was attainable during training camp so kudos to him and Pep H........lets just see how this goes, if he is nothing more then a legit back up then its a win anything else is gravy. His completion % over the past few games make me go....dam, where did that come from. Glad to see progress and I hope it continues, I think he is the starter for next year, not because he is a "franchise" QB (at least not yet) but because we still have a few years of sucking to do so why not have him as the starter and see where this takes us
Who are some of these scouts? After 7 games where he's been the 2nd best rookie QB in his class youalready know Mills is going to be a middling QB. (You know who else was a middling QB? Watson, no excuses, just like you're saying with Mills) Do you happen to have Wednesday nights lotto numbers while you're at it? Also what makes you so sure that Lawrence is a franchise QB? So far he's shown less than the QB you dislike. (Mills) What would fufill your expectations of what a franchise QB looks like?
I am not saying Mills is a franchise QB, honestly none of the rookie QB's in this class have thus far looked like franchise players. What I can say is that Mills has performed better than all but one QB in this class, and that is while he has been on a horrible team. It really isn't an "either/or" scenario because the Texans don't have a viable franchise QB in the wings. The best (non sexual assaulter) currently on the team is Mills. So he should play, and he should get the snaps going forward until he either regresses or the Texans are in a position to add a franchise type QB. If the Texans feel Pickett or Strong or Corral are franchise type players, then by all means replace Mills - but I doubt they do based on what is known about this QB group. Now the 2023 draft is a completely different situation and there will likely be a QB or two that are viewed as franchise altering. Would I take Lawrence or Jones or Wilson over Mills? Yes I would based on potential upside, although thus far Mills has played as well as any one in this draft class has as a QB. The Texans as an organization are a joke, one of the worst in the league.... but I don't think that has anything to do with Mills. It isn't like the Texans are passing up the chance at an All Pro QB so Mills can play.
Mills has looked very competent as a rookie and has shown growth.... but.... I wouldn't let that stop me from taking a Philly package centered around Hurts and those picks. Also, I wouldn't be upset at all if we took a package with a non QB headliner plus picks. That is all to say that Mills is very much TBD, but in a much better way than we thought a few months ago.
Thats fair and level. If Mills can help win games I'm happy to have him and cheer him on. What I cant do is disparage some other rookies in order to prop this guy up knowing how bad he's looked most of the time. He's trending in the right direction and his future in the league will depend on how much he can do off script when things break down VS a day like yesterday when all 3 facets were clicking and he was able to take his time and make the right read and strong throw. To say Mills is the best rookie QB and then to take that further when he struggles by saying "bad coaching, bad teammates" isnt fully encapsulating the entire class IMO and each players unique set of difficulties with each club sans maybe Mac Jones. It will all hinge on how much work Mills is willing to put in in order to be great with his own self pronounced ability to read and recognize being my biggest gripe most of the year.
