[ESPN] Who will go number 1: Bridgewater vs. Clowney

You may be right... you may be wrong.

Point is will the Texans have another chance and even considering a prime talent such as Teddy?

It hasn't been often that the worst team in the NFL continues to be complete bottom dwellers. Don't get me wrong, if the Texans don't draft correctly we could have another waste of a season. But do you honestly believe we can be THIS awful???

We obviously need help at the position, there is a great player available at your pick with major upside. I don't think tthere's any way we pass on Bridgwater, unless we trade out of that #1 pick.

 

What scares you more?

Clowney: From a physical standpoint, he's what you'd build in a lab to be the ideal 4-3 DE. As a true freshman & sophomore, his production was everything you'd expect from an elite talent at the position. (36 tackles, 12 TFL, 8 sacks/50 tackles, 21.5 TFL, 13 sacks; 7FF). The question marks have really sprung up this season though. He's been playing hurt, when he decides to play at all. He's taken plays off. Overall, he's shown signs that he simply lacks maturity. With his talent, he's unlikely to be a bust. I'd consider Mario Williams, who had similar question marks, to be his floor. But he also seems unlikely to realize his true potential.

Bridgewater: He's progressed each season as a starter, has an adequately big arm, and delivers the ball accurately on passes both over & under 15 yards. At a bit under 6'3" his height isn't ideal, but a nice high release helps. I've seen him listed anywhere from 200lbs to 220 lbs. Would really like to see him at 220+ come combine. Anything under 220lbs at his height would be very concerning. NFL QBs must be able to take a beating, which is exactly why the majority weigh 230lbs+. Thin frames rarely hold up. The biggest concerns are small hands, and the lack of competition throughout his college career. Hand size is more important than a lot of people want to admit. It's a huge deal for QBs & WRs.

In the end, I think the coach we hire makes the biggest impact of this decision. If we get a coach who runs a 4-3(Smith; Zimmer), I have a hard time seeing him pass on Clowney. Zimmer is a guy who turned one of the biggest malcontents in draft history(Vontaze Burfict) into the most productive LB in the league. He won't be scared away by Clowney's perceived lack of maturity.

If we get a coach who runs a zone blocking scheme(Shanahan; Cable) we'll more than likely grab Bridgewater. If we get a coach who uses a traditional blocking scheme on offense(Whisenhunt), we might end up getting Matthews. Whisenhunt uses a power blocking scheme that we simply do not have the personnel for on offense. There simply isn't any reason to get Bridgewater if you can't keep him upright.

 

Clowney has outstanding speed

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Fast get-off RT <a href="https://twitter.com/wis10">@wis10</a>: <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Gamecocks&amp;src=hash">#Gamecocks</a> DE Jadeveon Clowney cited for going 110 in 70 on I-77: <a href="http://t.co/Ynm6CNR8Pa">http://t.co/Ynm6CNR8Pa</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23sctweets&amp;src=hash">#sctweets</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23scsports&amp;src=hash">#scsports</a></p>&mdash; Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapSheet/statuses/410163676923318272">December 9, 2013</a></blockquote>
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It does disprove your point. He is more than capable of throwing hard. You yourself admitted the one pass you saw was a nice throw. He is capable of doing that every play but his receivers would drop most of those passes. He can and does zip the ball downfield into tight windows when necessary. That disproves your point.

 

If we stay put, Im 100% on the Bridgewater bandwagon...I wouldnt want another player at that spot. Teddy can be a very good NFL QB...my only concern with him is that I have a hard time seeing his arm strength match up with the elites of the league. If you check out a Matt Schaub highlight video, there will be throws that he makes that have "zip" and plenty of arm strength...but as people here know, Matt had a "noodle" arm. I asked people to show me clips of Bridgewater throwing lasers and I got one deep ball...and one nice intermediate throw...If we check out highlights of Rodgers, Brady, Brees, Eli, Roth, Stafford, Ryan, etc... I can surely come up with hundreds of their throws that had a lot more umph than what Ive seen from Teddy. Again, maybe he hasnt had to showcase his arm strength up to this point...or maybe he will continue to gain strength as he matures. My point is that as of right now, his accuracy, intelligence, and mobility are all bigger strengths of his than his arm strength.

 

Sure there is. You can find quality linemen or DEs or whatever other position at later points in the draft and in free agency. It's virtually impossible to find good QBs anywhere past the first round, and in general, in the top part of the first round unless you get lucky. If you pass on a QB, you could spend the next 5 years trying to address that position. If you pass a on tackle or a DE, you can solve it many other ways.

 

Yes it was a good throw...if I could embed (for some reason it doesnt work for me), I would show you a Matt Schaub highlight video in which a quarter of his throws have as much zip on them as Teddy showed on that 1 single play (his zippiest throw I have seen from him).

If we are looking at Teddy's strengths and weaknesses...I would say arm strength is not a strength of his...and it's not a weakness of his. And that's the part that I wish I could change...bc his arm strength is not in the elite category of QBs in the NFL and I think that's blatantly obvious. Can he still be an elite QB without the arm of a Rodgers or Brees? Only if all his other attributes are all very good on the NFL level.

 

Zone blocking only applies to running plays. It has nothing to do with pass protection.

 

Qb success in the NFL depends more on mental than physical, trade down or go clown.

 

Maybe we can get Clown in the 2nd round the way he's dropping.

 

What's your point? Bridgewater is praised for his intelligence and mental maturity.

 

LOL, Brees has never been known for his "strong arm".

 

bridgewater can throw balls on a line and it seems almost effortless. like a flick of a wrist with great accuracy.

check the throw at 2:48 and 3:57 its almost effortless, check out ball placement at 4:36 & 4:53. these are NFL throws..
<iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/6kkk0ZTRPDI" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560"></iframe>

 

I'd also like to point out that he never once displayed any evidence of possessing a "noodle" arm. He didn't underthrow any of his receivers a single time, and he either put the ball on the money or overthrew his receivers on every single deep ball.

 

You're just talking conjecture. Saying something you might actually believe, but not really basing it on any facts. Claiming that quality players are more readily available at DE or O-line in later rounds is ignorant, and simply not true.

Of the top 10 qbs in the league this year(Manning, Brees, Rodgers, Brady, Rivers, Roethlisberger, Romo, Wilson, Luck, Foles) only half were drafted in the first round. Only 3 of them in the top 10.

Of the top DE's in the league, about 3/4ths were drafted in the first. It's a position where you're significantly less likely to find impact players in later rounds.

For OT, if we switch to a traditional blocking scheme, we will need 2-3 new additions. For the top 5 O-Lines the left sides (LT/LG) are 3/4 first round picks. The other 1/4 are 2nd round. The right side of the line is really the only area you regularly see later round picks. Getting Jake Matthews to put next to Duane Brown addresses what would be a massive need in a power blocking scheme. Brandon Brooks has the tools to make the change. The other two spots (C/RT) could be addressed in later rounds.

Also, passing on a QB doesn't lead to 5 years of trying to address the position. Committing to the wrong QB does.

Flase. While it's primarily used to open lanes in running plays, pass protection is still different in a man-blocking scheme. Particularly when the time for downfield passes is bought without bootlegging, as is common for zone-blocking.

 

You're kidding me, right? Brees easily has one of the top 5 strongest arms in the NFL and it's not even close. Your credibility is dead if you actually believe what you just wrote.

 

Those are nice throws...again, nobody is doubting his ability to make an accurate throw. Look at Matt Schaub's highlight video and tell me that the zip on Matt's balls are any less than the zip on Teddy's.

Question for all the Teddy fans. If he has the intelligence, accuracy, mobility, and arm strength...then what is holding him from being a top 5 NFL QB? Seems to me that the opinion of most of you is that he is going to be an elite QB in the NFL. And if that was the case, he would be a major, no doubt about it, cant miss prospect...yet, he isnt that. Wonder why?

 

Didn't Mario have a similar incident? Seriously dumb thing to do, dumb, dumb, dumb.

 

This is a fair point. So if you pass on whoever you think is the best QB available and take a lesser QB, how do you think that affects the above? Do you think it's more likely or less likely that you will spend the next 5 years trying to address the problem?

 

There are a lot of scouts who disagree with you. He may not be Andrew Luck type elite but many think he is the next best thing. Plus you are acting like he will not improve. He is a kid who just turned 21. He is going to gain arm strength. In saying that I am not agreeing with you. I think he has plenty enough arm strength now. But he just turned 21. He is going to get bigger and stronger. He came into college weighing 175 and he is now at 220+. He will continue to get bigger and stronger and his arm will also.

That being said accuracy is absolutely more important than arm strength in the NFL and again I think his arm strength is plenty good. What you do not acknowledge is he chooses what velocity is best.

The more you stick with such an untrue position the more it makes you look dumb. I get it you're stuck in this position of arm strength and you do not know how to get out of it. But just let go and move on. You are so wrong about Bridgewater on this position it is just making you look more and more like an idiot.

You would be better off saying he has skinny legs is what have you are worried about. That would have more merit and it's stupid too. At least it's not as bad as that he doesn't interview well.