- Apr 16, 2008
- 4,018
- 4,732
- 113
His draft grade at the end of this season came back lower than he was comfortable with. There are questions about his accuracy. His stats versus teams who stack the box to stop the run are much different than his stats versus teams who drop back into coverage and challenge his arm. There are real decision-making/accuracy concerns when teams force him to beat them in the pocket. Many scouts simply don't see him as a guy that can necessarily carry and team and win from inside the pocket.
As we've seen with Cam Newton, Robert Griffin, etc., QBs in the NFL eventually must become pocket passers. Cam Newton's rushing attempts from year one to year four fell by about 15%. RGIII's attempts fell much more drastically to 50% by year three. Many don't see Dak as being able to thrive once his running prowess is muted in favor of preserving his longevity in the league and protecting the investment the team makes in him.
One of his biggest assets in all of this has been his character and leadership. Those two things have gone unresearched, unquestioned, and widely accepted as strengths, especially given the story of his mother's passing and the amazing way in which he thrived after her death. There is no question or argument on that. He was remarkable during that period, and a narrative was created (whether rightly or wrongly) that his character was rock solid.
Now, I wasn't there when this melee happened. I have no knowledge of who started what or why. However, the videos appear to show that Dak wasn't necessarily running from the conflict. I would imagine fault in this situation is shared by many. Regardless, that issue of character that was a shining gold star on top of his resume is being tarnished as this story unfolds. Character is what many have held to and pointed toward when making a case for Dak as an NFL QB. If that gold shining star is removed or tarnished, scouts and teams are left with no choice but to place more emphasis on his on-field abilities - the inaccuracy against zones and the poor decision-making at times in crucial games. When there is no character/leadership platform to declare Dak as a field general and locker room leader, the spotlight goes back to pure physical ability as a pocket passer. Dak will lose in that scenario with scouts and GMs.
This post was edited on 3/11 9:50 AM by Afternoon Fireworks
As we've seen with Cam Newton, Robert Griffin, etc., QBs in the NFL eventually must become pocket passers. Cam Newton's rushing attempts from year one to year four fell by about 15%. RGIII's attempts fell much more drastically to 50% by year three. Many don't see Dak as being able to thrive once his running prowess is muted in favor of preserving his longevity in the league and protecting the investment the team makes in him.
One of his biggest assets in all of this has been his character and leadership. Those two things have gone unresearched, unquestioned, and widely accepted as strengths, especially given the story of his mother's passing and the amazing way in which he thrived after her death. There is no question or argument on that. He was remarkable during that period, and a narrative was created (whether rightly or wrongly) that his character was rock solid.
Now, I wasn't there when this melee happened. I have no knowledge of who started what or why. However, the videos appear to show that Dak wasn't necessarily running from the conflict. I would imagine fault in this situation is shared by many. Regardless, that issue of character that was a shining gold star on top of his resume is being tarnished as this story unfolds. Character is what many have held to and pointed toward when making a case for Dak as an NFL QB. If that gold shining star is removed or tarnished, scouts and teams are left with no choice but to place more emphasis on his on-field abilities - the inaccuracy against zones and the poor decision-making at times in crucial games. When there is no character/leadership platform to declare Dak as a field general and locker room leader, the spotlight goes back to pure physical ability as a pocket passer. Dak will lose in that scenario with scouts and GMs.
This post was edited on 3/11 9:50 AM by Afternoon Fireworks
