Post by TheShadow on Oct 31, 2008 3:48:16 GMT -5
www.insidebayarea.com
By Steve Corkran
Staff writer
ALAMEDA — JaMarcus Russell to the west, Joe Flacco to the east, Matt Ryan to the south and Aaron Rodgers to the north. The youth movement is in full bloom.
Teams increasingly are relying on young, inexperienced quarterbacks.
Yet, it remains unclear whether it's better for a young quarterback to learn from the sideline for at least one season or to play right away.
Sunday's game between the Raiders and Atlanta Falcons presents a clash of theories as Raiders second-year quarterback Russell and Falcons rookie signal-caller Ryan square off at the Oakland Coliseum.
"I know some people think that it's a big debate as far as starting a rookie quarterback, sit him and let him learn standing on the sideline," Falcons first-year coach Mike Smith said Wednesday in a conference call, "or do you play him?"
Good question? The problem is, there is no right answer.
Proponents of the latter theory cite the success of Dan Marino and Ben Roethlisberger as rookies. Others counter with the abysmal showings of players such as David Carr and Alex Smith in recent seasons.
Russell, though, made it a nonissue for then coach Lane Kiffin in 2007 by missing all of training camp and the first week of the season while engaged in contract negotiations. As a result, he appeared in only four games last season, one of which he started. He has started all seven games this season.
Mike Smith took a wait-and-see approach with Ryan, a player the Falcons selected with the third pick of this year's NFL draft. Ryan was one of four quarterbacks competing for the starting job.
"It really became apparent for us as a coaching staff the second preseason game that we were going to name Matt our starter," Smith said. "We had clarity at that point that he gave us the best opportunity to win."
The Raiders lost to Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens last Sunday. Flacco is the only other rookie quarterback who has started all his team's games this season.
Russell and Rodgers represent the sizable class of quarterbacks who spent considerable time learning the nuances of the NFL from afar — on the practice field, in meeting rooms and watching videotape.
Their play so far this season does little to clear up whether they benefited more from waiting.
Rodgers attempted only 59 passes in mop-up duty his first three seasons with the Green Bay Packers. He spent most of his time learning under future Pro Football Hall of Famer Brett Favre.
Rodgers has completed 65.6 percent of his passes this season, with three times as many touchdowns as interceptions, and a 98.8 passer rating. Russell's 50.3 completion percentage is higher than only two regular starters, his 18 sacks are tied for fifth-most, and his 74.4 passer rating is in the bottom fourth of the league.
Raiders coach Tom Cable said he sees merit in both approaches when it comes to developing a young quarterback. The Falcons made the right call on Ryan.
"They're doing it right," Cable said. "They're giving it to him as he can handle it. The most impressive thing about him that I've seen is his poise and his ability to throw on the run. They are doing a nice job of not overdoing it."
By Steve Corkran
Staff writer
ALAMEDA — JaMarcus Russell to the west, Joe Flacco to the east, Matt Ryan to the south and Aaron Rodgers to the north. The youth movement is in full bloom.
Teams increasingly are relying on young, inexperienced quarterbacks.
Yet, it remains unclear whether it's better for a young quarterback to learn from the sideline for at least one season or to play right away.
Sunday's game between the Raiders and Atlanta Falcons presents a clash of theories as Raiders second-year quarterback Russell and Falcons rookie signal-caller Ryan square off at the Oakland Coliseum.
"I know some people think that it's a big debate as far as starting a rookie quarterback, sit him and let him learn standing on the sideline," Falcons first-year coach Mike Smith said Wednesday in a conference call, "or do you play him?"
Good question? The problem is, there is no right answer.
Proponents of the latter theory cite the success of Dan Marino and Ben Roethlisberger as rookies. Others counter with the abysmal showings of players such as David Carr and Alex Smith in recent seasons.
Russell, though, made it a nonissue for then coach Lane Kiffin in 2007 by missing all of training camp and the first week of the season while engaged in contract negotiations. As a result, he appeared in only four games last season, one of which he started. He has started all seven games this season.
Mike Smith took a wait-and-see approach with Ryan, a player the Falcons selected with the third pick of this year's NFL draft. Ryan was one of four quarterbacks competing for the starting job.
"It really became apparent for us as a coaching staff the second preseason game that we were going to name Matt our starter," Smith said. "We had clarity at that point that he gave us the best opportunity to win."
The Raiders lost to Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens last Sunday. Flacco is the only other rookie quarterback who has started all his team's games this season.
Russell and Rodgers represent the sizable class of quarterbacks who spent considerable time learning the nuances of the NFL from afar — on the practice field, in meeting rooms and watching videotape.
Their play so far this season does little to clear up whether they benefited more from waiting.
Rodgers attempted only 59 passes in mop-up duty his first three seasons with the Green Bay Packers. He spent most of his time learning under future Pro Football Hall of Famer Brett Favre.
Rodgers has completed 65.6 percent of his passes this season, with three times as many touchdowns as interceptions, and a 98.8 passer rating. Russell's 50.3 completion percentage is higher than only two regular starters, his 18 sacks are tied for fifth-most, and his 74.4 passer rating is in the bottom fourth of the league.
Raiders coach Tom Cable said he sees merit in both approaches when it comes to developing a young quarterback. The Falcons made the right call on Ryan.
"They're doing it right," Cable said. "They're giving it to him as he can handle it. The most impressive thing about him that I've seen is his poise and his ability to throw on the run. They are doing a nice job of not overdoing it."