“As all born teachers, he was primarily a student.”
― Steven Pressfield, Gates of Fire
What team is the best landing spot for Brock Purdy when he does leave for the NFL? @LeviRStev
I’m going to roll with four teams. This is a combination of my perceived personnel match as well as the practicality of where teams may be targeting a QB in the 2021 or 2022 drafts.
New Orleans Saints– Regardless of which QB I was asked about, the Saints would probably make a top five for any esteemed QB. Drew Brees is on the way out. I can’t see him playing more than two more years, which makes Purdy a legitimate heir. I don’t think Purdy is a player that is going to be valued by most teams as a “can’t miss” franchise QB that demands a top ten price tag in the draft. I think it’s more likely that he’s targeted at the end of round one or early on day two. Predicting what the Aints will do with an early pick is chid’s play. It was so obvious that when they came up from 1.27 to 1.14 in 2018 that they were taking Lamar Jackson as Brees’ replacement. Wait a minute… They took a DE that was a raw as a northbound Appalachian Trail hikers groin as he sets his gaze upon Baxter State Park.
New England Patriots- When Purdy is in rhythm, he’s a machine. One thing that Tom Brady did so well was took what the defense gave him. Purdy is capable of doing that, but perhaps its either youth or his hardwiring, but he likes to take more risks than we traditionally saw Brady take late in his career. With both Cam Newton and Jarrett Stidham in New England for 2020, the playbook is going to get some RPO’s and some designed QB looks. That will be a step in the right direction if they want to target Purdy in ’21 or ’22. Newton is playing on a one year deal, and Stidham’s deal against the cap is the equivalent of a bee stinging a rhino. Chances are good that the Pats are looking for a QB next year. I have no idea where they may be picking within the draft, but I know better than to doubt Bill B.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers- I love this fit with Purdy and Arians. BP can play with some of the reckless abandon that we saw Winston operate under last season. While that style of play can be very exciting, it can also be frustrating. I believe that Brady will help to modify the system that Arians likes to runs that mixes in a lot more pragmatic approach than the YOLO deep ball bonanza that we saw last year. One of my criticisms of Purdy is that he doesn’t have a “Wow” arm. I believe his best NFL comp is Alex Smith. That means an above-average athlete that is smart and tough that won’t win the long throw contest at the Pro Bowl. Assuming that Brady plays for two more years, Purdy could be the type of QB that is coveted by Arians in the 2022 draft.
Buffalo Bills- The most polarizing prospect in QB history has found a way to remain that way after a couple of seasons in the NFL. How long will that last? 2020 will go a long way in determining that. I’m of the opinion that without Brian Daboll as his OC, he’s well on his way to the Mitchell Trubisky path to irrelevance. Having watched Daboll call ball since he was Saban’s OC at Bama, I’ve come to greatly respect his abilities to work with his quarterbacks’ strengths and craft an offense that best suits them. Purdy is a better passer than Jalen Hurts and Josh Allen, but he’s not the same type of athlete. I believe that Daboll would take that tradeoff, and Purdy could be an option for them in 2021 or 2022. I tend to lean towards Purdy staying and playing two more years in Ames, which would be ideal in this scenario. If you are thinking about taking Josh Allen as the 2020 NFL MVP, squirrel that money away and save it for investment on Purdy if he is a Buffalo Bill in a couple of years.
JT Daniels or Jamie Newman? @CappingTheGame
I’ll copy and paste my abridged thoughts from last week on Twitter:
“My .02 on the UGA QB battle: if we play football this fall, looking unlikely, I think Newman wins the job. If things are deferred to spring, then I think it’s truly an open competition, and JTD much more likely to have a shot at winning the job. Oversimplification, if you have a Cam Newton-type and a Drew Brees-type, you are going to run two totally different offenses. With limited practice time and it is 8 weeks from kickoff and JTD just being eligible, would be hard to scrap the offense you’ve been prepping all year. If things are pushed to spring, you have a ton more time to alter what you wanna do if you want to start the two-year-plan with JTD. Additionally, eligible QBs with NFL grades, like Newman, could elect to sit out the season. The other thing that I think you have to factor in is potential negative recruiting. If you take a guy like Newman, an upperclassman P5 starter as a transfer, and don’t start him, you pretty much dry up the pipeline for those types of grad transfers in the future. While this should look like an embarrassment of riches for the Dawgs and their new offensive identity, it’s not unreasonable to assume that Kirby bungles the whole thing, as he did with Fields. Fair to expect the unexpected from a HC with an allergy to offensive-minded-football.”
There are a few areas that I didn’t touch on it that thread. I think Newman is currently a better player than Daniels. That’s both in general and also in terms of fit within the system. One area where a void needs to be filled in 2020 is in the leadership department. According to sources within the program, Newman’s lead in that area is extensive. That makes sense to me. With respect, he’s a grown man while Daniels is still a young man. Additionally, it can be tough for a west coast guy, especially from Cali, to quickly assimilate into an SEC culture. That was something I heard about quite a bit in regards to Jacob Eason while he was in Athens. His desire to partake in the finer things of SEC Country limited what he was able to do in the film room and locker room. I don’t know if Daniels is wired similarly, but I can promise you this, as Georgia native, it takes me 10 seconds to identify a bro from Cali. I imagine it can take some time to win the hearts and minds of his peers. Additionally, deep ball passing is something that Newman got a ton of experience with in Wake’s scheme. In 2018, Daniels was asked to be more of a distributor on the short and intermediate routes. That is a staple of the Monken offense and an area where Newman has both more tools and experience. In fairness to both guys, Daniels’ experience came as a true freshman when he should have been a senior in high school. Newman’s came at Wake Forest, where he played at a significant talent disadvantage nearly every week, and he was asked to do more than the overwhelming majority of quarterbacks in college football. Lastly, Daniels is coming off knee surgery, so rushing him back may not be the best course of action. Both players’ best year(s) should come at Georgia for a number of reasons.
Who’s playing, and how soon do I need to resume prep work? @Tha_Mog
Other than the SEC, I don’t know. My confidence diminishes more every day. I can only tell you what my plan is, and that is to cease any prep beyond what I’ve already done. While I’m at an advantage over the average bettor, due to my CFF prep, I don’t feel compelled to dig any deeper. Even if there is some semblance of a fall season, I can’t say I’m in a rush to return my typical approach, which consists of betting openers and playing high-volume. I can’t tell you how many good bets I’ve made at open that have been soured by the weather on game day. Now parlay that reality with the potential that COVID strikes a team on a Friday night or a Saturday morning, and this becomes too much of a crapshoot for me to get too invested. This may be a good year to scale back or let the land lie fallow. On the other side of the coin, if you are all-in and ready to grind like never before, there is an opportunity to use this high variance scenario to your advantage. You are gonna need a ton of outs and some locals that are slow to move numbers, relative to the rest of the market. If you have a family and they enjoy seeing you on Saturdays, GOOD LUCK! I know myself well enough to know that my edge isn’t found by doing the latter; it comes at open after months of dedicated preparation. I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t feel great about things, and I’m generally a hopeful and optimistic person.
4 and 5 star rated QBs are notorious for transferring at some point in their college careers… So which ones are going to transfer? @RealestChrisKay
DJ U
Bryce Young
CJ Stroud
Card/Jackson (Texas)
Doty (USCe)
Harrison Bailey (Tenn)
This is a fun question! I’ll start with I don’t think will transfer and why:
DJ U, Clemson: If football doesn’t happen this fall, then I’d bet money he’s Clemson’s starter in either the spring or more certainly next fall. When he committed, he knew it was a one year wait, and the current landscape could mean he doesn’t have to wait at all. There isn’t any competition for him on the roster.
Bryce Young, Alabama: Young’s biggest hurdle to starting this fall was COVID. If he has more time to learn the system and work with his receivers, his chances of playing increase exponentially. I believe that if Jones starts in 2020, then one of three scenarios are likely after that: 1. He rides a strong season into the 2021 NFL Draft. 2. He plays to a serviceable level, but not enough to get a good grade from the NFL, and he grad transfers to another big program that needs a QB in 2021. 3. He plays poorly, and Young takes over either mid-year or in 2021. Jones is more likely to transfer than Young, but I’m a fan of both guys.
Harrison Bailey, Tennessee: He probably doesn’t start in 2020, but he’s a 2-4 year starter beginning in 2021. His pedigree makes it improbable that the Vols recruit a better prospect than him. This is his program.
The tier of less likely, but still risky consists of one player:
CJ Stroud, Ohio State: This may look foolish to have any doubts about him if the ’20 season is either delayed or canceled. It’s reasonable to suspect that he has a strong chance to start for the Buckeyes in the spring or in ’21. His issue will be the competition that could come in behind him. The current QB room isn’t impressive at all, beyond him and Fields, but they are always gonna be in the hunt for the next generational QB. I lean more towards “won’t transfer.”
The player that I don’t know about:
Luke Doty, South Carolina: I haven’t watched him yet. I have no idea how good he is. Additionally, I still don’t have a strong opinion on Hilinski.
The duo that is most likely to transfer:
Hudson Card & Ja’Quinden Jackson, Texas: The fact that this is a duo made them the easiest choice to transfer. They will be competing against one another to start next year, which increases the probability that one leaves. Additionally, they are both candidates to play other positions, which adds to their risk profile, which is a big part of the heart of your question. Both guys are far from polished quarterbacks, and both are great athletes. I believe that Jackson is more likely to change positions, and I think Card is a strong contender to be Texas’ QB in 2021. I was able to roster him in one of my Campus 2 Canton leagues this spring, and I’ll keep him on my taxi squad and hope he takes over for Sam. Card grew up with Texas as his dream school, so I think he sticks. Beyond those two competing against one another, I think this would be a prime spot for a top transfer in 2021. Additionally, they have a commitment from HS QB Jalen Milroe, who is a super exciting prospect. All three guys lack polish, but one of them is going to be an incredibly valuable college fantasy asset. I’ll continue to grab Card in my CFF dynasty leagues this year and then grab Milroe next year as well.
What’s the best sitcom ever? @Go_Aztecs28
Full disclosure: I had to look up the definition of a sitcom, to be sure I was coloring between the lines.
Sit·com /ˈsitˌkäm/
noun
- a situation comedy.
Eureka! I’m not a big fan of sitcoms. I haven’t watched tons of them, so I may be ignorant of some of the greats. Without further adieu:
- Curb Your Enthusiasm
- The Office
- Parks and Rec
Do you think McElwain got a raw deal at UF? The program was chaotic when he was there, but he didn’t recruit lunatics like Callaway did he? @RCoolwater
As an Alabama fan, I got to see some of Mac’s personality come out. I always felt that when he got hired at UF, he was in over his head. When he was hired at CMU, I thought he could be really successful. His personality makes him more of a small market guy, in my humble opinion. He comes off as very genuine, but kinda goofy and happy-go-lucky. For better or worse, I don’t think that is going to fly at most premier programs. He was feeling the heat in 2018, and then he seemingly made up the death threat rumors and said he would give more details once he’s dead (Paraphrase)! If memory serves, he was unlucky in close ball games that year, which can be attributed to poor coaching, or it can be randomness. Couple that with the off-field stuff that happened under his watch, and I see why things went south in a hurry. I like Coach Mac, but he was never the long term answer at a program like Florida. I would say “NO RAW DEAL.”
Who’s working in the NFL first, Mullen or Kirby? @atldan
You’re a real masochist, Daniel! I’ll be brief with this one. Mullen. I’m not convinced that Smart is an above-average college head coach. Mullen got the school from Starkville, Mississippi, to #1 in the country. Could Smart have done that? I can’t prove that he couldn’t, but this is my column, so I’ll do what I want! No, he couldn’t have done that. He’s been fortunate to have spent his entire collegiate tenure at two of the country’s most talent-laden schools. Most of his time was spent as coordinator under the best coach in college football history. Aside from wins on the recruiting trail, he’s mismanaged his roster year after year and prevented his club from getting over the hump and winning the natty. Conversely, the NFL pendulum has swung hard in favor of offensive-minded college coaches, and that favors the Mulldog.
