Jacory Harris That guy has impressed the hell out of me. He displays the ability to read the field and make quick decisions that I feel all quarterbacks should have. He has above average receivers at Miami, but he shows good awareness on the field and is very accurate at throwing the ball down the field. He's got great athleticism, but he is not quick at using his feet to get himself out of trouble. He seems to be very comfortable in the pocket and shows no signs of having happy feet when getting pressured. To me, it is a tremendous positive that he doesn't rely on his athleticism when things break down. He relies on his arm. That tells me what his instinct is. Plus, I think he is going to be more prepared for the NFL than a spread quarterback because he runs a pro style system at Miami. I've seen Dan LeFevour, Tony Pike, Jevan Snead, Christian Ponder, and Jacory Harris over the first two weeks of the season. I've seen Harris on two occasions now. I know he's only a sophomore, but he is the best I've seen to this point. I went in thinking that Jevan Snead would be the top guy, but Snead is very easy to rattle when he is pressured. I have not seen Colt McCoy yet this season. He's very accurate, but I do question his ability to throw the ball down the field. He's also going to have to make the transition to a pro style offense once in the NFL.
Completely agree, KB. Tough to argue how quality of a player he has become so early into his college career. What probably stands out to me the most is his command of the huddle and calmness out on the field. To him, it's the equivalent of playing football in the backyard. Very impressive. In regards to his ability to read the field, I agree to a point. He does read the field well and he knows the playbook like the back of his hand and he reeks of intelligence from what I've noticed, even in interviews when you listen to the guy talk. Hell, the guy is famous in South Florida for calling his own plays in high school. Back to the point, what I've noticed is that he sometimes doesn't go through all his reads. Sometimes he'll make a pass down field when there's multiple defenders in the area and it'll go incomplete but he had a target on a drag route or crossing pattern wide open that could have given him a first down and continuation of the drive. Basically, he's sometimes too quick to pass the ball and get it out of his hand. I like and dislike it. He knows he doesn't have a great amount of time back there and is aware of the clock in his head but sometimes I think the clock goes off early for him. He's still only a sophomore and he is in the first year of Whipple's offense so its understood that he won't be flawless but I noticed that last night and I saw some of that against Florida State in Tallahassee. I was watching the Florida State game once again and then watched the Georgia Tech game and in my opinion, its tough to argue him being a first rounder. Some may disagree with me but I think his ability to command the huddle and be so poised as well as relaxed at a young stage of his football career is impressive. Its early to discuss where he could go but if he can build his frame up to about 205-210, I think it'll be difficult to keep him out of the first round of the NFL Draft, if or when he comes out.
What scary is Miami is going to have a powerhouse offense and he is going to get heismen consideration. Oh how I wish the Buckeyes weren't going to play Miami in the next 2 years
I've been very impressed with Harris' decision making and "cool," but I want to see if his WRs really every get pressured. I mean, a lot of throws I have seen the WRs are simply wide open (by my standards). Now I commend him in those instances for finding the right guy to throw to (and throwing a much prettier ball than I ever expected), so I can't fault him for piss poor pass defense, but I will be interested to see how he does when he gets some real/consistent pressure in his face or when DBs are right on his WRs.
I'll tell you, while not the best QB I have seen this year, I was real impressed by Aaron Opelt versus Colorado. That may be factoring what I have seen him go throw in his entire career so far though, but man he looked good overall.
there are some pro QBs who could learn from Jacory's demeanor. I hope he continues progressing at this rate bc the NFL could really use more players like him....and youngsters could greatly benefit from him as a role model IMO.
You don't think his delivery is a bit elongated? It's not Byron Leftwich, but he does take a bit of time to **** the ball, then throw. He does have a windup, which he does need to shorten a tad, but that can make a big difference from college to the pros.
Jqacory Harris has been good, I'll admit, but the guy I like is: http://www.mgoblue.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/forcier_tate00.html Thats right Mr. Forcier has really caught my eye, this kid is impressive jmo.
He doesn't have a snap delivery but it isn't long. His down field accuracy is absolutely sick. Even the couple balls he threw into coverage hit the receivers hands. He is athletic enough to avoid pressure but keeps his eyes down field when he does so, like on that great pass against FSU. He needs to get bigger, and improve his arm strength just a bit. He has all the "intangibles" though. 20-25 passing is impressive when you are attacking down the field, regardless of the protection you get.
I have played QB, watched QB's been yelled at by QB coaches...and been praised by QB coaches....OK, not that last one.....I know a little bit about playing QB and have had more "teaching" than most.....but Jacory does have a bit of a long delivery.....but I do not think it matters as much on him because he does not have to load for velocity and does not wind up like Leftwich ..... Jacory just has long arms and holds the ball a tad bit low so he has further to go to get on top on the ball (and he has a damn nice arm slot)...but it is not huge IMHO....plus I think Jacory is one of the best I have ever seen at his age and experience at reading velocity needed and his timing, touch, and accuracy are phenomenal....there are some questions there as an NFL'er ......he does have the velocity, height, etc.....the questions will be his build (durability), how he responds when pressured consistently and after all we are talking two games here..........
I like Forcier also. I wonder how much bigger he will get and he does not have the 6-4 that Jacory does...but he is one heck of an athlete. I think he will be a great college QB. If you are looking at Pro guys that might be overlooked in college.....I give you the 3rd best QB in the SEC.....John Brantley throws as pretty of football as you will see, is a good athlete and has very good velocity and a nice release....his biggest issue is he plays behind Tebow. There are some very good underclass QB's..................
I was looking forward to the Toledo game figuring Opelt would pick the defense apart but the Ohio St pass rush was too much. Would have been nice to see Opelt actually get time. Not sure if you caught the game or not Pete.
No I was watching the terribly misranked #5 team. I was sad to see that it wasn't actually a home game at the Glass Bowl for Toledo, rather it was played at Cleveland Browns stadium. Might as well have just played at the ****ing shoe.
I don't think it would've mattered much, but at a "neutral" field OSU is going to outnumber Toledo by more than 10 to 1. It's the only way OSU will do an away game against a smaller school I guess.
One of the reasons why Jacory Harris is up there as far as QBs I have seen this season go, but not the top one, IMO. The best active QB out there is Colt McCoy, to me. I don't question his ability to go long with the football any more than I questioned Aaron Rodgers' ability to do the same when he came out. Yes, Colt will have to get used to a different style of offense. Yes, sometimes that can be quite the stumbling block. But he's a really smart kid with a good football background, and the thing I like about him is that he's been through the ups with Texas and he's also been through the downs. He's been there when they had the tools around him, and he's been the guy that was basically their entire offense...getting whacked around and having people beat the tar out of him has come with the territory for him every year, whereas if I've had one criticism of Sam Bradford it's that he has stayed relatively clean from a contact standpoint. I think that whether we like it or not the NFL is getting more spread oriented and that works in Colt's favor. Of course, in all of this, I'm sort of assuming that Bradford stays another year. That injury situation still seems cloudy. Jacory Harris is definitely up there. He flashes the football too much on his throws. He'll need to tighten that up. Also, there's no way around the fact that the man will have to gain 20-30 pounds in the coming years and we'll have to make certain that he's comfortable at increased weight because some guys become different players. He's got a lot of poise in the pocket, I compare it to a Troy Aikman. He's not bouncing on his heels or getting happy feet. He settles in, keeps his eyes steady and that helps him locate his men up field. But, he does hold the ball too long at times, depending on his athleticism to get him out of jams, and I don't think he has consistency in his throws yet. One thing that really impresses the heck out of me is his leadership at such an early age. It was only a year ago when Channing Crowder joked about him that he was barely several months removed from P.E. class. Already he has command of that offense, and command of the receivers in the huddle and on the sidelines. Things are only going to get better for him, but that doesn't make him the best QB out there right now. I do see guys that are a little more advanced. One guy who I think might be just a little more advanced at this point is Christian Ponder of FSU. He's a really tall guy with a rocket arm. He's got good accuracy, completing 56% of his passes his first year as a starter in 2008 and now bumping that up to 66% in 2009. He's got really good athleticism and showed it a year ago, and is showing it again this year. I watched him real close against the Canes this year and he really played very well and he should have won the football game but for a drop in the end zone on the part of one of his players. He's a really smart guy, graduated in 2.5 years and will have a masters before he walks away from FSU. Bowden says he's a really good leader, but I'd like to see him command the huddle a little more and have everything working a little more smoothly. I noticed that against Miami. His personal performance was good, but he needs to bring up the performance of the people around him, eliminate miscommunications, get his ball placement to where receivers don't drop it as much, etc. Still don't know what the heck was going on against Jacksonville State, obviously something was going wrong that day and every time they seemed to get going on offense someone would fumble the ball or they'd miss a FG or they'd go for it on 4th & 1 and the RB couldn't convert, etc. He did basically come up with the victory, with his back against the wall, driving 58 yards to the door step of the end zone where the runner was able to easily pound it in for the win. Of course, Ryan Perilloux (so THAT'S where he went!) helped pump up the score by getting sacked and fumbling on the ensuing drive. Either way they got hit in the mouth by an unexpected team, which will happen sometimes, but he still led the victory at the end of the ball game. His game against BYU was near perfect, though. That was a good defense he diced up with 80% completion and 2 TD passes. He also added another 77 yards rushing, with a TD. By the end of this season, Christian Ponder will have faced the Miami, South Florida, Boston College, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Clemson and Florida defenses. At the end of this year, we'll know whether he's as good as he looks to my eyes right now. I really like Tony Pike and I will definitely try and focus more on him in the coming weeks. I know Miami are interested. Unfortunately, I don't think I'm going to be able to see someone like Billy Cundiff this year. I'll try and watch more of Dan LeFevour but I've never had the same giddy feeling about him that some have. I still like Tim Hiller. I think Max Hall is still one to watch a little. The Troy kid Levi Brown might bear some watching. Jevan Snead and Jake Locker...talents to keep an eye on. And I don't care what anyone says, I like Robert Griffin. Tim Tebow's as enigmatic as ever.
yeah, from what ive seen, Mallet appears to be one of the best QBs Ive seen in a while. He's got size, field vision, the arm, and accuracy. I'm very glad that he's not still at Michigan. I'd be surprised if he's not a top 5 pick in the 2011 draft.
Don't forget that he was playing against Georgia in the game most saw...Mallet is not bad and has skills but lets not get too excited ...... Georgia cannot stop anyone and made Stephen Garcia look like Dan Marino.......
Canes fan here..... I didn't think Jacory Harris was the best QB that Miami had last year let alone best in College. He doesn't have an NFL arm and his lack of zip on the ball is unreal.It's one thing to LLLLLLLLLAy it out there for your WR's to get, but another when you have to cuzz you can't get any real zip on the ball. Also his lack of feel for the rush is very upsetting. I'm not saying he sucks or anything like that, but he's in my top 30 but that's about it.
I was a big Tony Pike fan last year and I'm a big Tony Pike fan this year. And Colt McCoy will make some team very happy as well.
Both two of my absolute favs, Tony Pike and Colt McCoy. I like Sam Bradford, need to see a little bit more, think I need to see more out of Christian Ponder before his time is done which shouldn't be until next year anyway. I'll tell you the guys I'm not a fan of...guys like Jevan Snead, Ryan Mallett or Jimmy Clausen. Clausen I could see myself ending up wrong on, and maybe down the road I'll change my mind, but overall these guys rub me the wrong way. I'll tell you the guys that I've singled out to start doing loads and loads of homework on. They are Tony Pike, Colt McCoy (though I've already done so much work on him), Sam Bradford (same), and Jake Locker. That last, that's the guy...not enough people are talking about him. A lot of experience will be under his belt by the time he's done this year, and not all of it good. He's got a sh-t ton of talent. I like a guy that's dealt with serious adversity. I like a guy that's so talented he could play a number of different positions and yet he's big, strong and has a hell of an arm with downfield accuracy. Things are coming together for him this year. Big upset win against USC and I'll be damned if that 4th & 19 ball shouldn't have been caught against Notre Dame. Threw for 300+ and 2 TDs against LSU, beat Idaho, beat USC, came up short against Stanford, just barely lost to Notre Dame. Not bad at all. I think Tebow's going to stay in the national conversation. But in this draft I think the QBs that will be hot topics will be Pike, McCoy, Bradford, Clausen and Locker. No idea whether Locker would leave or not though.
I like Locker as well. Bradford can play. Ponder has been too incosistent for me, but I know what you like in him and I know that the NFL will like the same thing. McCoy and Pike and Bradford for me are the three. Snead is a turnover machine.
What's the general consensus on Jimmy Clausen? I question his decsion making at times, but man does he have a great arm. He throws an excellent deep ball as well.
Upon further review, I may be mistaken. I knew he signed a baseball deal, but apparently he signed and told the Angels he would only play after he exhausted all his football efforts. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4401955 Now I am not sure if this only means playing out his time in Washington (for which the Angels are paying the rest of his schooling), or if it includes the NFL as well.
I'm not sure how much you can grade C. Ponder, FSU coaching staff has major problems. This has to affect a kid whose father was coached by Bowden. JaCory Harris, wow what a prospect although I'd like to see more of him making playes while under pressure and with his WR actually getting covered instead running free. I like Tony Pike as well.
That last touchdown that Ponder threw against GT last night - over the defender and shoulder of his receiver - was beautiful. Great touch pass.
Funny because I really DONT like McCoy as an early first round pick. He gets rattled by pressure so easily and completely disappears from games against subpar competition. His arm strength is average and his decision making goes into the gutter sometimes. He isn't playing like last season at all, I've seen all of his games so far.
Checkout the VT game, he has benefited from playing some weak defenses. I'd like to see him play more teams like VT. I'm impressed with his demeanor on the field but other than that I don't see the hype, especially from earlier in the season. Decision making is questionable at times. His deep balls should have strings attached. I'd like to see him throw some more outs as well, some of his mid range passes lack some zip from what I've seen of him. If he beefs up alittle bit and continues to improve he could be a solid NFL QB though.
Your pick. I think they both apply. Mike Wallace Tumble Award: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8-AvXqi-IA"]YouTube - nascar crash 3[/ame] Mike Wallace Beneficiary Award: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gI10HFljUew"]YouTube - Great Touchdown Catch By Mike Wallace![/ame] PS: Love the comment at the beginning of the clip: "I don't think just any quarterback could run that Texas Tech offense." Very true.....only one's with non-NFL futures are that capable. I guess we need to give out the Michael Crabtree Recipient Award, too.
If I sat down and watched FSU vs Georgia Tech and FSU vs North Carolina, then the best QB I've seen in 2009 is Christian Ponder and it's not even close. Not even close. I saw the Noles earlier in the year and he was OK, but these two games, he's a top 3 pick on the back of these two. I hope he stays at Tallahassee and continues to improve because the leap from 2008 to 09 is excellent. He LOOKS like a leader now and he plays like one. Some of his passes wobble a little, but he's deadly accurate, throws very catchable passes, displays zip at the right time, touch at the right time, can manipulate the pocket and has great running skills. If he trains on, then you're looking at the number 1 pick in 2011.
I personally love Ponder as a QB...love him.... Too bad FSU is so bad in other areas. I know you love Locker and he may be a big hit, but to me he is also a big risk........he is all over the place with his release and plays better in a scrambled eggs offense where he can improvise with his AA....the big difference Ponder has IMHO is that his release point is very consistent whether he is in the pocket or running for his life where a WR lines up.........Locker may throw underhand or straight over the top or 3/4...he may wind up or he may not ,,,,he may hit the bull or the on deck batter ... again you may be exactly right on him since he has a good arm and AA but he to me is just a big question because of his "style" translating and not skills.and Ponder is generally the same type player IMO but looks to throw more and is more polished outside and inside the pocket.....again...JMHO......
