I don't see it as lack of confidence, but rather lack of protection. If our line were providing great pass protection, Boeckman would still be starting. Pryor's ability to create extra time and gain yards with his legs are the main reason for the offenses success over the last two games. I don't see it as TP giving up on the pocket, he keeps his eyes upfield. He is showing more of a pass first mentality than Troy did before his senior year.
I think that is a good assesment. The one thing I would state, is often times QB's with mobility become much more comfortable out of the pocket. I have noticed Terrelle leaves the pocket frequently, before he even feels a rush. Again, I don't care. He is at his best outside of the pocket. My only argument is from an NFL standpoint, and they dont care about mobility. They care about pocket awareness and the ability to deliver the ball with an oncoming pass rush in your face.
I think TP will be a better passer than either of those guys by 2010. Plus, I bet TP would outscore VY on the wunderlik test right now.
You know, Troy became an exceptional passer of the football. I don't doubt Terrelle can master the skill like Troy did, but it is NOT a given. Troy has/had an NFL arm. His throw to Robiskie in the PSU game was a thing of beauty and proved his arm strength. It is not always about how far you can throw it, or how quickly you can it there and with what touch. Troy always had an NFL arm, but his touch often lacked, and obviosuly his height buried him come draft day. Will Terrelle develop an NFL arm, and develop a nice touch of intermediate routes? Also, can Terrelle become comfortable and efficient in a 3 step drop game?
The TP/Bradford/Stafford thing is odd since they're all different years, but Bradford's clearly the best pro prospect. Stafford will probably go higher than his record dictates because scouts love QBs who put a lot of heat on their incompletions. I think he's overrated, though. If we're comparing QBs from different years, Colt McCoy and Sanchez might go before TP, also. But there's a lot of speculation in that comparison.
That is why I threw in the hyporthetical on a developed Terrelle Pryor vs. NFL draft qualified players in Bradford and Stafford. Both Bradford and Stafford have proven arm strength, and pocket capabilites. Even with Stafford's poor completion percentage, he has proven to have a big arm, and can deliver the ball in tight spots. I know 'Bama dominated him last weekend, but he projects as a prototypical NFL QB.
I just can't see OSU turning to an exclusive spread option offense, even though it would be deadly. They could have done the same thing with Troy, but ended up making him almost exclusively a passer. If I'm not mistaken, TP has run a good number of plays from under center. The NFL does lean towards drop back passers, but many mobile QBs (McNabb, McNair, Cunningham, Leftwich, etc.) have had success as starters.
I agree that OSU will always have a place for power formations. However, there is a reason we have recruited guys like Jamal Berry, Lamar Thomas, and Jordan Hall. Truthfully, guys like Brandon Saine and even Boom Herron fit better in a spread attack than power formation. Boom is good out of either, but the rest of these guys work much better in space. Carlos Hyde is an incoming recruit that fills the power formation prototype, but I really think we are about to become a spread attack.
The last point I'd make is, Leftwich is far from mobile. McNabb is not nearly as mobile as when he once entered the league. In fact, most defenses now play Dononvan straight up, meaning they don't prepare for the scramble drill. Donovan is just as good as he ever was though, due to his ability to move IN THE POCKET, and his arm strength is still in a league of its own.
Randall Cunningham only became elite once he learned how to become a pocket QB. His best statiscal years were in Minnesota when he threw to Randy Moss and Chris Carter. Randall was also in his late 30's and gave up on scrambling. He became an amazing deep ball thrower, and relied on Robert Smith to open the passing game up.
And Stve McNair was also less of a scrambler and more of a pocket QB. Steve could scramble, and run you over. But Steve also had a rifle. A real rifle. He could thorw the [censored] out of the ball. He was faster than your Byron Leftwichs' but he wasn't Randall Cunningham in his prime either.
In the end, all of these guys were great because of their arms and pocket pressence. All of them with exception to Byron Leftwich, were capable of scrambling, but that is not where there bread and butter was.
Vince Young and Mike Vick were both more comfortable outside of the pocket. Outside of the pocket is good on a bootleg in the NFL, but not every pass-play. That is a recipe for losing.
Terrelle will become a great NFL QB. I believe that because he is a student of the game and has the physical tools to do it. My only point regarding his decesion to come back his senior year, is that he will still have lots to imrpove on regarding his pocket QB play.
I think Terrelle will be successful no matter when he leaves OSU. He's smart enough to learn the NFL, and athletic enough to belong no matter when he goes. My only argument is that, he may have a very significant opportunity to improve his draft status between his junior and senior years. No matter how excellent he is his junior season, there will be multiple pocket QB's who fit the mold of an NFL QB more than Terrelle does.
He would always show up at the Union after I would, and I'd always see him driving around in his white Grand Cherokee.