Islolation Series, Kirk Cousins
Washington Redskins QB Kirk Cousins is one of the better touch and anticipation throwers in the league, here we take a look at a throw from the Detroit game.
NFC East
2016 QB Preview, Eli Manning
Eli Returns for year 3 in the Ben MacAdoo west coast system that plays to the strengths and preferences of Eli as a player. With OBJ and other emerging young pass receiving talents in the Big Apple, 2016 just may be the year that the New York Football Giants make a playoff run.
#10 Eli Manning 6’4″ 218 13th Year, Mississippi
Eli Manning is the quintessential rhythm and timing thrower. Eli has an average arm and is just an average athlete yet can still throw very well on the move. Eli however is anything but average as a professional quarterback. Eli holds two super bowl rings and his play on the field can be classified as a model of consistency and availability as as he has never missed a start during his career. Eli simply put has build a Hall of Fame career for himself. A defining Staple of his game continues to be his ability to throw with Hall of Fame level touch and ball placement on a variety of throws particularly the deep ball as Eli has made his money throwing the fade ball better than anyone else in the league. Manning operates with ease from the pocket and is comfortable changing ball speeds to ensure completion. He is a perfect fit for the Ben MacAdoo west coast offense and we feel like he has 3-4 more solid years ahead of him.
Washington Redskins 2016 QB Preview
Author – Bryan Trulen
#8 Kirk Cousins 6’3″ 210 5th Year, Michigan State
Kirk Cousins enjoyed a fantastic 2015 in which we saw a quarterback who on multiple occasions put the offense on his own shoulders and deliver in critical moments. Kirk was rewarded with a one year franchise tag that will pay him well during 2016 and will also give him the chance to make even more money if he were to duplicate his 2015 production again.
On tape, Kirk has demonstrated that he is an easy thrower of the football who plays the position very fast in terms of his processing speed before and after the snap. Kirk we feel is a cross between Tony Romo and Matt Ryan in how he plays the position. He is a very decisive decision maker who throws with elite touch and ball placement while consistently putting his WR’s in ideal position to make plays after the catch. Like Romo, Cousins is not afraid to pull the trigger on designed shot plays down the field and even extend the play with his legs in order to make a throw. Cousins boasts a quick and natural throwing motion that aids him in throwing into tight windows down the field. Cousins routinely throws with very good ball placement and anticipation on down the field throws making up for any glaring arm strength limitation.
#16 Colt Mccoy 6’1″ 215 7th Year, Texas
Colt McCoy is a 7th year veteran. Colt rarely saw the field in 2015 however in 2014 he played in stretches for the Redskins and showed he belongs in the league still. On separate occasions, Colt led Washington to a huge Monday night win at Dallas and engineered a game winning drive in a game against Tennessee which say McCoy come in off the bench and throw the ball around the yard with anticipation and accuracy. When Colt has stepped in between the white lines from 2014-2016 he has generally performed pretty well as he has used early career rough patches to develop into a crisp, smart veteran backup quarterback. Colt was rewarded this off season with a long term deal that will keep him in the nations capital for a few more years. McCoy is a guy with a limited arm yet is able to throw with timing and good decision making within the short game in a consistent manner making good decisions with the football. Lastly, McCoy can throw well on the move and is a perfect fit for Jay Gruden’s offense in a backup role.
2016 Philadelphia Eagles QB Preview
Author – Bryan Trulen
#10 Chase Daniel 5’11” 225 8th Year, Missouri
Chase signed a lucrative free agent deal with Philly after spending the past 3 Years in Kansas City learning the Andy Reid/Doug Pederson system. He has been a QB who has showed up extremely well during exhibition play and in his two regular season starts in place of Alex Smith. Chase is a fundamentally sound naturally accurate quarterback who has shown the ability to get the ball to his playmakers. Chase also is a playmaker himself as he is legitimate threat running the football.
Weak areas of chases game are his lack of NFL arm strength and inability to see from within the pocket. Chase is 5’11” and simply struggles when forced to hang in the pocket and survey down the field. If Bradford struggles at any point during 2015, expect Chase however’ to receive a legitimate opportunity to make the Starting QB job his in Philly. He has waited a while for this type of opportunity and may run with it for as long as possible.
#11 Carson Wentz 6’5″ 237 Rookie, North Dakota State
Carson enjoyed a meteoric rise to celebrity from January – May 2016. There is considerable substance behind all of the hype being generated around him however. He reminds us at QB Film Room of a smoother version of Colts QB Andrew Luck when he was coming out of Stanford. Carson played within a pro style system at North Dakota State and put on display traits such as having a rhythmic feel to his throws, ability to anticipate throws and the ability to throw effortlessly while on the move. Carson already possesses high end NFL arm talent as a rookie. Intangibles wise Carson has it all as he is a certified gym rat, highly intelligent and savvy with the media. Carson is an innate leader who inspires his teammates and we would not be surprised to see him instantly become the vocal and inspirational leader of the Eagle locker room when his time to play comes. Carson has a Pro-Bowl ceiling but he will not be forced into action until he is ready to do so and may not take a regular season snap if Philly’s QB Plan stays in tact during 2016.
2016 Dallas Cowboys QB Preview
Dallas Cowboys (Written in Mid July 2016)
Author – Bryan Trulen
#9 Tony Romo 6’2″ 230 14th Year, Eastern Illinois
Tony Romo had one of the best years of his career in 2014 as he played at an MVP level in leading Dallas deep into the playoffs and essentially making a big time pressure throw to beat Green Bay in the NFC Championship Game before having the reception over turned. Romo however had an injury plagued 2015 as staying on the field was a year long struggle. When he did play he was inconsistent and at times played poorly. All indications are that he has had a great off-season and is ready to play at a high level again in 2016.
On Film, Romo continues to display a whip like release of the football, something that has been a staple of his game since entering the league in 2001. Romo boasts possibly the quickest release in all of the league. Tony is naturally accurate- making a variety of types of throws and throws with elite touch. Romo exemplifies a QB who can beat you time after time as he combines his quick release with tremendous touch allowing him to fit balls into tight windows over and around defenders enabling his WR’s to make routine catches in traffic. As a intuitive passer, Romo is very adept at changing ball speeds
Romo naturally likes to play within the defined structure of the play but if forced to improvise out of structure can do so as he uses his elite pocket feel to spin out, step up and throw on the run at a Pro- Bowl Level. As Romo has aged, his athleticism and arm strength have diminished but his pocket instincts, football IQ and ability to throw with touch and timing have us thinking he can still play at a high level for 2-3 more years.
#4 Dak Prescott 6’2″ 226 Rookie, Mississippi State
Prescott was drafted with the idea of having the Cowboys groom and develop him to eventually become the QB of the future in Dallas. He will be afforded an opportunity (in theory) to learn some of the nuances of the game sitting behind Tony Romo in a reserve role. Prescott’s skill set and rate of development will determine when and how fast he gets on the field.
From a Raw Material perspective, Dak has it all, Arm Strength, Athleticism, Size, and ability to throw on the run. Traits such as ball placement and touch will be emphasized as areas of improvement for him as he gets acclimated to the pro game. Dak should be able to develop into the Cowboys QB of the future as long as he stays on the right track.
#17 Kellen Moore 5’11 1/2 200 5th Year, Boise State
Moore had an opportunity to gain game experience when Tony Romo went down in 2015 and he showed the ability to be an average backup option moving forward. Moore is undersized and struggles to make plays from the pocket. He does however show an ability to make quick decisions and get the ball out of his hands with zero wasted motion or hesitation. Moore is at his best when operating within a pure west coast system where he is making quick decisions. Moore can throw with precision in the short game but his lack of arm strength will make him a career backup at best. His instincts are starter worthy and if given an extended opportunity we feel he could turn some heads but we feel that may not be in the cards for Moore moving forward.
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