Davis arm strength lacking

[Afro Ram]

lacking but not insufficient

 

[RamFan503]

I'm not going to get into mechanics and all that but I've seen lots of NFL and college QBs throw in person. Davis has plenty of zip on his passes when he needs it. Also during warm ups there was no comparison between he and Keenum. So if arm strength is your big indicator, and Davis doesn't have enough for you.... Keenum ain't exactly an upgrade. What I saw were accuracy issues at times and balls simply getting away from him. But seriously, the kid has had very little real game play and overall, he showed that we could be doing much worse than AD. He is strong in the pocket and can extend plays with his feet.

Some of those passes were where they HAD to be WHEN they had to be. It always amazes me when I go to a live game how honestly congested the field of play really is. It all seems so open on TV. You're always left wondering how a QB missed a certain receiver. Watching it live though you get a real idea how small and fleeting these windows of opportunity truly are.

 

[LesBaker]

On the subject of Austin Davis, if anyone is curious as to why Davis hasn't had any issues with batted passes to this point despite not being the tallest QB...look at his throwing motion and release point. He's actually similar to Drew Brees in this regard in that his release point is ABOVE his helmet. Here's a picture of right before the ball leaves his hand...so it actually leaves his hand at a slightly higher point.

His release isn't as fast as Favre's or Brees obviously (maybe that'll happen though) but the overall motion is similar, the way the ball comes out at the top.

 

[RamFan503]

He tends to throw it where the receiver IS instead of where he is GOING, that is my point I guess, that I am trying to make. There are several examples of it Sunday, or maybe he's just not used to all of the receivers yet. We shall see.

At any rate, that is what stuck out to me.

Exactly where most of Bradford's passes were thrown. Get over it. That has to have more to do with offensive design than QB play. I mean you can't tell me that if a play is designed to stretch the field he is not leading the receiver but instead throwing to where - as would be the case - where the receiver WAS. Not happening. Those stops and outs are designed plays and you can see him throw the ball before the receiver gets to the designated spot. You can live anyway. A couple of the misses really looked like miscommunication. You could tell by the back and forth between Davis and the receiver after the play. You don't miss a receiver by that far if you are throwing to where he IS. Basically, I call bullshit. I would agree that he needs more time in real games with his receivers though.

 

[LesBaker]

I'm not going to get into mechanics and all that but I've seen lots of NFL and college QBs throw in person. Davis has plenty of zip on his passes when he needs it. Also during warm ups there was no comparison between he and Keenum. So if arm strength is your big indicator, and Davis doesn't have enough for you.... Keenum ain't exactly an upgrade. What I saw were accuracy issues at times and balls simply getting away from him. But seriously, the kid has had very little real game play and overall, he showed that we could be doing much worse than AD. He is strong in the pocket and can extend plays with his feet.

Some of those passes were where they HAD to be WHEN they had to be. It always amazes me when I go to a live game how honestly congested the field of play really is. It all seems so open on TV. You're always left wondering how a QB missed a certain receiver. Watching it live though you get a real idea how small and fleeting these windows of opportunity truly are.

Yeah and some of those passes were into very tight coverage, he threw a couple of guys open during some critical downs.

 

[jrry32]

So you can't even give him credit for one throw, LOL.

I thought he had nice zip on the Pettis throw FWIW.

 

[jrry32]

He tends to throw it where the receiver IS instead of where he is GOING, that is my point I guess, that I am trying to make. There are several examples of it Sunday, or maybe he's just not used to all of the receivers yet. We shall see.

At any rate, that is what stuck out to me.

Not what I've seen.

 

[Thordaddy]

My observations:
As far as comparing Davis to Clemens, yeah fire ,competitive and may not have any better arm but he doesn't have to wind up and throw with max effort as often on the same passes,one of the first thing I noticed last year was how Clemens had to put all he had into intermediate patterns which IMO hurts accuracy.

The proposition that Davis throws to where the rec. IS instead of where he's gonna be is laughable , even I lead a moving rec., you can't keep a QB job at any level by throwing where they are,he may not have the timing to lead them enough ,he may see that leading them will take them right into a DB so he tries to slow them down, but the "where they are" contention just don't fly.

Last Monday the Colts lost to Philly ,late in that game Indy recs. dropped a few passes when they needed the drive, I remarked at the time that Andrew Luck was too hyped and throwing the ball too hard , so there is a downside to overwhelming arm strength and something to be said for a Qb who throws a catchable ball,HOW MANY did we drop Sunday and wasn't one of the things people defended Sam about was all the drops?
Doesn't matter how strong your arm is if the ball is coming in too hot and only the elite rec is gonna catch it what good are you without them ?

Davis IMO was better Sunday than Clemens ,all things being equal with our improved rec corps we should be a better team with him than we were with KC as long as he can keep up like he started.
All that said I won't be on the play Davis over Hill bandwagon until we are 2-1 and Fisher is driving the wagon.

 

[blue4]

It was meant as a compliment.

Oh, my fault. Sorry.

 

[WoodsideRam]

I wish he had a little more zip on the ball as well. It was painful watching some of those passes stay up in the air a little longer than usual. On every one of his passes I was always expecting a DB to flash into the area and pick it. Having said that, I hope he continues to do well. Seems like a good kid and the players seem to respond to him.

 

[Angry Ram]

Arm strength is overrated.

Asset, yes. But overrated.

 

[fearsomefour]

Exactly where most of Bradford's passes were thrown. Get over it. That has to have more to do with offensive design than QB play. I mean you can't tell me that if a play is designed to stretch the field he is not leading the receiver but instead throwing to where - as would be the case - where the receiver WAS. Not happening. Those stops and outs are designed plays and you can see him throw the ball before the receiver gets to the designated spot. You can live anyway. A couple of the misses really looked like miscommunication. You could tell by the back and forth between Davis and the receiver after the play. You don't miss a receiver by that far if you are throwing to where he IS. Basically, I call bullcrap. I would agree that he needs more time in real games with his receivers though.

Most of those misses were miscommunication....which is to be expected with a guy with limited time and practice and just as importantly making in game adjustments.
I did like that he was allowed to change the play once or twice.
I am happy for Davis and really enjoyed watching him play. Hill is still the guy based on experience and everything else. We will see. If Davis can string together a couple of similar games, why not stick with him?
His passes float a lot. This is a very typical indicator of lack of arm strength or trying to over throw the ball. So, his game will more about anticipation and timing. More subtle things to master. There are plenty of guys with cannons who have never played exceptionally well in the NFL (see Skelton in Arizona). The most important thing is Davis knows the offense well enough you can run different sorts of plays, he went through his progressions several times, something you dont see some highly praised QBs do well. So, you have a guy who knows the offense, can find receivers but has a limitation in arm strength. Ok, that works. I saw one or two passes I though were poor on Sunday (not counting the obvious miscommunications)....not really anymore than any other NFL game.
Saying he has a weakness is not attacking him.

 

[fearsomefour]

lacking but not insufficient

That is a very good description.
Arm strength is not about throwing 55 yards. My son who hasnt played football in 3 years and hasnt played QB in 4 could pick up a ball and throw it 55 + yards now.
Its about hitting windows in time and hitting tight windows. Davis did well with this on Sunday. Lack of arm strength just means the guy has less room for error in getting rid of the ball.

 

[RFIP]

Not what I've seen.

Shocking :eek:

 

[moklerman]

I think the criticisms of Davis in this thread are bordering on ridiculous.

Seriously. I mean, what is he being compared to? His arm isn't as strong as Flacco's? Well, most of the QB's in the league fit into that category, but who cares?

Davis looked VERY good out there. Surprised the hell outta me because I've not been impressed by him since he's been here. But I rewatched the game and the guy didn't make any bad decisions that I saw. A couple of bad throws, but I didn't see him get away with anything in terms of making a bad read.

That's huge. But in terms of arm strength, I don't know what all of this floating and fluttering talk is. The guy has a great, over the top delivery, finds passing lanes well for a first time starter and most importantly, throws a catchable ball. There were plenty of examples of him zipping the ball when he had to but most of the time, he was putting it where the receiver could at least make a play on it and more often, thrown accurately and on time.

I get the impression that Rams fans just can't be happy unless they're complaining about the current QB whoever it might be. I'm really taken aback that there isn't anything but excitement over the great start that Davis had his first time out. The guy looked great and like a potential diamond in the rough. This wasn't a TJ Rubley thing where he was running around and producing off of broken plays, Davis was really running the offense and it looked relatively effective.

Supporting cast? Still more of an issue IMO. If Austin and Quick catch passes they should have caught and if Stacy doesn't fumble(not to mention all the penalties), Davis and the offense cruise to a comfortable victory.

 

[ausmurp]

I've been really impressed with his reads. Unlike Bradford, Davis doesn't appear to be staring down his WR most of the time. On Sunday I saw him progress through his reads and make above average throws.

I really wish we had a good QB coaching staff. We should try to steal away some good QB coach and coach Davis up. He has a ton of potential if we could just coach him better. Honestly I don't think any QB stands much of a chance on our team with our current QB coaching staff...

 

[ausmurp]

I would compare Davis' arm strength to Drew Brees'

 

[den-the-coach]

And I disagree with you on another point but I'll keep that to myself for now.

I love you man I realize you might think Bradford will return and I would like nothing better, but I will bet on history and feel very strongly the future Ram Quarterback is currently in the collegiate ranks.

 

[iamme33]

Arm strength aside and you're right he doesn't have the strongest arm in the world. What was most impressive was his composure in the pocket. And that he isn't afraid to let it go downfield. The kid has balls. Quick decision making and accuracy trump strength.

and the kid never gives up looking down field for a play. imo bardford and hill would have either taken sacks tried to scramble or thrown the ball away on a lot of those plays. my fear is that at some point in time davis is going to throw a lot of interceptions.

 

[RFIP]

I love you man I realize you might think Bradford will return and I would like nothing better, but I will bet on history and feel very strongly the future Ram Quarterback is currently in the collegiate ranks.

I have nothing but a guy feeling on this one coach so you certainly have all the ammo at present.

But we shall see.

Keep in mind age-wise next year he will still only be as old as Kurt was in 99'.