Rams Positional Outlook: Quarterbacks

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http://prod.preview.rams.clubs.nfl....terbacks/a4345709-2e56-42ec-b8c6-705ef1f9cf5a

Rams Positional Outlook: Quarterbacks
Myles Simmons

The 2017 Rams won their first NFC West title since 2003 with an 11-5 regular-season record. As Los Angeles’ focus shifts to 2018 and beyond, we’ll take a position-by-position look at how the Rams performed in 2017 and how each group currently stands at the start of the 2018 offseason.

QUARTERBACK

QB | Jared Goff
— 3,804 yards passing | 28 passing touchdowns and seven interceptions | 62.1 percent completion rate | 100.5 passer rating | Started 15 of 16 regular-season games

QB | Sean Mannion
— Started Week 17 vs. San Francisco | 185 yards passing | 72.5 passer rating

QB | Brandon Allen
— Served as Rams’ third quarterback throughout the season

ANY FREE AGENTS?

All of the Rams’ quarterbacks are currently under contract for the 2018 season.

LOOK BACK, LOOK AHEAD

Led by Goff, Los Angeles’ quarterbacks took a significant step forward under head coach Sean McVay in 2017.

Goff finished the year as the league’s No. 5 rated passer and earned his first trip to the Pro Bowl after completing 62.1 percent of his passes for 3,804 yards with 28 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. Goff also led the league with 12.9 yards per completion, helping L.A. to become the NFL’s highest-scoring team.

Mannion served as the Rams’ primary backup for the 2017 season, playing in five games. He started Los Angeles’ Week 17 matchup against San Francisco, when McVay elected to rest most of the club’s starters. In that game, Mannion completed 20 of his 34 passes for 169 yards.

L.A. acquired Allen off the waiver wire, and he was inactive as the Rams’ third quarterback for the vast majority of the season. He suffered a back injury — presumably during practice — and was placed on injured reserve during Week 15.

While Goff enters the 2018 offseason as the Rams’ starting signal-caller, there’s a possibility for competition between Mannion and Allen for Los Angeles’ backup quarterback role going forward.
 

den-the-coach

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I believe the Rams might carry 3 QB's again and I would like to get a long look at Brandon Allen, smaller hands then Goff (that point was for all of you) however, Allen can run far more effectively than Goff and of course Mannion. Not sure how McVay feels about Allen as IMO, the Rams claimed because at the time QB Coach Greg Olson coached him in Jacksonville, but now Olson is with Gruden in Oak Vegas.

Overall again Allen offers something different and played well in preseason action with the Jaguars so I always like a back up that can offer something different then the starter because it could take a defense time to adjust during a game.
 

DaveFan'51

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I believe the Rams might carry 3 QB's again and I would like to get a long look at Brandon Allen, smaller hands then Goff (that point was for all of you) however, Allen can run far more effectively than Goff and of course Mannion. Not sure how McVay feels about Allen as IMO, the Rams claimed because at the time QB Coach Greg Olson coached him in Jacksonville, but now Olson is with Gruden in Oak Vegas.

Overall again Allen offers something different and played well in preseason action with the Jaguars so I always like a back up that can offer something different then the starter because it could take a defense time to adjust during a game.
I would not be surprised to see the Rams Pick up a QB in the Draft on Day 3! Say maybe Kyle Lauletta - Richmond.
 

den-the-coach

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I would not be surprised to see the Rams Pick up a QB in the Draft on Day 3! Say maybe Kyle Lauletta - Richmond.

Yeah, Lauletta is the QB du jour on this board and his hand size is 9 5/8 which is bigger than Brandon Allen, but again, it will come down to, how much do the Rams like Allen? If they like him, no reason to draft a QB even if it's Spider Man.
 

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Luke Falk is my "value" QB in this draft. The dude is ridiculous and IMO will be special with a long and successful career as a starter in this league. Of course since teams overdraft the F out of the position it's a relative thing to call him a value QB, but he is. He is incredibly undervalued in just about every mock I've seen.

Here's a game of his vs Stanford this season. Dude just has it...


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfKdOJZL5Zo
 

bubbaramfan

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I don't buy the "small hands". I'd like to see some stat comparisons. I get that guys with big hands get a good grip on the ball,but if a QB with small hands can make all the throws, deep, across his body going the other way, etc., it makes the case moot.
 

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I don't know about you guys, but I am not that high on Mannion anymore as the primary back up. Sure, he was playing with other back ups in the last Niner game, but meh. I don't feel that confident that he can step in and do anything but hand the ball off to Todd Gurley.
 

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Overall again Allen offers something different and played well in preseason action with the Jaguars so I always like a back up that can offer something different then the starter because it could take a defense time to adjust during a game.
Agree 100%
Its a sound strategy to have your backup give the defense a different dimension and different look when he's forced into action. He has to be able to run the offense obviously, but facing a mobile vs non-mobile QB (for example) with no defensive game planning can be an immediate advantage on gameday.

I like Mannion and think he'll have a place in the league at some point but i'd like to see McVay develop a more mobile type QB behind Goff. A guy who can improvise with superior athleticism within the offense.

Are there any mid round QB's coming out this year who fit that description?
 

den-the-coach

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Are there any mid round QB's coming out this year who fit that description?

As Ohio goes, so goes the Nation.

ABOUT:
Logan Woodside is a 5-yr. senior quarterback for the Toledo Rockets. While with the Rockets he threw for over 10,000 yards most of it coming in his last 3 seasons. He finished in the top 10 for passing yards in his last 2 seasons (7th and 8th respectively). A more impressive stat, Woodside ended his career at 12th in passing yards per attempt, at 9.1 YPA.

SCOUTING:
Woodside is a shorter quarterback standing at just 6-2 and weighing 210 pounds. He is a pretty athletic player for his position and is able to move around the pocket and gain yards with his feet. Although not very explosive in this area, he was able to frequently extend plays by getting outside the pocket and making a very accurate throw on the run. Woodside is not a running quarterback but a scrambling one. He runs to set up big plays with his legs, which he made a lot while with the Rockets.

Woodside’s accuracy was very impressive. No matter what type of pass was called, nearly every time he was able to put the pass right on his receiver enabling him to get the most out of every pass. Even in tight windows, Woodside’s precision was very prevalent, hitting his receivers perfectly in their hands or on the numbers. Even more impressive was the type of passes he was throwing. Typically watching college players, you see them making gimme passes like screens, dump offs, or designed plays, but with Woodside he threw normal NFL style passes. He was able to drive his team down the field like a pro quarterback, and shows the talent he possesses.

Woodside is a very explosive quarterback, making plays with his legs and arm. He has a very strong arm, able to hit deep passes with ease. His deep ball is a thing of beauty hitting receivers across the middle or on the sideline with pinpoint accuracy.

The only downside to Woodside is his arm strength. Although he has a very strong arm, which enables him to hit every target on the field, he sometimes overthrows receivers not knowing his own strength.
 

snackdaddy

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I'm not sold on Mannion either. But he does have the time with this team and system. A Superbowl caliber team should not have a rookie backup QB so Mannion is going to be the guy. Fortunately Goff's not one of those QB's who runs around putting his body at risk. Hasn't missed a game due to injury in college or pros. Some guys have a knack for absorbing hits.
 

den-the-coach

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I don't buy the "small hands". I'd like to see some stat comparisons. I get that guys with big hands get a good grip on the ball,but if a QB with small hands can make all the throws, deep, across his body going the other way, etc., it makes the case moot.

Why a quarterback’s hand size matters to the NFL

It’s Combine week, and hundreds of NFL evaluators will be watching closely to get a better gauge on everything. Pretty much every player in Indy has gone to various Combine training places to improve on, among other things: their 40s, their shuttle times, their vertical jumps, the amount of times they can bench press 225 pounds and how well they can present their football savvy in a classroom setting.

Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen has worked diligently on all those things at a camp in South Florida. In addition, he’s also worked on something else — trying to increase his hand size. Well, more specifically, his hand measurement.

The size of a quarterback’s hand has gained increased attention in the past few years. For my book "The QB: The Making of Modern Quarterbacks,” I spoke with Tom Rossley, who was the Green Bay Packers’ former offensive coordinator and later recruited Johnny Manziel to Texas A&M when he was the Aggies’ quarterbacks coach. Rossley said one of the first things they looked at when they evaluated quarterbacks in Green Bay was how big their hands were, "because of how Brett (Favre) was and how well he could play in cold weather,” Rossley said. “That’s such a key with handling the ball, controlling the ball, and with the snap coming out. The size of a quarterback’s hands is even more important than his height."


Favre’s hands were measured by the NFL years ago (from thumb tip to pinkie tip) at 10 3⁄8 inches. For comparison’s sake, Tony Romo’s hand was measured at 8.88 inches. Anything bigger than 9 1⁄2 is considered large for an NFL QB prospect.

At the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., last month, Allen’s hands were measured at 8 1/2 inches — the smallest of all the QBs there.

"It’s obviously something I can’t control,” Allen said, before adding that as part of his draft training process, the masseuse who helps the athletes with recovery has also been working twice a week on stretching out the QB’s hands “to maybe get another 1/2 inch or 1/4 inch here or there because the muscles in my hands were really tight and this can loosen them up. I have long fingers.

“It’s worth a shot."

While many may figure the biggest issue with small hands manifests itself in fumbling, the coaches and personnel people FOX Sports spoke with say it’s really more about being able to grip and throw the ball in inclement weather.

Allen, Arkansas’ career touchdown passes leader with 64, actually had decent fumble numbers in college. In 2015, he had four fumbles and lost one. For comparison sake, that’s the exact same numbers that Cal’s Jared Goff had. Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott, who played in the same division as Allen and had some of the biggest hands at the Senior Bowl at 9 7/8, fumbled nine times and lost four in 2015.

Virginia Tech’s Logan Thomas, who has some of the biggest hands for a QB that NFL personnel people have measured in years — 10 7/8 inches — fumbled nine times in his final college season, losing three of them. Check the NFL totals on the guys who fumble the most and it’s hard to draw much of a parallel to hand size. Drew Brees, who has very big mitts, fumbles at almost the same rate as Tony Romo. Russell Wilson, another guy with very big hands (10 1/4), has fumbled at a much higher rate than Alex Smith (9 3/8 inches) has over the past three seasons.

***

Two years ago one of the hottest topics in the run-up to the NFL Draft was the supposed dismal performance Teddy Bridgewater had at his pro day. The former Louisville star had opted not to wear a glove on his throwing hand even though he wears one when he plays. That triggered even more focus on Bridgewater’s hands, which were measured at 9 1/4 inches, the smallest of any of the top QB prospects who were coming out for the draft that year. At the time ESPN researched that since 2008 there had been 39 quarterbacks who had been measured with a hand size of 9 1/4 or smaller; less than one-fifth of them had even gone on to start half a season in the NFL and none had made a Pro Bowl.

Bridgewater, who completed 68 percent of his passes and had a 14-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio on third downs at Louisville, lasted until the 32nd pick of the first round. The Vikings drafted Bridgewater, who won Rookie of the Year honors and was selected to the Pro Bowl in his second season.

Despite the fact that he was drafted by a team that plays a lot in cold weather, Bridgewater’s small hands haven’t seemed to be an issue. In fact, according to the Star Tribune, in the two coldest games at TCF Bank Stadium, which also both rank among the 10 coldest in franchise history, the Vikings defeated Carolina 31-13 in 2014 when the game-time temperature was 12 degrees and beat the Giants 49-17 in 2015 when the game-time temperature was 13 degrees. In those two games, Bridgewater was a combined 30-for-46 (65.2 percent) with three TDs and no interceptions while the two opposing QBs, Cam Newton and Eli Manning, were a combined 33 for 64 (51.5 percent) with a TD and four INTs.

***

Tony Romo’s become the poster child for the small-hands QB. The Wisconsin native played in college at Eastern Illinois, but he has struggled, going 1-3 as a starting NFL QB in games played at 32 degrees or colder, according to ESPN Stats and Info data. Romo’s individual stats, however, don’t look that bad: He’s completed 60 percent of his passes with an 8-4 TD-INT ratio in those games.

Brandon Allen didn’t play in anything close to an Ice Bowl in college. He did play well though in two games that were in less than ideal weather. Against Miss. State when the temperature was in the mid-30s, he went 30-of-43 for 406 yards, throwing seven TDs and zero picks in a 51-50 loss. The other game was vs. Mizzou in sleeting rain, and he went 11-of-17 for 102 yards without a TD pass and one INT in a 28-3 Razorbacks win.

Former NFL GM Phil Savage is both the Alabama Crimson Tide radio color analyst and the Senior Bowl executive director. He’s seen plenty of Allen and is impressed by how much the 6-2, 220-pounder has improved over the past three seasons. In 2015, Allen actually led the country in QBR rating at 87.8 and was tops in the SEC in passer rating at 166.48 despite playing a chunk of the season without three of the Razorbacks’ top four receivers.

Savage said Allen’s hand size is “problematic for the teams that play in (cold weather) conditions,” Savage said. "However, I’ve been a Brandon Allen fan. He did some pro-style-like things at Arkansas with play-action passing. He came through for them in his senior year, when they won close games. I thought he had some solid practices and had a really good game, going 7-for-10 (in the Senior Bowl). I think he fits a team that runs the traditional West Coast offense because he’s got quick feet. He’s got a quick arm and I think Brandon has quick eyes as well.

https://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story...ks-brandon-allen-tony-romo-bridgewater-022216
 

bubbaramfan

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A lot of good those big hands of Brett Favre did him. One of the all time leaders in both interceptions (336) and fumbles(111), Den's article kinda proves my point and at the least suggests smaller hands are better or at lest a non factor.
 

dieterbrock

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This is Mannion last stand with the Rams. Wouldn't surprise me if they draft a qb or sign a UDFA. I don't think there will be a demand for SM, but it will just be that much cheaper to let him walk