The Top QB's in this years draft...

[ManofGod]

In about 10 minutes on ESPN the NFL daft special entitled: Gruden's QB Camp will be airing. If you want to get a better look at this years group of QB's and see how they think, break down defenses in there heads, and respond to criticism then by all means please watch this and respond with your thoughts on if you really believe that Clausen is that far behind Bradford, McCoy, Tebow, etc.

Looking forward to your thoughts guys. Be Blessed!

[C-Mob 71]

Re: The Top QB's in this years draft...

Good call, I was wanting to watch this after seeing Sam Bradford's short segment.

[ManofGod]

Re: The Top QB's in this years draft...

Lol...we've got to get you up to date on your slang man its "good look" (just joking).

[RockinRam]

Re: The Top QB's in this years draft...

Would anyone viewing the show please post a review or summary of the show? Like about the different interactions with Gruden, what Gruden dissected, etc.

Much appreciated.

[Warner4prez]

Re: The Top QB's in this years draft...

PFT posted something about how they were unimpressed with how Claussen supposedly threw one of his receivers under the bus while he and Gruden watched a video about an interception he threw. They may have looked a bit to hard into that one, but I haven't seen the special myself.

[Azul e Oro]

Re: The Top QB's in this years draft...

I can't recommend this special highly enough. Fascinating stuff.

Some subjective observations: Gruden stresses the comparison to Brees when talking to McCoy.Along with the shoulder commonality, preparation and pocket awareness are two qualities he thinks McCoy needs to work on to be as successful & goes over an example of Brees making a blitz adjustment-he read the D & is able to successfully adjust due to that intense prep. JG rips him on being too indecisive at times in the pocket which led to multiple sacks.

JG said he felt CM was very motivated to learn. I also got that impression; lots of eye contact, active listening, & some note taking.

Most fun moment: JG making fun of Colt's drawl, saying he'd be hard to understand in the huddle. Shouldn't worry Ram fans since most of the O had a crash course in learning to understand Texalese from Null.

Tebow was described by JG as a rockstar & the charisma was very evident.Went a little overboard with the 'sir" thing, imo, which kinda makes you wonder if the kid isn't just a little too careful about his image. Very media-savvy, in fact; actually looks right in the camera & talks at one point. He even looks like he could be Brendan Fraser's son Still, he sounds sincerely & passionately committed to getting better as a QB. Physically, his new motion looks good & he's a very impressive physical specimen. JG even teases him about being the next Alstott; a goal line RB specialist.

Most fun moment: JG is teasing him about tape of giving a ref grief( after a very questionable bit of improv by Tebow; a jump pass that falls incomplete due to holding) Tebow shoots back that he's never even seen Gruden get mad. I got the impression that Chucky & Tebow are cut from the same cloth in terms of passion & connected on that.

Clausen's session was a bit different,imo. Even though JG said they had " a blast", he also got quite a bit more serious with JC, even describing it himself as "we interrogated Jimmy a bit".Ripped him on taking 4 timeouts in a game because of communication issues. JG makes suggestion of practicing with headset 7 signal caller so it doesn't happen in the NFL. Would have liked to hear Clausen take more responsibility there( he says he wasn't getting calls fast enough & they were trying to do too much with the crowd noise. I thought that-taking personal responsibility as the leader- was what JG is saying has to happen to avoid the problem in the NFL, ie practice with headset & signal caller in TC so that he is quicker at assimilating instructions,etc.

Dissected the winning 4th down throw that JC made vs Purdue which showcased his quick read/release ability very well. Thought JG might have been hinting that JC had made the decision pre-snap but thought JC explained why he did it pretty well & showed awareness of the alternative target.

JG shows the INT thrown by JC to end a comeback bid in another game. JC does indeed basically indicate that his receiver didn't adjust his route after being given a hand signal adjustment-the tape clearly shows it was made,btw, but he falls a hair short of throwing anyone under the bus saying, "it was a miscommunication between the two of us" Gruden is rather harsh after that, calling it disrespectful to ND & the QB position to make such a bad mistake in that situation & that it will always be blamed on the QB, no matter what. JG even invoked Ryan Leaf's name, saying that plays like that could remind people of Leaf and be cited as evidence that he was undisciplined and/or just winging it.

Eye contact was excellent & JC seemed receptive to criticism-lots of active listening; probably only second to Colt in that respect who actually thanked JG for pointing out his negatives. JC was the most active notetaker.

JG also confirmed the common wisdom that JC was "ahead of the game" on the Xs and Os & that he had to take responsibility for his own development.

Most fun moment: JG points out the ND mascot-a leprechaun- while watching tape & & JC actually knows the guy's name.A leprechaun named Juan...only in America...Btw, those who claim that JC was just "throwing it up there" & letting his WRs go get it need to see that-it's a sweet throw that drops right into the WR's hands in the pylon corner of the endzone.

Bradford remains an enigma to me. More engaged than you'd guess from the trailer of a few days ago but the least active,imo, in terms of active listening, eye contact, & note taking when being criticized. His body language is totally shut off at times; hardly ever looking at JG when Chucky is talking & keeping a hand up to block that side of his face from JG.I was also surprised with his definition of a "protection plan". You'd think, after all the crap the guy has taken about his injury, that he would have mentioned that he needs to work on his survival skills. He says all the right things about being prepared & understanding protection schemes/adjustments but never mentions that aspect of it. The guy's intelligence shines through in his play breakdown, though, & I'd have to tie him with Colt on that although JC was never asked to do it that we saw.

Most fun moment: um...uh....well, there really wasn't one for me. Sam seems like a good kid but he's a little more Gary Cooper than John Wayne.You get the feeling that if he ever went out with buddies, he'd always be the designated driver.That levelheaded coolness could stand him in good stead but I'd say he's definitely more Bulger than Brees.

Overall, I thought JC was more personable than I expected but doesn't have the easy charm of Tebow or the aw-shucks good nature of Colt or the low key, almost nonchalant, confidence of Sam.

[RockinRam]

Re: The Top QB's in this years draft...

I can't recommend this special highly enough. Fascinating stuff.

Some subjective observations: Gruden stresses the comparison to Brees when talking to McCoy.Along with the shoulder commonality, preparation and pocket awareness are two qualities he thinks McCoy needs to work on to be as successful & goes over an example of Brees making a blitz adjustment-he read the D & is able to successfully adjust due to that intense prep. JG rips him on being too indecisive at times in the pocket which led to multiple sacks.

JG said he felt CM was very motivated to learn. I also got that impression; lots of eye contact, active listening, & some note taking.

Most fun moment: JG making fun of Colt's drawl, saying he'd be hard to understand in the huddle. Shouldn't worry Ram fans since most of the O had a crash course in learning to understand Texalese from Null.

Tebow was described by JG as a rockstar & the charisma was very evident.Went a little overboard with the 'sir" thing, imo, which kinda makes you wonder if the kid isn't just a little too careful about his image. Very media-savvy, in fact; actually looks right in the camera & talks at one point. He even looks like he could be Brendan Fraser's son Still, he sounds sincerely & passionately committed to getting better as a QB. Physically, his new motion looks good & he's a very impressive physical specimen. JG even teases him about being the next Alstott; a goal line RB specialist.

Most fun moment: JG is teasing him about tape of giving a ref grief( after a very questionable bit of improv by Tebow; a jump pass that falls incomplete due to holding) Tebow shoots back that he's never even seen Gruden get mad. I got the impression that Chucky & Tebow are cut from the same cloth in terms of passion & connected on that.

Clausen's session was a bit different,imo. Even though JG said they had " a blast", he also got quite a bit more serious with JC, even describing it himself as "we interrogated Jimmy a bit".Ripped him on taking 4 timeouts in a game because of communication issues. JG makes suggestion of practicing with headset 7 signal caller so it doesn't happen in the NFL. Would have liked to hear Clausen take more responsibility there( he says he wasn't getting calls fast enough & they were trying to do too much with the crowd noise. I thought that-taking personal responsibility as the leader- was what JG is saying has to happen to avoid the problem in the NFL, ie practice with headset & signal caller in TC so that he is quicker at assimilating instructions,etc.

Dissected the winning 4th down throw that JC made vs Purdue which showcased his quick read/release ability very well. Thought JG might have been hinting that JC had made the decision pre-snap but thought JC explained why he did it pretty well & showed awareness of the alternative target.

JG shows the INT thrown by JC to end a comeback bid in another game. JC does indeed basically indicate that his receiver didn't adjust his route after being given a hand signal adjustment-the tape clearly shows it was made,btw, but he falls a hair short of throwing anyone under the bus saying, "it was a miscommunication between the two of us" Gruden is rather harsh after that, calling it disrespectful to ND & the QB position to make such a bad mistake in that situation & that it will always be blamed on the QB, no matter what. JG even invoked Ryan Leaf's name, saying that plays like that could remind people of Leaf and be cited as evidence that he was undisciplined and/or just winging it.

Eye contact was excellent & JC seemed receptive to criticism-lots of active listening; probably only second to Colt in that respect who actually thanked JG for pointing out his negatives. JC was the most active notetaker.

JG also confirmed the common wisdom that JC was "ahead of the game" on the Xs and Os & that he had to take responsibility for his own development.

Most fun moment: JG points out the ND mascot-a leprechaun- while watching tape & & JC actually knows the guy's name.A leprechaun named Juan...only in America...Btw, those who claim that JC was just "throwing it up there" & letting his WRs go get it need to see that-it's a sweet throw that drops right into the WR's hands in the pylon corner of the endzone.

Bradford remains an enigma to me. More engaged than you'd guess from the trailer of a few days ago but the least active,imo, in terms of active listening, eye contact, & note taking when being criticized. His body language is totally shut off at times; hardly ever looking at JG when Chucky is talking & keeping a hand up to block that side of his face from JG.I was also surprised with his definition of a "protection plan". You'd think, after all the crap the guy has taken about his injury, that he would have mentioned that he needs to work on his survival skills. He says all the right things about being prepared & understanding protection schemes/adjustments but never mentions that aspect of it. The guy's intelligence shines through in his play breakdown, though, & I'd have to tie him with Colt on that although JC was never asked to do it that we saw.

Most fun moment: um...uh....well, there really wasn't one for me. Sam seems like a good kid but he's a little more Gary Cooper than John Wayne.You get the feeling that if he ever went out with buddies, he'd always be the designated driver.That levelheaded coolness could stand him in good stead but I'd say he's definitely more Bulger than Brees.

Overall, I thought JC was more personable than I expected but doesn't have the easy charm of Tebow or the aw-shucks good nature of Colt or the low key, almost nonchalant, confidence of Sam.

That is very interesting stuff Azul. Thank you for posting that.


I wouldn't say Bradford is turning me off, but I'm certainly questioning why there is few eye contacts, body languages etc. It might be just because he is intimidated by Gruden? Who knows. I still like the guy and think he is very good though.


Tebow = church boy


Not surprised with Colt. Living in Texas, I've seen lots of interviews, up close things about McCoy, etc. He has always been that type of guy, and it doesn't surprise me that he still brings that attitude with him. Great guy.

[Bralidore(RAMMODE)]

Re: The Top QB's in this years draft...

Great review Azul, I saw the whole thing yesterday and I have to agree on just about all points. Colt Mccoy seemed very concerned about his mistakes and intent on improving himself on all accounts. Tebow was..Tebow, very intense and talkative on all points. JC seemed very active in notetaking and made a point to look at Gruden and make eye contact in a typical conversational format. Certainly wouldn't say he threw his receiver under the bus he just called him out on running the wrong route but also took responsibility by saying it was a miscommunication on both fronts.

Bradford looked at the video more than the other guys and made eye contact on big comments and/or criticisms. I really think the whole sitting the head on the hand thing is a reflection of his laid back nature and has really gotten overblown. He wasn't depressed he looked to me like he was intently looking at what Gruden was pointing out on the video. I get the sense the Bradford is the type of cool, compact leader that is not easily raddled. He does not seem to be a ra ra guy and won't be roaring at the crown with blood on his jersey. I have seen him get in guys face when necessary and he is definietely more passionate (as in showing his passion) than Bulger but definetely won't get into a cussing spree with lineman on the sideline like Manning (though i think that's awesome..). Mccoy and Bradford were great on the whiteboard and like Azul said JC really didn't get a shot on it as the interview for him didn't steer that way.

Colt Mccoy really assured me on his dedication to getting better and seemed like the most competitive of the bunch (though they all seemed very competitive). I want Bradford first and foremost, but a Mccoy/Suh combo I could definetely live with.

[richtree]

Re: The Top QB's in this years draft...

I thought this show was one of the best shows I have ever watched on ESPN and hope they do it every year.


I believe I have a pretty unbiased eye. In regards to helping their stock...

I saw it this way:

Teabow -- Slight impovement in stock (what u see is what u get, he needs to be calm in pocket and use mental insentiy more; not just physical)

Clausen -- Biggest disappointment, Seemed selfish in answers and just felt like he was fighting the world. Seemed complacent and angry, maybe thats a good thing (his anger).

Bradford -- Brain type, Sanchez without the charisma. Bradford was more worried about giving the right answers that showing his is a leader. Maybe only question mark of Bradford is Can he lead??????? Especially a 1-15 team ????


McCoy -- Biggest Improvement via interview. He showed he can lead and is the most "one of the guys". He seems easy to like and still has the ability to "play smart". McCoy's questions mark seems to be physical and I never thought I would say that he made me a believer. I just don't know if Colt Pennington, I mean McCoy can get past round 1 of playoffs without the most elite of defenses and weapons.....



I wish Pike, LeFevour, Skelton, and J. Brown were in a second session of this

[Nick]

Re: The Top QB's in this years draft...

Great write-up, Azul. I watched bits and pieces of it in the office, but DVR'd the later broadcast and plan on going back to watch it. From what I saw, it looked like an outstanding program idea. If I have any different thoughts, I'll post them, but it looked like you covered it thoroughly.

In regards to helping their stock...

I doubt Gruden's QB Camp is going to really affect the stock of any of these guys. Their interviews with actual teams will be more of a factor in that regard.

[richtree]

Re: The Top QB's in this years draft...

I doubt Gruden's QB Camp is going to really affect the stock of any of these guys. Their interviews with actual teams will be more of a factor in that regard.

Why not ? you would be a fool not to use every tool possible to help evaluate a QB.

Also, I don't know how many NFL teams tape the interviews. Does anyone know this?

It could help or hurt them -- its another tool....

[Nick]

Re: The Top QB's in this years draft...

Why not ?

Because teams conduct their own interviews with their own line of questions, and likely gained from that what they wanted. If a team is going to put any value on the Gruden interview, then they're probably going to request the unedited sessions from ESPN rather than go by the edited product broadcast on TV. But a week before the draft, I think everyone's stock is basically where it's going to be, regardless of a TV interview session.

[Bralidore(RAMMODE)]

Re: The Top QB's in this years draft...

I doubt if Bradford picks his nose in an interview or Tebow curses if he stubs his tow, that that will affect their respective draft stocks. Everything is pretty much in the books for these guys.

[Azul e Oro]

Re: The Top QB's in this years draft...

While I'm fine with the observations I made about these guys-I tried to be as factual as I could & avoid too much interpretation- I think we need to be very careful about drawing definitive conclusions-either positive or negative-based on these thumbnail sketches.Each one of them of them was , at some point, clearly saying the "right thing" as if they'd been coached on what to say to "hot button" questions in interviews which I'm pretty sure they have. And the perceived negatives could be revealing nothing more than personality, chemistry with Gruden, or just a bad chalupa at lunch.

I also know that impressions can be radically influenced in the editing room & we have no way of knowing what bias the editor/director had.

One thing I can say for sure is that Gruden is a helluva teacher. It's a master class in how to probe and break down a student's defenses & reveal what he's really about. I only hope DeSpags and their interview team are as astute.

I'm also sure that I don't want any of these guys in the NFCW if they aren't wearing the horns. They all bring different things to the table but each package was impressive in its own right.

[shower beers]

Re: The Top QB's in this years draft...

Because teams conduct their own interviews with their own line of questions, and likely gained from that what they wanted. If a team is going to put any value on the Gruden interview, then they're probably going to request the unedited sessions from ESPN rather than go by the edited product broadcast on TV. But a week before the draft, I think everyone's stock is basically where it's going to be, regardless of a TV interview session.

Especially with the draft being a week away. If front offices are scouring the airwaves for interviews with Jon Gruden to help evaluate their potential picks, then they're doing a lot wrong.