Sunday, August 27, 2006

Sunday Sports Spot


Jared Lorenzen. The Pillsbury Throwboy. About 6' 5", and 300 pounds. Competing for, and close to winning, the job as NY Giants backup quarterback. He'd be great for mop-up duties. Cannon for an arm, and can obviously take a serious hit without wilting.

And how many other QB's can hand the ball off to a running back, then block for him? The coaching staff is enamored with the idea of someone handing the ball to Tiki Barber, and instead of getting out of the way, actually knocking down a defender in the process.

Someone with football genius would turn this into a new NFL fad. A throwback to a time when the QB was just another 6 footer toting 200 pounds who could also block. It'd be a refreshing change from the agile QB who can sling bb's from sideline to sideline, but lacks the height to see over the rushers and get the ball down the middle of the field.

Besides; Who wouldn't root for someone called the Pillsbury Throwboy?

NFL Prospect Profiles:

ANALYSIS

Positives: Big-boned with a thick, solid lower body … Shows quickness in his pass set and an outstanding arm, especially when he throws off his front foot … Stands tall in the pocket under pressure, but will not hesitate to run with the ball, keeping his shoulders square to break arm tackles … Shows a nice touch in the short-area tosses and scans the field well to search for his secondary targets … Shows agility and balance in the pocket and despite his size, shows the ability to elude and avoid the pass rush … Tough to tackle one-on-one due to his size.

Negatives: Has had weight control issues throughout his career (has made a concerted effort to lose weight, dropping 25 pounds prior to the 2003 season, but put 15 pounds back on since) … Not really a "take charge" type in the huddle (gets moderate respect from his teammates) … While he has an outstanding arm, it is only evident when he throws off his front foot (too often he throws off his back foot, resulting in him chucking the ball and negating his timing) … Holds the ball too long through his delivery, resulting in unnecessary hits in the pocket … Has nice touch on short throws, but struggles to lead his man or get the ball over the receiver's shoulders on deep tosses … Needs to vary the speed on his passes (tends to throw a very hard ball) … Struggles to complete passes when forced to throw on the move … Needs to read defenses better, as he will throw too many balls into traffic … Looks like he is throwing the javelin on his long ball … Does a poor job with game management … Has had fumble issues in recent years, resulting in a temporary benching … The new system installed at Kentucky in 2003 asked him to make more reads, and he struggled in this area, increasing his turnovers (interceptions and fumbles).

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