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Four Downs with Stock (Dang) & Doc
by Brian Davis and Paul Hopkins
11/6/2009
With Stock still on IR, Four Downs is brought to you as “Dang & Doc” discussing the effect Brian Westbrooks health may have on the Eagles, wondering if we could once again see the LA Rams in the NFL, decide if the road to the AFC East goes through Miami, and debate which out of the three top-rated QB’s entering their senior year in 2009 is the most NFL-ready?
 Brian Westbrook’s increasing fragility will have a damaging effect on the Eagles in 2009.
 DANG FACT ! The Eagles picked up LeSean McCoy from Pitt in the draft who proved in his last season that he was ready for the NFL and when Westbrook is fit, McCoy is going to be a really useful player who can relieve Westbrook, but should Westbrook go down with an injury, then I question McCoy’s ability to fit fully into the role that Westbrook can fill, by being a ready pass catcher out of the backfield and a security blanket for Donovan McNabb as well as being able to fill the boots of a guy who has led the team in receptions for 3 of the last 4 years, only last year DeSean Jackson had more and if you go back 5 years then Terrell Owens only had 4 more catches than him in 2004 that’s how key Brian Westbrook is to this current Eagles Offensive unit.
Lets also not forget that the Eagles parted ways with 3rd down back Corell Buckholter after last season, who whilst was not a like for like replacement for Westbrook, but when he was injured last year he was able to do a job reasonably effectively.
If Westbrook stays fit then the Eagles have to be a good shout for the Super Bowl, without him, I’d question how far they can really go in a bruising division and I don’t see any of the current HB’s out of work being any better than McCoy or of much use to Philly.
McCoy I think will be a major load sharer and possibly the leading back in Philly in 2010, but not 2009.
DOC FACT ! It always does. When Westbrook doesn’t play the Eagles don’t fare as well. Andy Reid tends to then become lop-sided on the passing game and it never seems to pan out. Heck, even when Westbrook is there half the time Reid gets a brain freeze and ignores his most valuable asset. Westbrook has never managed to play a full season and as he gets older the injuries are realistically, only likely to simply continue to pile up. The Eagles did try and address this by drafting LeSean McCoy but I still consider his best value to be as a change of pace. Other than that they have Lorenzo Booker who has simply proven nothing since entering the league. It has to be a worry for the Eagles, but they have loaded up on talent in recent years, and who knows, they may get creative to use Jeremy Maclin’s clear attributes. But if Westbrook suffers some injuries in 2009, it will inevitably hurt the Eagles.
 With the announcement that the Rams are for sale, are they ripe for a move back to Los Angeles?
 DANG FICTION ! Does LA really deserve a franchise? History may tell us that they do, but they failed to keep hold of both that they previously had.
The Raiders were originally from Oakland anyway so you could call it fate or destiny that they went back, and every other City in the NFL that once hosted an NFL team, has had teams go back, except LA.
I appreciate that it might have been a little tough to sell out the 90,000 Coliseum as a struggling team each week, hence season after season of television blackouts, but this is the second largest media market in the USA we’re talking here, but even when the Rams played in a then booming Anaheim in a much smaller stadium they struggled to fill it.
Success brings people; the current St Louis Rams are hardly a success right now, so it opens the question will another franchise move? Possibly, but who in their right mind is going to relocate a successful Franchise halfway across the United States? Will an expansion team be started in LA? Possibly again, but right now I wonder, Do the people of LA even care for an NFL team or are they too into their USC, UCLA and Lakers to have another NFL Franchise on their doorsteps?
I don’t see the Rams moving to LA until LA can come up with a feasible stadium solution for a team to play in and an even more valid point, who in this economic climate can afford to upwards of $1Billion to move there?
DOC FACT ! Inevitably, probably they are. The Los Angeles question might have died down a bit of late but it is not going to go away anytime soon. The League has much bigger issues to deal with at the most, most notably obviously being the potential for the salary cap going after this forthcoming season, but the owners are itching for more regular season games, and Goodell is pushing the international agenda quite hard. If that’s not enough, the Los Angeles question is still there waiting to be answered. The Rams have history on the west coast so I can see the logic being there. Whether it happens though is another matter.
 Joey Porter believes the road to the AFC East goes through Miami. Is he right?
 DANG FICTION ! Ahh, Stock would love this question! The road to the AFC East will go through New England for me, I’m afraid this is another case of Mr Porter running his mouth off pre-season, the only way I see the East going through Miami is if Tom Brady goes down injured for a long period once again.
Miami took a huge step last year, but for the AFC East to go through Miami this year will take an injury crisis in Foxboro and to do it without that, will be a step too far for Miami. Let’s also not forget the Jets and the Bills here who have also strengthened wisely in what will be a very competitive division once again.
DOC FICTION ! It does in theory because they are the reigning AFC East Champions, but let’s be honest here. The road to the AFC East is always going to go through Foxborough. The Dolphins are certainly a much sterner test than before and will be arguably harder to beat than last year, but last year the AFC East had an aberration in that arguably the best player in the league missed the entire campaign. After the off-season moves and acquisitions made even the Bills and Jets should be strong again, but with Tom Brady back, you cannot look beyond the Patriots. How he comes back from the injury will define the destination of the AFC East.
 Out of the three top-rated QB’s entering their senior year in 2009, which is the most NFL-ready?
 DANG I’m guessing in Top 3 you mean Tebow, McCoy and Bradford? Personally, I think that there are 4 elite talents and I like the 4th more than the others and come draft time, I think he’ll get taken above the others, whilst that’s a very bold statement I’m willing to stick my neck out here and willing to be proven wrong come the end of April 2010.
That man is Jevan Snead from Ole Miss. (This is where Doc edits and puts in a snide Texas reject dig) Snead has all the tools for the NFL, he’s been playing out of a Pro-Style offence and probably has the strongest arm of those coming out next year and has already demonstrated how good he is within the SEC. You can also stick his name up for a Heisman candidate next year; Snead has also worked much better considering he has less around him.
Whilst I really like Sam Bradford for his pocket presence, progressions, vision and all round general ability, he’s surrounded by talent and a very good Offensive line and also plays out of the spread, but also sees snaps under Center, it’s going to be really interesting seeing him next season with less around him, but I’m confident he’ll still put up the numbers and come draft day he and Snead will be very hard to separate and I think in their Senior years you will see them both look, and become, NFL ready Quarterbacks.
Colt McCoy’s ability to not only make plays with his with his feet but to seemingly always find his receiver, (him and Jordan Shipley are a joy to watch together, it’s clear to see that they room together and that their heads are constantly in their playbooks) make good intelligent decisions, and read the field well, will see him drafted high, but not quite as high as the 2 previously mentioned.
Tim Tebow’s ability to do almost everything himself shows that he’s a born winner, but he’s barely taken a snap under Center and Urban Meier will be unlikely to make him do so in an effort to try making him more ready for the NFL, there is no denying he has talent, but how many Quarterbacks who can run the ball like he can transpire to playing well in a similar style in the NFL? Not very many. Patrick Willis, Ray Lewis, Joey Porter are going to eat him for lunch if he thinks he can make plays with his feet. He also has quite a slow release compared to the others mentioned above and may well end up somewhere that doesn’t have really speedy receivers to help make him look better.
I just think it will be Snead come April whose name gets called first; Tebow could even be as low as the 4th drafted QB.
So to wrap up and answer the question though, which of the Top 3 rated is most NFL ready then I’ll say SAM BRADFORD.
DOC TIM TEBOW Tebow is simply the best college footballer I have ever seen. However, this does not automatically equate to success in the NFL and to be honest it took a while for me to be convinced he is the most ready. He might be built more like a full back but he can pretty much do it all. The only knock on him is that he hasn’t had enough time taking snaps under centre but by all accounts this is happening and Florida intends to use this more in 2009. When you add in the intangibles and leadership this guy brings, I can’t see any way past him accelerating the revolution in the NFL as the position of quarterback changes. As for the others, McCoy I obviously really rate highly, and I would compare him most to Jeff Garcia with his ability to move and make the short passing game enormously effective. But he still has a way to go. Bradford I’m still to be sold on. Standing behind the offensive line he has (up to now) had doesn’t tell me whether he can play under pressure. However, this year with the graduations from Oklahoma in 2009 and a fresh line this may happen. He may be the most prototypical trigger man in college football but if I was in charge of a franchise I’d have Tebow atop my board.
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