The QB Blast: Leftwich Mechanics A Lost Cause
September 1st, 2009
By JEFF CARLSON
JoeBucsFan.com analyst
Former Bucs quarterback Jeff Carlson writes the weekly QB Blast column here at JoeBucsFan.com. Joe is ecstatic to have him firing away. Carlson has sports radio and TV gigs in the Bay area and trains quarterbacks of all ages via his company, America’s Best Quarterback.
When the FOX-TV sideline reporter asks the head coach, “Why don’t you name the quarterback already? We all know it’s Leftwich,” it is a bit too obvious that the final conclusion had been reached before the “competition” was extended an extra week.
Most of us were pretty sure Byron Leftwich was the choice back in June, so the final decision for Leftwich isn’t a problem for me, but something doesn’t add up in the overall scheme of things.
In the week leading up to the Dolphins game, the Bucs went public with their willingness to trade any of their QBs except Josh Freeman.
Raheem Morris went into detail explaining that he never wanted to start Freeman early in the 2009 season (and Freeman never pushed the envelope). But if they trade either of their experienced passers and the starter gets hurt in the first game (e.g. Tom Brady, 2008), then they would be starting him before he was ready and without the need to put him or themselves in that bad position.
Morris also says of the Leftwich choice that he knows he has to clean up his sloppy footwork.
Sorry Ra, after an offseason and a training camp and seven years of NFL experience, those mechanics ain’t gettin’ any better, so you better not get your hopes up on that one.
September 1st, 2009 at 11:41 am
Pick one…
Can’t teach an old dog new tricks or a leopard can’t change its spots.
If only his footwork was ALL that needed to be cleaned up. Alas it is not.
September 1st, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Come on Jeff, Lets get to the only question we care about. Which of the first 7 blow-outs will we see Freeman? Leftwich is just a punching bag for this year. We should not even waste time discussing Him. When will Freeman be on the field? Will we wait until Jags is confident in the Oline knowing the blocking schemes? Do we wait until we are down 3 touchdowns and the other team has called off the dogs and switch to a prevent defense?
September 1st, 2009 at 4:19 pm
Jeff, If you were Ra, would you give Freeman spot play, a series or two per game, to give him reps and aid his learning? You don’t learn if you don’t play. Some guys can study and study, but won’t “get it” until they start playing.
Penny for your thoughts..
September 1st, 2009 at 4:23 pm
So this is what a cup of coffee in the NFL gets you, great insight like this? It has been Leftwich’s throwing mechanics that have so often been discussed, not his footwork. If he named him his starter, I doubt Morris is too worried about the mechanics.
September 1st, 2009 at 8:54 pm
Jeff, way to call it. True, true. Why not give Josh Johnson a chance to see what he can do with the Starters. Jeff, as an NFL QB, could you please grade Josh Johnson’s skillset, mechanics, speed, motions and how he might fare based on your opinion if he were to be given a fair shake. When you listen to Raheem tell it, he has a good grasp on defenses, but I don’t think he has the same handle on the offensive side of the ball. I don’t blame him, because he’s only 32, which is very young to have seen enough as a coach to make the decision on QB that he made. I agree that Leftwich has “0” upside.
September 1st, 2009 at 10:01 pm
To: Ricky Rubio–Keep playing basketball in Europe. Footwork is key to throwing mechanics–every cup of coffee player in the NFL knows that. Everyone, even you, can see the slow, deliberate delivery, but the feet tell the real tale.
Physically Josh Johnson has real upside, but I don’t know about his offensive grasp of the game. He played for Jim Harbaugh in college (and had an unheard of TD to Int. ratio of 43:1 his senior year) and had a year with Gruden, so hopefully he is close.
I don’t know how you spot play a QB without jeopardizing your team’s chances of winning the game, but I do think they will do just that with Freeman before giving him his first start.
September 4th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Leftwich wouldn’t make some team’s roster as a No. 3 and we are starting him. I was here for the St Louis Cardinals home win in 1977, as well as, since the beginning. I could say with virtual certainty that this has the makings of Lemon Bennett, Rich Williamson, and our inaugural season all wrapped into one. The stench is deafening.