2nd Year Blues (Sophomore Slump)

[DavethePanther 37]

Big Panther fan here...

 

Cam Newton's second year was a tale of two halves. First half showed a QB running an offense that defenses now had a game plan for and it showed. Too many mistakes trying to throw off the read option. Forcing things because they weren't successful running the ball. Cam tried to do too much. 2nd Half. Coaching staff got their heads out of the Ass and made Cam more of a traditional QB. Under center, drop back. Make plays. He did very well. Total opposite of first half. Saved his sophomore year.

 

That got me thinking. We'll throw Tannehill in there just to make Dolphins fans happy. We have 5 Rookie QBs or first year QBs.

 

Who is going to have the roughest sophomore year and who is going to have the easiest. Here is how I rank them. Roughest to Easist.

 

RGIII (Redskin Nation just had a nuclear meltdown) I say this because your hardheaded coach thinks the read option is a great tool (saw an article where he plans on using it STILL). Your QB is a running QB in a league that wants to clean his clock everytime he crosses the scrimmage line. Defenses will be ready for the read option. They have whole year of tape. They'll stop him like they did Cam. I think he will have a hard time adjusting to staying in the pocket. One more knee injury and we might have to call it a career.

 

Kaepernick. Pistol offense. Once again defenses will have a game plan for it. Kap is like Cam. Big and Strong and can take a hit. But his favorite target Crabtree is out and he is going to taste the Sophomore jinx.

 

Tannehill, young QB, good strong arm and has new weapons. He'll be middle of the pack.

 

Wilson, Talented and heady QB. Uses his legs to extend plays and knows how to make them. If teams keep him in the pocket than his mobility is useless. He now has to throw over men much taller than he is. Look for teams to make his life miserable by keeping him in the pocket. He is smart and if he gets protection. He'll still be dangerous and probably won't have too bad a year.

 

Luck, as much as I hate to say it, LUCK will have the best sophomore season as long as his decision making improves. 15+ Interceptions in 2013 might tarnish his wonderboy image. He is a pocket QB that can move and make things happen. He is big and athletic, and more mobile than most of us want to admit. He is good and has a knack for a comeback. We'll see if the Int's go down.

 

Just to make point. I love the new QBs in this league. Cam, Kap, Wilson, RGIII, Tannehill, Ponder, Dalton, Manuel and Smith (hopefully I didn't miss anyone but if I did MY BAD) All are a new crop of QBs that will fight it out over the next 10-12 years. I don't like some and you don't like some but to say any of these guys are talented is just hating. Each of them given the right mix could win it all soon.

 

WELCOME YOUNG GUNS it is gonna be a great decade.

[Jules 98]

 

 

 

I will add one more thing that could concern me about the 49ers. The Super Bowl loser usually does not do as well the following season. Granted the 49ers might still make the playoffs but with a young QB how will they react to losing the big game in the final seconds? People often speak more about the SB winner hangover but the Super Bowl loser hangover can sometimes concern me more. Losing the Super Bowl freaking sucks!

 

And I am honestly surprised more don't speak about the pistol and read option at times when these young QB discussions are going about...

Edited July 8, 2013 by Jules

[DavethePanther 37]

 

 

 

I will add one more thing that could concern me about the 49ers. The Super Bowl loser usually does not do as well the following season. Granted the 49ers might still make the playoffs but with a young QB how will they react to losing the big game in the final seconds? People often speak more about the SB winner hangover but the Super Bowl loser hangover can sometimes concern me more. Losing the Super Bowl freaking sucks!

 

And I am honestly surprised more don't speak about the pistol and read option at times when these young QB discussions are going about...

 

Both have their place in the game. They are very dangerous plays if used correctly. Teams that fall in love with them will soon find out. (See Carolina 1st half of the season) As a format to run your offense out of. You'll Fail. Use it to keep teams honest and make them prepare for it. Is great strategy.

 

The Niners made the next step in 2012 from 2011. I wouldn't say they lost it in the final seconds. They never had the lead. Alot of that came from teams having very little footage of Kaepernick and the offense of the Niners. Who knows if they make it back again. Seattle is tough and the NFC west is arguably the toughest division (this year) You're already down one good receiver but gained a few others. Good luck

[Jules 98]

Both have their place in the game. They are very dangerous plays if used correctly. Teams that fall in love with them will soon find out. (See Carolina 1st half of the season) As a format to run your offense out of. You'll Fail. Use it to keep teams honest and make them prepare for it. Is great strategy.

 

The Niners made the next step in 2012 from 2011. I wouldn't say they lost it in the final seconds. They never had the lead. Alot of that came from teams having very little footage of Kaepernick and the offense of the Niners. Who knows if they make it back again. Seattle is tough and the NFC west is arguably the toughest division (this year) You're already down one good receiver but gained a few others. Good luck

 

Good point, but it was there in the end to win too...which sucks.

 

I am a big Jim Harbaugh fan (and I also like his brother). Been following him since he was the Colts QB back in the day and I was quite young myself He has the determination, moxie, leadership and is a terrific coach. I do have a tough time trying to imagine a team of his seriously "slumping" but it is an awfully tough division so any slip ups might be extra magnified. Still a terrific team though so if they don't make the playoffs at least it would be considered a failure.

 

As for your Panthers lets get this thing going and get a taste of the playoffs. I want to see Cam get a crack at the postseason!!!

[DavethePanther 37]

Good point, but it was there in the end to win too...which sucks.

 

I am a big Jim Harbaugh fan (and I also like his brother). Been following him since he was the Colts QB back in the day and I was quite young myself He has the determination, moxie, leadership and is a terrific coach. I do have a tough time trying to imagine a team of his seriously "slumping" but it is an awfully tough division so any slip ups might be extra magnified. Still a terrific team though so if they don't make the playoffs at least it would be considered a failure.

 

As for your Panthers lets get this thing going and get a taste of the playoffs. I want to see Cam get a crack at the postseason!!!

 

I am an old Baltimore Colt fan. Didn't follow them when they left. I liked Harbaugh. Solid QB, not great but not bad either. Good Coach. Can't argue with his success. I was hoping he was going to come to Carolina and bring Luck with him. Didn't happen but couldn't be happier with Cam.

 

Was at the rookie game against TB in December of 2011. Amazing ball player. The throw to LaFell was awesome.

 

If the Panthers can figure out a way NOT to lose games. We'll be in the discussion in December. That is the best I can hope for. The Talent is there. The schedule is brutal with the NFC West and AFC East as opponents. So there aren't any gimme games. I look forward to the Panthers going to SF.

[Dutch 874]

Thanatos actually wrote a nice piece on sophomore slumps. Makes for an interesting read.

 

http://www.thegridironpalace.com/forums/index.php?/topic/59611-sophomore-slump/page__p__2407582__hl__sophomore__fromsearch__1#entry2407582

 

You can now add Cam to his list of 12 QBs.

 

Now to answer your thread, this is my order for who I think will have the most success.

 

Andrew Luck : With Arian's gone, I expect the play calls to be more balanced not with him not having so many deep pass plays dialed up. I think Pep Hamilton reunited with Luck can be a good thing. I also think the Colts picking up Bradshaw is a great move. This will give him stability at the RB position alleviating some pressure off of Luck; barring injury ofcourse.

 

Russell Wilson : Wilson was dynamic last year. Out of all the QBs, you saw him progress week after week as the season went on. I think the addition of Percy Harvin will be huge and they will have a lot of success together if Harvin can stay healthy. Wilson has the most stable and complete team out of any of these guys and I have them having the most overall team success out of any of these QBs.

 

RG3 : I think RG3 will continue to have success but I don't think he will be as great next year. Just a tad bit down a notch but not necessarily a slump. I don't expect as many running plays after his injury and that may affect his game a bit. Who knows.

 

Ryan Tannehill : I think Tannehill will be the most improved QB out of the bunch. I like the Mike Wallace pick up and that gives him a legitimate receiving threat to go to. I also believe Tannehill will hook up with Dustin Keller for good production as well. Reggie Bush is gone though so there's a question mark at the RB position and how well Lamar Miller will produce.

 

Colin Kaepernick : Kaepernick is a question mark for me. Don't get me wrong, the kid played great after assuming the mantle at QB. The only reason he's a question mark is because he didn't have to carry the load for an entire 16 game season. He picked up off of Alex Smith's success. So he came into a good situation and sustained it. How would he react if his team went down 0-1? or 0-2? He also had somewhat of an advantage coming in at week 10 because there was no tape on him. Teams couldn't game plan on him properly for a while. Like I said though, it's only a question mark. I'm not saying he will do bad.

Edited July 8, 2013 by dutchff7

[DavethePanther 37]

Thanatos actually wrote a nice piece on sophomore slumps. Makes for an interesting read.

 

http://www.thegridironpalace.com/forums/index.php?/topic/59611-sophomore-slump/page__p__2407582__hl__sophomore__fromsearch__1#entry2407582

 

You can now add Cam to his list of 12 QBs.

 

Now to answer your thread, this is my order for who I think will have the most success.

 

Andrew Luck : With Arian's gone, I expect the play calls to be more balanced not with him not having so many deep pass plays dialed up. I think Pep Hamilton reunited with Luck can be a good thing. I also think the Colts picking up Bradshaw is a great move. This will give him stability at the RB position alleviating some pressure off of Luck; barring injury ofcourse.

 

Russell Wilson : Wilson was dynamic last year. Out of all the QBs, you saw him progress week after week as the season went on. I think the addition of Percy Harvin will be huge and they will have a lot of success together if Harvin can stay healthy. Wilson has the most stable and complete team out of any of these guys and I have them having the most overall team success out of any of these QBs.

 

RG3 : I think RG3 will continue to have success but I don't think he will be as great next year. Just a tad bit down a notch but not necessarily a slump. I don't expect as many running plays after his injury and that may affect his game a bit. Who knows.

 

Ryan Tannehill : I think Tannehill will be the most improved QB out of the bunch. I like the Mike Wallace pick up and that gives him a legitimate receiving threat to go to. I also believe Tannehill will hook up with Dustin Keller for good production as well. Reggie Bush is gone though so there's a question mark at the RB position and how well Lamar Miller will produce.

 

Colin Kaepernick : Kaepernick is a question mark for me. Don't get me wrong, the kid played great after assuming the mantle at QB. The only reason he's a question mark is because he didn't have to carry the load for an entire 16 game season. He picked up off of Alex Smith's success. So he came into a good situation and sustained it. How would he react if his team went down 0-1? or 0-2? He also had somewhat of an advantage coming in at week 10 because there was no tape on him. Teams couldn't game plan on him properly for a while. Like I said though, it's only a question mark. I'm not saying he will do bad.

 

Other than Luck the separation between the bottom 4 is so close you could justify switching any of them. Luck has more to do with his decision making. Like most rookies they tend to make bad decisions.

[Zack_of_Steel+ 3,014]

Colin Kaepernick is in his third season.

[Bang 12]

I'd buy into the whole myth of "running QB = hurt QB" if every other non running Qb in the NFL managed to not get hurt.

but since they do, and at an alarming rate, i will point out that the Read Option is actually a fairly safe offense for the quarterback.

namely, because he is in complete control. If the opening is there, he can keep it and go until it's time to slide. If it's not, he puts the ball in the RBs gut and gets a flag if anyone touches him.

defenses can look at all the film they want, but unless they figure out how to get the DE to guess right on which one of them will have the ball, or they can somehow avoid the flags that come with hitting a Qb after he's handed off, the offense is still going to cause mismatch problems.

 

RG3 got hurt last year on a couple of fluke plays, and NEITHER of them were read option runs. Both of them were broken plays with a scramble to avoid pressure, something every QB in the NFL has to do from time to time. (An injury on a scramble cost Alex Smith his job.. and he's not considered a "

running QB", is he?)

The last play RG3 got hurt on wasn't even with the ball in his hands,, the ball was snapped in the dirt, and his foot caught in that awful turf when he went down for it.

 

Most quarterbacks take an injury during the season. It may not force them all to miss time, but chances are high they will miss some.. be it a half or a game or five games or what have you.

Last year 48 quarterbacks threw 30 passes or more. 39 QBs threw more than 170 passes. Somehow i doubt very much that all those Qbs that missed time are runners.

In fact, I'd bank my last buck that most of them are not considered runners at all.

Is Matthew Stafford a runner? His history of injuries is ridiculous, and it happens in the pocket. even the best of them.. Manning missed a year for hits taken in the pocket, Brady missed a season for a shot taken in the pocket.

 

Running does not result in injury any more or less than being a pocket passer.

Every defender is looking to kill the QB on every play, not just the ones where he's off and running. And in the pocket they're more vulnerable when they take a hit.

 

 

To the topic, it's hard to say who will suffer the Soph Slump, since all of these QBs seem to have pretty solid teams around them. Cam went through his slump, but the Panthers aren't very good as a whole. the 49ers are defending NFC champs, the seahawks are pretty solid, the redskins have talent, and so do the colts.. moreso than most of the Qbs that go through the Slump.

Most of the time a rookie phenom QB leads his team to 8-8.. 7-9 (Sam Bradford) and people get excited because typically they're elevating a bad team... then the slump happens because the team can't live up to the expectation. (Cam, for example,, nice rookie year,, but the overall record of the team was a game better last year. so is that a slump?)

 

In all but the Colts case, these teams have been building for a bit before inserting the young QB, so there's a bit more substance to work with.

I'll make the bold assumption and say none of them will have a standard Soph Slump.

 

~Bang

Edited July 8, 2013 by Bang

[Dutch 874]

I'd buy into the whole myth of "running QB = hurt QB" if every other non running Qb in the NFL managed to not get hurt.

but since they do, and at an alarming rate, i will point out that the Read Option is actually a fairly safe offense for the quarterback.

namely, because he is in complete control. If the opening is there, he can keep it and go until it's time to slide. If it's not, he puts the ball in the RBs gut and gets a flag if anyone touches him.

defenses can look at all the film they want, but unless they figure out how to get the DE to guess right on which one of them will have the ball, or they can somehow avoid the flags that come with hitting a Qb after he's handed off, the offense is still going to cause mismatch problems.

 

RG3 got hurt last year on a couple of fluke plays, and NEITHER of them were read option runs. Both of them were broken plays with a scramble to avoid pressure, something every QB in the NFL has to do from time to time. (An injury on a scramble cost Alex Smith his job.. and he's not considered a "

running QB", is he?)

The last play RG3 got hurt on wasn't even with the ball in his hands,, the ball was snapped in the dirt, and his foot caught in that awful turf when he went down for it.

 

Most quarterbacks take an injury during the season. It may not force them all to miss time, but chances are high they will miss some.. be it a half or a game or five games or what have you.

Last year 48 quarterbacks threw 30 passes or more. 39 QBs threw more than 170 passes. Somehow i doubt very much that all those Qbs that missed time are runners.

In fact, I'd bank my last buck that most of them are not considered runners at all.

Is Matthew Stafford a runner? His history of injuries is ridiculous, and it happens in the pocket. even the best of them.. Manning missed a year for hits taken in the pocket, Brady missed a season for a shot taken in the pocket.

 

Running does not result in injury any more or less than being a pocket passer.

Every defender is looking to kill the QB on every play, not just the ones where he's off and running. And in the pocket they're more vulnerable when they take a hit.

 

 

To the topic, it's hard to say who will suffer the Soph Slump, since all of these QBs seem to have pretty solid teams around them. Cam went through his slump, but the Panthers aren't very good as a whole. the 49ers are defending NFC champs, the seahawks are pretty solid, the redskins have talent, and so do the colts.. moreso than most of the Qbs that go through the Slump.

Most of the time a rookie phenom QB leads his team to 8-8.. 7-9 (Sam Bradford) and people get excited because typically they're elevating a bad team.

In all but the Colts case, these teams have been building for a bit before inserting the young QB, so there's a bit more substance to work with.

I'll make the bold assumption and say none of them will have a standard Soph Slump.

 

~Bang

 

I agree with majority of your post. Most QB related injuries do happen within the pocket. The one thing that I don't agree with though is the comment about Cam Newton. There's a perception that Cam hit a sophomore slump. But in all actuality, Cam didn't experience a sophomore slump of any kid. He just got lost in all the RG3, Wilson, and Luck hype. His stats from his rookie season and his sophomore season are relatively close.

 

 

Rookie year- 4051 yards, 21 TDs, 17 int, 60%, 84.5 qbr, 709 rushing yards & 14 rushing TDs.

 

Sophomore year- 3869 yards, 19 TDs, 12 int, 57.7%, 86.2 qbr, 741 rushing yards & 8 rushing TDs.

Edited July 8, 2013 by dutchff7

[Bang 12]

I think Cam's biggest problem last year was his attitude in press conferences.. it made small issues magnified, and gave the press something to seize upon.

 

 

 

~Bang

Edited July 8, 2013 by Bang

[KempBolt 498]

I have to think that the three players most likely to go through sophomore slumps are Kaepernick, Tannehill, and RGIII.

 

-Kaepernick: I am not trying to make the case the Kaep doesn't have arm talent- because he does. But most of his really remarkable performances featured his legs more than his arm. And I am of the opinion that defensive coordinators are going to lock down on the read option, pistol stuff (designed QB runs)- and that using them too much is likely going to result in an injury QB. So I think there is at least a chance that he goes through an adjustment period should they ask him to beat teams from the pocket. Of course, that's all it is- a chance. There's also a chance he does just fine with that.

 

-Tannehill: Conventional wisdom would indicate that Tannehill will do better in 2013- and I won't be shocked if he does. However, my past observations have been that teams that attempt to buy division crowns tend to struggle. So I can envision a scenario where the total production of the team comes out to less than the sum of the parts (similar to 2011 Eagles). So I suppose I can see Tannehill slumping as a function of overall team struggles, as opposed to him being the main problem.

 

-RGIII: While Griffin was very impressive in 2012, a very high percetage of his production came either off of designed QB runs and play action. One has to think that the former is going to go away after he got hurt, and while the latter is likely to continue, questions remain about what he can do with his arm, from the pocket, in obvious passing situations when he can't fake to Morris, roll out, and go deep. I can see him struggling for a season behind a so-so offensive line, especially when the Redskins aren't playing with a lead.

[KempBolt 498]

Most QB injuries happen in the pocket because most QB's to date have spent the vast majority of their time in the pocket. That's like saying that if you line a WR up in the backfield at RB, he won't get hurt because most WR injuries happen lined up out wide. Injuries are going to happen to players most often in the locations where they are playing most often- that's just common sense.

 

Another piece of common sense: all else being equal, the more hits a player is exposed to the greater their likelihood to incur injury. Pocket QB's who average 10 hits in a game are going to get hurt less than running QB's who average 20. That's just the way it is. I think to argue against that is to try and manipulate logic to suit what one wants to believe. With defenses prepping for the read option, they are going to find ways to hit the QB, and they are going to do so every chance they get.

 

Moving forward, I'm confident that QB's who run often and by design are going to get hurt more often and are going to start running less and less. Because you can't be exposing the single most important player on your team to the risk of injury. For those that have relied on their legs for a significant portion of their production, there is likely to be an adjustment period.

[Bang 12]

While i'd agree, there still is that pesky fact that pocket or runner, they all get hurt.

A running Qb MAY take 20 hits per game, if he's running like a running back and not using his slide, or the wide open broken field a QB on the run often sees is not there.

A pocket guy may take fewer hits, but the chance is higher that he's going to get blasted simply because throwing leaves him in a very vulnerable position. There's more traffic that can accidentally cause him an injury.

 

very very few Qbs take every snap, and when they do it's usually pointed out. Eli Manning has never been hurt.. and he's about the only guy I can think of that can say that.

 

sorry,, don't mean to hijack.

 

~Bang

Edited July 8, 2013 by Bang

[KempBolt 498]

While i'd agree, there still is that pesky fact that pocket or runner, they all get hurt.

A running Qb MAY take 20 hits per game, if he's running like a running back and not using his slide, or the wide open broken field a QB on the run often sees is not there.

A pocket guy may take fewer hits, but the chance is higher that he's going to get blasted simply because throwing leaves him in a very vulnerable position. There's more traffic that can accidentally cause him an injury.

 

very very few Qbs take every snap, and when they do it's usually pointed out. Eli Manning has never been hurt.. and he's about the only guy I can think of that can say that.

 

sorry,, don't mean to hijack.

 

~Bang

 

RGIII was hurt trying to slide.

 

But bottom line, I think it's ignoring common sense to try and argue that running QB's aren't going to be more likely to get injured than pocket QB's. The one good example of QB who has run often, and by design, against modern NFL defenses is Mike Vick. And he's missed far more than the average amount of time due to injury among starting QB's. One guy isn't a great sample size, but I would expect the same thing out of RGIII and Kaep if they try and run the same way.

[Bang 12]

i DO like my Kool-Aid.

 

~Bang

[KempBolt 498]

i DO like my Kool-Aid.

 

~Bang

 

Lol- fair enough.

 

FWIW, I think RGIII will transition to a more traditional role beginning this season and be really successful. Something akin to Aaron Rodgers, where he does the majority of his damage from the pocket, but will hurt you with his legs if you don't respect the threat. He has the arm talent and acumen to do that, and it would extend his career, so I don't see why not.

 

But I do think it's fair to wonder how that transition will work immediately, as 20% of his 2012 offensive production was on the ground, and 42% of his passing production was through PA. It's possible there could be a bump or two in the road.

[BJORN 679]

I actually think RG3 will be just as good next year, special talent with a coach who knows how to use him. Sure the read option may go away but he has all of the tools IMO to be a good pocket passer, oh and RG3 WILL always have Morris to fake to (barring injuries). Deadly in play action.

[Thanatos 2,847]

The issue with having the read option as part of your game plan is that those fluke plays WILL happen. RG3 wasn't hurt off a read-option play, but he is not built to take hits. Like, Cam, I would not be that mad if we still used the read option a bit to throw off defenses. The man is built to take and deliver hits. RG3 is not.

[DonovanMcnabb for H.O.F 2,241]

I'd buy into the whole myth of "running QB = hurt QB" if every other non running Qb in the NFL managed to not get hurt.

but since they do, and at an alarming rate, i will point out that the Read Option is actually a fairly safe offense for the quarterback.

namely, because he is in complete control. If the opening is there, he can keep it and go until it's time to slide. If it's not, he puts the ball in the RBs gut and gets a flag if anyone touches him.

defenses can look at all the film they want, but unless they figure out how to get the DE to guess right on which one of them will have the ball, or they can somehow avoid the flags that come with hitting a Qb after he's handed off, the offense is still going to cause mismatch problems.

 

RG3 got hurt last year on a couple of fluke plays, and NEITHER of them were read option runs. Both of them were broken plays with a scramble to avoid pressure, something every QB in the NFL has to do from time to time. (An injury on a scramble cost Alex Smith his job.. and he's not considered a "

running QB", is he?)

The last play RG3 got hurt on wasn't even with the ball in his hands,, the ball was snapped in the dirt, and his foot caught in that awful turf when he went down for it.

 

Most quarterbacks take an injury during the season. It may not force them all to miss time, but chances are high they will miss some.. be it a half or a game or five games or what have you.

Last year 48 quarterbacks threw 30 passes or more. 39 QBs threw more than 170 passes. Somehow i doubt very much that all those Qbs that missed time are runners.

In fact, I'd bank my last buck that most of them are not considered runners at all.

Is Matthew Stafford a runner? His history of injuries is ridiculous, and it happens in the pocket. even the best of them.. Manning missed a year for hits taken in the pocket, Brady missed a season for a shot taken in the pocket.

 

Running does not result in injury any more or less than being a pocket passer.

Every defender is looking to kill the QB on every play, not just the ones where he's off and running. And in the pocket they're more vulnerable when they take a hit.

 

 

To the topic, it's hard to say who will suffer the Soph Slump, since all of these QBs seem to have pretty solid teams around them. Cam went through his slump, but the Panthers aren't very good as a whole. the 49ers are defending NFC champs, the seahawks are pretty solid, the redskins have talent, and so do the colts.. moreso than most of the Qbs that go through the Slump.

Most of the time a rookie phenom QB leads his team to 8-8.. 7-9 (Sam Bradford) and people get excited because typically they're elevating a bad team... then the slump happens because the team can't live up to the expectation. (Cam, for example,, nice rookie year,, but the overall record of the team was a game better last year. so is that a slump?)

 

In all but the Colts case, these teams have been building for a bit before inserting the young QB, so there's a bit more substance to work with.

I'll make the bold assumption and say none of them will have a standard Soph Slump.

 

~Bang

 

Stafford is the perfect example of this. All his injuries occurred in the pocket outside of one time where he twisted his ankle. The major injuries were hits that'd probably hurt a lot of starting QBs in the league.

[Bang 12]

As a Redskins fan, the thing i particularly like about RG3 is that he does have the arm and accuracy to transition into the pocket passer they all must inevitably become.

So long as his knee doesn't shorten his career, i like the future, and so long as the coaches evolve the offense to match his abilities at each stage of his career, it could be party time here in Washington soon.

 

~Bang

[DonovanMcnabb for H.O.F 2,241]

Also on Kaepernick (I know he's not a sophomore), I think some people are overrating how much of his game was around his running... He averaged like, one more attempt then Luck for the season, and almost 4 less attempts a game then RGIII.... I'd hardly consider him a run first QB...

[Phins4life 271]

Colin Kaepernick is in his third season.

I knew some wise ass would bring this up

[seanbrock 1,684]

RGIII is an obvious slump candidate. If the Redskins are actually foolish enough to put their franchise QB in the field for a SECOND time on an injured knee it could ruin his career.

[KempBolt 498]

Also on Kaepernick (I know he's not a sophomore), I think some people are overrating how much of his game was around his running... He averaged like, one more attempt then Luck for the season, and almost 4 less attempts a game then RGIII.... I'd hardly consider him a run first QB...

 

None of these guys are run first QB's. But rushing was a significant part of Kaep's game (accounted for 21% of his total yardage in the games he started). So I think he can be considered as a guy who may go through an adjustment if he transitions to a role with less designed runs. Or he may not- it's just a potential problem. And including playoffs, Kaep rushed 6.7 times on average per start. Luck was at 3.9 (and almost never by design, but as a function of having a terrible offensive line).