Idiots Write About Sports

So Aaron Rodgers is leaving Cal for the NFL. I can’t say that I blame him.

Now, if I were an NFL team, would I draft him? I’d have to say no, at least not with a first-round pick. Rodgers has been a Division I-A quarterback for a year and a half; he’s had some brilliant games along with, recently, a long slog of questionable games. Yes, he was missing three of his top four receivers. But he also wasn’t throwing the ball with as much accuracy as he had shown earlier in the season.

And note that while the media loves to talk about Tedford’s proclivity for producing first-round QBs, they never seem to talk about what happened to those guys in the NFL. Kyle Boller looks like he’ll never be more than a journeyman. Joey Harrington has some flash but I wouldn’t guess he’ll ever be a star. Akili Smith was a washout. David Carr has a pretty good chance of being a franchise QB, I think. Trent Dilfer won a Super Bowl (but Ray Lewis really won it) and is nothing more than a journeyman.

Will Rodgers break the mold and be a big star? Maybe. But if I were the 49ers, I wouldn’t take him with the first pick. If he was there in the late first round or early second round, I’d probably grab him.

That said, I hope he does well. I can’t remember the last time a Cal QB became an NFL star — probably because it was before my time, in the days of Steve Bartkowski. (No, Gale Gilbert holding a clipboard for five consecutive Super Bowls does not count.)

Why is Rodgers so highly touted? Why is he the leading QB (other than, possibly, Leinhart)? What about Jason White (before tonight)? Or the many other senior QBs in college football? What about that Cubbie (sp?) guy at Texas Tech?

Aside from his performance vs. USC, it's just puzzling that so many people have been talking about him so highly, like he's the best, when I've seen so many more superior performances during bowl season.

I suspect we saw Sonny Cumbie on the best day of his life, but if he can pass like that all the time, watch out.

Apparently Rodgers has much better arm strength than Leinert.

Post a comment