Russell Wilson (by Nate Manickavasagam)

Russell Wilson has been the topic of many debates over the offseason, but the one that comes up the most often is the Andrew Luck vs. Russell Wilson argument. I personally believed that they were on equal footing, but Wilson is in a better situation. After watching him, I mm not sure that is the case. His defense has been very talented, but his offensive line has struggled mightily and his receivers were all pretty average.

Offensively, the two were not in very different situations. Defensively, the Seahawks clearly had the edge, and therefore required less of Wilson. He did not have to make any of the risky plays that Luck made, but that certainly does not mean that he could not make them. In fact, Wilson was pretty fond of throwing into coverage. He was often forced out of the pocket and threw some questionable balls.

As a whole, he was pretty good, but I would say that Luck is currently the better quarterback between the two of them, but that is not meant to discredit Wilson, but more to credit Luck, who has played really well. Let’s did into Wilson.

Above is a collection of games from the middle of the 2013 season (vs Tennessee, Arizona, Tampa Bay, New Orleans). (73/98; 74.5%)

Above is a colletion of games from the beginning/end of the 2013 season (vs Carolina, San Fransisco, Arizona, St Louis). (65/87; 74.7%)

(Total: 138/185; 74.6%)

His charts were pretty solid. There is not much you can tell from them, though. He was pretty average throwing to all parts of the field. A few things I noticed while watching him: 1) His pocket presence is usually really good. He senses pressure and uses his athleticism to avert the pressure while keeping his eyes downfield. He made a lot of throws most quarterbacks would not have made. 2) He had very little time to throw the ball. He was constantly being forced out of the pocket, and he needs to get rid of the ball quicker. 3. He was very good when he wasn’t under pressure (shocker). I am surprised the Seahawks have not invested more into their offensive line.

As far as Wilson himself is concerned, he is already a pretty good quarterback. He has good accuracy, pocket presence, mobility, footwork, and arm strength. The things that I believe he could improve on are vision and decision making. At times it feels like Wilson tries to compensate for his lack of time to throw by forcing a bad throw. He needs to learn when to just take a hit, or throw the ball away. While he can not control when the defense gets to him, he can control what he does with the ball before they get to him. He needs to get the ball to a safe target, throw it away, or take the hit. He can not be throwing into coverage as often as he did last year. Here is a GIF of what I mean.

At times, Wilson will miss a linebacker or safety coming over the middle and throw it into coverage. This also relates to his decision making, but it was noticeable enough to put it in its own category. Not a huge issue, but one of the steps he can take to get to the next level, talent-wise. Here is a GIF.

And with the bad, comes the good. Russell Wilson has a lot of things going for him. Here is just one example of his many great throws this past year.

All in all, Wilson is a good quarterback. For how young he is, he has a lot going for him, and he has a few traits that are hard to learn. He has some things he can improve on, but he doesn nothave any “major” issues, so it is hard to argue that he isnot a top quarterback. Some people speculate that Wilson will have an even better year this year, and while I agree to a degree, their offensive line may still hinder him. He might not be the best that he can be, but he will still do very well. I have Seattle in the top tier of teams, so another Super Bowl appearance is possible.

Colin Kaepernick (by Nate Manickavagam)

Colin Kaepernick is a fascinating quarterback. He has it all in terms of physical tools, but he is not fully there when it comes to passing the ball. He has a cannon for an arm, has a solid build, and is very mobile. I expected him to be extremely reliant on his legs, but I was wrong. His problems actually somewhat stem from his legs, but he is actually a little too reliant on his arm. He tries to force many throws that he just should not throw.

This is definitely a good and bad thing, as he can make some throws that very few quarterbacks will make, but he makes some throws that no quarterback should ever attempt. With Kaep, you have to take the good with the bad. The good can lead you to a Super Bowl; the bad can cost you one. I have been biased against Kaepernick in the past, but I will try my best to stay completely objective when writing my assessment of him. Here we go.

Above is a collection of games from the middle of the 2013 season (vs Arizona, Tennesee, New Orleans, Washington). (67/98; 68.4%)

Above is a collection of games from the beginning/end of the 2013 season (vs Green Bay, Seattle, Atlanta, Arizona). (65/93; 69.9%)

(Total: 132/191; 69.1%)

A lot of Kaepernick’s throws were to the sideline, and like his other traits, he was up and down. His arm strength compensated for his somewhat inefficient mechanics, and he was able to get the ball to the sideline pretty quick. However, his accuracy varied a lot. Many of his passes were way too high and sailed over his target’s head. He does not seem to have great touch on the ball, and this is one of the places I noticed it most.

Kaep has a few issues he could really work on. Among them are: reliance on arm strength, ball placement, and vision. These are the biggest things I believe Kaep could work on to improve. None of those issues are really easy to fix, which is why I am not sure how much better Kaep will get.

Kaep is used to having a cannon for an arm, so he has never really needed efficient mechanics to get the ball where he needs to in time. The problem is that his accuracy does suffer sometimes, and it is very apparent, because the ball will just sail way over his target’s head. It seems like he forces most of his throws. Here’s an example:

When it comes to ball placement, he is inconsistent. He often over-leads a receiver (sometimes due to him forcing a ball) but in general he was just inconsistent. This is just due to him “missing” and I believe his placement will be better with time.

And the last issue I believe he can fix is vision. He has a tendency to not see defenders sometimes, mostly linebackers, and will throw despite the defender being in the way. Like his placement, I think vision will come with experience, as he will know what to expect and where.the defenders will be. In the example above, Kaep does not see the defender lurking behind his target and because of this, his pass gets tipped and intercepted. In the example below, Kaep actually sees a defender attempting to swat his pass, so he resets his body, and delivers a good pass to a different target.

On the flip side, Kaep does a lot of things well. He can run the ball really well, makes some really nice throws, and has good pocket presence. He uses his athleticism to extend plays while keeping his eyes downfield. The best way to describe him is that “he can make a bad situation into something good fairly easily." This is exhibited in the play above, but it applies in many more. Below is just an example of one of the many great throws Kaep made this year.

All in all, he is a decent quarterback. I would not put him in my top 10 based on purely throwing the ball, but he offers a lot that others quarterbacks just do not. He has shown he can take a team to a Super Bowl (and almost won) and that is basically what you need in a quarterback nowadays.

While it is optimal to have a franchise quarterback who can throw for 5,000 yards and not throw 15 interceptions, you do not necessarily need that. Kaep is not your typical quarterback, but he makes it work, and again, that is what matters. It will be interesting to see how he progresses this year with some new weapons around him.

Sam Bradford (by Derrik Klassen)

Alex Smith is often deemed as the ideal “game manager,” and although that term is misused, by common definition, Sam Bradford is truly the ideal “game manager” in today’s NFL. Unfortunately, Bradford’s 2013 season was cut short (and his 2014 season will be nonexist). Due to having just a seven game season, many were lead to believe that Bradford was not that good, especially considering the offense was still functional when Kellen Clemens took over. The reality is that a key offensive player, Zac Stacy, “broke out” after Bradford’s injury, and the offense began to open up. That is not to say Clemens was not serviceable, but Bradford’s efforts went underappreciated.

Above is a collection of games from the beginning/end of Bradford's 2013 campaign (vs Arizona, Atlanta, Houston, Carolina). (107/134; 79.9%)

Above is a collection of games from the middle part of Bradford's 2013 campaign (vs Dallas, San Fransisco, Jacksonville). (73/108; 67.6%)

(Total: 180/242; 74.4%)

Bradford’s ability to make the “right” decision is both a gift and a curse. While it often means that Bradford finds the easiest open receiver for a decent chunk of yards, it also means that he tends to leave yards on the field by not testing his deep ball. He is simply too hesitant to take shots down the field. Oddly enough, that is not related to how well Bradford throws deep. Although Bradford does not have incredible arm strength, his accuracy downfield is surprisingly impressive. Now, that may be a product of him carefully choosing his shots, but it is an underrated facet of his game nonetheless.

On the bright side of Bradford’s hesitancy, he rarely turns the ball over. That allows the Rams to sustain drives, wear down the defense, and march into the end zone (in theory, at least). Of course, Brian Schottenheimer’s offense did not often work that well, but when you are using a player such as Tavon Austin as a traditional possession receiver, what else would be expected? Had Bradford been any more reckless, the offense may have been a total trainwreck. Then again, as stated before, Bradford may not have been “reckless,” for lack of a better word, enough as he should have been.

Instead of being too cautious, Bradford’s most notable flaw is his pocket presence. Whereas most who struggle with pocket presence either can not identify pressure or they panic when they do. Bradford has both issues. Bradford hangs in the pocket far longer than he should because he struggles to recognize rushers, both pre and post snap. When he identifies the pressure, Bradford gets skittish and runs himself into an even worse situation.

Knowing that Bradford favors checking down and shorter routes and that he is inept against pressure, it is not too difficult to gameplan for Bradford. In theory, you can blitz him heavily with short zone concepts, but the problem is that Bradford is better than the parts suggest. Bradford is a quick decision maker, so often, blitzing him allows him to hit a route immediately because he knows where the vacated area is. While his receivers may not always be on the same page, as seen below, that does not mean that Bradford himself is not executing as he should be.

In short, Bradford is a player that will not get you in trouble, but at the same time, he will not take advantage of every opportunity. For some, that is how they prefer their quarterback to play. Others prefer the reckless Ben Roethlisberger types, which leads such people to shun Bradford. Objectively, Bradford is a solid starting quarterback that was finally coming into his own. His most recent ACL injury is a tragedy and may ultimately end his career, but Bradford’s 2013 year did not get the recognition it deserved.

Carson Palmer (by Derrik Klassen)

Ever since his Cincinnati days, Carson Palmer has been on teams with awful offensive lines and expected to succeed. Then, when he can not, all of, or most of, the blame is directed toward him. That is not to say Palmer did not have issues of his own, but it is a misconception that Palmer is the sole reason for Arizona’s offensive demise and that he should be replaced at any cost. If he leads Arizona to a subpar season, then so be it, but last season, Palmer was a solid quarterback, all things considered.

Above is a collection of games from the middle part of the 2013 season (vs San Francisco, Atlanta, Houston, Philadelphia). (84/128; 65.6%)

Above is a collection of games from the beginning/end of the 2013 season (vs St Louis, Detroit, Seattle, San Fransisco). (87/125; 69.6%)

(Total: 171/253; 67.6%)

As stated before, Palmer has had to deal with some atrocious offensive lines and Arizona’s 2013 group was the worst in the league. Their recent first round pick, guard Jonathan Cooper, had went down before the season, which left the interior just as bad as it had been before. For the most part, the Arizona offensive line was a collective revolving door, which made Palmer’s life hell, especially in a division with such incredible defensive lines. As if having the pocket around him collapse was not a big enough problem in itself, it lead to a handful of other issues that brought out the worst in Palmer quite often.

Like many quarterbacks, Palmer struggles when he is forced off of his spot too quickly or when he has to rush his mechanics. It is not that Palmer is scared of pressure, but instead, it is simply that he can not be accurate when he is not allowed to set his feet to throw. Of course, that aspect is all on Palmer, but he is in that situation far too often that he should have to be. Below, Palmer faces immediate pressure and throws a bad ball because of it.

Granted, considering teams know that he gets rattled easily, and also has issues remembering who and where his safety valves are, heavily blitzing Palmer is more effective against Palmer than trying to dominate in coverage. On top of that, some of Palmer’s throws look noticeably predetermined, which would make it easy for defenses to jump his throws.

Another reason as to why teams can blitz Palmer is that his vision is poor. Palmer left too many yards on the field, even when the pocket was clean enough for him to have scanned the field. Palmer loves to take risky shots downfield. Whether that be his gall or his lack of understanding of coverages, it is Palmer’s most prominent flaw. Below, Palmer rifles a throw straight into the heart of the secondary.

As easy as Palmer was to scheme against in theory, he proved to be an impressive passer when given the opportunity to be one. In the few opportunities that he had clean pockets (or at least a pocket in which he could maneuver easily), Palmer was able to pick teams apart and place some stunning throws. Below, Palmer steps into what is left of the pocket and delivers a strike.

Palmer, in his entirety, is a solid quarterback that can make an offense functional if given a proper offensive line. The problem is that it has been too long since we have seen him behind a good offensive line, so he is a tough evaluation. Nonetheless, some of Palmer's efficiencies and deficiencies are clear, and he can be judged based on those. It would be interesting to see Palmer with an offensive line that gave him more than two seconds on every snap, but that may not ever happen again, which means that Palmer will continue to be what he was in 2013: an okay quarterback who was exposed in the pocket far more than any other quarterback.