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Apparently the fans and coaches of Tulsa had a big fascination with the records of Ty Detmer and having their QB Paul Smith tie or break it. What was it? See how quickly I forgot. But I was thinking maybe Paul can still best Ty in the NFL. What I remember Ty for was the 7 interceptions he threw for my beloved Lions against the Browns in 2001 after we gave up a 4th round draft choice for him to the Brownies. So here's my thought, the Lions draft Paul Smith in the 4th round and then during preseason Kitna gets a season ending injury and Drew Stanton injures his other knee or shoulder and then the new offensive coordinator has a fascination with Paul Smith due to his record breaking performance against BG. So Paul Smith is named the new Lions starting QB and promptly breaks another Ty Detmer record by heaving 8 interceptions in a game. Won't that be fun?

I saw basically nothing that excited me about the Tulsa QB as far as his NFL potential goes. His consistent 10 yard overthrows of wide open receivers on go routes was not befitting a good NFL prospect.

He is just like all those Texas Tech QB's who throw for a gazillion yards and never get a sniff of the pros.

Hey, Bruce "Queen of the Screen" Gradkowski rarely threw more than 10 yards down the field and he's in the NFL.

Then again, he's also in a West Coast offensive system at Tampa Bay that asks its quarterback to do the exact same thing.

Yeah, Bruce is back to third string on the Bucs. He only started last year because of injuries. He will be a career back-up. Paul is in the same boat, but he can always say he had a record in college football. Until that one is broken some day. I do believe Omar's may never be broken. It is hard to throw that many times and not be picked off.

For what it's worth, Paul had plenty of 30+ yard throws for the year. If a defense is going to give up 10 yard passes all day - he'd be stupid not to take them; in college, or the NFL. I think Paul has the head, the arm strength and the poise to be an NFL QB.

The size or the speed? Not so much. I'd be surprised if he doesn't get a shot - at least at a camp.
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Oh, and FYI - you know those Texas Tech QB's? Yeah, we got his brother (who broke his brother's Texas HS records).

JesseTU wrote:For what it's worth, Paul had plenty of 30+ yard throws for the year. If a defense is going to give up 10 yard passes all day - he'd be stupid not to take them; in college, or the NFL. I think Paul has the head, the arm strength and the poise to be an NFL QB.

The size or the speed? Not so much. I'd be surprised if he doesn't get a shot - at least at a camp.
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Oh, and FYI - you know those Texas Tech QB's? Yeah, we got his brother (who broke his brother's Texas HS records).

Jesse - I think it's a given that someone with those types of numbers will have to at least get a shot in some NFL camp(s). What he does with that opportunity will depend on a lot of factors.

JoeFalcon wrote:Hey, Bruce "Queen of the Screen" Gradkowski rarely threw more than 10 yards down the field and he's in the NFL.

Then again, he's also in a West Coast offensive system at Tampa Bay that asks its quarterback to do the exact same thing.

I think you misunderstood my post. I was referring to the Tulsa QB overthrowing his receiver by about 10 yards on every single deep go route in the game.

Redwingtom wrote:

JoeFalcon wrote:Hey, Bruce "Queen of the Screen" Gradkowski rarely threw more than 10 yards down the field and he's in the NFL.

Then again, he's also in a West Coast offensive system at Tampa Bay that asks its quarterback to do the exact same thing.

I think you misunderstood my post. I was referring to the Tulsa QB overthrowing his receiver by about 10 yards on every single deep go route in the game.

Tom: Unfortunately, his overthrows were the best part of our defense.

Redwingtom wrote: I think you misunderstood my post. I was referring to the Tulsa QB overthrowing his receiver by about 10 yards on every single deep go route in the game.

Oh, I know. I was talking about quarterbacks in general who are orientated to a specific system and might have trouble adjusting to different ones. Whether it's taking a 5-step drop instead of a shotgun snap or making longer and complicated progression reads on pass plays, it can be tough to get out of that comfort zone.

The problem is that the only way NFL offenses work in college is if you have superior personnel like USC. For 90% of the teams, you have to create creative mismatches via the spread or the option to have success.

This post represents the type of twisted thought only a tortured Lions fan could have.