MJ=Brees

[AZZZZ]

I've been thinking about this for the last couple of weeks. Does anybody else think Matty J has the skill set, intelligence, and size of Drew Bree's? If he could find a dome NFL team he could thrive.

Just a thought as I watch SNF.

[Flipper]

Russel Wilson might be a better current comp because MJ has developed a pretty strong arm and has a bit more mobility than Brees. Definitely agree that Brees and Wilson's NFL success Will probably make teams more willing to consider an "undersized" QB.

[hammb]

Certainly could be, but it's impossible to predict. Yes MJ is similar in stature to Wilson and Brees, but what most people don't realize is the difference between the two positions. Yes, NFL QB and College QB are two vastly different positions.

The biggest hurdle MJ will have is not physical tools (he's developed a good arm, although his size will always be a question). The issue is going to be from diagnosing a defense. He flat out doesn't do that sort of thing in our system. In the NFL he'll have to call out the Mike, change protections, switch plays to get into the right play for the situation. These are things that every NFL QB must do to be successful, and our system (even moreso than other college spread offenses) doesn't ask him to do AT ALL.

Can he learn it? Quite possibly. It's a total crapshoot though (as is almost any QB projection from a team running the air raid, up tempo stuff that we do).

Lost in comparing physical stature is what made Brees so great. His arm was never great. His size was always an issue. What made Brees great, and able to overcome those things, was that he saw things quicker and anticipated action better than nearly any QB of his era. Go back and look he was throwing the ball to spots that makes you say, "What the eff was he doing?" only to see that the WR ended up there and the DB not. If MJ can develop that level of anticipation, he could certainly be Brees, but it'll take time. Brees didn't show it in college playing "basketball on grass" with coach Tiller either. Wilson is special as the oh so rare dual threat QB that came into the league with rushing as a secondary goal in his mind...and also an uncanny ability to do it without actually ever getting hit.

I hope MJ can be those things, but I don't see him as a draftable prospect. His stature combined with the offense we run makes him a MASSIVE project. If he wants to go into a camp somewhere and work his ass off he could be Brees. At this point I'm ready to admit that projecting a QB from college to the NFL is 99% luck and 1% evaluation.

[jpfalcon09]

MJ will surely get a look from scouts at BG's combine day but I don't expect him to be drafted nor make an NFL roster. Much to what Flip said, you look at past QBs who have played here, granted under different systems, but they've all had struggles adapting to the NFL and specifically grasping offenses and reading coverages. One of the biggest knocks about Omar when he played with the Steelers was his inability to read defensive coverages and make adjustments at the line of scrimmage.

Perhaps if MJ can land in the right location where a team can help him learn these things, he'll have a shot. Dino made an interesting comment recently however about how the NFL ruins QBs once they leave college, obviously Garoppolo had success under Babers and perhaps teams will take notice of that, but I firmly believe MJ has a long way to go to play on Sundays unfortunately.

[Flipper]

I think he's a developmental guy for a couple of years...like Kellen Moore was in Detroit. If he doesn't show enough to win the back up job (Moore couldn't beat out Dan Orlovsky) , you waive goodbye.

I'd love to have him in that role in Detroit...but our OC joe Lombardi is the idiot who's trying to turn the ultimate run and gun QB Matthew Stafford into a game managing take the checkdown QB. They drop him back 5-7 steps to give Johnson and Tate a chance to get open downfield but the line collapses and he panics. Just roll him out and let him throw guys open. They did that few years ago and he had a great year.