Seems he's been quite a hot button topic of conversation on this board of late, which I'm sure will continue leading up to the draft. To that end, I found an interesting article on ESPN I thought was thread/post worthy, so here you go: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft2011/news/story?id=6348822 Honestly, the more I read/hear/see, the more I'm warming up to the idea of drafting him. You can't deny the physical tools he posses. So, IMO it's all about his mental approach to the game and his attitude, both on and off the field. This article seems to dispel many of the rumors swirling around him from that perspective. Assuming of course you can take it at face value.
Thanks for posting, even though I hate these ESPN articles that are written as if they are more a novel than sports news. I get douche chills from reading them. Anyway, I think Mallet is an intriguing prospect indeed. As far as this article doing much to dispel character concerns - Do any of you know too many parents who wouldn't defend their child no matter what their faults are? Do you any other employers who would consider parents a reliable reference?
1) Douche chills??? 2) I agree re; the parents defending their child. Which is why I said "take it at face value." Still, just something about the story that seems very credible IMO.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=douche chills Well of course it's credible! Who would doubt parents would have a high opinion of their son? Like I said, I am intrigued by Mallet and wouldn't be the least bit disappointed if we selected him. I enjoyed the content of the article even if it was written in typical douchebag ESPN style. [shudders]
1) 6'7". 2) Cannon arm. 3) Reads progressions very well. 4) Did I happen to mention 6'7" and cannon arm?
Really everything I read about Mallet has the catch phrase "character concerns" all over it but no one ever seems to elaborate. He got arrested for public intoxication, honestly thats a very typical thing for a kid in college, thats not a huge red flag, he transferred from Michigan....to get away from a spread offense....seems straight forward. I guess the character concerns are rumors or just that he isn't well liked? I have read a lot about Mallet and I can't seem to get at what the real big red flags are for his character.
They will have you believe Mallett can't move in the pocket because of his slow 40 time, well here are some sack stats which dispell that notion imho. http://www.dolphinshout.com/2011/03/incredible-proof-that-ryan-mallett-will.html Mallett had 32 td's to Newton's 30 http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/04/15/v-fullstory/2169747/dolphins-crucial-question-is-mallett.html In the comments section: With all 3 of those guys being faster in the 40 than Mallett, in reality, I would think it points to Mallett's pocket presence being above average.
Disagree D. You can't teach arm strength, you either have it or you don't. And, it's not like that's the only attribute I mentioned (read #1 & #3).
Mallett comes from a pro offense and possesses some of the best pure passing skills to come into the league in awhile. All the talk of his character concerns is simply an opportunity for us to greatly upgrade the QB position with an unnecessarily sliding player. Much of what has been said of him has been unsubstantiated. Having said this, we may have to move up to secure him as he may not get past Washington and Minnesota. Maybe we are the team in discussions to trade up to Dallas' pick?
I don't know why we'd want to draft the big-armed Mallett into a running offense comprising possession-type personnel on a team with an ultra conservative coach (one who has yet to prove he can be anything but so). Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me. If Sparano's "make no-mistakes, don't cost us a game" mentality could hinder Henne's production and/or development, then it might pummel Mallett's.
only if you'd like to buy some footballs that I'm having personally signed by Marino in a few seconds.
I have a question: Without referencing anything arm-related, can people tell me why he's worth a <Dolphins> first round pick?
I would say ability to make pre-snap reads, leadership, confidence and aggressive mindset. His pocket awareness is developing. He doesn't have the one read and run mentality of Gabbert.
I like Mallett as a prospect. I said it a few months back that him, Locker, and Ponder will turn out to be the best NFL QBs in this draft class and I stand by that statement. But, what I don't understand is how Dolphins fans (particularly on these forums) want a new QB because of the lack of mobility Henne has. Yet, that is probably Mallett's biggest weakness. Not only that, but Mallett has some leadership questions and struggles against the blitz. If I'm not mistaken, those are some of Henne's biggest problems as well. So, I'm just curious as to why people are against sticking with Henne for another year, but are open to drafting a guy that is nearly identical as a prospect.
I'm not sure if "aggressive mindset" is a good thing when describing why Miami should use a first rounder under a conservative HC. That could be like mixing oil and vinegar. IMO "aggressive" can also translate to "risky" depending on the QB's decision making process. Does he have 1st round decision making to back up this aggressive mindset? Would you go so far as to say his "pre snap read capability" and "leadership" traits are first round caliber (IE: the cream of the crop that college QBs have to offer)? If not, what round would you put them in?
Chad Henne is 6'3 (the exact avg of an nfl qb) and also has a cannon arm. Im not seeing anything in Mallet that I don't see in Henne. And Henne has actually managed to win big games and not fold like a napkin too. Im not against taking a QB, but to me, Mallet and Henne are pretty similar. If we're going to draft a QB, it shouldn't be Mallet. We already have his skill set.
Im not aware of any successful coaches with the "it's ok to make mistakes and cost us the game" mentality.
thank you. Not to mention---- we at least know what we have in Henne. We know that in his ABSOLUTE worst, that we can win games with him if the team isn't falling apart (should've began the season 6-1 that included playing the toughest 4 game stretch in all of football: GB, Pitt, Jets, NE). We know that, if our running backs rush for 100+ yards while the defense doesn't give up more than 24, that we're an undefeated 6-0. We don't know about Mallett. We dont know if his aggressive nature and/or decision making process turns some of those wins into losses (considering Sparano wants us to be a running team). We don't know if he has it in him, due to the previous concerns, to carry us through tough times should the rest of the team melt down. When faced with the same situation that Henne was in last year, I don't see Mallett putting us on his shoulders and willing us to victory, especially not with a group of possession type receivers who are geared for short to intermediate type routes, not the long game. My 2 cents. if we draft any franchise hopeful QB, I'd like it to be someone with an ability to win games with the thing between his ears, who excels in the quick efficient decision making department, doesn't crack under pressure, and is at his best when the game is on the line.
You know EXACTLY what I meant. Do you do anything besides using straw arguments to twist posts around in an attempt to discredit others? Grow up Stringer and quit trolling.
Hey, I can play this game too. So how many coaches ARE YOU AWARE OF who passionately play for FGs and emphatically prioritize conservative play in a direct effort to operate mistake-free and not cost games? How many coaches are you aware of who beat this type of mentality into their QBs?
Not all players with "similar skill sets" have the same ability. Look at Gholston, kid had an amazing skill set, but turned out to be a total dud. Just because he has a big arm and lack of downfield speed doesn't mean Mallett is the same as Henne. I think anyone trying to claim that is selling the kid short.
Im not selling him short as much as I am of the belief that Henne is being sold short. Mallet could be a very good Qb in the NFL with the right offense and the right coaching. Chad Henne can be a very good QB in the right offense and the right coaching. I just don't think you can endorse one and not the other. Especially when one of them is already on this team and won't cost us a first rounder.
As a prospect they probably are very similar. But, they MIGHT be worlds apart as far as NFL ability is concerned. I think we should take the chance and find out. The skepticism surrounding Henne is too real to just stand pat and hope he develops into solid QB. Even though we could sure use a high pick elsewhere, I still think Mallett`s a good gamble.
Why can't I? Just because you have some base skills doesn't mean you have the ability to be a great player. There are busts all the time of players who should be incredible. I saw enough from Henne in my opinion. The coaching didn't help him (obviously), but at the same time, he just didn't show me that he has the ability to be Super Bowl winning QB. Mallett has a similar skillset, but then again so did Dan Marino. Will Mallett be closer to Marino then Henne? Who knows. If we draft him, I sure hope he is closer to Marino. I have no faith in Henne to be anything that what he has been, and think we should look for an upgrade.
Mallett is being considered in the 1st round b/c of his arm, not b/c of his other intangibles. I think the "worlds apart" argument only applies if Mallett's decision making, leadership, consistency, mental make up, attitude, dedication, not folding under pressure, etc are also 1st round talent caliber. Just because the guy has a great arm doesn't mean he can be lumped him into the Manning/Brees/Brady category regarding the non arm-related aspects of the game. If Mallett possessed those traits, he's the 1st pick in the draft, and the Panthers would've been working on his contract a month ago.
His pre-snap ability is definitely elite for a college level QB. There have even been some reports indicating he models his pre snap activities after Peyton Manning. Leadership is far too subjective to place a "grade" on it. Although leadership is part of the package, I believe round grades are labelled based on ability.
I'm really not sold on drafting Mallett either. I'm not Henne's biggest fan and I don't see what drafting a quarterback very similar to Henne would do for the competition. I'd much rather draft Kaepernick or Ponder for something different. Also, after watching Mallett for a while, do we really have an strong enough O-line considering his footwork and liability to being sacked?
Because no quarterback in this draft can throw the football like this guy can, and I don't mean that based on just arm strength. Ryan Mallett has a feel for the passing game that I do not see from any other quarterback in this draft with the exception of maybe 2 or 3 other guys who are consistently rated lower by the so called experts. In a draft where the perceived top guys come from offenses that fed them information and told them what to do on each play, Ryan Mallet is the one guy at the top of this draft that has experience making his own decisions relative to presnap reads, making protection calls, calling audibles at the line, and checking the direction of a run based on the strength of the defense. The character concerns are unsubstantiated at this point, with the exception of one public intoxication incident at Arkansas. If there were no rumors about character issues, then Ryan Mallett would be the unquestioned #1 quarterback in this draft. Mobility is a nonissue to me. He moves around WITHIN THE POCKET just fine. In fact, I consider it a strong positive that he's not a scrambler. Compare that to Blaine Gabbert, who bails out of the pocket at the first hint of pressure, whether he's being pressured or not. Which do you think will be harder to coach? Keeping Mallett's upper body mechanics clean when he slides around within the pocket, or getting Gabbert to stop sensing phantom pressure?
There's no truth to the idea that more mobile quarterbacks evade sacks easier. This is one reason why I continue to laugh at those that value mobility at the quarterback position. This past season in the NFL, Michael Vick was sacked on 8.5% of the pass attempts he had. Chad Henne was sacked only 5.7% of his pass drops. Ryan Mallet was sacked on 5.7% of his total pass attempts (PA + Sacks). The more mobile Cam Newton was sacked on 7.6% of his total pass attempts.
It's my belief that 3-5 years from now, Mallett will be considered the best QB from this draft class. If the Dolphins can trade down and still get him, that would one hell of a draft move.
Apparently NFL.com is a liar: http://www.nfl.com/players/ChadHenne/profile?id=HEN507580 It's still only an inch though.
