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Obviously there are two sides to Drew's play here in Buffalo, and in NE for that matter. For eleven years now Bledsoe fans have been stating that Drew only needs the supporting cast. So I thought I'd shed some light on that.
IMO any average, even below average QBs can have very good seasons "with all the tools" around them. But the better QBs play well under the more likely circumstances of at least a few weaknesses in the levels of talent around them.
Mark Rypien is a QB who I consider to have been about Drew's caliber. His best season was one that closely resembled Drew's best. He had a killer arm like Drew and could launch the deep ball equally well. He had perhaps lesser rushing support than Drew had when Drew had his best season(s), but other than that, the scenarios are very similar.
Rypien played behind one of the best OLs that football ever assembled and Drew's was very good in '96/'97.
What is interesting, the career play of both is almost the same.
YPA: 6.7/7.1
TD/INT: 1.2/1.3
Cp. %: 57.1/56.1
Rypien played very well behind the Skins line. Yet, when removed, he played poorly.
The point is not that Rypien is any good, but that IMO any even remotely average QB, which is what Rypien was, would have played well behind the HOGs line then. Since Drew doesn't play much better than Rypien does apart from that, it would make sense that if we beef up our OL to the extent that "Drew can play well", that we simply don't need to spend $6M, or whatever Drew would cost down the road, on a QB.
Ie., if we assemble that line, let's save some bucks on a QB at mimimum, who would match anything that Drew could do or perhaps even better.
Just a thought. I view the two as being very similar. No mobility, both pocket passers, both not the best readers, both with very strong arms and decent deep balls. In fact, the stats of both are very, very similar. I'm just curious if this was Rypien, what would the response by the fans be.
IMO any average, even below average QBs can have very good seasons "with all the tools" around them. But the better QBs play well under the more likely circumstances of at least a few weaknesses in the levels of talent around them.
Mark Rypien is a QB who I consider to have been about Drew's caliber. His best season was one that closely resembled Drew's best. He had a killer arm like Drew and could launch the deep ball equally well. He had perhaps lesser rushing support than Drew had when Drew had his best season(s), but other than that, the scenarios are very similar.
Rypien played behind one of the best OLs that football ever assembled and Drew's was very good in '96/'97.
What is interesting, the career play of both is almost the same.
YPA: 6.7/7.1
TD/INT: 1.2/1.3
Cp. %: 57.1/56.1
Rypien played very well behind the Skins line. Yet, when removed, he played poorly.
The point is not that Rypien is any good, but that IMO any even remotely average QB, which is what Rypien was, would have played well behind the HOGs line then. Since Drew doesn't play much better than Rypien does apart from that, it would make sense that if we beef up our OL to the extent that "Drew can play well", that we simply don't need to spend $6M, or whatever Drew would cost down the road, on a QB.
Ie., if we assemble that line, let's save some bucks on a QB at mimimum, who would match anything that Drew could do or perhaps even better.
Just a thought. I view the two as being very similar. No mobility, both pocket passers, both not the best readers, both with very strong arms and decent deep balls. In fact, the stats of both are very, very similar. I'm just curious if this was Rypien, what would the response by the fans be.
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