Tweet
--Just a friendly reminder but first I am glad that Drew is our QB, and don't have a problem with RJ being gone...
Drew was sacked two times and had 1 interception while playing totally behind the first string.
RJ had a TD and looked good too behind TB's first string then behind the second string got his sacks.
Okay, now it's looking like a competition
SHELTON
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E-mail:
Click here
By GARY SHELTON, Times Sports Columnist
© St. Petersburg Times
published August 13, 2002
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TAMPA -- Maybe Jon Gruden was right. Maybe it wasn't a competition.
Maybe it was, say, a situation. Maybe it was, oh, an experiment. Two guys, one job. Nothing much to talk about, really.
But, um, that quarterback competition that wasn't a competition?
As of Monday night, it's a competition.
Gentlemen, start your water coolers. The debate begins immediately. Brad vs. Rob. Rob vs. Brad. Johnson vs. Johnson.
The quarterback position of the Bucs turned into a full-volume debate Monday night, and at first glance, it promises to blossom into a raging argument by September.
Suddenly, the job appears open, and applications are being accepted. For the first time in years, perhaps since Chris Chandler was scowling at Vinny Testaverde 11 seasons ago, there is a legitimate claim to the throne by someone other than the guy holding the scepter.
That's how impressive Rob Johnson's opening series was Monday. He walked onto the field, and in a handful of plays he had you imagining the possibilities. Perhaps he had Gruden imagining them too.
There is an electricity to the guy, a spark. You could feel it on the first play, when he rolled to his right and flicked a 20-yard completion to Ken Dilger. You could feel it on his second play, when he dropped back, tiptoed around two Dolphins and beat a diving Jason Taylor to the corner for an 11-yard gain. Four plays later, he rolled right, sorted through his receivers and found Keenan McCardell in the back of the end zone.
For that drive, the offense looked quicker, livelier with Rob running it. This is what the upside of Rob Johnson looks like. Later, the Bucs would see the downside, too, that slightly glassy look that comes when things break down. Johnson was sacked three times in six plays, and after he held the ball too long on the last one, Gruden gave him an earful.
"With Rob, every play is going to be a great play," Gruden said. "Every play is sometimes a little too exciting. Sometimes, the best play is throwing the ball away. He won't do that again, or there will be another animated conversation."
It basically was a career in a capsule. Enough upside to make you smile; enough downside to make you sigh. There were all the arguments why Rob could win the job, and all the ones on why he shouldn't.
Ah, but if only Gruden can harness Rob Johnson. If only he can ride the lightning.
How do you like your quarterbacks? A little steady, or a little scary? Brad is a speed-limit drive to the mall, with the mirrors cleaned and the seat belts fastened and the air bags ready. Rob is standing on a Harley, driving over broken glass, and he isn't wearing a helmet. Brad is a walk through the park; Rob is a run through the Amazon.
The best thing, and the worst, you can say about Rob Johnson is this. He makes things happen. Sometimes, that's good news. Sometimes it isn't.
On the other hand, the best thing and the worst you can say about Brad Johnson is this. He's safe.
Good old dependable Brad. He's going to throw a lot of completions, many of them for 4 yards. He's not going to throw a lot of interceptions. He's going to work hard, and he's going to play tough.
Brad, however, is not an edge of your seat quarterback. For a driver, he seems to ride the brakes a little bit. He sips. He nibbles. There is no sense of the gambler here. No sense of danger.
Perhaps that is the reason it has been hard to warm to Brad. Oh, don't blame him for the mess that was the Bucs offense last year. After all, the guy did set four team records (attempts, completions, completion percentage, lowest interception percentage). However, he also showed a reluctance to throw deep.
Take his second drive. The Bucs had second and 6 at the Dolphins 16. Johnson threw two passes afterward, but neither was into the end zone. Clyde Christensen would have been proud.
Sometimes, a team needs for its quarterback to attack. Sometimes, it needs a little arrogance, a little swagger to the position. Sometimes, it needs to fall out of love with the field goal.
The thing about Brad is this, however. With him, a coach knows what he's likely to get, and he can plan accordingly. He's a known quantity.
This is Gruden's decision. Does he invest in the safe stock, or the one with the high reward? Does he turn this promising offense with all these new toys over to Basic Brad or to Roller-Coaster Rob?
It's odd. For years, the Bucs have talked as if the quarterback position was up for grabs, but it wasn't. The fight was always rigged. Everyone knew from the first practice who it was going to be, and for the most part, the knowledge didn't make anyone sleep better.
Now, here we are with a legitimate battle, the Bucs are talking it down. Hey, the Bucs should embrace this competition. It beats listening to the fans call for Scott Milanovich, doesn't it?
Know this. If it's even, Brad opens the season. Tie goes to the incumbent. But the gap between the two closed some Monday night. In the next two weeks, it might close even more.
As of now, the quarterback position is winnable.
And if this isn't a competition, someone needs to ask the question:
Why isn't it?
Drew was sacked two times and had 1 interception while playing totally behind the first string.
RJ had a TD and looked good too behind TB's first string then behind the second string got his sacks.
Okay, now it's looking like a competition
SHELTON
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E-mail:
Click here
By GARY SHELTON, Times Sports Columnist
© St. Petersburg Times
published August 13, 2002
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TAMPA -- Maybe Jon Gruden was right. Maybe it wasn't a competition.
Maybe it was, say, a situation. Maybe it was, oh, an experiment. Two guys, one job. Nothing much to talk about, really.
But, um, that quarterback competition that wasn't a competition?
As of Monday night, it's a competition.
Gentlemen, start your water coolers. The debate begins immediately. Brad vs. Rob. Rob vs. Brad. Johnson vs. Johnson.
The quarterback position of the Bucs turned into a full-volume debate Monday night, and at first glance, it promises to blossom into a raging argument by September.
Suddenly, the job appears open, and applications are being accepted. For the first time in years, perhaps since Chris Chandler was scowling at Vinny Testaverde 11 seasons ago, there is a legitimate claim to the throne by someone other than the guy holding the scepter.
That's how impressive Rob Johnson's opening series was Monday. He walked onto the field, and in a handful of plays he had you imagining the possibilities. Perhaps he had Gruden imagining them too.
There is an electricity to the guy, a spark. You could feel it on the first play, when he rolled to his right and flicked a 20-yard completion to Ken Dilger. You could feel it on his second play, when he dropped back, tiptoed around two Dolphins and beat a diving Jason Taylor to the corner for an 11-yard gain. Four plays later, he rolled right, sorted through his receivers and found Keenan McCardell in the back of the end zone.
For that drive, the offense looked quicker, livelier with Rob running it. This is what the upside of Rob Johnson looks like. Later, the Bucs would see the downside, too, that slightly glassy look that comes when things break down. Johnson was sacked three times in six plays, and after he held the ball too long on the last one, Gruden gave him an earful.
"With Rob, every play is going to be a great play," Gruden said. "Every play is sometimes a little too exciting. Sometimes, the best play is throwing the ball away. He won't do that again, or there will be another animated conversation."
It basically was a career in a capsule. Enough upside to make you smile; enough downside to make you sigh. There were all the arguments why Rob could win the job, and all the ones on why he shouldn't.
Ah, but if only Gruden can harness Rob Johnson. If only he can ride the lightning.
How do you like your quarterbacks? A little steady, or a little scary? Brad is a speed-limit drive to the mall, with the mirrors cleaned and the seat belts fastened and the air bags ready. Rob is standing on a Harley, driving over broken glass, and he isn't wearing a helmet. Brad is a walk through the park; Rob is a run through the Amazon.
The best thing, and the worst, you can say about Rob Johnson is this. He makes things happen. Sometimes, that's good news. Sometimes it isn't.
On the other hand, the best thing and the worst you can say about Brad Johnson is this. He's safe.
Good old dependable Brad. He's going to throw a lot of completions, many of them for 4 yards. He's not going to throw a lot of interceptions. He's going to work hard, and he's going to play tough.
Brad, however, is not an edge of your seat quarterback. For a driver, he seems to ride the brakes a little bit. He sips. He nibbles. There is no sense of the gambler here. No sense of danger.
Perhaps that is the reason it has been hard to warm to Brad. Oh, don't blame him for the mess that was the Bucs offense last year. After all, the guy did set four team records (attempts, completions, completion percentage, lowest interception percentage). However, he also showed a reluctance to throw deep.
Take his second drive. The Bucs had second and 6 at the Dolphins 16. Johnson threw two passes afterward, but neither was into the end zone. Clyde Christensen would have been proud.
Sometimes, a team needs for its quarterback to attack. Sometimes, it needs a little arrogance, a little swagger to the position. Sometimes, it needs to fall out of love with the field goal.
The thing about Brad is this, however. With him, a coach knows what he's likely to get, and he can plan accordingly. He's a known quantity.
This is Gruden's decision. Does he invest in the safe stock, or the one with the high reward? Does he turn this promising offense with all these new toys over to Basic Brad or to Roller-Coaster Rob?
It's odd. For years, the Bucs have talked as if the quarterback position was up for grabs, but it wasn't. The fight was always rigged. Everyone knew from the first practice who it was going to be, and for the most part, the knowledge didn't make anyone sleep better.
Now, here we are with a legitimate battle, the Bucs are talking it down. Hey, the Bucs should embrace this competition. It beats listening to the fans call for Scott Milanovich, doesn't it?
Know this. If it's even, Brad opens the season. Tie goes to the incumbent. But the gap between the two closed some Monday night. In the next two weeks, it might close even more.
As of now, the quarterback position is winnable.
And if this isn't a competition, someone needs to ask the question:
Why isn't it?
log
Comment