Cutler throws very well at Combine

You do? With that guy who went to SD (early pick) who went to the pro bowl and Demarcus Ware (just two players) I don't.

 

Yea, it's not like we can't tell how a player's career will turn out after their rookie years.

 

Titans2008, he didn't say Mike Williams would be the best player in 5 years, or over an entire career, he said he was the best player in the draft. Clearly he was not.

 

I wouldn't say Cutler has done enough to pass Young or Leinart but we should remember those guys have done nothing either in the off season (except for the controversial 6 wonder sacore by Young). If Leinart or Young had worked at the combine we really don't know what might have happened if they didn't WOW anyone. In the individual workouts things could get less cloudy. The bottom line is if a team needs a QB and Cutler is on the board with the others gone he will get picked. His draft postion will be based on the specific needs of the teams drafting after the Titans. If the Jets really want a QB at #4 and Leinart and Young are gone Cutler could easily go 4th. I doubt Cutler could have done anything to surpass Young or Leinart, even if he did better in the Senior Bowl or combine simply because Young and Leinart still have the mystic attributes based on their college championships.

 

That would be a good question. Still, you wonder if after the championship season and the great game Young had in the championship game if he wouldn't be better off hiding in a hole somewhere and not taking any tests or throwing any footballs. The less he does the more awesome the guy gets in peoples minds while a guy like Cutler misses a couple of throws in a session and then everyone decides he isn't as good. Heck, Young flunked the only thing he did in the off season and if he threw at the combine and missed half his passes I bet it would change a few attitudes.

 

Now folks are saying Young shouldn't have done anything. Before he was being downgraded because he wasn't working out in the combine. Before that he was being chastized (sp) for participating in the skills competition (where he was impressive). Bottomline, no matter what he would have done, the detractors would have been out in full force.

As far as "flunking" the Wonderlic, no one know what happened there and honestly, who cares? The teams that bring him in will "test" him by having him watch film and talk about coverages, looking at plays on a board, etc. That is the test that matters...not the wonderlic.

 

The "best player in the draft" isn't a one year award.

 

Isn't that my whole point? The guy has done little or nothing and he has "detractors" because when fans, scouts, and coaches have nothing to examine they can't say anything negative. That was my point with Cutler. He has a couple of bad throws and the talk is maybe he isn't as "impressive" or what ever while the guy who doesn't throw at all is OK.
What if Young played in a game like the Senior Bowl and had a hard time grasping the scheme (considering they wouldn't install a run and gun shot gun just for him). What if Young and Leinart threw at the combine and Cutler ate the guys lunch as far as arm strength and accuracy?

Just to make a point look at this comparison. We cannot really determine how Cutler would have played at USC or how successfull Leinart would have been at Vandy. However, the statistics are interesting considering there are those who think Leinart walks on water and Cutler can't carry the guys jock.
Leinart threw for 3815 yards last year in 13 games with 28 TDs and 8 ints. Cutler threw for 3073 in only 11 games with 21 TDs and 9 ints.

Consider that Leinart had the #1 pick, Bush and a top 10 pick, White in his back field. Almost the whole OL for USC is NFL caliber (this is not a stretch, they have 3 in this draft and their center is one of the top centers next year). Even the TE is going to get drafted possibly on day 1. Steve Smith is projected to be one of the top 5 WRs in next years draft. Add into the mix that USC has 4 or 5 defensive players that will be drafted this year and about the same number next year you can see why they won so many games over the last couple of years. I will not even get into the difference in the level of coaching a guy like Leinart enjoyed while at USC compared to Cutler. Either way anyone with a rational thought process can see that a guy like Cutler whith that kind of talent around him could have easily put up as good of numbers and won as many games. Where Leinart was sitting back in the pocket with an NFL OL protecting him Cutler was running for his life. While Leinart could dish off a 5 yard pass to one of the most electrifying RBs in college history and get credited for a 80 yards TD pass Cutler was pitching the ball to guys who wouldn't even get a scholorship at USC.

So whats the point? Of course Leinart isn't going to show up and go head to head at the combine with Cutler and the rest of the QBs. He might look more ordinary and some might not thinks he walks on water any more.