How about AJ McCarron

[BigSeph]

(01-12-2016, 02:51 AM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: That's what would terrify me if McCarron ever had to start 16 games. The Bengals have a good OL. It might not be the best OL ever, but it's certainly in the top fourth of the league.

Reading the defense can be taught more or less. Going through your reads/keeping your eyes downfield can be taught for most.... but pocket awareness? It seems to be more of something someone either has or doesn't.

15 sacks in just shy of 5 games behind the same OL that Dalton only got sacked 21 times last year in 16, and 20 times in 12 and a bit more games this year. McCarron in 16 games projects to take 48-49 sacks behind a top fourth OL. That's not good, even less so for a QB who's rather thin at 6'3, 210lbs.

Hopefully we never have to find out what'd happen in 16 games, but if I were McCarron, reading zone defenses and speeding up getting the ball out of his hands is what I would be working the entire offseason on. Maybe call up the guy who worked with Dalton?

Dalton is traditionally behind one guy in the NFL when it comes to getting the ball out of his hands - Tom Brady.

Now, if Andrew Luck was Tom Brady's backup, you would say that Andrew Luck has no pocket awareness.  Yet that isn't traditionally an opinion that is voiced around the NFL.

McCarron's time to getting the ball out would be faster if he had more experience.  This would make the OL look better.  Andy came into the NFL with an unusual ability to make a decision with the ball and get it out of his hands.  It took Brady years to get there, Andy came in with that skill already rivaling the best in the NFL.

McCarron's issue is hesitation.  He's unsure of where to go with the ball and what the defense is doing right now.  He's started 4 games.  It will improve.

I don't know that it will ever improve enough to be competitive with Andy's throw times.  Andy is just that good at it.

Andy's quick time to throw masks OL deficiencies.  McCarron's hesitation and middle of the pack time to throw exaggerates OL deficiencies.

I wouldn't call the issue "pocket awareness." I would call it being green and unsure of where to go with the ball when it's snapped.