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redskinsfan
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SI's Doug Farrar came on Chad Dukes show the other day and basically called out Russell Wilson as a system QB. He noted that Wilson's success has, in reality, been a product of all the championship caliber components surrounding him. In fact, he stated that if he played for the Colts, who offer zip in terms of supporting Andrew Luck, he'd be no better than a .500 QB there. He noted that Luck would provide three more wins than would Wilson, which explains why the Colts, an otherwise middling team, is an annual playoff contender. I completely agree with this assessment and it's important to note that Farrar's observations on Wilson are instructive on a number of grounds with respect to RGIII.
First, Wilson isn't nearly as talented as RGIII. Yet, he's gone to two straight Super Bowls. Why? Again, the 'Hawks didn't get there twice because of Wilson but crafted a gameplan that catered to his strengths and minimized his weaknesses. In particular, they steered very clearly away from asking Wilson to win games, especially by throwing the ball, and allowed others like Marshawn Lynch to spearhead their success. How does this translate to RGIII? Weave back in some of the 2012 gameplan that made him great as a rookie, but retain enough of a pro style format so he can ease his way into learning to be a pocket passer.
All this takes into consideration the fact that RGIII, like Wilson, isn't prepared to win games as a pocket passer -- yet. Instead of forcing him to do so, build around him to make his job easier just like Seattle did with Wilson and SF did with Alex Smith and Kap. McCloughan is starting that process but he's still got a long ways to go. Until that happens, RGIII, unlike Wilson, can't develop his skills on the job; rather, he has to do so under fire, behind a sieve-like offensive line that makes him run for his life way too many times.
This may beg the question of why Luck has done so well despite zero supporting staff? That's because he was a pro-ready QB from Day One, something neither RGIII or Wilson were -- or still are. For this reason, if we want RGIII to succeed, he needs to learn his craft without having to win games all by himself. What if he never gets there? He can still be good if we build around him just like with Smith, Kap, and Wilson. But Gruden needs to modify his expectations of RGIII in the short term. By doing that, he can get the guy to learn how to progress as a QB on a gradual learning curve.
Conversely, why is Kap, who's got more raw talent than Wilson, regressing? Because his supporting cast is crumbling. Without things like a legit running game and a first class defense, SF needed him to be a pocket passer to win games for them. However, because he wasn't that guy, he's fallen quickly from grace. And I'll say this for Wilson. If he doesn't improve as a pocket passer, he'll experience the same thing if his team falls apart. If Seattle is going to give him a fat contract now based on his prowess as a system QB, they'll wreck their cap in the coming years.
Which brings us back to RGIII. If he can't be the next Aaron Rodgers, he can still be another Trent Dilfer. Mccloughan has done that before and I'm not sure why he can't do it again. The key is to tweak the system to bring RGIII along slowly. If that happens, maybe we can learn something from what Farrar said the other day about Wilson.
First, Wilson isn't nearly as talented as RGIII. Yet, he's gone to two straight Super Bowls. Why? Again, the 'Hawks didn't get there twice because of Wilson but crafted a gameplan that catered to his strengths and minimized his weaknesses. In particular, they steered very clearly away from asking Wilson to win games, especially by throwing the ball, and allowed others like Marshawn Lynch to spearhead their success. How does this translate to RGIII? Weave back in some of the 2012 gameplan that made him great as a rookie, but retain enough of a pro style format so he can ease his way into learning to be a pocket passer.
All this takes into consideration the fact that RGIII, like Wilson, isn't prepared to win games as a pocket passer -- yet. Instead of forcing him to do so, build around him to make his job easier just like Seattle did with Wilson and SF did with Alex Smith and Kap. McCloughan is starting that process but he's still got a long ways to go. Until that happens, RGIII, unlike Wilson, can't develop his skills on the job; rather, he has to do so under fire, behind a sieve-like offensive line that makes him run for his life way too many times.
This may beg the question of why Luck has done so well despite zero supporting staff? That's because he was a pro-ready QB from Day One, something neither RGIII or Wilson were -- or still are. For this reason, if we want RGIII to succeed, he needs to learn his craft without having to win games all by himself. What if he never gets there? He can still be good if we build around him just like with Smith, Kap, and Wilson. But Gruden needs to modify his expectations of RGIII in the short term. By doing that, he can get the guy to learn how to progress as a QB on a gradual learning curve.
Conversely, why is Kap, who's got more raw talent than Wilson, regressing? Because his supporting cast is crumbling. Without things like a legit running game and a first class defense, SF needed him to be a pocket passer to win games for them. However, because he wasn't that guy, he's fallen quickly from grace. And I'll say this for Wilson. If he doesn't improve as a pocket passer, he'll experience the same thing if his team falls apart. If Seattle is going to give him a fat contract now based on his prowess as a system QB, they'll wreck their cap in the coming years.
Which brings us back to RGIII. If he can't be the next Aaron Rodgers, he can still be another Trent Dilfer. Mccloughan has done that before and I'm not sure why he can't do it again. The key is to tweak the system to bring RGIII along slowly. If that happens, maybe we can learn something from what Farrar said the other day about Wilson.