OnTheClockDraft.com - 2008 NFL Draft - Brady Quinn Just Can't Get a Fair Shake

Apr 5, 2007, 8:45 PM

by Shaun DePasquale

href="/profile/Brady-Quinn/1160">Brady Quinn would probably give anything for a compliment that didn't begin with "Will you sign this for me?". Quinn has become the Mr. X of the 2007 NFL Draft, Who is Mr. X? Well, some years you actually end up having Mr.'s Y & Z as well, but this year Mr. X alone will be Brady Quinn....the guy with all the talent and potential in the world but whom everyone just has to find something wrong with and move other players ahead of him at his position. Last year it was a dual threat Leinart/Young. This year it looks like the title belongs to Quinn, and Quinn alone.

But you guys, and you know who you are, are wrong. Quinn is for real.

In debating Brady Quinn, you're liable to hear every absurd excuse in the book made against him. "He didn't show up in the big games." "He doesn't have a great arm." I've even heard this one: "He didn't improve enough under a QB guru." Give me a break. Let's look at the stats a moment. As a true freshman replacing the graduated Carlyle Holiday in 2003, Quinn had a typically rough freshmen year--only 9 touchdowns to 15 interceptions with an ugly 47.3 completion percentage. The following year as a sophomore, Quinn gave Tyrone Willingham a fine effort for an overmatched team that saw Willingham fired at the end of the season after an ugly bowl loss to Oregon State. That year Quinn boosted his statistics to 17 touchdowns to only 10 interceptions while raising his completion percentage above 50%. Then came Charlie Weis. In 2005, a season that saw Notre Dame take the college football world by storm, Quinn became a household name at last, improving his numbers at an incredible clip---32 touchdowns to just 7 interceptions, completing a marvelous 65% of his passes.

So you say he didn't improve enough under a QB guru? Right. Last year, riding the wave of a Heisman campaign and BCS Championship expectations, Quinn and Notre Dame became the team--and QB-- everyone loved to hate. This is when you started hearing the echoes...the excuses being made. The insults, the pokes, the prods. The life of a Notre Dame QB. Quinn surely heard it all last year, but still managed to toss 37 touchdowns to, again, just 7 interceptions. But that wasn't good enough. Not when it took a late miraculous comeback to beat Michigan State. Not when Notre Dame lost to the University of Michigan. And certainly not when they lost yet another bowl game, this time a BCS Sugar Bowl game to LSU and Quinn's new nemesis QB JaMarcus Russell. Quinn and Notre Dame in general were dreadful in the game, and lost in a blowout. Of course, that's cause for the critics to come out of the woodworks. Quinn was blamed, and blamed hard. Even though anyone who watched the game saw the common theme of the season--31 sacks given up on the year--take over again. Quinn rarely had time to throw the ball, and when he did, he faced immense pressure and tactful blitzing from an LSU defense who was sitting on a lead and overpowering an overmatched Notre Dame offensive line all game long. It was a team effort (of lack thereof) for sure. But being the Notre Dame QB, Quinn took the blame. With grace, as usual.

So what is lacking in Brady Quinn? Why is he not the best QB in this draft? Why is JaMarcus Russell even in this discussion? Honestly, it comes down to size and the fact that JaMarcus quarterbacked LSU, not Notre Dame. So Quinn needs to work on his deep accuracy? Well so does Russell. Russell has a clear tendency to rely on his arm strength and float his passes. And while Russell stands tall at 6'6", he also stands quite pudgy at over 260 lbs. Quinn is a solid 220 lbs at 6'4" with the physique of a Greek god. A body molded in the weight room to withstand the constant pressure and abuse he absorbed by Tyrone Willingham's inability to recruit quality offensive linemen. His arm isn't strong enough? Neither was Matt Leinart's last year; try a new line.

In the final analysis, JaMarcus Russell and Brady Quinn could both end up being fine pros. Or, Russell could prove too raw and inconsistent and flop. Or Quinn could be cast into a system he doesn't fit, and flop as well. But one thing is certain---Brady Quinn gets a raw deal from the fans and the media. It doesn't matter that the guy is incredibly smart, graduating on time with 2 degrees, or that you would be pretty nervous to have him around your girlfriend or spouse with his boyish good looks. Quinn is prone to drawing jealousy and disdain, but the question must be asked "what more do you want from me?". The guy has gone 4 year behind awful offensive lines and dodged injury, and improved each year under center. He is 100% football player. If Al Davis knew anything about Brady Quinn, he would want this tough SOB wearing the silver & black, regardless of his school of choice or what he looks like. The best QB in this draft? Well it's the most experienced, and most reviled of course--Brady Quinn..