Mark Sanchez's Edge: Pro System Experience

How much does the “Pro System Experince” really count? Of the last two high pick USC QBs, one looks like a franchise player and one looks like a bust. Both Palmer and Leinart played about 30 games for USC. Palmer sat out his whole rookie season while Leinart played during his. So I don’t see how 13 games prepares Sanchez to start anymore then Palmer and Leinart. Put in Klemmens, let him bomb for a few games so Sanchez can do no wrong.

The whole post is nil.

While, yes, Oregon ran a type of spread offense, it was mostly under center – with an I/Offset-I Formation. Look at as many youtube clips of Kellen when he was at Oregon. It’s only been since 2007 that Oregon runs the offense they are known for now. Any QB that can’t take snaps under center has no business in the NFL – because there are much bigger problems than just his footwork.

The idea of a spread offense is to get as many playmakers into space as possible. In many instances, the quarterback can spot a mismatch before the snap and decides right then to get the ball there quickly to exploit it. There are presnap reads in the pro game and postsnap reads in the spread, but the ratio is not balanced. Quarterbacks have to go through progressions much less.

I don’t agree with this. In fact, in most spread offenses, the read has to made immediately AFTER the snap when running a option read. In the passing game, the spread just creates mismatches. Rarely does the QB know where he’s going to throw before the snap. In fact – I think it may be the opposite. In the NFL, you often have 3-step, 5-step and 7-step passes to quick fades, curls, quick outs, or slant routes.

The spread offense in college lives and dies from the QB’s decisions. It avoids forcing a situation and takes whatever the defense will give you.

Spread offenses often face subpackages with more defensive backs than usual to compensate for the four to five receivers on each play. NFL defenses are much more complex than college ones. Quarterbacks with pro system experience at least have a base of reference for facing more conventional fronts. The schemes are more complicated, but it is like jumping from algebra 1 to algebra 2. Spread quarterbacks who faces these subpackages exclusively are jumping from arithmetic to alegbra 2.

That’s such an incredibly simplistic perspective that it isn’t even true. When you slim down your front seven to add more speed to cover the additional receivers, it makes running so much easier. Defensive packages are just as situational in college as they are in the NFL.

Again, the idea of spread offenses is to get playmakers the in space.

A better way of phrasing that would be “The Idea of spread offenses is to create as many mismatches as possible”

This often means simple routes on passing plays to get the ball into their hands as quickly as possible. NFL plays are designed with much more complexity. There are clear out routes in which two receivers start out in the same area, and one goes deep to run off a safety, while the other comes back and other complex designs the spread does not produce.

 “Oh no! Where my WRs are running to?!”
This is, of course, a completely false. Again, it goes back to the assumption that the QB knows where he is throwing to before the play starts – which is also false. A spread QB needs to read to the reactions of the safeties just like ANY OTHER quarterback. Here’s “Spread Offense QB” Dennis Dixon breaking down film for pro scouts. Sounds like to me he’s not only making a post-snap read, but there are also routes designed to capitalize on the reaction of the defense. “If he goes to x, I throw to y”

I have respect for Sanchez, and I think he’ll make a fine NFL QB – but these points against Clemens because of his college experience are ridiculous and impulsive. I don’t read anything but blind assertions and assumptions. You didn’t give any examples, statistics, or facts.