random questions for the nfl experts

[Pharmcat]

1) why do the browns suck repeatedly? serious question

2) how in the world was gabbbert and locker taken before kapernick? why arent gms fired for these type of colossal mistakes?

3) where have all the star RBs gone? seems like teams using 2-3 backs...are young players not enamored by this position anymore due to short shelf life?

4) why are there still kickoffs since almost every1 i see is a touchback

5) how did bradford get 50M?

thanks

[El Turco]

1-they have no continuity, i don't think single management stayed on more than 3 seasons. they actually have a decent team but crap qb right now.

2-kaepernick played for a small school in pacific time zone, outside of degen gamblers not many knew about him and even those who knew him were skeptical about his numbers coming from a gimmick offense in a bad conference. locker was nationally lauded as a great athlete even in high school and scouts fell in love with gabberts arm strength. scouts make the mistake of taking players solely because of their physical attributes all the time in all positions, i think both jags and titans gms who picked those players are gone anyway.

3-it is a passing league. no contact rules, bigger and more talented receivers and new schemes led to aerial revolution.

4- kickoffs probably will be gone within 5 years, moving up the kicking spot was the beginning of the end.

5-he was part of the last rookie class before rookie scale got implemented, beforehand lots of exuberant contracts were handed out to rookies.

[Jake0890]

1) why do the browns suck repeatedly? serious question

2) how in the world was gabbbert and locker taken before kapernick? why arent gms fired for these type of colossal mistakes?

3) where have all the star RBs gone? seems like teams using 2-3 backs...are young players not enamored by this position anymore due to short shelf life?

4) why are there still kickoffs since almost every1 i see is a touchback

5) how did bradford get 50M?

thanks

1. A QB that has no future as a starter, and an otherwise just okay team. They're still building and as the above person said, they turn their team over so often they're team just can't build.

2. He just wasn't anything special coming out of college. He played in a weak conference with little competition and just wasn't known very well. But more than that, he was drafted into an incredibly favorable position. His team is STACKED and he was weaned into the starting role. Locker and Gabbert, on the other hand, were thrown into the fire as a rookie and have a team that just sucks. If Locker or Gabbert were put on the Niners, I would assume they would be similarly successful simply from situation.'

3. Running backs get banged up so often, you need to have a 2nd back to take some hits off of your number one guy. Not to mention quarterbacks are of more importance.

4. Dunno, ask Goodell.

5. What the person above said.

[Higga]

1. Inability to draft and develop talent. The best teams build thru the draft, particularly their first round picks which they hit on almost every time. The Browns have drafted a lot of busts, and haven't gotten enough out of their midround picks.

2. GMs fall in love with guys like Gabbert and Locker because they're "tools" guys. They have all the physical attributes, yet their production in college is average to mediocre. Guys like that should never be drafted but most NFL GMs are stupid. Kaepernick played in a weak conference and went under the radar.

3. The NFL is a passing league now. Teams don't want to invest in one big time RB, they'd rather spread that $ around. That and RBs don't last very long(compared to other positions)so teams would rather spend their $ and draft picks on other positions.

4. Well there are still some kick returns. If your kicker/coverage is good you can kick to like 2-3 yards inside the endzone, and if the opponent returns it you can pin them inside the 15.

5. Because the old CBA was stupid and allowed rookies who never played a down to get paid more than Pro Bowl veterans.

[LAKESHOW]

NFL expert here.

#1 and #5 were on last weeks episode of unsolved mysteries. And it was determined that they will never be solved.

[righterwriter]

2. He just wasn't anything special coming out of college. He played in a weak conference with little competition and just wasn't known very well. But more than that, he was drafted into an incredibly favorable position. His team is STACKED and he was weaned into the starting role. Locker and Gabbert, on the other hand, were thrown into the fire as a rookie and have a team that just sucks. If Locker or Gabbert were put on the Niners, I would assume they would be similarly successful simply from situation.'

I guarantee you that no "NFL Expert" would say that Jake Locker or Gabbert would have lead the Niners to the Super Bowl last year.

Kaepernick threw for 10,000 yards and ran for 4,000 yards in college, something that no player has ever done. He's 6'4, 230lbs with sprinter speed and has the arm of a major league pitcher. He got a 37 on the wonderlic and was a 4.0 gpa student through high school and college.

People missed on him because "experts" like Jake underestimated him and downplayed his abilities.

The truth about the 2011 draft is that most teams at the top of the draft believed that they were set at QB or had a more pressing need elsewhere. The teams in the middle and bottom of the draft are always going for the guy who can help them the most immediately to reach the next level, so they don't want to develop a QB quite often.

The teams that really missed were those that needed a QB and had time to develop someone like Kaepernick, which includes Tennessee, Jacksonville, Minnesota, Miami, Cleveland, Seattle, and Kansas City. Pardon me for being overly blunt, but none of those franchises-- save Seattle-- were known for being particularly adept at spotting talent at the time. So I think that explains why he was passed over all of the 1st round.

[gswhoops]

2. He just wasn't anything special coming out of college. He played in a weak conference with little competition and just wasn't known very well. But more than that, he was drafted into an incredibly favorable position. His team is STACKED and he was weaned into the starting role. Locker and Gabbert, on the other hand, were thrown into the fire as a rookie and have a team that just sucks. If Locker or Gabbert were put on the Niners, I would assume they would be similarly successful simply from situation.'

This is ridiculous. Kaepernick had incredible production in college - he's the only QB in FBS history to throw for 10,000 yards and run for 4,000 yards in a career, and the only one to have 3 straight seasons with at least 2,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing. EVER. Chris Ault developed the Pistol offense specifically to cater to his skillset. Granted, the WAC isn't the SEC but it's not like he was running up the numbers against DI-AA teams - they played Boise State, BYU, Fresno State, etc. Legit DI programs.

He flew under the radar because he played for a small team in a small conference (how many people east of the Mississippi ever saw a WAC game that didn't feature Boise State?) and there were concerns over whether his playing style and (especially) his throwing mechanics would translate into an NFL caliber passer. Obviously ending up on a team with a lot of talent and a great coach helped speed up his development, but saying they could just throw Gabbert or Locker into the fray and still have made it to the Super Bowl is laughable.

[LAKESHOW]

NFL expert here.

#1 and #5 were on last weeks episode of unsolved mysteries. And it was determined that they will never be solved.

[Roger Murdock]

1) why do the browns suck repeatedly? serious question

2) how in the world was gabbbert and locker taken before kapernick? why arent gms fired for these type of colossal mistakes?

3) where have all the star RBs gone? seems like teams using 2-3 backs...are young players not enamored by this position anymore due to short shelf life?

4) why are there still kickoffs since almost every1 i see is a touchback

5) how did bradford get 50M?

thanks

1. Horrible ownership/leadership issues since corrected. They have a bright future and could potentially make the playoffs this year. Probably not with Weeden starting, but he was a curse from the prior losers in charge.

2. Gabbert had no business being taken in the first 4 rounds. Even prospects I hated as first rounders such as Jamarcus Russell, Tavon Austin, etc I at least understoon the arguments as to why they should be first round picks. I asked around here why Gabbert was talented enough to be a first rounder and never got explanation on what hes actually good at. Locker has tools and could be good but was incredibly raw. Gabbert had nothing at all going for him.

3. Easy to find suitable players, lots of injurys, not that important a position.

4. Onsides kicks. Also that rule is stupid and should be changed back. NFL pretends to care about safety.

5. Ridiculously good prospect coming out of college. Incredible ball placement and accuracy. The Rams have failed Bradford pretty hard. Tavon Austin was the best they could do for him, at 8th overall, and I didnt think he was a top 10 WR in the draft. Hes not looked as good as he should, but the Rams are largely guilty for that.

[NO-KG-AI]

Locker is really talented, but yea, I dunno what Gabbert did to make people fall in love with him. I don't think his tools were THAT great, especially when you couple that with how terrified he looked, even in the face of 0 pressure.

[TheRealistGM]

Getting rid of kickoffs means no more onside kicks. Moving the ball up resulting in more touchbacks is as far as they will go I think. Can't completely remove that aspect of the game