Ricky Stanzi: Destination NFL (part 2)

Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi looks to throw a pass during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Ball State, Saturday, Sept. 25, 2010, in Iowa City, Iowa. Iowa won 45-0. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Now, the optimum destination for Ricky Stanzi would be a team with a veteran quarterback on the downside of his career. This will give Stanzi a few years to learn the NFL as a backup before taking the reins of an NFL franchise. It is the formula that has worked tremendously for Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay, Tom Brady in New England, Kurt Warner in St. Louis and even Steve Young in San Francisco. Warner and Young were not drafted by the teams mentioned, but that is not the point.

The clear number one destination for Stanzi would have to be the Indianapolis Colts. Peyton Manning is on his way out in a few years, has set or will set just about every passing record known to man, and has a Super Bowl ring. The Colts have also not had a credible backup behind Manning and have been playing with fire for years. One bad hit to Manning and the Colts go from Super Bowl contenders to Average Joes in a flash. Stanzi would have time to grow and learn in the system, and already looks the part directing the offense on Saturdays for the Hawkeyes. The Colts would trade a little bit of Manning’s arm for a more mobile quarterback who could evade the rush and still get the ball downfield. Plus, the Colts are already poised as the professional affiliate of the Iowa Hawkeyes with four Hawkeyes currently on roster (Dallas Clark, Bob Sanders, Pat Angerer and Mitch King) and even had former Iowa fan-favorite Ed Hinkle on the roster briefly a few years ago. Stanzi would also be a huge lift to the Colts’ budget once Manning gone, freeing up more money for more offensive weapons.

A close second, would have to be the Washington Redskins. The Redskins currently have Donovan McNabb, who may not be the best when it comes to grooming his replacements (just ask Michael Vick and Kevin Kolb), but a year or two as a backup under Mike Shanahan would set Stanzi up to be the successor in Washington and be Shanahan’s guy for the future. McNabb may have just signed a five-year extension in Washington, but the terms of the contract make it very easy for them to dump him early without too much heartburn. And Shanahan is a proven quarterback-friendly coach. He is behind Super Bowl quarterbacks Steve Young and John Elway, as well as other productive quarterbacks Jake Plummer (the good Denver version), Jay Cutler, and Steve Beuerlein. Stanzi has comparable arm strength to McNabb and any questions about Stanzi’s overall arm strength can be nullified with a system that Shanahan has thrived in for years; medium to short passes to receivers who can make things happen, and then short passes to the tight end and running backs. And Stanzi would be perfect for the Redskins with their third-round pick, their second pick of the draft after trading their second round pick for McNabb.

The Seattle Seahawks also provide a good situation for Stanzi. Matt Hasselbeck’s days are numbered and the Seahawks clearly overpaid for Charlie Whitehurst as his backup. Pete Carroll will also like to draft a guy he can groom for his specific offensive scheme. Stanzi will have at least two more years before being the full-time starter and Hasselbeck is prone to injury, so he could get some early familiarization work in before being given the keys to the car. Carroll also has a solid history with top quarterbacks; Carson Palmer, Mark Sanchez, Matt Leinart and Drew Bledsoe. The Seahawks have some young offensive talent that could form a nucleus for the next few years as Carroll works on building his version of the Seattle Seahawks after the departure of Mike Holmgren. Although I cannot possibly picture Stanzi wearing that safety-green jersey in Seattle.

Cincinnati is the last stop in the tour of optimal locations for Stanzi. The Bengals are on the fringe of this list because it is uncertain how much longer Carson Palmer can hold up under the abuse he takes in the Cincinnati. The most likely scenario here is some sort of injury-shortened career for Palmer, and the Bengals will need to come up with a solid backup plan now, not after it’s too late. And Caron’s brother, Jordan, is not the future of the Bengals. Remember, he is Caron Palmer’s brother, not Caron Palmer himself. I’m not sure the current cast of players (Ochocinco, Terrell Owens and Cedric Benson) are the best guys to start your career with, but if it meant starting slowly and not forced into a bad situation as a rookie, it might be worth it for Stanzi because Benson, T.O. and Ochocinco may not be there by the time he takes over as the starter.

There are also some teams out there with immediate quarterback needs that may have no other choice but to consider going with a rookie quarterback next season. These options put Stanzi in a very bad position. Even Peyton Manning struggled as a rookie quarterback thrust into the starting role to open his rookie season. More recent examples include Sam Bradford and Matt Stafford. Both have done OK, but Stafford has struggled to stay healthy. And being a rookie starting quarterback usually means the team isn’t very good and is desperate.

With the announcement that Brett Favre is not returning for the 2011 season (and I actually may believe him this time), the Minnesota Vikings may be the front-runners in the “Immediate Need” category. Brad Childress will most likely be gone as well, which will leave a talented supporting offensive cast in the hands of new head coach and Tavaris Jackson. That is unless the new head coach wants to instill his new system with a quarterback he chooses. Stanzi will be a tempting choice with his proven leadership skills after three years as a starter for successful Iowa Hawkeyes team.

Despite what rhetoric the head coach may throw out, the Kansas City Chiefs cannot be satisfied with Matt Cassell as their top quarterback option. Charlie Weiss has been credited with turning Tom Brady into a future Hall of Famer, and would have several of the same building blocks available in Stanzi. With one of the most successful running back tandems in the NFL, a pretty good offensive line, and one of the best young tight ends (Toni Moeaki) in the league – who he spent two years throwing to in Iowa City, the Chiefs could use an infusion of skill and confidence at the quarterback position. The Chiefs found a gem in the third round when they drafted a player from Iowa (in Moeaki), and could easily find another in Stanzi this year.

Despite having the worst record in the NFL, the Buffalo Bills are not as desperate for a quarterback as some may think. They have getting some pretty solid quarterback play from Ryan Fitzpatrick this year. He has turned Steve Johnson from a nobody to a fantasy football stud and has been more comfortable at the helm of the offense now that Terrell Owens has left. They still may look to overhaul the offense, but as tempting as it would be for him to be a starter with a big paycheck in Buffalo, I could never wish such torment on anyone. I can’t imagine a more less desirable situation to be in.

A week ago, I would have put the San Francisco 49ers a little higher on the “Immediate Need” list. But with their new-found success with former Heisman Trophy-winner Troy Smith, they may not be as desperate as they were when Alex Smith and Mike Singletary were arguing on the sidelines during the Kansas City Chiefs game (week 3). The 49ers also don’t seem to be in much of a hurry to give Nate Davis, the fan-favorite successor to the Niners quarterback throne, his shot at being the starting quarterback. The traditional 49ers West Coast offense, with short, accurate timing patters, check downs to running backs and tight ends, and a mobile quarterback shifting the pocket fit Stanzi’s skill-set perfectly. And with an All-Pro running back (Frank Gore), top-tier tight end (Vernon Davis) and one of the hottest young wide receivers in the NFL (Michael Crabtree), Stanzi could find immediate success behind a developing young offensive line. But the 49ers would first have to admit the Alex Smith experiment is over before truly making a step toward drafting Stanzi.

Though, personally, I think Indianapolis or Washington are the best overall scenarios for Stanzi in the NFL, I think Minnesota, Kansas City or San Francisco would be great opportunities for Stanzi to demonstrate his abilities early as an NFL quarterback.

I guess we will just have to wait until late April to find out for sure.

If you missed it, I detailed the teams with outside chances of drafting Stanzi on Thursday.

Part 3, breaking down the numbers, justifying Stanzi as a legitimate NFL quarterback, is coming next week. In the meantime, I’ll let K.C. Joyner or ESPN start the conversation with his comparison of Stanzi deserving Heisman consideration, which also does a lot to justify Stanzi as an NFL-caliber quarterback.

Stay frosty. Mr Pressbox Out!!

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Mr Pressbox Pre-Draft: Mock this

Opting to forgo a traditional mock draft that will be as useless as most people’s NCAA tournament brackets after the top five picks tomorrow night, I decided to add a little more foresight into my pre-draft analysis instead of a simple mock draft.

So, here are a few views from the Pressbox about what to expect from the draft:

1. Trades and trade rumors will intensify Thursday during the day leading up to the draft. During the draft, the trades will slow to a minimum. Then overnight Thursday leading up to the draft on Friday will hit a fever pitch heading into the second round. Overall, most of the trade action will take place during the downtime between days, not during the active draft rounds.

2. Sam Bradford will be the No. 1 pick by the St Louis Rams.

3. Ndamukong Suh will only escape being drafted by the Detroit Lions if someone trades up to the #2 spot (not likely)

4. Gerald McCoy will wear Warren Sapp’s old number for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

5. The Washington Redskins will draft a quarterback in the first two rounds. The stupid thing to do would be draft Jimmy Clausen at #4. The smart move is to draft OL Russell Okung with their first pick and then draft a quarterback with their 2nd round pick.

6. The 1st round will be top-heavy with OL picks.

7. The 2nd round will be a quarterback clearing house. Expect Colt McCoy (if available), Tim Tebow, Tony Pike, Dan LeFevour, and others, to go once the run on quarterbacks starts.

8. The Kansas City Chiefs fans will want the Chiefs to draft S Eric Berry, but Scott Pioli will choose a safer investment for the money paid to a #5 pick either drafting OL Bryan Bulaga or Trent Williams.

9. C. J. Spiller will most likely be drafted by a team trading up to get him. (Favorites: San Francisco, Oakland, Seattle or San Diego).

10. Tim Tebow WILL be drafted by a team who trades for the pick to select him. (Favorites: Seattle, Washington, New England or Minnesota).

11. The San Diego Chargers and San Francisco 49ers will both draft running backs in the first or second round.

12. Tim Tebow will be mentioned at least once during every selection discussion of the first round on both the NFL Network and ESPN coverage.

13. One big name player will be traded during the actual selecting of the first round (involving either Washington or New England).

Follow Mr Pressbox on Twitter for pick by pick analysis during the first and second rounds, and comments all weekend.

With the first pick of the 2010 NFL Draft ….

Mr Pressbox Out!!

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Chargers cut Tomlinson, where will he go?

If Donte Stallworth can find a home the next day after being reinstated in the league, especially with his colorful past, one of the best all-around guys and superb running backs in the game won’t go unsigned for long. LT may be 30 but he still has more running, catching and juking still to do in the NFL.

The one of best scenarios for LT is with a team with a solid starting running back that wants a change-of-pace back to rest their hauler while keeping defenses on their toes. You can’t rest on LT or he will break a defender’s ankles on his way to the house. The other is with a team that plans on drafting a stud running back in the first two rounds.

So what are the best options?

Teams looking to improve their running game through the draft that would like to have Tomlinson as a built-in mentor and starting running back threat:

New England, Seattle, Detroit, Cleveland, Tampa Bay

New England is the best shot out of the bunch to give LT a shot at a Super Bowl ring before he retires. But he’s definitely guaranteed solid playing time with the other clubs. The weather in Seattle and Tampa favor his aging running ability, as well as the indoors of Ford Field in Detroit.

Teams with established or young starters that might be interested in a change-of-pace back like LT:

Atlanta, Kansas City, San Francisco, Denver, Arizona, Cincinnati, New York Jets

LT could have the choice of backing up established backs like Michael Turner (there’s irony), Frank Gore or Cedric Benson, or helping young backs like Jamaal Charles, Knowshon Moreno, Beanie Wells, and (depending on what the JETS do with their backfield) Shonn Greene. Atlanta, San Francisco, Kansas City and the Jets are the best options of this group.

And the long-shots (because they already have a solid backfield or just simply wouldn’t fit for LT) are:
Oakland, Dallas, Baltimore, Green Bay, Indianapolis, New York Giants, Jacksonville, Carolina, New Orleans

No one wants to work in Oakland, and LT won’t be that desperate. Dallas, Baltimore, New York, Carolina and New Orleans have no need for LT.

My money is on New England, San Francisco, Kansas City or Atlanta. With the final nod going to Kansas City. And I also predict it will happen sometime in the next two weeks, with the combine in the center. This gives teams a chance to look at the potential talent pool before making a final decision on their needs, and whether or not those needs might include a future Hall-of-Famer in Tomlinson.

Mr Pressbox Out!!

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Tomlinson says Chargers to release him, hopefully soon

If his own speculation is true – and why would anyone doubt the word of LaDainian Tomlinson – his 9-year career in San Diego will be over soon. Anticipating a salary-cap move worth up to $5 million, Tomlinson has asked for the Chargers to make the cut quick and painless.

Where is the love? Where is the respect? Where is the gratitude? Money is screwing everything up.

This is just another example of players building their careers with one program, only to get kicked to the curb after years of dedicated service. And why? All over money.

Two of this year’s Hall of Fame inductees (soon to be announced) Jerry Rice and Emmit Smith are two prime examples. Jerry Rice helped build the 49ers’ 1990s Team of the Decade dynasty with nothing but a crazy work ethic and devotion to his team, teammates and fans. Emmit Smith was apart of the Trio, “America’s Team”, the other powerhouse in the NFC during the 1990s. And BOTH were cut at the end of their careers just to save money. Rice maintined a few dignified years in Oakland after leaving the Niners, but squandered a legacy with the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos. Smith set the all-time rushing record, not in a Dallas Cowboys uniform, but in the strange costume of the Arizona Cardinals (before they were playoff contenders).

That’s just a slap in the face. “Thank you for your help in building our franchise into a playoff contender, but we think we’ve milked you for all your worth, so now we’re letting you go. Buh-Bye.” The Chargers flat out abused Tomlinson for years. He carried more mail than the all of the greater Los Angeles Post offices combined. They rode him until his tires almost fell off. And what does he get for his service, his trouble, his pain? A “see ya later. big guy.”

Nothing would be sweeter than watching LT sign with the Denver Broncos or Kansas City Chiefs to help them tutor their “running backs of the future” Knowshon Moreno and Jamaal Charles, respectively, while staying in the AFC West and helping his new team take over the top spot in the conference.

Paybacks can be a bitch. Rice and Smith never really managed to exact revenge on their former teams. It would be nice, just once, to see a quite, mild-mannered guy like LT give the middle fingers to his former team a couple of times each year.

Now the question is, who will the Chargers draft at running back this year? Because obviously Darren Sproles is not an every-down everyday running back.

Mr Pressbox Out!!

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Related links:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4888134

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/report-ladainian-tomlinson-says-he-thinks-hes-done-as-a-san-diego-charger

Tomlinson says Chargers to release him, hopefully soon

If his own speculation is true – and why would anyone doubt the word of LaDainian Tomlinson – his 9-year career in San Diego will be over soon. Anticipating a salary-cap move worth up to $5 million, Tomlinson has asked for the Chargers to make the cut quick and painless.

Where is the love? Where is the respect? Where is the gratitude? Money is screwing everything up.

This is just another example of players building their careers with one program, only to get kicked to the curb after years of dedicated service. And why? All over money.

Two of this year’s Hall of Fame inductees (soon to be announced) Jerry Rice and Emmit Smith are two prime examples. Jerry Rice helped build the 49ers’ 1990s Team of the Decade dynasty with nothing but a crazy work ethic and devotion to his team, teammates and fans. Emmit Smith was apart of the Trio, “America’s Team”, the other powerhouse in the NFC during the 1990s. And BOTH were cut at the end of their careers just to save money. Rice maintained a few dignified years in Oakland after leaving the Niners, but squandered a legacy with the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos. Smith set the all-time rushing record, not in a Dallas Cowboys uniform, but in the strange costume of the Arizona Cardinals (before they were playoff contenders).

That’s just a slap in the face. “Thank you for your help in building our franchise into a playoff contender, but we think we’ve milked you for all your worth, so now we’re letting you go. Buh-Bye.” The Chargers flat out abused Tomlinson for years. He carried more mail than all of the greater Los Angeles Post offices combined. They rode him until his tires almost fell off. And what does he get for his service, his trouble, his pain? A “see ya later, big guy.”

Nothing would be sweeter than watching LT sign with the Denver Broncos or Kansas City Chiefs to help them tutor their “running backs of the future” Knowshon Moreno and Jamaal Charles, respectively, while staying in the AFC West and helping his new team take over the top spot in the conference.

Paybacks can be a bitch. Rice and Smith never really managed to exact revenge on their former teams. It would be nice, just once, to see a quite, mild-mannered guy like LT give the middle fingers to his former team a couple of times each year.

Now the question is, who will the Chargers draft at running back this year? Because obviously Darren Sproles is not an every-down everyday running back.

Mr Pressbox Out!!

mrpressbox.wordpress.com
community.foxsports.com/mrpressbox
www.twitter.com/mrpressbox

Related links:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4888134

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/report-ladainian-tomlinson-says-he-thinks-hes-done-as-a-san-diego-charger

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