What Is Up With Matt Barkley?

[Raiderz4Life]

Yea I know...just thought is was kinda funny.

[BRAVEHEART]

Originally Posted by raiderz4life

Funny how he's considered small now but I remember trying to sack him in HS and used to think "**** this guy's thick, go down ************!"

What HS you play for?

[bucfan12]

I think so many are finding too many small flaws with Barkley. I noticed his offensive line is very weak, which is a major issue that many seem to over-look. No protection= no time to set the feet and make a throw or read.

Barkley is getting overrated to the point I think he's underrated in the end. Geno Smith is a very good prospect no doubt, but you don't think his weapons aren't doing a lot of the work? Austin and Bailey are taking 10-15 yard routes and turning them into big plays as well. But people will look at Barkley and say his WRs are doing the work.

Barkley has been a starter since he was a Freshman. He's had 4 years to develop and his instincts and intanglibles are excellent to the caliber of a Franchise guy. His arm is no weaker than that of a Matt Ryan's and that is my comparison.

I think he'll be an elite QB because he's got the intangibles, can make all the throws, and can throw on anticipation and get a guy open and know's how to read defenses.

[D-Unit]

Barkley is fine.... His draft stock is fine... He'll be a high pick and get a great chance to prove himself in the NFL.

People need to climb away from the ledge.

[soybean]

Originally Posted by y.f.s.

Norv Turner has said that when he scouts QBs for the draft, he specifically requests cutups of 3rd down situations, man coverage, blitzes, and throws under pressure. Basically, he wants to see the QB in difficult, adverse situations.

Nobody cares about completing a bubble screens. I charted Barkley's games vs Stanford and Oregon last year myself. 50% of his throws travel through the air 5 yards or fewer beyond the LOS. Close to another 50% of those passes don't even travel past the LOS. ESPN Stats and Info released today that he's 3-15 on passes of 20 yards or further. I've cut most of his games up this year and had other people chart him. More of the same.

after watching all his throws in both games again, I low key i agree with this. He played tight and predetermined where he was going with the ball. He also tried a lot to force it to robert woods.

Now I know Utah isn't the best barometer but watching all his throws from Utah he looks like a much more mature qb. He waited until receivers were open, and didn't force any throws to anyone that was covered. He also took what the defense gave him and stepped away from the rush a lot of times. He's definitely not the perfect prospect but he's got good placement on his balls and I think he has the necessary tools.

[KCStud]

Honest question guys: is Matt Barkley any better than the previous USC QB's? Cassel, Leinart, Palmer and Sanchez all haven't had that much success and you can't really say they are a franchise QB can you?

[Raiderz4Life]

Better than all but Palmer.

You're grouping post-injury Palmer with them but pre-injury Palmer looked like one of the best QBs in the league.

[SickwithIt1010]

Originally Posted by KCStud

Honest question guys: is Matt Barkley any better than the previous USC QB's? Cassel, Leinart, Palmer and Sanchez all haven't had that much success and you can't really say they are a franchise QB can you?

as a prospect I think hes better than all of em outside of Palmer IMO. Leinart looked the part but if you paid attention you knew how much of a bum he was behind the scenes.

[SolidGold]

Originally Posted by KCStud

Honest question guys: is Matt Barkley any better than the previous USC QB's? Cassel, Leinart, Palmer and Sanchez all haven't had that much success and you can't really say they are a franchise QB can you?

Palmer was the absolute prototype of an NFL QB when he came out - big, smart, accurate and strong armed. This was back right when I began getting into the draft so its all vague now but he was as close to as perfect of a QB prospect as you could get. I guess I would compare him with Andrew Luck to a point as a "perfect QB prospect" you could get. I still remember that long pass play when Kimo rolled up on his leg in the playoff game and than two years later - he had that arm issue and was never really the same.

Leinart was a pretty big disappointment - his work ethic and lack of a strong arm really hurt him. He seems to have caught on as a career backup but is definitely a bust.

Sanchez was never anything special. He only started for one year and had an avg skill set. I think his persona and the fact he threw at the combine really lifted his stock in eyes of the Jets who needed a franchise QB. The Jets really over drafted based on a need in a really weak QB draft.

Cassell really can't be bashed to hard. He was a seventh round afterthought when he was drafted. He had the prototypical size and the Pats basically struck gold with him. Considering he was a 7th round pick he has had a remarkably good career (compare his career to Sanchez's for fun). Don't kill me Chiefs fans!! Not saying he should be a Franchise QB but considering his career path his career has been solid.

In my eyes Barkley is a notch below Palmer but above all those other QBs. He will have been a 4 year starter, has a good head on his shoulders, shows poise, dedication, has a good arm and is accurate. I think he has all the traits of a franchise QB

[FUNBUNCHER]

At the time when Leinart came out there weren't major concerns about his arm. It wasn't a cannon but it wasn't a pop gun either. IMHO Barkley wasn't a better pro prospect than Leinart. In fact in hindsight Leinart busting is somewhat mindboggling.

Carson Palmer was a major disappointment at USC until his final season. He was always a guy who had great potential, but never put it together until Norm Chow took over as his QB coach.

None of those guys is Barkley, and Barkley isn't the same as every QB who's left USC.

I am concerned that Barkley plays in a system that only asks him to make clean decisions with the football but rarely is he asked to challenge a defense with his arm.

Someone described the amount of bubble screens and passes less than 5 yards Barkley throws, and if you weren't paying attention it sounded like he was describing Texas Tech's air raid offense under Mike Leach that always had QBs who threw for 4K/35 TDs but were never anything in the NFL.

I think Barkley will be better than Sanchez which would make a solid to good NFL QB, but I also believe he'll have some of the same problems in the NFL.

[y.f.s.]

There were concerns on this board about Leinart's arm...big part of the Cult of Cutler growing on here before the 06 draft. Even worse, though, was how slow he was at everything. Drop, release, reads....everything was slow motion for Leinart and still is. Combine those attributes with a weak arm, and dude better be Tom Brady before the ball is snapped or else he'll die.

[SickwithIt1010]

In the end Leinart busted because he would rather party and pound chicks than be a good football player.

[Halsey]

Barkley will bust because he went to USC. The team with the #1 pick should take whoever the QB at Ole Miss is. He'll be just like Eli.

[Cudders]

Nothing is wrong with him. He was built up to be something he never was. It’s a routine preseason draft practice. The tools to be a number one overall pick just weren’t there. You need to be special to survive pro scouts. Once scrutinized, he “slipped” to a more reasonable slotting. That’s all.

Now, that isn’t to belittle him. He’s far from a poor prospect. He’s a rock-solid quarterback. Not an impressive thrower, but a polished package between the ears. I’ve seen him be an accurate passer. I’ve seen him make smart decisions. His game has a certain smoothness to it that Sanchez’s doesn’t, so I think that particular comparison is unfair. I’m not a fan of his arm strength right now and I have some mechanical issues, too. Almost to the point where it’s hand-in-hand. There’s some general sloppiness that needs to be tidied up, which goes for most college quarterbacks, but I don’t love the throwing motion. It can get stiff and truncated and undermine his natural strength. On some of his throws, he flashes plus zip, so there’s definite room for improvement when it comes to functional arm strength. Comes down to whether he is willing to work at it. Correcting quarterback mechanics is more of a chore than given credit for.

Apart from that, like I said, he’s rock-solid. Haven’t seen special attributes, but he’s got a stable skill set to work with. Stable can suffice, and even excel, in some schemes. Look at Houston. Look at San Francisco. The talent pool in this league isn’t deep enough for each team to have a cornerstone quarterback. For example, ignoring the obvious Carroll-USC connection, Seattle would be a nice destination to land. On offense, that team is improved quarterback production and a top-flight target from contender status. He could be Matt Hasselbeck-esque for them.

Originally Posted by Halsey

Barkley will bust because he went to USC. The team with the #1 pick should take whoever the QB at Ole Miss is. He'll be just like Eli.

Your comments on quarterbacking amuse me.

[y.f.s.]

Originally Posted by SickwithIt1010

In the end Leinart busted because he would rather party and pound chicks than be a good football player.

No, he busted for all the reasons I just described. Partying with chicks just prevented him from overcoming his already flawed skillset.

[Saints-Tigers]

I was a bit concerned about Leinart's arm, but I thought he could overcome it because he seemed to really "get" being a QB. There was a confidence about him and I felt like he responded well to poor situations.

I feel like if Matt didn't become so timid in the NFL he could have still been something, though probably still not an elite QB.

[TACKLE]

Originally Posted by y.f.s.

No, he busted for all the reasons I just described. Partying with chicks just prevented him from overcoming his already flawed skillset.

^^^^^^

this.

[SolidGold]

Originally Posted by FUNBUNCHER

At the time when Leinart came out there weren't major concerns about his arm. It wasn't cannon but it wasn't a pop gun either. IMHO Barkley wasn't a better pro prospect than Leinart. In fact in hindsight Leinart busting is somewhat mindboggling.

Carson Palmer was a major disappointment at USC until his final season. He was always a guy who had great potential, but never put it together until Norm Chow took over as his QB coach.

None of those guys is Barkley, and Barkley isn't the same as every QB who's left USC.

I am concerned that Barkley plays in a system that only asks him to make clean decisions with the football but rarely is he asked to challenge a defense with his arm.

Someone described the amount of bubble screens and passes less than 5 yards Barkley throws, and if you weren't paying attention it sounded like he was describing Texas Tech's air raid offense under Mike Leach that always had QBs who threw for 4K/35 TDs but were never anything in the NFL.

I think Barkley will be better than Sanchez which would make a solid to good NFL QB, but I also believe he'll have some of the same problems in the NFL.

Sounds alot like the offense Geno Smith runs more so than the USC offense. From what I have seen USC takes more shots downfield - WVU's offense is all crossing patterns and bubble screens with lots of YAC.

[bucfan12]

Originally Posted by SolidGold

Sounds alot like the offense Geno Smith runs more so than the USC offense. From what I have seen USC takes more shots downfield - WVU's offense is all crossing patterns and bubble screens with lots of YAC.

This. I like Geno Smith a lot but Barkley I see gets dogged for his system and the talent around him. I've pulled more yape in comparing the two. Geno Smith also has weapons that he benefits from taking 7-10 yd crossing patterns to 40-50 yd TD plays.

If most are critiquing Barkley bc of his cast and scheme, why are none doug the same with Smith?

[FUNBUNCHER]

Both WVU, and TTech under Mike Leach, run/ran the 'Air Raid' offense, a variation of the spread, so yes there are much more of those five yard hitch routes and bubble screens.

But generally speaking it seems that Geno Smith takes more shots downfield. Maybe the difference is Smith hits on more downfield plays and has better long ball accuracy than Barkley, so it doesn't feel like all his passing stats are YAC by his WRs.

[Raiderz4Life]

Originally Posted by BRAVEHEART

What HS you play for?

I played for St. John Bosco HS

Originally Posted by y.f.s.

No, he busted for all the reasons I just described. Partying with chicks just prevented him from overcoming his already flawed skillset.

I think this what he was trying to get at. Him preferring to party meant he wasn't working at improving his fixable flaws and trying to mask the unfixable flaws.

[ph90702]

Matt Barkley is overrated.

[coltsarenumber32]

I can't believe what I'm reading. I still think Barkley is a lock to be the first QB taken. Am I really off on this now? I don't see what some other people are seeing...

caught an article at nflsoup.com that dissects where Barkley could go. they say kansas city. but that's if he goes #1, which a lot of you seem to think won't happen.

I still think he's extremely talented and has a good amount of upside. One year doesn't make or break a guy. Hopefully he can get his stock beefed back up before the year is over.

[Raiderz4Life]

Originally Posted by ph90702

Matt Barkley is overrated.

Great assessment there sparky. Very thought provoking.

[BRAVEHEART]

The USC signal caller had a game for the ages by completing 19 of 20 passes (his only miss was a dropped ball) for 298 yards and six touchdowns. His completion percentage (95 percent) set a Pac-12 record, and his touchdowns gave him 102 for his career, which broke the school record held by former USC quarterback Matt Leinart. It was the type of performance which should put Barkley back in the discussion for the Heisman Trophy with several high-profile games left on the schedule to make his case.

Matt Barkley was not satisfied with merely breaking the USC and Pac-12 career touchdown pass record. Of course, he did surpass the mark en route to tying his own school record of six TD passes in a game, but he also broke the conference single game records for completion percentage going 19/20 (95%) and pass efficiency (319.16 passer rating). "It's something I did dream of as a kid," said Barkley about playing at USC. "To be able to be here for four years living those dreams out as a senior, it's something cool. I'm trying to soak it up."

I believe 319.16 is the highest this year?