What I Fear In 2012: John Parker Wilson
by Dave Choate on Feb 14, 2012 8:00 AM EST
in Falcons Talk
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This is following up on James' great post about Chris Redman, where he asks if the immortal Rojohombre might be on his way out of Atlanta.
To be clear, that outcome doesn't terrify me. Redman's had a good run as the backup, but he's getting older and was never blessed with top-shelf physical ability in the first place. The Falcons could comfortably get some new blood at the position, I think, though I wouldn't rend my garments if Redman returned for one more season.
What frightens me is the thought of John Parker Wilson becoming Matt Ryan's new backup.
I'm not an overly critical person and not a particularly mean-spirited one, so it's difficult for me to really slam players or coaches. Understand that when I say this: JPW should not get within 1,000 yards of a job that would put him on the field should a catastrophe befall Ryan. In fact, I think it would be disastrous, in the same way that Tony Graziani was diastrous.
Why? It's a combination of JPW's poor performance in pre-season—three straight years and counting!—and his lack of physical tools. Redman bombed out early in his career and came back as a savvy veteran with just enough arm strength to make plays. JPW has always been known for a noodle arm, is not possessed with killer accuracy and is not the most athletic guy on the field. I hear a lot about his football smarts, but if all it took to be a good quarterback was smarts, Einstein wouldn't have washed out of the NFL.
So it's fair to say I'm concerned about the possibility that he'll be caddying for Ryan. The Falcons have a history under the current brain trust of holding on to a handful of players who don't belong on the roster, including the immortal Robert James. I'm all for developing young talent, but JPW has now spent parts of three seasons with the team and has not, to my eyes, shown any particular growth or aptitude that would lead me to believe he'll be a good backup quarterback. As a third, emergency option, sure, but not as the de facto starter in the event of an Ice injury.
If this all sounds unduly harsh, know that I would be delighted if JPW became a quality backup and shoved my face in it. I just think the Falcons should be aiming higher at backup quarterback, and unless JPW has made enormous strides over the last year, I don't think he's a solution. If he's suddenly become the next Redman or more, I'll retract everything I've written here. If he hasn't and the Falcons still cheerfully promote him, they're insane.
Think of this as honest fretting and a kind of reverse jinx should JPW actually get the job. Kindly weigh in with your own thoughts.
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Unbiased eyes
MM most likely kept JPW around for his ability to understand the “complexity” of the offensive despite his obvious lack of physical skills. MM is now gone. With a new OC, JPW is on a very short leash.
by wparker82 on Feb 14, 2012 9:18 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
agreed
UNDERSTANDING the offense and actually having the tools / competence to implement that understanding on the field is a totally different thing. I just didn’t see his ability to drive the ball with any of the personnel groups during the pre-seasons he’s played.
I also fault some of the OCs in this league making things overly complex just to look smart. IT doesn’t matter how great the offense is in theory if you can’t teach it to people it’s useless. You don’t fool defenses with your playBOOK. You fool them with play SELECTION and EXECUTION and that’s where Mularkey was very very lacking. I know the players have to execute the call but predictability let defenses tee off on us.
Technically the glass is always full. 1/2 air. 1/2 water.
Let's be honest
If Matty goes down were screwed anyway. We can barely win with him.
Until the offensive line becomes dominant…excuse me…until both Lines become dominant, theres really no reason to talk about the “What if”
I agree J_cod
i would def draft kellen moore to be the back up
im all 4 cutting both backups
& bringing in some newbies 2 grow in our new system.its the perfect time 2 do so
Been a falcons fan since the big starter jackets was in style
by turnj35 on Feb 14, 2012 9:10 AM EST via mobile reply actions
JPW
Should not have even made it into the NFL. I new he wasn’t going to amount to anything in the big league. Not sure why we even drafted him. I think we leave him on practice squad or cut him, bring back Redman one more year, and draft Redman’s replacement this offseason to learn the new system.
Having JPW as Ryan's backup would be a nightnare
I can see performances 4 times as bad as Caleb Hanie’s. I can’t even see him being a game manager let alone making plays in a real NFL game.
Go Get David Garrard
Yeah JPW never impressed me. Granted most of his time was with the third string players so I take that production with a grain of salt. Still you can kinda tell who has ability and who doesn’t. I never understood why they got rid of Shockley and kept JPW other than height.
Technically the glass is always full. 1/2 air. 1/2 water.
Garrard
This could be a real possibility as he knows Koetter’s offense and was pretty decent as a starter.He’s a guy who doesn’t make a ton of mistakes either. If he is cheaper than Redman we should definitely make a push for him.
for the right price
I wouldn’t mind Gerrard, although he is a big step down from MR. Then again, every 2nd stringer is.
I'd like for Redman to stay...
If not, sign a veteran, somebody along the lines of Orlovsky (dunno what his status is). With our needs and lack of draft picks, I’m not sure I’d be comfortable using any of them on a backup qb this year.
by ChardeeMacDennis on Feb 14, 2012 9:50 AM EST reply actions
Yah I don't see us drafting a QB backup this year either
Too many holes and too few picks. Unless someone just drops to us in a later round and we have him rated higher than the spot he drops to.
Technically the glass is always full. 1/2 air. 1/2 water.
Guys like Case Keenum and Kellen Moore will be availabe in the 7th round
Either one of them would be a better QB3 than JPW. A 7th round pick is not much to spend on a QB3
Kellen Moore won't be around that long.
He had so much national coverage over the last 2 years, somebody will be a buyer.
Rule #1: Double tap.
by Ball Hawk on Feb 14, 2012 11:40 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
He's projected as a 7th rounder and possibly a rookie FA
He’s on the shorter side and doesn’t have the strongest arm but he definitely has the mental parts of the game locked down.
I would be SHOCKED if either of those last to the 7th round or walk
If they do then grab one if they fall that far.
Technically the glass is always full. 1/2 air. 1/2 water.
Even if we draft a QB
in the later rounds guys no way the guy is gonna be thrown into a backup position. Backups need to be vets with playing experience. Don’t no much about this Kellen Moore or the other kid but these are potential replacements for JPW not Redman IMO and if he is short with a noodle arm why even bother.
We have a good shot of getting a servicable QB
In the later rounds just as much as any other position. I think it is a perfect time to draft a late round QB or even bring in a UFA. Redman has no leverage. It’s a new system and a good time to bring in some new blood. I don’t trust Redman to win a game if MR is out unless it’s against a scrub.
by pierre02 on Feb 14, 2012 11:13 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Yes and no... and I dunno
JPW is something of an enigma because, for one, he outlasted DJ Shockley. Secondly, I don’t think we’ve seen him take a single snap from under center during a reg season game… and only a handful during preseason.
How does he do it? Keep his job, I mean. is he like some secret weapon we have that is much better than the guy we’ve seen all of 10 minutes of over the last few years? During spring training, he tosses a nice practice pass and rolls out as gracefully as most lanky-legged QBs.
Fear him? Fear him as #2?
Yes and no… I dunno…
"There's nothing wrong with Florida that a rise in ocean level wouldn't cure."
I hated it for Shockley because he was actually about to get his shot when Vick went down
I remember watching him move the ball down the field with authority during preseason before he got himself got hurt. He was just snake bitten with his chances here.
Technically the glass is always full. 1/2 air. 1/2 water.
Me too.
He had the starting job in the bag, imo.
Then he blew his knee out. Was never the same after that.
Say what you want to say, think what you want to think, but there is a method to my madness.
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by Caleb Rutherford on Feb 14, 2012 5:45 PM EST up reply actions
Kellen Moore
Late round pick up… the thing about trying to fill holes with the draft is the talent usually runs out after the 4th round,,, So will we could fill holes with later round picks it would really be like leaving them empty so why not go with some one like Moore
by AlexanderTheFalcoholic on Feb 14, 2012 2:23 PM EST reply actions
JPW...Waste of a practice squad spot, let alone a roster spot
Gods, Tony Graziani. I can still see his wobbly cross field floaters being pushed sideways by a light breeze. How he lasted for 3 seasons being “developed” I’ll never know.
JPW
has played all of his football on Earth. His high school and college football exploits are all out there for the world to see. There is no mystery in terms of the guys ability. He is at the very best a 3rd string/camp body type option that no team should have to rely on to actually take the field. Why does this coaching staff hang on to certain players that obviously have little to no talent? Who the hell knows!! I guess when your Mike Smith’s friend, it’s for life. Coach Smith clearly suffers from separation anxiety. It’s not so much Redman’s age that I have a problem with, you want your backup to be a seasoned veteran, it’s his lack of ability to throw the ball down field or scramble out of danger. Garrrad is the same age as Redman but no doubt has shown to be a much better QB than Redman ever was. If Garrad is healthy and the price is right, he would be a solid acquisition IMO. Reman got his last deal because he knew the offense well and I think Garrad should get the next backup deal because he knows the offense well. Good backups don’t come dirt cheap so somewhere in the 2 mill range, sign this guy ASAP. Cut Pretty Boy Floyd (JPW) and draft a QB in the later rds to take Garrad’s place in a yr or 2.
JPW would probably be the scariest 2nd string "anything" in all of the NFL!!
"I'd run over my own mother to win the Super Bowl." - Joe Jacoby, formerly of the Redskins
"To win, I'd run over Joe's mom too." - Matt Millen, formerly of the Raiders
"We now have exactly the same situation as we had at the start of the race, only exactly the opposite" - Murray Walker, Sportscaster
This probably will not be a popular suggestion, BUT...
how about Jimmy Clausen? He’ll probably be cut this year since the Panthers will not want to pay his salary. He’s young, smart, fairly mobile, has a pretty good arm, and probably could be picked up for a song. I know, he sucked at Carolina as a starter, but you have to admit that he was kinda thrown to the wolves in that situation. I think that with some good coaching, he could he could be coached up to a viable option as Matty’s backup. ( he would have to change his jersey number, tho.)
Attitude
That’s my issue with him. He absolutely got thrown to the wolves in Carolina, and Fox did everything he could to set him up for failure … but. Clausen is like the anti-Tebow. His teammates do not like him. Don’t know what it is, but nobody seems willing to fight for him, or with him. Add to that I think he was extremely overrated coming out of college, and I would much rather have Garrard (if we go veteran), or one of the draft eligible players (if we go that route). Clausen doesn’t strike me as a TD or MS kind of guy. Would be shocked if they were interested in him.
Garrard would be...
my first choice as well. As far as Clausen, who knows, maybe he just got a raw deal all the way around in Carolina and changes of scenery have been known to do wonders for players…just thinking out loud here.
"I'd run over my own mother to win the Super Bowl." - Joe Jacoby, formerly of the Redskins
"To win, I'd run over Joe's mom too." - Matt Millen, formerly of the Raiders
"We now have exactly the same situation as we had at the start of the race, only exactly the opposite" - Murray Walker, Sportscaster
by Blood_Talon on Feb 15, 2012 11:05 AM EST up reply actions
Yeah, like that one Falcon.
What was his name again? Farv? Favor?
OH, THAT'S RIGHT. FAVRE
Say what you want to say, think what you want to think, but there is a method to my madness.
If you're a fan of the Falcons, or if you want to chat it up with some Falcons fans, sign up here, share your opinion, and get to know some great fans of the Falcons!
by Caleb Rutherford on Feb 15, 2012 8:44 PM EST up reply actions
...and thanks for reminding me of that one; Glanville sucks!!
"I'd run over my own mother to win the Super Bowl." - Joe Jacoby, formerly of the Redskins
"To win, I'd run over Joe's mom too." - Matt Millen, formerly of the Raiders
"We now have exactly the same situation as we had at the start of the race, only exactly the opposite" - Murray Walker, Sportscaster
by Blood_Talon on Feb 17, 2012 12:43 AM EST up reply actions
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