What's wrong with Southern California QBs?

[mrveggieman]

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nfl--so...060900663.html

[duane1969]

I read the article before commenting, but it basically stated what I was thinking. SoCal QBs are in the limelight the entire time they are in college. Then they get in the NFL and the light isn't quite as bright on them and they become more scrutinized. They go from the "can do no wrong" QB of USC or Cal to the rookie that has to prove himself in the pros. They simply can't handle that transition from center of attention to center of expectations.

Another problem I see is the transition from a winning program in college to a losing program in the pros. They go from being a cog in wheel of success to being the future of the franchise with the weight of a city on their shoulders. Look at some of the QBs that have failed and where they came from and where they went. Many of them never had to face hardship. Many of them never stepped foot on the field as the underdog. Leinart went from winning 35 consecutive games and playing in the National Championship to being drafted by the 5-11 Cardinals.

I also think some teams made really bad draft choices. The Ravens took Kyle Boller with the 19th pick even though Boller didn't even complete 50% of his passes until his Sr. year and came out of college with a 47.8% completion rate and just 16 more TDs than INTs. Akili Smith and Alex Smith were drafted 3rd and 1st overall after attempting less than 600 passes in college. In many cases I think the teams are just as much to blame for drafting QBs too high and expecting too much.

[MichiganMan]

I was disappointed in the article. Granted, this is not always the case, but the article attributed no credit to the fact that many of these quarterbacks were drafted by teams with no other tools. These quarterbacks played for college teams where all the tools were in place upon their arrival. Then they are drafted by NFL teams that have no tools. A lot of these players are drafted to fail. Especially, when success at their position depends upon another player's skill level.

-Robert Lewis