It was an awful ceremonial pitch. The worst I've seen. The only way this pitch could have been worse is if there was an actual batter and Willis hit him.
Another great bit of history milani, thanks!
It seems like some teams are always stuck in the same gear (reverse) as the Titans - the Raiders, Browns and Jets come to mind immediately. They just never, ever get unstuck.Much like Favre, Rodgers and Love were early in their careers.
I think the point that some of us are trying to make is that he was on a crappy team in Tennessee. Not that great of players around him and not very good coaches. Not to mention that is the worst situation for a rookie to be thrown in to. Had he gotten better coaching, better teammates and some patience, the Titans might not be in the mess that they are still in.
I was living in CA, just outside of SF when Rodgers was drafted. In that market, I got to see a lot of Cal games.
I don't know about the coaching but I would not expect him to play right away. I think that's why they got Cousins. That would give them a little time to beef up the offense for the young QB
Totally agree @gopkrs
Cousins will have to be courageous. I do not think his O line was very good in Atlanta. And facing Denver, KC, and the Chargers pass rushes twice will not help him age slowly.
Thanks gopkrs. I just saw that the Raiders signed Cousins. Smart move to let him start while Mendoza learns. Throwing a rookie QB into the fire of the NFL, even a very good QB like Mendoza, is not good.
You weren't wrong. I remember that when Rodgers got to Green Bay, it took a full year (maybe even two years) to exorcise the demons of Jeff Tedford's coaching that had taken possession of him. A lot of people were skeptical that it was even possible, but McCarthy and Clements put in a lot of work to change his motion. Rodgers himself made a huge effort, and together they changed him into a completely different player. They all deserve a ton of credit, IMO.
Well, it's not like he was a reach. He was almost the first person taken in the draft and everyone was really surprised he wasn't and that he lasted. I think no one really needed a QB except SF that year. Just got lucky and we took him and didn't really need a QB.
He worked on his mechanics but it took some years to polish. Remember that game ending fumble in the 2009 Cardinal playoff 51-45? Was he holding the ball too high then? I did not believe he was in the midst of a full arm backswing when it occurred.
That is what they claim. But it was so fast and because the ball came out the ref just reacted to the pressure and not the contact. In 2009 they were still not protecting the QB with simple " contact " to the helmet or face mask as they did in the following decade. Whereas the roughness penalty in Detroit which precipitated Rodgers' Hail Mary was obviously and blatantly a jerk on the neck and ARod reacted to it. Maybe had Rodgers held on to the football the ref may have called the penalty in AZ.
Just related I read that Marino actually went something like 675 passes without a Sack (don’t hold me to the number but I’m close). Rothlessberger was #2 longest streak without a Sack with 250 passes. How good was that Miami OL that’s just impressive.
Fins were very good at protecting. But Marino had a very quick release. He needed it when he beat the 85 Bears.
Oh yes. I think the only way you get those type records are when all the planets are aligned. The QB has to be ultra efficient on his side of that equation also. It’s just amazing to me that Dan Marino went a significant part of a 2 seasons without a Sack.
Good thing the 85 Bears didn't go undefeated, we'd really never hear the end of it.
Well said 13. I was truly not surprised when Rodgers slid to #23 in the draft, even though some sports writers as having him go #1 to SF. Probably a good thing he slid. He seemed to play better with a chip on his shoulder. And gotta give TT (RIP Ted) credit for grabbing him while Favre was still playing well.
That play still bugs me. The referee should have thrown the flag for a face mask, which would have been 15yds and a 1st down. They blew the biggest call of the game.
Bad Management...... all off them. Success and failure of any organization always, always, always lays at the feet of any organization's top management.
Me too. I like Willis. He played fabulous here in Green Bay.
