Over the Summer I had a discussion with an aspiring NFL draft talent evaluator. His breakdown of Easton Stick was as good as anything that I've seen on our quarterback but I disagreed with a few of the points that he made. The one that I am planning to address the most specifically this season is to pay close attention to the running of our quarterback. As a prospect, being able to run can be an asset. But being a running quarterback in the NFL can lead to many injuries that "pocket passers" may not experience. I can count on one hand the number of running quarterbacks that have succeeded for many years without serious injury over the last 20 years in the NFL. Sure Stick could be the exception but I'm not ready to count on that and don't think you should count on that either. Think as you wish, but that's my recommendation.
The challenge I'm going to give myself is to go game by game, watching whether his runs seem to be a part of the designed offense or because it's still a basic instinct & primary facet of his game. At the end of the season maybe it will help shed some more light on our quarterback as a pro prospect.
That is what you call a dominant day. The closest I can come to a critique is that I don't like the voluminous number of runs but I'm not going to ignore the situation. The running back corp was once again quite thin so the usage of his mobility was very warranted.
It's also prudent and accurate to note that he finished several runs delivering hits to defenders instead of taking big hits. That doesn't mean he's less likely to get injured but at least he's in control of the contact instead of being the victim of it.
It would be very interesting to know what scouts were thinking of his performance during it and now, after it has concluded, what they would say. That's related to Easton's future but we may have gotten a taste of the future for the team and what Trey Lance may do as soon as next year if he wins the starting job.
If you're reading this, you likely watched the game and know how exceptional of an effort it was from QB1. It was a fantastic college Football effort! I don't know if he could do that against NFL talent but maybe he's more like Lamar Jackson than he is Alex Smith. I just want to enjoy and appreciate the excellence but still fulfill this self-obligation. I don't really know how to walk that tight rope except for how I've done it. So I'm going to move onto the Pick Six!