Prospect(s) of the Week: Rex Grossman &
Eli Manning
Since sharing time as the Florida starting signal caller in ’00, Rex Grossman
has shined displaying a
terrific
combination of brains to run the complicated offensive system implemented by
Steve Spurrier and physical skills to make all the throws required in the
scheme. A first team All American last season, Grossman was named the
SEC
Offensive Player of the Year and finished
second in the Heisman balloting. Averaging an amazing 354-yards passing per
game, he was still completing 65.6% of his throws, ranking first in the nation
with a pass efficiency rating of 170.8 and leading a team that rarely had to
come from behind. Numbers don’t always tell the story but the level of
competition faced by Grossman on a weekly basis did write the book and lighting
up defensive secondaries the likes of South Carolina, Tennessee and Florida
State, not to mention Mississippi State, was astounding.
On the other hand Eli Manning came to Oxford with many a trumpet blaring as
his name alone made him a coveted commodity. After playing sparingly behind
Romero Miller as a red-shirt sophomore, Manning set or tied 17 school passing
records last season as a full-time starter, completing 63.5% of his throws with
31 touchdowns and only nine picks. Facing much of the same competition Grossman
did in 2001, Manning did not have the luxury of quality and quantity in the
ranks of the pass catchers, blockers or even ball carriers as did the Florida
quarterback. The fact that he was handed the ball and anointed the man for the
job made Manning’s season even more impressive. So which one is a better
pro-prospect? Upon closer inspection their likenesses are creepy.
Physically and mentally gifted, Grossman throws with solid techniques and
shows tremendous poise in all aspects of his game. Buying as much time as
necessary for his wide outs, he never panics under pressure, stepping up to
avoid the rush and holding the ball until the last possible moment before getting
the pass off, even if it means getting clobbered in the pocket. Grossman’s
timing, wherewithal and connection to his receivers is almost clairvoyant and he
constantly knows where are on the field they will be. Two aspects of his game
that really stand out are his downfield accuracy (compared by a few scouts to
that of Kurt Warner) and the amazing ability to stay calm as
the pocket around him collapses, at situation in which Grossman never rushes or
shows bad judgment.
Likewise,
Manning is an intelligent and instinctive quarterback that implements terrific
fundamentals into his passing game. He patiently scans the field,
going through his receiver progressions and not releasing the ball until he’s
found the open receiver. His timing and pass placement are outstanding as he leads receivers on crossing routes or puts the deep ball out in front of
targets, letting them run to the throw. Manning spreads
the ball around to all his receivers, making quality decisions and rarely
forcing his throws into coverage as he takes what the defense gives him, passing
the ball to the safe underneath routes. Coupling his understanding of the
game, command of the offense and minimal experience behind center in big time
college football, Manning is a complete quarterback.
The arm strength of neither quarterback would be classified as
"strong" but rather adequate, and though both can complete the long pass
neither Manning or Grossman have the ability to drive the ball downfield with
speed. However both understand the position and are mentally alert
quarterbacks, which overrides any potential weakness in their throwing.
So who’s the better prospect? Grossman has the experience of successfully
playing in multiple offensive sets, leading his team every step of the way.
Manning has the experience of being around top quarterbacks since he was born,
something NFL scouts take into consideration.
Once again, who’s the better NFL prospect? Well, to this point Eli Manning,
though Grossman supporters justifiably have a valid argument. Whichever teams'
select these signal callers in future drafts (which may not be as near as people
think) the end result will be a quality passer that can lead a franchise to
victory for close to a decade in the NFL.