Random thoughts from Sunday's practice

[RedRiverPony]

Josh McCown was pretty good, too.

[jtstang]

Josh McCown gets an incomplete. Unfortunately, in D-1 a QB is only as good as his line allows him to be, and by that definition he was not very good.

[RedRiverPony]

.... a QB is only as good as his line allows him to be ....

That's very true, JT, and by that definition -- I would contend that he was quite good at SMU and in Arizona, where they never put together a good line, either. Fortuantely for McCown, he's a free agent and hopefully will land someplace where they value the health of their QBs.

[jtstang]

Quite good? Don't be ridiculous, he was awful at SMU. All I remember about him was sacks and interceptions and lopsided scores. Now Flanigan on the other hand was good despite his line. Hell, even got to show off his athleticism BECAUSE of his line....

[RedRiverPony]

He wasn't Ramon Flanigan, to be sure, but he wasn't awful, either (he did something to get himself drafted, after all). When he had time to throw, he did a good job. Not a great job, but a good job. And he's had some big games in 'Zona. Nobody's putting him up there with Dandy Don, but let's not dismiss him as an afterthought, simply because he got pulled every time a pass fell incomplete - whether it was his fault, the weather, a drop by the receiver, or a combination thereof.

[jtstang]

He wasn't Ramon Flanigan, to be sure, but he wasn't awful, either (he did something to get himself drafted, after all).

Yeah, he transferred to D-2.

[EastStang]

I saw him throw four or five interceptions against NC State in Raleigh, was that the norm or just an aberration? He was running for his life all night. We're talking about NC State, not UT, K State or LSU. Yet Briggs had a good game that night, I think he might have gotten over 100 yards. So, the line was good for run blocking, bad for pass blocking. Either way, if you give any decent QB time, he'll do great (look at Rypien during his Redskin years with the Hogs in front of him). McCown was probably a decent QB, he just wasn't where he needed to be to succeed at SMU. Whether it was Cavan's offense, the line, or whatever, he really didn't hack it here.

[PonyPride]

I remember him as one of those hot-or-cold guys -- he could be very successful one week, and be completely ineffective the next. You're right -- it often revolved around the line. There were too many times when he was running for his life.

[jtstang]

I saw him throw four or five interceptions against NC State in Raleigh, was that the norm or just an aberration?

I'll just say it like this--that was not an unusual performance for him.

[ponyboy]

Josh was fairly highly recruited and would have been a three star Rivals recruit if that system was in place then. I've come to the conclusion that a small part of his inability to produce here was his own fault. For whatever reason, he had not yet fully developed the abilities he later showed at Sam Houston and in the NFL. His offensive line too was a factor. Primary blame, though, goes to Mike Cavan for jerking him out at the slightest hint of a mistake. That's tough even for a seasoned upperclassman.

And, yes, I agree that Josh is still a part of the SMU family. I don't hold his decision against him at all. Then again, I'm the forgiving type.