Spectre
Joshy Boucher
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2008
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Put Weeden in the shotgun, where he's most comfortable, and you'll see improvement. Nobody can succeed when not put in a position to.
I'm not saying he'll definitely be great, but he can improve.
Weeden's season has nothing to do with the fact that Alex Smith just simply doesn't fit an offense that wants to have a vertical passing attack.
You want to talk about not being able to succeed when not put in a position to? Alex Smith played for 6 different coordinators in his first 6 years and was yanked in and out of the lineup like crazy. He finally got some stability in Harbaugh's system and bam, instant improvement in Year 2. The fact that he got benched for Kaepernick isn't a knock on him at all. Not only was Kaepernick their future from the moment they drafted him, he's pretty darn good too and has insane physical upside.
Weeden can improve, sure, but think how much he'll have to improve just to get to the level that Smith is at now. Who is to say he gets there in 2-3 years? Even if he does, who's to say he'll be better? Gambling on an uncertainty is fine when the upside is high but when you're talking about a 30 year old who might only give you a handful of decent years (if he even gets there)? Not so much.
Norv ran that passing attack for 5 years with Philip Rivers who definitely doesn't have ideal arm strength. He's coached Smith before so he knows what he brings to the table. Smith clearly loved playing for Norv so if Norv thinks he has the juice to run his offense, why wouldn't we go with the guy who is polished? I keep trying to think of advantages Weeden has over Smith but once I get past arm strength and the throws it allows, I find myself grasping at straws. Arm alone does not make a good QB.