Jean-Jacques Taylor: Henson Project Could Be Sacked

[iceberg]

No. Not fear. Forum drama queens are tiresome, not scary.
I'm talking about an awareness of the damage that three bad games and a long offseason of second-guessing and bad press would do to the team. And for what? Three games of experience with a bad offense and a weak OL? To collect what data, exactly?

As I said above, unless the player just plays lights-out, you only create confusion and uncertainty by playing him for just 3 games at the end of the year.

how?

you know you're out of the playoffs.
you know a 41 year old qb isn't gonna be here the following year
you DON'T know what your 2 qb's can do "on the field" and "during a REAL game".

you're screaming out a lot of FUD that doesn't add up.

 

[5Stars]

how?

you know you're out of the playoffs.
you know a 41 year old qb isn't gonna be here the following year
you DON'T know what your 2 qb's can do "on the field" and "during a REAL game".

you're screaming out a lot of FUD that doesn't add up.

What does FUD mean? Inquiring minds want to know...

 

[iceberg]

What does FUD mean? Inquiring minds want to know...

fear, Uncertainty and Doubt.

 

[Idgit]

how?

you know you're out of the playoffs.
you know a 41 year old qb isn't gonna be here the following year
you DON'T know what your 2 qb's can do "on the field" and "during a REAL game".

you're screaming out a lot of FUD that doesn't add up.

I hate it when I accidently scream out FUD.

Why don't you walk me through a likely scenario, then. Say it was Henson. Purely hypothetically, let's say he has one series each game that goes nearly as well as the Bmore series that year (6:6, and a TD, IIRC). The rest of the time he looks largely like he did in the first half against Chicago: dreadful.

Now, you DO know what one of your 2 QBs can do in three games on a bad team 'on the field, during a REAL game.' Congrats! Armed with that useful data, heading into last offseason with the 11 and the 20 picks, what do you do, and how do you get the team in a better position than we're in today as a result? Do you draft a QB? Which one? Do you pickup Bledsoe and interrupt the grooming process for Henson? Bench him with the idea that he'll develop even more in a few years? Do you scrap him and go with Romo? Go with Bledsoe anyway? Bundle the picks and move up in the draft to get Aaron Rogers? Remember, your valuable data's not useful if you don't do anything with it.

 

[iceberg]

I hate it when I accidently scream out FUD.

Why don't you walk me through a likely scenario, then. Say it was Henson. Purely hypothetically, let's say he has one series each game that goes nearly as well as the Bmore series that year (6:6, and a TD, IIRC). The rest of the time he looks largely like he did in the first half against Chicago: dreadful.

Now, you DO know what one of your 2 QBs can do in three games on a bad team 'on the field, during a REAL game.' Congrats! Armed with that useful data, heading into last offseason with the 11 and the 20 picks, what do you do, and how do you get the team in a better position than we're in today as a result? Do you draft a QB? Which one? Do you pickup Bledsoe and interrupt the grooming process for Henson? Bench him with the idea that he'll develop even more in a few years? Do you scrap him and go with Romo? Go with Bledsoe anyway? Bundle the picks and move up in the draft to get Aaron Rogers? Remember, your valuable data's not useful if you don't do anything with it.

analysis is analysis - if he tanks 3 games running (romo or henson here, not advocating either, just the lost opportunity for both) then you know what to work on and then you can determine *IF* you feel that qb can make the jump.

as it stands we only have practices for romo and nfle for henson.

data's useless if you don't bother to collect it. so while i agree you don't do anything with collected data, it's useless - if you don't collect it, you don't have the opportunity to use it or not.

cart before the horse kinda thing.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

I love the Parcell's "I don't want to play him(Henson or Romo) too soon because I could lose them" schtick.
I might be inclined to believe that if Parcells wasn't well known for playing head games with players to toughen them up.
The phrase "I don't want to lose the player" is code for "I can't admit the guy I brought in (who played for me before) is a mistake".
No way in hell Romo or Henson shouldn't have been getting playing time instead of Vinny. Vinny was horrible and everyone on the team and in the stands could see it.

think about it, Parcells wasn't afraid to play Drew Bledsoe as a rook, and he showed that he could play

 

[Bob Sacamano]

so fear of the press and forum drama queens guides pro football decisions?

*someone* does need to "get real".

seems many people are using the, "everyone wants to see if the young guys have it or not" motto anyways, so why not?

 

[wileedog]

data's useless if you don't bother to collect it. so while i agree you don't do anything with collected data, it's useless - if you don't collect it, you don't have the opportunity to use it or not.

cart before the horse kinda thing.

However small samples sizes for data are useless at best, misleading at worst. We would be foolish to take any sort of real action based on whatever limited information we would have gleaned from either of these guys basically flailing around in those games.

Plus you open up those two young guys to all kinds of fan and media knee-jerk reactions if they (predictably, under the circimstances) struggle. There were actually articles writing off Drew Henson after his half against Chicago.

Doesn't seem worth it to me.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

think about it, Parcells wasn't afraid to play Drew Bledsoe, and he showed that he was ready his rookie year

If you look back to Bledsoe's rookie year, it was pretty unusual. BP may have felt as if Bledsoe was ready but you also have to factor in the extensive amount of injuries New England had to there QBs that year. At the start of the season, Bledsoe was pretty much the only one healthy. I think Bledsoe deserves a great deal of credit for playing the way he did but who knows what would have happened had things worked out different. Water under the bridge now I suppose. I just hope that Bledsoe proves to be the kind of QB so many believe him to be. I would love to see him step up and lead the team to a title. However, I can't say that I don't have my fears. It is a hard thing for me to believe he can do it. That's probably more on me then him but still, it's the truth.

 

[RCowboyFan]

If you look back to Bledsoe's rookie year, it was pretty unusual. BP may have felt as if Bledsoe was ready but you also have to factor in the extensive amount of injuries New England had to there QBs that year. At the start of the season, Bledsoe was pretty much the only one healthy. I think Bledsoe deserves a great deal of credit for playing the way he did but who knows what would have happened had things worked out different. Water under the bridge now I suppose. I just hope that Bledsoe proves to be the kind of QB so many believe him to be. I would love to see him step up and lead the team to a title. However, I can't say that I don't have my fears. It is a hard thing for me to believe he can do it. That's probably more on me then him but still, it's the truth.

Last year for sure, it was hard thing for me, way before second half colapse, OL or not. But this year I am lot more hopefull, but I still am waiting for second half, especially how he plays in December, if Team does well till then, to decide if my optimism about Bledsoe is warranted. Actually to be honest, I am more optimistic about the whole team than Bledsoe. I.e. if most of the weapons added and people returning from injury work at as well as we hope, I think Bledsoe can be the Bus driver that BP wants to get them to big game.

But on the topic, all I can say is, I am not as convinced of BP and his QB choices, as I am of his LB/RB/WR etc. choices. Heck anything other than QB, I am confident in what BP does. I know hindsight is 20/20, but if he was such a good talent evaluator at QB, he wouldn't have let Jake Delhomme walk, IMO. He might have been a journeyman, but far better journeyman than the guys he has had so far in his Cowboys tenure. Although it seems like both JErry and BP played a part in that, so it might not be totally BP fault.

On other hand, if whoever he picks as next QB for Cowboys end up being the next really good one for Cowboys, then I guess we have to give it to BP. I am hopefull that he will get it right though. Eventhough I am not too enomoured with our current status.

 

[Idgit]

However small samples sizes for data are useless at best, misleading at worst. We would be foolish to take any sort of real action based on whatever limited information we would have gleaned from either of these guys basically flailing around in those games.

Plus you open up those two young guys to all kinds of fan and media knee-jerk reactions if they (predictably, under the circimstances) struggle. There were actually articles writing off Drew Henson after his half against Chicago.

Doesn't seem worth it to me.

Yeah. My point, exactly. Eli, playing in the same division, with a similar coach, stunk out loud until playing the Cowboys in the last game of the year. He had a better offensive team to work with, and was much more prepared than either Romo or Henson at that point. It was still a questionable call on Coughlin's part at the time.

Now, had we gone with a young player early in the year, mixed in a few series here and there, and benched Testaverde, say, week 5, that's something I could have gotten on board with. But that's a much bigger commitment to a young player when the coaching staff just doesn't believe he's ready yet, and it is, really, writing off a season.

 

[jackrussell]

you DON'T know what your 2 qb's can do "on the field" and "during a REAL game".

Perhaps you DO know what your 2 qb's can't do "on the field" and "during a REAL game.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Perhaps you DO know what your 2 qb's can't do "on the field" and "during a REAL game.

you do know, but you don't know if that's going to be the case throughout their career

 

[jackrussell]

you do know, but you don't know if that's going to be the case throughout their career

Perhaps the people that matter do.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Perhaps the people that matter do.

perhaps they don't, such as Parcells saying HEnson needs to step it up

 

[iceberg]

Perhaps you DO know what your 2 qb's can't do "on the field" and "during a REAL game.

so where'd you find this out? assuming from practice is great and all, but it still isn't "on the field" in a real game.

 

[wileedog]

so where'd you find this out? assuming from practice is great and all, but it still isn't "on the field" in a real game.

If they aren't playing well in practice, by what logic do you think they could even remotely look better in a real game?

 

[Alexander]

so where'd you find this out? assuming from practice is great and all, but it still isn't "on the field" in a real game.

But think about Henson's real game experience. Take the Baltimore game. We all can see now that his success there was due in large part to the loose coverages the Ravens were in. Once Chicago had time to prepare for him, they confused the daylights out of him.

Say Romo was played in these trash games. Would we know more about him?

Sometimes we are more curious for ourselves than anything else. NFL coaches can and do gather what they need from practices. How else would they know a QB like for example, Carson Palmer was ready to start? He had very little meaningful gameplay his first year. Same for Culpepper.

 

[jackrussell]

perhaps they don't, such as Parcells saying HEnson needs to step it up

So do tell where Parcell's is wrong.

 

[RCowboyFan]

But think about Henson's real game experience. Take the Baltimore game. We all can see now that his success there was due in large part to the loose coverages the Ravens were in. Once Chicago had time to prepare for him, they confused the daylights out of him.

Say Romo was played in these trash games. Would we know more about him?

Sometimes we are more curious for ourselves than anything else. NFL coaches can and do gather what they need from practices. How else would they know a QB like for example, Carson Palmer was ready to start? He had very little meaningful gameplay his first year. Same for Culpepper.

Maybe you ought to watch the game again, because I doubt Henson fumbled on his first snap because they were on loose coverage.

They were blitzing pretty well. But I think Chicago had game film on Henson and were prepared to play him, rather than Baltimore, who were really prepared to play only Vinny.

As far as second statement, I am sure Saints saw plenty of Jake Delhomme in practice and even in couple games, yet they, in their all their wisdom thought, Aaron Brooks was the better QB. So much for knowing by watching practices.

Both the guys you mention, are first rounders, with lot of money invested and they are usually pushed to play, much like J.P. Losman even if they suck in or not the best in Practice or Akili Smith etc.. In fact, there were many reports that Palmer wasn't the best player in practice and Kitna was when they decided to start him. Same with every year we keep hearing how Byron Leftwitch is outperformed in Practice by his backup, yet Leftwitch is the guy starting and might also add, indeed is the better QB.

So your argument is not really valid about practices always proving that a player can play. Heck, we all know Ben wasn't so hot in Pittsburgh when he started with obvious statements from players.

Not that I am totally disagreeing with you, but examples you gave are not good ones though.