Drew Bledsoe talks about the rookie QBs he likes to watch the most
Drew Bledsoe spoke with Mackenzie Salmon about the upcoming rookie QB class and who he is most excited about.
Sport in Seriousness
Phil Simms has a warning for quarterbacks entering their rookie seasons in the starting lineup: Preseason football isn’t the real thing. It’s a different game ahead.
Surely Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix, who have shone in training camps and exhibition matches, have already heard about the faster and more complex tests that await them in the regular season.
Soon you will see it for yourself.
“There are better people going after you. More disciplined people keeping you in check. Every aspect of the game is really different,” Simms, the former Super Bowl MVP and longtime analyst, told USA TODAY Sports. “And they’ll run you through the game plan ad nauseam.”
Perhaps that’s why Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton added a colorful perspective when he named Nix the starter on Wednesday.
“We had no cake and no candles,” joked Payton.
Nix, who beat out Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson, was the last of the first-round quarterbacks selected in a record-setting draft that saw six passers selected in the first 12 picks. Of all the rookies, Nix had the toughest road to the lineup, according to Simms.
“What Sean does to quarterbacks is tough,” said Simms, the former New York Giants quarterback who co-hosts the “Simms Complete” podcast with his son Matt, which is distributed on YouTube.
“The play calls, all the things he asks you to make the right play. Do this. Do that. It’s like a textbook Sean Payton thing. But the great thing is, it’s Bo Nix’s thing. That’s just the way he is, a coach’s son.”
Williams, the No. 1 overall pick, had a different path to the Chicago Bears’ lineup. The former USC star was named the starter in May before his first rookie minicamp workout, and he’s taken all the first-team reps since then.
Daniels’ quick rise to the Washington Commanders’ starting lineup also did not create any excitement. The 2023 Heisman Trophy winner, who was drafted as the second pick, gradually took on more roles in the first team and distanced himself from the journeyman Marcus Mariota.
Meanwhile, it’s unclear when Drake Maye, selected No. 3 by the New England Patriots, will overtake the experienced Jacoby Brissett and become the starter. While it seems unlikely that will happen by Week 1, offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt wouldn’t rule it out when asked Thursday.
The comparisons between this group – which corresponds to the six quarterbacks drafted in the first round in 1983 and led by John Elway – are unlikely to be forgotten, as the debate is fueled by hindsight and various twists and turns.
Will Michael Penix Jr., selected eighth overall by the Atlanta Falcons, be the biggest prize? Simms believes Penix had the best shot in the draft and is optimistic about his development. It’s just that, barring an emergency, Penix will begin his career on the ice as a backup to Kirk Cousins.
And forget about seeing Penix again before the regular season. Last weekend, Falcons coach Raheem Morris declared that Penix would not play another preseason snap – a luxury usually only regulars can afford. But Morris insisted he’d seen enough under these conditions.
“I just wish I knew why they’re not letting him play,” said Simms, who has spent the last few years as a studio analyst for “The NFL Today” on CBS. “I’m always waiting for something to leak out. The general manager (Terry Fontenot), the coach, they’re doing it for a reason. I’m sure it’ll make sense to them. I’m just a fan right now, and I’m like, ‘Damn. Couldn’t I just see more of this?'”
The other first-round pick, JJ McCarthy, was drafted 10ththwill be out of action until next season. McCarthy was close to challenging Sam Darnold for the Minnesota Vikings starting job until he suffered a torn meniscus that ruined his season.
“It’s a very tough blow,” Simms said of the former Michigan star. “He’s making a better impression on the professional field than he did in college. Because they let him go.”
Simms, who has watched every NFL preseason game this month, provides further impressions of the rookie passers:
- On Williams: “If there’s a downside, it might be that he relies too much on me just making a play and moving. There were some spectacular plays in the last game (against Cincinnati). Wow, that was great. But I think those are going to be rare in the regular season… His natural talent is phenomenal. I think he’s going to have great success. But boy, there’s going to be some teething issues along the way.”
- On Daniels: “He’s definitely too cool for school, or as they say. He plays the game with more ease than anyone I’ve seen in a long, long time. He throws with great rhythm, he runs with rhythm, and suddenly nobody can catch him. His running style will make more of an impression than the other quarterbacks. He’s extremely fast, but he does it effortlessly. And he’s extremely precise with the football and knows where to throw it to protect his receivers. What he showed in the preseason (with ball placement) he can repeat in a regular season game.”
- On Maye: “I’ve never understood that: They try to engineer everything so tightly because they don’t want him to look bad. ‘What if it hurts his confidence?’ Well, if it hurts his damn confidence and destroys it so much, he’s not the right guy… Let them go out there and screw it up. You learn from things like that.”
- On Penix: “It was good against Miami. I was hoping to see more because I think he’s exceptional. He made some power shots. He makes it look easy. I’d just like to see more. I’d like to see him move a little more, move around the pocket more.”
- On McCarthy: “In the Minnesota game (against the Raiders), he let go, threw at people further down the field, just got more free and ran. His speed was real when you see him on the NFL field. And his arm didn’t look good, it looked great. He’s a better power thrower than he is a passer. That’s (Vikings coach) Kevin O’Connell. I don’t know who he really wanted to draft, but he got lucky and found the one that maybe fits him better than the rest.”
- On Nix: “Bo looked like he was still playing for Oregon. Everything. Shotgun mode, getting rid of the football, making throws on the run, throwing with more power than you give him credit for. Just handling an offense that I would say his process of playing quarterback for the team is probably harder than any other rookie in the NFL, for sure.”
The bonus awaits. While Simms doesn’t think Nix will be rattled by a loud Seattle crowd reminiscent of away games against Oregon State or Washington in Week 1, the Seahawks’ defense will be a bigger problem. New Seattle coach Mike Macdonald got his chance with the Seahawks because he was able to design creative defenses for the Baltimore Ravens.
“Buckle up,” warns Simms, “because it’s going to be tough.”
The message is not just for Nix. Williams, Daniels and perhaps Maye and Penix can undoubtedly take the issue to heart.
Sure, they had impressive summers. Daniels completed 80% of his passes in preseason games. Like Nix, he didn’t have a single interception or sack. Williams excelled at throwing and running. Nix scored points in six of his seven preseason games.
There was a reason why six quarterbacks were among the first 12 picks, and the potential was demonstrated to varying degrees.
“But let’s add this last little thing,” said Simms. “He was great in preseason Football.”
And that was hardly the reality. Perhaps those great preseason performances were just a mirage.
