subguy

Thanks FWtex and lummox........too many people measure a QB in the things they see in black and white. Not the intangibles.

BillyCarpenter1

LummOx,

I totally agree tthat Brooks feels ashamed of being a scrambling QB. If not, I don\'t know why else he wants to be know as a pocket passer. Maybe all the publisity that his cousin Mike Vic is getting will make him rethink that. He needs to realize why he got where he\'s at now. The coaches, I think are letting him know exactly that. You don\'t drive a Farrari to church on Sundays, you\'ve got to get it out on the open road.

BillyCarpenter1

I found this from last year on B&G.net.




Is Aaron Brooks the man?
Posted by: Wayne Cassady


Considering his first two years with the Saints have been anything but normal, does he have what it takes to lead this team to the Superbowl? At times we have seen him completely dissect an opposing secondary with the skill of a brain surgeon. At other times we have seen his cannon-like arm hurl a football 60+ yards downfield. We have even seen his quickness and speed as he eludes would-be tacklers and scampering for a 30-yard gain. But, I ask you, does he have what it takes to lead this team to the Superbowl?

I, being one of the most diehard Saints fan you’ll find, decided to ponder this question and do a little research just to find out for myself if there is light at the end of the tunnel. And what I found out might just surprise you. So, without further delay, here are the hard facts, coupled with what little football knowledge I possess, to give you an otherwise optimistic view on the man that holds the future of the Saints in his hands.

The first thing I did was a little comparison of the first two years of other great quarterbacks in this league to the two years Aaron Brooks has had. It came out something like this:





Any surprises yet? How about Aaron played in 9 fewer games than Peyton, 8 fewer than Brett, and 2 fewer than Troy? With the exception of Manning, he had the better TD to INT ratio than all of them, and the best yards-per-average compared to the whole lot of them including Peyton.

He has better escapabilty, better arm strength and better speed than any of them. The only thing he didn’t have that the rest of these quarterbacks had was a great offensive teacher. So you see, I think Mr. Brooks has shown himself well with what he has had.


Offensive Formula is Key

Now, take this coming year for instance, we have a lot of new faces that could definitely help Brooks become a pro-bowl quarterback. With Joe Horn at one wide-out and Stallworth at the other, double-teams will be non-existent. Now add Pathon and Sloan to the mix and opposing teams will have nightmares the week before they face the Saints. So you go to a dime package on defense to stop the relentless passing game and Deuce starts breaking runs for 15, 20, and 30-yards a whack. And the re-loaded offensive line has the ability to blow the holes open to make that happen. Add that to the fact that we have more depth at the line position than we probably have ever been, and you have the formula for a stellar offensive year.


Intangibles Factor

So, let’s go over a few tangibles that could effect the way this season will go such as Ron Zook’s absence as Defensive Coordinator which means the defense will definitely improve. Also the quality players added to shore up certain weak spots on an otherwise talented defense means teams will score fewer points thus allowing the offense a little more breathing room when having to make play-calls. In other words, Aaron Brooks being allowed to play with a little more abandon than he did last year. And hopefully the coaching staff will see for Brooks to be effective, he has to have the threat of being able to move out of the pocket a little more often.


The Leadership Factor

Another plus for the team this year is more locker room leadership which is what was evident in the pick-up of Jake Reed, Bryan Cox and Dale Carter. Young Aaron will have many voices of experience to draw from including the expertise a coach like Mike Riley brings to the table. And yes, even the departure of disruptive players, (i.e. Ricky Williams, Albert Connell and aging Willie Roaf) will prove to be a blessing to this team in the long run. And if you think for a minute that Aaron doesn’t have the ability to read ,learn and apply you have to go no further than his degree in Anthropology and his personal love of reading to know his intellect is far above the norm for NFL players.

So you see, I have great faith in Mr.Brooks leading the Saints and if all this optimism isn’t enough to make you enthusiastic about the up-coming season, just sit back, down a case of beer, eat a few pounds of crawfish and in time everything will look better. I promise.

WhoDat

OK, I haven\'t read the last ten or fifteen posts... I skipped them all for one reason...

I DRAGGED SAINTFAN BACK INTO THIS!!!!!!!

WOO-HOO!!

Of course, he\'s back to his old ways... skirting the issue... LOL. Saintfan... as I have said in the past, I will not argue for one second that this team\'s single greatest problem is defense. I will also not argue for one second that as a group this offense is the best we have ever had.

What I don\'t understand is why you can\'t consider a single player outside of that... Really, when you\'re considering the offense\'s output do you really consider the defense? Maybe some - b/c time of possession, field position, and all that matter... but c\'mon...

Way back in the day, when we had the best defense in the league, and arguably one of the five best front sevens ever, the one thing that stopped the Saints from going all the way was their terrible offense... but did that stop you from wanting to upgrade at corner... game after game when you saw Cook or Massey getting beat... ? B/c hey, the defense wasn\'t the problem... yeah, no sh!t...

The offense isn\'t the problem... but that doesn\'t mean that it can\'t be improved... now, if you had to look to one place to improve this offense right now, where would it be?

(my guess is that he says TE or backup running back... who wants to bet?)

\"Excuses, excuses, excuses. That’s all anyone ever makes for the New Orleans Saints’ organization.\" - Eric Narcisse


\"Being a Saints fan is almost like being addicted to crack,\" he said.[i]\"You know you should stop, but you just can\'t.\"

WhoDat

nope... nope... I was wrong... I can\'t believe I missed this one... pass protection... right Saintfan? Pass protection...

tweeky

QB\'s Job, 101

Before Snap:
1. Read Defense, determine if play can work, or check off.

QB must know what play to call based on what defense is showing, personnel on the field for both teams, time remaining, down and distance, etc. He must then verify that all 10 players are on the same page, if not direct them to their spots, call TO, or take a delay penalty.

This takes intuition and tons of film study only obtained through experience and repetition. Most teams will only have a couple of check off plays. As Brooks gains experience he\'ll get better at checking to the right play.

Brooks Grade: B+ Hard to grade if you\'re not a coach in the system. Too much to know and do for us armchair guys to evaluate accurately.

After snap:
Execute the play as designed.
On passes, determine which option is open and throw. If all options are covered,
A) throw ball away,
B) buy time by scrambling,
C) take off running and get what you can,
D) take a sack,
E) try to force a throw.

Brooks Grade: C+ He often chooses the wrong option (D or E). Flashes of brilliance and flashes of \"WTF was that\". Most of us armchair guys can accurately evaluate him on this.

After play: Look to sideline for info. Don\'t smile like a goofy dope!
Brooks Grade: D

Leader: Know every stinkin play inside and out, expect everyone else to, or get in their face.

Demand perfection from everyone. Thats the hardest part.

Jeff George sucked at it and came across as an screaming A-hole to his players.
Joe Montanna, Steve Young, and Dan Marino excelled at it. When one of their guys screwed up, they heard about it before the coach even said a word. They rarely made the same mistake twice. I think Marino was the best ever at this.

To me, Brooks appears timid at times, like he wants everybody to like him too much. Thats why he\'s going to a \"leadership seminar\". It may help and certainly couldn\'t hurt. There is a skill to chewin\'ass, and its a fine line between an A-hole and a Leader.

[Edited on 17/6/2003 by tweeky]

Whether we agree or disagree; its all for Him.

lumm0x

Tweeky, that name came to me a few days ago when I was reading these posts.......Jeff George. Although Brooks is not on par with George\'s attitude problem, but he has the same ability ratio.

Good call.

BillyCarpenter1

LummOx,

It\'s too early to be comparing Brook\'s to Jeff George or anyone else. You comparig Brooks who has only started 2 years to someone like George that had a whole carear to prove he was worthless. If Brooks is worthless like your refering with the \"same ability ratio\", give the guy time to prove he\'s worthless. Go read the comparion I made to Brooks vs. Elway on AARON BROOKS THREAD and let me know your thoughts on that?

BlackandBlue

Anyone else find humor in the above statement. That street goes both ways.

JOESAM2002

Yes, in fact I do. I guess we can give AB a little more time. LOL