In regard to PsychoÃ¢Â€Â™s view on Aaron Brooks...

Puddinhead · 07-09-2004, 08:41 AM

Brooks problem is a lack of maturity and mental toughness. In the clutch, Brooks folds. He pulls a Jeff George where he figures that his big arm will get him out of a jam and makes dumb decisions as a result.

He may have all the potential in the world, but Brooks major problem is that you can\'t count on him.

That seems to be the prevailing opinion on Brooks from a lot of people...that he\'s fine early in games when it really doesn\'t matter, but that at the end of the game, especially when it\'s tight, and particularly when the Saints are trailing, that he performs horribly because \"he doesn\'t have what it takes to finish a game\".

But is that opinion backed up by fact, or is it just sort of a fuzzy \"feeling\" that these folks have?

First, a general look at the comparison to Jeff George. A guy who \"figures his big arm will get him out of a jam and makes dumb decisions\" generally is guilty of trying to force the ball into tight spots where it shouldn\'t be thrown, and as a result throws a lot of interceptions. I probably don\'t have to point out that in Brooks\' case his TD/INT ratio (24/8) and INT Percentage (1.5%) as a whole pretty much point to just the opposite--that in fact he DOESN\'T try to force the ball into the teeth of the defense because he thinks his strong arm will get the ball there.

As for \"folding in the clutch\"....Brooks\' overall numbers for the season:
518 att, 306 com, 59.1%, 3546 yds, 6.85 ypa, 24 TD, 8 INT, 88.8 Rating

Now for some breakdowns:
First Quarter-115 att, 65 com, 56.5%, 778 yds, 6.77 ypa, 4 TD, 2 INT, 81.7 Rating
Fourth Quarter-139 att, 80 com, 57.6%, 867 yds, 6.24 ypa, 7 TD, 0 INT, 92.8 Rating

Hmmmm.....seven fourth quarter touchdowns and no fourth quarter interceptions last year, huh? OK...but what about when the team\'\'s losing and needs him to perform?

When Ahead-142 att, 84 com, 59.2%, 929 yds, 6.54 ypa, 8 TD, 2 INT, 91.5 Rating
When Behind-265 att, 159 com, 60.0%, 1903 yds, 7.18 ypa, 12 TD, 4 INT, 90.8 Rating

Not a big difference, really. How about when the game\'s on the line, though?

Fourth Quarter Within 7-124 att, 72 com, 58.1%, 800 yds, 6.45 ypa, 6TD, 0 INT, 93.5 Rating

That\'s really not too bad...and doesn\'t really support the idea of a guy who \"folds\" when the pressure is on...nor lead one to believe that the team \"can\'t count on him\".

07-09-2004, 08:41 AM	#16
Puddinhead 100th Post Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 102	In regard to PsychoÃƒÂ¢Ã¢Â‚Â¬Ã¢Â„Â¢s view on Aaron Brooks... Brooks problem is a lack of maturity and mental toughness. In the clutch, Brooks folds. He pulls a Jeff George where he figures that his big arm will get him out of a jam and makes dumb decisions as a result. He may have all the potential in the world, but Brooks major problem is that you can\'t count on him. That seems to be the prevailing opinion on Brooks from a lot of people...that he\'s fine early in games when it really doesn\'t matter, but that at the end of the game, especially when it\'s tight, and particularly when the Saints are trailing, that he performs horribly because \"he doesn\'t have what it takes to finish a game\". But is that opinion backed up by fact, or is it just sort of a fuzzy \"feeling\" that these folks have? First, a general look at the comparison to Jeff George. A guy who \"figures his big arm will get him out of a jam and makes dumb decisions\" generally is guilty of trying to force the ball into tight spots where it shouldn\'t be thrown, and as a result throws a lot of interceptions. I probably don\'t have to point out that in Brooks\' case his TD/INT ratio (24/8) and INT Percentage (1.5%) as a whole pretty much point to just the opposite--that in fact he DOESN\'T try to force the ball into the teeth of the defense because he thinks his strong arm will get the ball there. As for \"folding in the clutch\"....Brooks\' overall numbers for the season: 518 att, 306 com, 59.1%, 3546 yds, 6.85 ypa, 24 TD, 8 INT, 88.8 Rating Now for some breakdowns: First Quarter-115 att, 65 com, 56.5%, 778 yds, 6.77 ypa, 4 TD, 2 INT, 81.7 Rating Fourth Quarter-139 att, 80 com, 57.6%, 867 yds, 6.24 ypa, 7 TD, 0 INT, 92.8 Rating Hmmmm.....seven fourth quarter touchdowns and no fourth quarter interceptions last year, huh? OK...but what about when the team\'\'s losing and needs him to perform? When Ahead-142 att, 84 com, 59.2%, 929 yds, 6.54 ypa, 8 TD, 2 INT, 91.5 Rating When Behind-265 att, 159 com, 60.0%, 1903 yds, 7.18 ypa, 12 TD, 4 INT, 90.8 Rating Not a big difference, really. How about when the game\'s on the line, though? Fourth Quarter Within 7-124 att, 72 com, 58.1%, 800 yds, 6.45 ypa, 6TD, 0 INT, 93.5 Rating That\'s really not too bad...and doesn\'t really support the idea of a guy who \"folds\" when the pressure is on...nor lead one to believe that the team \"can\'t count on him\".
Puddinhead 100th Post Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 102