Why did we pass on Malik Willis?

Exactly. If Willis is all that, then go root for the Titans. I could care less about him. He isn't a Steeler.

 

No, it really doesn't. Not even close.

 

If he really is smart, Willis hasn't shown that intelligence on the field. Hell, Dobbs is a very smart man. He doesn't bring it to the field.

Hurts actually showed the ability to produce against big-time competition in college, both at Alabama and Oklahoma. He was much better against elite competition than Willis was against far weaker competition. Other than both being mobile guys, the comparison just doesn't hold up.

I didn't think it was directed at me, but I think many of the comments were mocking Benny's claim that Willis has looked good rather than insisting he is a lock to be a bust.

 

I'll stick with Kenny Pickett.

 

That's my take too. Stating that Willis looked good was a bit of a stretch to say the least. He's going to need some serious work with his reads and processing. Kenny looks lightyears ahead of him at this point on those things.

Does he have the raw arm talent? No. Does Brady have the raw arm talent Willis has? No.

 

You can make a strong argument that the two greatest quarterbacks in my lifetime have been Joe Montana and Tom Brady. The list of quarterbacks with elite arm talent who couldn't get a whiff of guys like that is incredibly long and not all that distinguished.

As long as they have the baseline physical ability to play in the NFL, it is what they have between the ears that matters most.

 

I would agree that football smarts and being able to read a defense are the most important aspects of being a great QB. Ball security and execution usually follow if those attributes are realized.

Still having a pro arm can obviously help as well. Needing to make the 10-15 yard out throw on a rope and not floating balls downfield are also important.

Not sure KP has either at this point as his balls tend to float and he’s turning it over and at an alarming rate. He is a rookie however on a very poorly run team.

 

He has an NFL arm. He doesn't have an elite NFL arm. He has demonstrated the ability to run a pro-style offense at an elite level in college. He has to bring that to the pros. Willis hasn't shown that ability at any level. People are just assuming he will figure it out.

 

My biggest fear with KP is that being a Pitt fan I saw a guy who really only had 1 great year the rest of his career was average to below. He also played in the ACC where defense is optional. It’s hard to judge him after a few games but I’d say I’m far from sold on him ever being a legit NFL starting QB. Of course our overall offensive dysfunction makes it even harder to analyze.

 

I thought Hurts wasn't going to take the next step. If Willis does so be it. They are not Pittsburgh Steelers.

 

Hurts and Willis are separate individuals. That Hurts figured it out is irrelevant to what Willis will do.

What Willis did, and failed to do, while in college is an indicator of what he is likely to do as a pro, just as it was an indicator that Hurts might eventually figure things out no matter how bad he looked at times last season. Hurts actually had some good moments in 2021, but he also had some when he looked lost. What he is doing in 2022 didn't come out of nowhere. There were flashes of it the last two seasons.

 

Boy. I am so jealous the titans got Malik. His 5-16 passing for 80 yards would fit the Mat. Canada offense perfect. Those stats were with a crazy running game and awesome play action opportunities and he still sucked. Kenny may be a turnover machine but he can actually throw the ball.

 

I have to say I'm disappointed that you hade to make that personal. We were having a reasonable discussion of the thread. Why did you have to do that?

The proper response would be to tell me what you find unreasonable in my post. I'm not saying Willis can't figure it out. I'm saying he hasn't shown the ability to do so, which is true.

What players do in college is an indicator of what they might do as professionals. We shouldn't ignore it, especially when talking about guys who have been in the pros for such a short time. If we didn't also have Pickett's college resume to consider, I would be much more concerned. We have seen him make elite-level plays, though against college competition. We have seen him read defenses and make the necessary throws. We have seen him show a good pocket presence and make plays accordingly.

Hurts had showed those things in college, too. He had played very high-level competition at Alabama and Oklahoma. He wasn't consistent enough and it wasn't always in a pro-style offense, but there were indicators that he could figure it out as a pro.

Willis doesn't have any of that. He has great physical ability, probably more than either Hurts or Pickett. He has not shown the ability to make the type of reads he will have to make in the NFL. He didn't even do that against inferior competition in college. We did see him show poor pocket presence even against that weak competition.

None of that means he can't get there, but you are projecting things we haven't seen from him at any level.

 

All of who are average Qbs. Sorry @Blast Furnace....I just can't help Myself. LoL

 

"This is why I don't waste my time talking to you" isn't making it personal? Come on.

I'm sure you know they are separate individuals. My point was that your argument was ignoring that fact. Just because Hurts got it doesn't mean Willis will. I explained why, and added more detail to clarify it in my last post. There were more indicators that Hurts could get it going into this season than there have been that Willis will get it.

My argument isn't that small school players can't figure it out. My argument is that Willis didn't show the ability to figure it out. I find that even more concerning because he couldn't do it against weak competition. He just relied on his physical gifts.

You are assuming that simply because he wasn't asked to do those things that he will automatically pick them up now that he will have to do so. That simply isn't true. Not everybody gets it. The inability to figure things out holds guys back all the time.

Jackson was a much better college quarterback than Willis. He faced tougher competition and played a more complete game at Louisville. Willis is tough and elusive like Jackson, but not as fast.

It's not just a matter of time. It is a matter of him doing things he hasn't shown the ability to do at any previous level. Hurts, Jackson, Fields, and Murray all did show some level of that ability before they got to the NFL.

You mentioned Willis being a smart guy. Maybe he is. Honestly, I don't know either way. Smart in a classroom setting or in a discussion with coaches or media isn't the same as smart on the field. Josh Dobbs proved that. He is a hell of a lot smarter until he has to show it on the field. Roethlisberger is a good example, too. There have been more intelligent NFL quarterbacks who didn't get it on the field the way Roethlisberger did.

I get the appeal of Willis. Hell, if the Steelers had gone with my first preference and taken Hill in the first round and Moore or Pickens in the second, I would have liked the idea of taking him over Leal in the third. That's where he belonged, not the first.

 

Trent Dilfer earned a Super Bowl ring as a starter, too.

 

Well...irony and hypocrisy work both ways....Why weren't you gushing over Pickett after his first preseason game when he went 13-15 with 2 TDs?

 

Here is why Malik sucks. He is not an accurate thrower of a football. If you cannot pass accurately in the nfl, your doomed for failure. He had easy playa toon throws open and was so bad I felt bad for the kid. You can’t fix that throwing motion in nfl and the titan staff knew it and made sure he threw as little as possible.