Bradys Backups~ the Draftees through the years

bowiac · May 12, 2014

Hoyer had some buzz even though he wasn't drafted. Immediately after the Patriots signed him, we started seeing stuff about him being the best QB outside the first round. Hoyer is weird too in that he had pretty "meh" college numbers. He threw as many touchdowns as interceptions his senior year.

Hendu for Kutch · May 12, 2014

bakahump said:
Interesting that our "2 most successful Backups" Cassel and Hoyer where also the 2nd lowest Pick and "lowest pick" used.

I think it's hard to define success (and I know you put it in quotes for that reason) for backup QBs. The definition of success I would use is if the Patriots trusted them and kept them around for a while.

Cassel's the easiest to define, since he actually did well with NE and had some very mild success elsewhere.

Hoyer vs. Mallett is interesting though. Hoyer seemed to play in an era where the offense was so good that Brady would actually leave the game occasionally. He got to appear in 13 games and throw 43 passes vs. 4 games and 8 passes for Mallett, but those numbers have nothing to do with earning them and everything to do with circumstance.

Mallett beat Hoyer for the backup job, at which point Hoyer was signed and quickly released by the Steelers, claimed by the Cardinals and played 2 poor games, and released by the Cardinals. He played 2 OK/good games in Cleveland and then got injured. I think the way people discuss him is rosier that it should be because he exceeded expectations here and looked good the last time you saw him. But realistically, he hasn't accomplished much of anything. 5 years in and he's got about 4 or 5 games worth of stats.

Using any statistical or performance based criteria, I wouldn't call him a success - just like Mallett. But given that BB felt confident enough in them to make them the sole backups for an extended stretch of time, I'd say that makes them both successes.

Kliq · May 12, 2014

To me, this DEFINITELY signals something new for the Patriots, BB and Brady. You are 100% right about this not being an insurance pick for Brady. This draft was pretty heavy on potential quality QBs that were available in the later rounds (Murray, Mettenberger, Boyd, McCarron, Foles) so if they wanted another backup, why waste a second round pick on a QB? The only explanation is that BB and company really thing this kid can be somebody, and that is why they went QB and not anywhere else.

Let's be conservative and say Brady has two more seasons left in him. By the start of the 2016 season, Mallet will be 28 years old (if he is still even on the team at this point). Garoppolo will only be 24. Also, there is a big concern over JG being overvalued because he played at a lower level (which there rightfully should be). However, won't two years of studying behind Brady and working with BB and McDaniels make that transition easier? The ideal situation is the one in GB with Favre in Rodgers. One HoF QB out, another one in. JG wasn't as highly touted as Rodgers, but they have similar builds and play similar, but expecting Rodgers may just be a pipedream.

PaulinMyrBch · May 12, 2014

I think this is an example of getting a guy who they think has the tools to take over for Brady when that time comes and spending ample time to determine if he can get it done in a game.. They will have the luxury of spending 2+ years evaluating him in practice, preseason, and possibly some 4th quarter dump time (more than Mallet received) so they'll have a good feel for the decision on his second contract when that time comes. If we draft a QB next year, I think we'll all know the answer to the evaluation and progression.

Lose Remerswaal · May 12, 2014

So, do they keep 3 QBs this year? Or is there a chance they can get Garoppolo through to the Practice Squad? Or would they risk the only backup being someone with zero time on the roster if something should happen to TB12?

Super Nomario · May 12, 2014

Lose Remerswaal said:
So, do they keep 3 QBs this year? Or is there a chance they can get Garoppolo through to the Practice Squad? Or would they risk the only backup being someone with zero time on the roster if something should happen to TB12?

Yes, no, no

DJnVa · May 12, 2014

Super Nomario said:
Yes, no, no

That 3rd question could be a yes.

Hoyer was the only backup his first year. If JG shows well in camp, why couldn't they do that again?

Super Nomario · May 12, 2014

DrewDawg said:
That 3rd question could be a yes.

Hoyer was the only backup his first year. If JG shows well in camp, why couldn't they do that again?

It's not impossible (unlike question 2), but I see it as highly unlikely:

That wasn't the plan in 2009; the problem was 2008 third-rounder O'Connell was a bust. It was between the two of them, project Matt Gutierrez, and veteran Andrew Walter, who had a career NFL TD/INT ratio of 3/16 and basically retired after being cut. Basically, there were no good options. This year, they have Mallett, who's been the sole backup the past two seasons. I can't find the quote, but Belichick has basically acknowledged that they kind of got away with less-than-ideal QB depth in 2009.

Garoppolo's coming from weak competition and a spread offense that didn't require NFL footwork, NFL reads, or a full array of NFL throws. Unless he has an insane camp, he's just not experienced enough to count on in the event something happens to Brady, at least early in the season.

Super Nomario · May 12, 2014

I was curious to see the pattern other teams have with respect to this. Indy and New Orleans have totally avoided using high picks behind their Pro Bowl signal-callers. Pittsburgh and the Giants have been similar, though both used 4ths last year (Landry Jones and Ryan Nassib, respectively). Green Bay has been more like the Pats - aside from taking Rodgers when they already had Favre, they used a 2nd-rounder on Brian Brohm in 2008 with Rodgers already in the fold (though unproven at that point). San Diego used a 3rd on Charlie Whitehurst just two years after taking Rivers with a top-4 pick. Rivers was also taken three years after Brees, though at that point Brees had been pretty lousy. Atlanta spent a third on Matt Schaub three years after taking Michael Vick #1 overall. Denver used a 2nd on Brock Osweiler even after acquiring Peyton. There seem to be a couple different schools of thought there.

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Bradys Backups~ the Draftees through the years

bakahump

Well-Known Member

bowiac

Caveat: I know nothing about what I speak

Hendu for Kutch

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Kliq

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PaulinMyrBch

Don't touch his dog food

Lose Remerswaal

Experiencing Furry Panic

Super Nomario

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DJnVa

Dorito Dawg

Super Nomario

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Super Nomario

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bakahump

Well-Known Member