Post by MizzouTiger on Dec 11, 2007 11:40:02 GMT -5
www.kansascity.com/sports/story/398213.html
Chiefs need to know now about Croyle
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
The need for the Chiefs to evaluate Brodie Croyle and decide whether he is indeed their quarterback of the future becomes more important with every mounting defeat.
The Chiefs, losers of six straight games and owners of a 4-9 record, are headed for a premium draft spot. They are almost certain to select in the top 10 and could squeeze into the top five, where a quarterback like Matt Ryan of Boston College might prove too tempting for them to pass up.
So it’s more important now than ever for the Chiefs to know what they have in Croyle. Caught in the mess that is the Chiefs’ offense, Croyle hasn’t looked like much of a prodigy in his three starts.
The Chiefs lost all of them and have four touchdowns. Croyle committed four turnovers, including two interceptions and two fumbles.
But could any NFL quarterback, past or present, do any better in an offense that can’t run the ball or protect the quarterback? Is this a fair test for Croyle?
In the moments after Sunday’s one-sided loss in Denver, even a frustrated Croyle wasn’t certain.
“Getting beat 41-7,” Croyle said, “is not a good learning experience.”
Croyle went on to say that playing under the current circumstances is preferable to not playing at all. The current circumstances, since they’ve been in place since the September day the season began in Houston, don’t figure to change in the final three games.
So, fair or not, this is how the Chiefs will have to evaluate Croyle. He doesn’t have a reliable running game, receivers are dropping passes, the Chiefs rarely allow him to drop back and throw deep because of protection problems, and he often has little time when he drops shorter.
Coach Herm Edwards agreed the conditions for a quarterback evaluation aren’t perfect.
“You can tell certain things,” Edwards said. “His poise in the huddle, some of his throws, some of the decisions he has to make. You can look at all of that. That’s something he needs and the only way he can get it is to go through it. We have found out how tough he is. There’s no doubt about that. Do you get a truly full picture? No. But you get a good enough picture.
“He’s done a decent job. He’s missed a couple of throws and you wish he’d made a better decision on some, but for what he’s done and what we’ve asked him to do, he’s done a decent job. He would have had a better day (against the Broncos) if some guys hadn’t dropped some balls.”
Edwards had Croyle on his radar before Edwards joined the Chiefs. He is friends with Mike Shula, Croyle’s college coach at Alabama.
Edwards planned to draft Croyle for the Jets before leaving New York to join the Chiefs. In part because of Edwards’ urging, the Chiefs drafted Croyle in the third round last year.
Edwards’ affinity for Croyle is obvious to everyone connected with the Chiefs since Croyle arrived in Kansas City. Trent Green wanted his trade to Miami last spring in part because he thought any training-camp quarterback competition would be skewed in Croyle’s favor.
In his three games, Croyle has displayed some of the qualities Edwards likes in a quarterback. Most obvious is his toughness.
Croyle has occasionally held the ball too long and taken the sack, but he hasn’t flinched in the face of a usually overwhelming pass rush.
“I like him a lot just for the fact he doesn’t like to lose,” Edwards said.
“He wants to win. He’s out there trying to win a game. The more he can go in that huddle and gain the confidence of the players, it’s going to make him better and everybody else better. He doesn’t get rattled a whole lot. He keeps his composure.”
In asking so much of Croyle when little around him is working, the Chiefs are running the risk of ruining Croyle. But they will take that chance. There’s no scenario other than injury that will drive him out of the lineup this year.
Next year, it could be Ryan or another rookie.
“He’s (Croyle) resilient and he’s tough,” Edwards said. “I don’t think that will be a problem at all. If he’s hurt, you get him out. But, no he’s got to finish the season. A lot of them go through it. You hate putting him through it. But it’s part of it for him.”
•LJOUT: Edwards said running back Larry Johnson wouldn’t play in Sunday’s final home game against Tennessee.
Chiefs need to know now about Croyle
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
The need for the Chiefs to evaluate Brodie Croyle and decide whether he is indeed their quarterback of the future becomes more important with every mounting defeat.
The Chiefs, losers of six straight games and owners of a 4-9 record, are headed for a premium draft spot. They are almost certain to select in the top 10 and could squeeze into the top five, where a quarterback like Matt Ryan of Boston College might prove too tempting for them to pass up.
So it’s more important now than ever for the Chiefs to know what they have in Croyle. Caught in the mess that is the Chiefs’ offense, Croyle hasn’t looked like much of a prodigy in his three starts.
The Chiefs lost all of them and have four touchdowns. Croyle committed four turnovers, including two interceptions and two fumbles.
But could any NFL quarterback, past or present, do any better in an offense that can’t run the ball or protect the quarterback? Is this a fair test for Croyle?
In the moments after Sunday’s one-sided loss in Denver, even a frustrated Croyle wasn’t certain.
“Getting beat 41-7,” Croyle said, “is not a good learning experience.”
Croyle went on to say that playing under the current circumstances is preferable to not playing at all. The current circumstances, since they’ve been in place since the September day the season began in Houston, don’t figure to change in the final three games.
So, fair or not, this is how the Chiefs will have to evaluate Croyle. He doesn’t have a reliable running game, receivers are dropping passes, the Chiefs rarely allow him to drop back and throw deep because of protection problems, and he often has little time when he drops shorter.
Coach Herm Edwards agreed the conditions for a quarterback evaluation aren’t perfect.
“You can tell certain things,” Edwards said. “His poise in the huddle, some of his throws, some of the decisions he has to make. You can look at all of that. That’s something he needs and the only way he can get it is to go through it. We have found out how tough he is. There’s no doubt about that. Do you get a truly full picture? No. But you get a good enough picture.
“He’s done a decent job. He’s missed a couple of throws and you wish he’d made a better decision on some, but for what he’s done and what we’ve asked him to do, he’s done a decent job. He would have had a better day (against the Broncos) if some guys hadn’t dropped some balls.”
Edwards had Croyle on his radar before Edwards joined the Chiefs. He is friends with Mike Shula, Croyle’s college coach at Alabama.
Edwards planned to draft Croyle for the Jets before leaving New York to join the Chiefs. In part because of Edwards’ urging, the Chiefs drafted Croyle in the third round last year.
Edwards’ affinity for Croyle is obvious to everyone connected with the Chiefs since Croyle arrived in Kansas City. Trent Green wanted his trade to Miami last spring in part because he thought any training-camp quarterback competition would be skewed in Croyle’s favor.
In his three games, Croyle has displayed some of the qualities Edwards likes in a quarterback. Most obvious is his toughness.
Croyle has occasionally held the ball too long and taken the sack, but he hasn’t flinched in the face of a usually overwhelming pass rush.
“I like him a lot just for the fact he doesn’t like to lose,” Edwards said.
“He wants to win. He’s out there trying to win a game. The more he can go in that huddle and gain the confidence of the players, it’s going to make him better and everybody else better. He doesn’t get rattled a whole lot. He keeps his composure.”
In asking so much of Croyle when little around him is working, the Chiefs are running the risk of ruining Croyle. But they will take that chance. There’s no scenario other than injury that will drive him out of the lineup this year.
Next year, it could be Ryan or another rookie.
“He’s (Croyle) resilient and he’s tough,” Edwards said. “I don’t think that will be a problem at all. If he’s hurt, you get him out. But, no he’s got to finish the season. A lot of them go through it. You hate putting him through it. But it’s part of it for him.”
•LJOUT: Edwards said running back Larry Johnson wouldn’t play in Sunday’s final home game against Tennessee.