Blaine Gabbert and 2011 draft.

[MikeO]

In Mallett's two biggest games of the year, he ended the game by throwing INTs (one by throwing back-to-back INTs).  That is choking.

Did he only spend 1 year in college? He carried an Arkansas team through the toughest football conference in the country and had them in a BCS game.

Peyton Manning choked in college a lot at Tenn. How did that work out for him? Did he ever beat Florida once? Come on. This defense you have is laughable. Nobody is saying Mallett is the 2nd coming. But your bashing of him and the reasoning behind it is silly.

[StL FinFan]

Look at the QB's that have won recent Super Bowls......Brees, Manning, Brady, Eli, Rodgers, Big Ben. How many came from a spread offense?!  Look at the OTHER successful QB's in the league RIGHT NOW, Rivers, Sanchez, Flacco, Ryan, Schaub, Cutler. SEE ANY SPREAD OFFENSE GUYS THERE???

Game. Set. Match.

Just because you don't see any spread offense guys there, does not mean every guy who plays a spread offense in college is automatically a bust.  I am not going to dismiss every guy who plays the spread outright just for that reason.  It seems the "experts" are not either.

This is why I quit having discussions with you.  You are unable to have a reasonable conversation.  Every time someone has a different opinion from you, you take it as a personal affront and then have to "win" and put down the other person.  I will go back to ignoring you now.  Thanks for playing.

[Spider-Dan]

Did he only spend 1 year in college? He carried an Arkansas team through the toughest football conference in the country and had them in a BCS game.

Peyton Manning choked in college a lot at Tenn. How did that work out for him? Did he ever beat Florida once? Come on. This defense you have is laughable. Nobody is saying Mallett is the 2nd coming. But your bashing of him and the reasoning behind it is silly.

So wait... are you arguing that Mallett is not a choker, or are you arguing that because of Peyton Manning, being a choker in college doesn't matter?

Please make up your mind.

[MikeO]

So wait... are you arguing that Mallett is not a choker, or are you arguing that because of Peyton Manning, being a choker in college doesn't matter?

Please make up your mind.

It's very simple and I thought you were following along. Just because he lost 2 games in college and didn't play well at points in them, I won't label him a choker! And that has no bearing on whether he will be a good NFL QB either!

[fyo]

It's very simple and I thought you were following along. Just because he lost 2 games in college and didn't play well at points in them, I won't label him a choker! And that has no bearing on whether he will be a good NFL QB either!

It always scares me when MikeO makes sense...

Two games... parts of two games, even... is hardly statistically significant.

[Spider-Dan]

1) Mallett lost far more than two games in college.  He was 20-8 as a starter (over 2 years + 2 games).
2) In college, if you lose two games every year, you are not a contender; if you lose three games, you suck.  Ending the two biggest games of his career by throwing (multiple) interceptions is significant, since many of the games on his schedule (Louisiana Monroe, UTEP, Vanderbilt, etc.) won't tell you anything except whether he is a complete fraud (if he loses).

[MikeO]

1) Mallett lost far more than two games in college.  He was 20-8 as a starter (over 2 years + 2 games).
2) In college, if you lose two games every year, you are not a contender; if you lose three games, you suck.  Ending the two biggest games of his career by throwing (multiple) interceptions is significant, since many of the games on his schedule (Louisiana Monroe, UTEP, Vanderbilt, etc.) won't tell you anything except whether he is a complete fraud (if he loses).

SO by your logic Aaron Rodgers, Eli Manning, Jay Cutler, Phillip Rivers, Drew Brees....all were "CHOKERS" in college.  Did any of them even make a BCS game? Let me answer, nope!! MALLETT DID THOUGH!!! And got there in the SEC the toughest football conference in the country! Bar None! not even a debate about that.  So he had to beat a few good teams!!

This is a silly stance you have taken on every level. It makes zero sense. To say Mallett won't be a good pro because of what his college team won and didn't win is laughable.

[Spider-Dan]

SO by your logic Aaron Rodgers, Eli Manning, Jay Cutler, Phillip Rivers, Drew Brees....all were "CHOKERS" in college.

All of those guys threw game-losing interceptions to close out their biggest college games?  Do elaborate.

There is a difference between "being on a team that loses" and "repeatedly throwing interceptions that end big games."  I mean, just look at all the threads you've written about Chad Henne.

Did any of them even make a BCS game? Let me answer, nope!!

So let me get this straight:

 - Ryan Mallett made it to a BCS bowl (and lost)
 - This "proves" that he will be a good NFL quarterback
 - As evidence, here are a bunch of good NFL QBs that never made it to a BCS bowl

But you're right, if making it to a BCS bowl is an indicator, then Mallett has every chance to be the next Rex Grossman, or Matt Leinart, or Jason Campbell, or Brady Quinn.  Because having made it to a BCS bowl means something in the NFL, right?

In fact, I hear there's a former West Virginia QB available that made it to 2 BCS bowls (and won them both!).  Certainly this gentleman must be an excellent prospect...

[MikeO]

The point was you can't base Mallett's NFL future on the fact he threw a few INT's in college and lost to Alabama and lost in the Sugar Bowl. That's just dumb! To call him a "choker"....why? Because his college team lost? That's crazy. You are the one who keeps bringing up the Sugar Bowl and Alabama game. I am using your idiotic logic to show how stupid it is!

MY ORIGINAL POINT was that I would rather have Mallett over Newton or Gabbert. That's it! I never said Mallett would be a good pro (although I think he will be good in the NFL). I just said I would rather have him over Cam Newtin and Blaine Gabbert!!

[Spider-Dan]

The point was you can't base Mallett's NFL future on the fact he threw a few INT's in college and lost to Alabama and lost in the Sugar Bowl. That's just dumb! To call him a "choker"....why? Because his college team lost? That's crazy.

I'm not basing it on the fact that his college team lost; his college team lost plenty of times in '09.  You're the only one that cares about his level of success (BCS bowl coming from the SEC!!!1!) in college.

I'm basing it on the fact that when the pressure was at its highest, he threw picks; picks that ended his team's chance of winning.  More than anything else, that speaks directly to his sense of being able to make decisions under pressure.  Win or lose, a QB that makes bad decisions in the biggest moments is unlikely (not impossible, but unlikely) to be any good.

MY ORIGINAL POINT was that I would rather have Mallett over Newton or Gabbert. That's it! I never said Mallett would be a good pro (although I think he will be good in the NFL). I just said I would rather have him over Cam Newtin and Blaine Gabbert!!

I don't understand how you can possibly come to the conclusion that Mallett will be good without simultaneously coming to the conclusion that Newton would be better, but whatever.

[MikeO]

I don't understand how you can possibly come to the conclusion that Mallett will be good without simultaneously coming to the conclusion that Newton would be better, but whatever.

I don't think Newton will be a good pro. Sorry. Guys with his skill sets who play in his style of offense in college don't have success in the NFL. History is on my side.

Mallett played in a pro style offense. Has a gun for an arm and he can make all the throws. Yeah he is slow and yeah he might be a little immature. But if I were a betting man I would bet Mallett has a better NFL career than Newton. I am NOT saying Mallett will go to multipe pro bowls or be some superstar. But if I had my pick of these QB's in this upcoming draft I am taking Locker and Mallett (in whichever order) before I take Newton and Gabbert. That's all I'm saying.

[tubba marxxx]

Mallet was once Henne's back up at Michigan....just sayin

[dolfan13]

this is a fantastic, deep analysis on ryan mallet published in yesterday's sun-sentinel from universaldraft.com:

http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/sports/columnists/hyde/blog/2011/03/draft_winds_lies_damn_lies_and_1.html

one of these guys out of the top few quarterbacks is going to be a franchise qb, and after reading through this piece, mallet has a strong case.

i like the point that is made towards the end of the article. sparano's and miami's philosophy is to have the qb throw the ball away, where henne accounted for the most thrown away pass attempts, 1 out of every 19 pass attempts. where you see the other great qb's, have the total opposite mentality. trusting their abilities to make plays, and throwing the ball away with significantly less frequency. mallet has those more aggressive, confident in his abilities traits.

mallet is going to go a lot higher than folks think, but he might be around when the dolphins are on the clock at #15. yeah, having a second round pick would be nice by trading down. i'm just so freaking tired of this team simply looking for value. conservative, close to the vest, tight, all characteristics of the folks running this franchise that lead to nowhere. no guts, no glory and it's one of the things that separates guys like belichick from the wannstache and sparano's of the world. fist pumping field goals, punts, thrown away passes, and 2 yard runs.

[Pappy13]

^^ I tend to agree.  Why not take a shot on Mallet? If he doesn't work out so be it, at least you took a shot. I really don't see Ingram as a game breaker. He's a nice back, but I don't really see him being anything more than Ricky or Ronnie were in their prime.  He'll get a 100 yards for you, but he won't score from midfield. He won't scare defenses. He won't help you come back in the 4th quarter. Miami doesn't need a workhorse RB, they need a game breaker.

[Sunstroke]

Well, if Mark Ingram "wanted" to push me off his draft bandwagon, I think he's found the way to do it... Be injured.

"According to NFL Network’s Michael Lombardi, there’s growing concern in league circles about Alabama RB Mark Ingram’s knee. He had it scoped prior to the 2010 season, and Lombardi reports that some teams believe he may have an arthritic condition."

Obviously speculation involved in that report, but still...if there is any question about Ingram's health, then I'd prefer to see Miami go a different direction. An arthritic knee is definitely not a good thing for a RB.