I'm far from a Notre Dame apologist but all of the Notre Dame bashers out there killing Brady Quinn have begun to annoy me to high heavens and those folks who think the Raiders or Lions should pass on him if available are insane.
Phenomenal Numbers and Accomplishments
There's no arguing with his numbers, complain about Notre Dame's schedule as much as you want but if you do so give equal note to the fact that Troy Smith only played in two big games this season as well. Brady Quinn finished the regular season with 35-5 the best TD to INT ratio in major college history (disregarding anyone from BYUish Hawaiiish esque schools). Twice top 5 in the Heisman voting, Sammy Baugh 05 winner, Maxwell Award 06, Unitas Golden Arm 06.
Tool Set
I am one of the first person's to come out and say that it is stupid that given players are often overrated or under rated strictly on physical ability rather than production. But I as a Jet fan experience what life is like with a quarterback who can not and simply refuses to throw the deep ball, its often painful. Quinn has shown the ability to throw accurate short passes, with zip in addition to having the ability to throw the deep ball. I won't make a big deal about his height like those other analysts or NFL scouts, but it has to be said that his ability to make plays combined with his production make him a very viable #1 selection.
Comebacks
He's shown the leadership abilities and calm in the late moments of games to bring his team back from the jaws of defeat. So what you may about Notre Dame shouldn't have been losing in most of those comebacks and I'll easily point you to the scoreboard of those games which all ended up in the high 30s or low 40s. Unless you expect Brady Quinn to play linebacker or dback for the Fighting Irish or the NFL teams that draft, I'm going to have to say that it's irrelevant that they shouldn't have been behind.
Leadership
This can hardly be measured from the outside very well, as we do not see his conversations in the locker room or hear the thoughts of his teammates but Charlie Weis, a man with three superbowl rings, said that he couldn't imagine a player being more valuable to his team in all of college football. Obviously he is biased, but the man did coach up Tom Brady to a legendary QB, so I'll trust his judgement.
Notion That He Doesn't Show Up in Big Games
One of the biggest anti-Quinn sentiments is that Quinn doesn't show up in any of the big games Notre Dame plays in. The fact is that couldn't be further from the truth, sure Notre Dame loses all those games but it is far from his fault. The Michigan game for instance would be a major target for Quinn bashers, at home how you could throw 3 ints. Well just in case you forgot one of those ints was thrown directly into the hands of his tight end, which the TE proceeded to flub into the air and turned into an int. A Second int came on a diving out of nowhere catch by Leon Hall, who just happens to be one of the best Dbacks in the country. Sure he didn't play exceedingly great in that game but he was far from horrendous. The only other game that should be mentioned on Quinn's resume for not coming up huge was the GaTech game to start the season, but they won that game so no one cares. Notre Dame lost games this season and last season, never because of Brady Quinn but because their defense couldn't stop any semblance of a vertical passing attack. If you want to say Troy Smith is a better big game quarterback, I won't argue, who has been better than Smith in the clutch in college football history, but that doesn't mean that you should bash Quinn.
USC 06 - 22-45 274 yards, 3 tds, 0 ints, 74 yards rushing
USC 05 - 19-35 264 yards, 1 td, 1 int, 1 rushing td
Michigan 06 - 24-48 234 yards, 3 tds, 3 ints
Michigan 05 - 19 - 30 140 yards, 2 tds, 0 ints
Tennessee 05 - 20-33 295 yards, 3 tds, 0 ints
Ohio St. Fiesta Bowl - 29-45 286 yards, 0 tds, 0 ints
Final Statements
Quinn had a phenomenal career at Notre Dame and to blame him or bash him for Notre Dame losses during his career is unjust. Quinn was handicapped with a bad coach his first two seasons and a terrible defense his final two seasons. Quinn has the pedigree, the physical skills and leadership qualities to be a top pick in this years NFL draft and if either the Lions or Raiders who have terrible quarterback situations pass on him with their first pick in the draft it would be one of the terrible moves in draft history. But then again the Lions and Raiders came into this season both needing a quarterback and decided that last years prototype succesful QB, Matt Leinart, and deamed him not draft worthy, so anything is possible.
Phenomenal Numbers and Accomplishments
There's no arguing with his numbers, complain about Notre Dame's schedule as much as you want but if you do so give equal note to the fact that Troy Smith only played in two big games this season as well. Brady Quinn finished the regular season with 35-5 the best TD to INT ratio in major college history (disregarding anyone from BYUish Hawaiiish esque schools). Twice top 5 in the Heisman voting, Sammy Baugh 05 winner, Maxwell Award 06, Unitas Golden Arm 06.
Tool Set
I am one of the first person's to come out and say that it is stupid that given players are often overrated or under rated strictly on physical ability rather than production. But I as a Jet fan experience what life is like with a quarterback who can not and simply refuses to throw the deep ball, its often painful. Quinn has shown the ability to throw accurate short passes, with zip in addition to having the ability to throw the deep ball. I won't make a big deal about his height like those other analysts or NFL scouts, but it has to be said that his ability to make plays combined with his production make him a very viable #1 selection.Comebacks
He's shown the leadership abilities and calm in the late moments of games to bring his team back from the jaws of defeat. So what you may about Notre Dame shouldn't have been losing in most of those comebacks and I'll easily point you to the scoreboard of those games which all ended up in the high 30s or low 40s. Unless you expect Brady Quinn to play linebacker or dback for the Fighting Irish or the NFL teams that draft, I'm going to have to say that it's irrelevant that they shouldn't have been behind.
Leadership
This can hardly be measured from the outside very well, as we do not see his conversations in the locker room or hear the thoughts of his teammates but Charlie Weis, a man with three superbowl rings, said that he couldn't imagine a player being more valuable to his team in all of college football. Obviously he is biased, but the man did coach up Tom Brady to a legendary QB, so I'll trust his judgement.
Notion That He Doesn't Show Up in Big Games
One of the biggest anti-Quinn sentiments is that Quinn doesn't show up in any of the big games Notre Dame plays in. The fact is that couldn't be further from the truth, sure Notre Dame loses all those games but it is far from his fault. The Michigan game for instance would be a major target for Quinn bashers, at home how you could throw 3 ints. Well just in case you forgot one of those ints was thrown directly into the hands of his tight end, which the TE proceeded to flub into the air and turned into an int. A Second int came on a diving out of nowhere catch by Leon Hall, who just happens to be one of the best Dbacks in the country. Sure he didn't play exceedingly great in that game but he was far from horrendous. The only other game that should be mentioned on Quinn's resume for not coming up huge was the GaTech game to start the season, but they won that game so no one cares. Notre Dame lost games this season and last season, never because of Brady Quinn but because their defense couldn't stop any semblance of a vertical passing attack. If you want to say Troy Smith is a better big game quarterback, I won't argue, who has been better than Smith in the clutch in college football history, but that doesn't mean that you should bash Quinn.
USC 06 - 22-45 274 yards, 3 tds, 0 ints, 74 yards rushing
USC 05 - 19-35 264 yards, 1 td, 1 int, 1 rushing td
Michigan 06 - 24-48 234 yards, 3 tds, 3 ints
Michigan 05 - 19 - 30 140 yards, 2 tds, 0 ints
Tennessee 05 - 20-33 295 yards, 3 tds, 0 ints
Ohio St. Fiesta Bowl - 29-45 286 yards, 0 tds, 0 ints
Final Statements
Quinn had a phenomenal career at Notre Dame and to blame him or bash him for Notre Dame losses during his career is unjust. Quinn was handicapped with a bad coach his first two seasons and a terrible defense his final two seasons. Quinn has the pedigree, the physical skills and leadership qualities to be a top pick in this years NFL draft and if either the Lions or Raiders who have terrible quarterback situations pass on him with their first pick in the draft it would be one of the terrible moves in draft history. But then again the Lions and Raiders came into this season both needing a quarterback and decided that last years prototype succesful QB, Matt Leinart, and deamed him not draft worthy, so anything is possible.
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