Yeah, but at least they pounded that Hawaii team last year. What a great bunch of incredible athletes.
Moreno is the best running back in college football by a mile and will be the first RB taken in the draft. He can run, catch block and is durable. He should net at least $20 mil from leaving Georgia. I've been following this kid since he was playing Pop Warner and he has been the best every step of the way.
gipper, Richt seems to be a good coach and gets good athletes. However they always seem to lose one or more games that they shouldn't lose. He has managed to beat the Gators twice which is double how many times they beat the Gators in the 90's. George, Mareno is one heck of a talent and he beat the Gators almost single handed last year. We are very glad to not have to face him again.
I don't get Stafford's greatness. He'll be a top 5 pick according to everything I read but he's hardly been a top 10 QB in college. Moreno, I guess he's great. Doesn't seem to me to be in the same class with Adrian Peterson or Ricky Williams or Earle Campbell though...as a college player.
How good did you think Matt Ryan was in college? He didn't impress me that much. I thought he was certainly way above average but not great. How about Joe Flacco? The guy played for Delaware!! On the flip side of that, how about Alex Smith? Vince Young? My point being that college greatness certainly doesn't equal NFL greatness. Stafford has a rocket arm and runs the offense well while having good NFL size. He'll be a better pro QB than he was a college QB, IMO. He does seem to have a little bit of a problem with accuracy. Of course, that could be due to the superior SEC defenses he had to face. :wink: While Moreno didn't dominate entire games and seasons in the way that the guys you mentioned did, his talent is obvious if you watch him. As a redshirt sophomore, his play is incredible. Like George said, he's the total package. He has all the physical attributes you look for. Hopefully, he can continue to stay healthy in the pros. I've seen comparisons drawn between he and Cadillac Williams who can't seem to stay on the field. I think the thing that separates Moreno (and Cadillac) is their elusiveness. This is one Tennessee fan who is glad that he doesn't have to worry about Stafford and Moreno giving the Big Orange headaches anymore.
I agree that it's hard to project college greatness, esp at QB, into NFL greatness. We had David Carr here in Houston and he was terrible, yet was great in college. Joey Harrington also comes to mind as a great college QB who was terrible in the NFL, then there is always the posterboy for that in Ryan Leaf.
I thought that Ryan was one of the most controled QBs I'd seen in college. He would throw the ball away if the play wasn't there an not try to force the throw. His poise was extraordinary. Stafford's team started as the top rated team in the country and disappointed often. Ryan's team on the other hand was not considered that promising when last season started. Late in the season they were in the top spot. Unlike Stafford, Ryan overachieved. The fact he was taken 3rd overall by a franchise that seems to know what they're doing and given the starting spot in game 1 tells me he is a special QB.
I agree that Ryan was composed. My lasting memory of him was the comeback he led BC to over Virginia Tech during last year's regular season. He threw two late TDs after getting hit in the mouth the entire game. However, his physical skills didn't exactly jump out of the TV at me. Obviously he does have them though as he's a rookie phenomenon in the NFL. I say phenomenon because it's not often you see a rookie have such success at QB. Even Peyton Manning and Troy Aikman didn't have the kind of season Ryan had in their rookie years. Stafford's physical tools jump out at me. He may lack a little in the composure and like I said, I think he needs to be more accurate but I think he'll be a very good pro.
FTR-I thought Ryan was really slow, but had all of the other tools to be a great QB. Stafford, at times, seems to be the other team's MVP..... but his tools are solid.