This is what’s cool about online communities like blogs and forums… this is the stuff you don’t hear from the main media.

Make sure you come back if/when Zwick lays an egg. Tell everyone reading a big “told-ya-so!”

Thanks again!

Yes, he was a YOUNG kid (though he was 15 as a freshmen; his parents had him start school late–a growing trend amongst youngsters these days), but the problems that plagued him those two seasons have followed him throughout his career: apply pressure, watch him fold. He’s not a bad kid (though his father is a huge prick), I just think he’s been over-rated as a QB throughout his career. That’s not to say he’s a bad QB, just to say that he’s been the victim of being surrounded by great teams throughout said career.

I could very well be wrong, and obviously have an anti-Zwick bias (as I said), but I just don’t think he’ll do incredibly well at the combine and won’t last long in the pros (if he makes it there at all) based on watching him through his career. I know the numbers disagree with what I’ve argued, and I may eventually have to eat crow, but this is my gut feeling and I’m going with that.

Penton 20 tackles 3 -20yds and 2 sacks -14yds. Healthy!
Patterson 22 tackles 3 -5yds and 0 sacks. Bad knees (surgery), prone to injury.

I’d take Penton over Patterson in a heartbeat because he’s a proven workhorse, healthy, and has a great attitude (Wuerffel Trophy). But Patterson get’s all the face time and media attention (Captain) which unfortunately influences draft pics so hopefully Penton does well at the Combine and the draft pays more attention to the player than the media.

Sorry! I just caught what you said here:
he went to my high school (initially) and played on the same team as my younger brother

It seems like you’re talking about Orville High? Not to be argumentative, but wasn’t Zwick the Orville QB at age 14? That’s a loooooong time ago, in QB years.

It’s interesting – your description of him doesn’t seem to match up with the “stats” of his history – he led his original HS team to the state championship as a freshman (!), before transferring to Massillon, where he set all sorts of Ohio QB records. He threw 40 TDs in his senior season, and is still third all-time in Ohio for total yards.

Your little brother played on a team where his QB threw for 40 TDs and 3,300 yards in a single season, and you guys describe him as “only decent”? To me, it sounds like a bit of a stretch to say that someone who amassed 40 TDs in a season, and set almost every Ohio QB record along the way, only performed well after the “games were in hand.”

At any rate, another point I could make is that one could argue that there’s a world of difference between the way a high-school QB plays and how that same QB would play after spending five years being developed by the best coaches in the country, and playing with some of the best WRs in the country. There’s no reason why an OSU QB shouldn’t be a pro prospect after spending five years in the program (with the obvious exception of Bellisari – ugh).

However, I totally agree that Zwick is an unknown, and it would be a nice “bonus” if he got picked up. Talent or not, he lacks experience, and that’s something that he’ll have to build up if he wants a shot on someone’s 40-man.

I’m sure he’s matured a good deal through his tenure at OSU, but every time I saw him play it seemed that he was still plagued by many of the problems he had in high school. He may very well be picked up by a pro team, but I seriously doubt he’ll be in the NFL for very long–teams won’t want to keep a back-up on their roster that’s only decent when the game is in hand.

>>[Zwick's] a decent sized kid with decent arm strength, but his accuracy is awful<<

Short memory… Zwick’s career CMP % is just a couple of percent below Smith’s, and that includes his season with the terrible 2004 O-line (when he got sacked 13 times). Even Smith only made 55% that year.

People really do forget that Zwick was a pretty good QB. Had he not been injured in ’04, it’s unlikely that Smith would have been anything more than a backup (especially after his booster error).

Memories are made by “what have you done for me lately,” and Zwick’s last “chance” came when he coughed the ball up against Texas in 05. That’s the last thing people remember about him, so he automatically becomes the “guy who lost his job.”

It really does come down to the combine, though. QB is one of those positions in the NFL where it really doesn’t matter how stellar your college career was (see Favre, Warner, Rivers, et. al).

I still don’t think that Kudla OR Penton gets drafted, in any year, no matter what “cycle” is in effect. If Kudla’s rundown of the Minnesota RB last year didn’t get him drafted, Joel doesn’t have a prayer (and if the concept of “prayer” means anything, then Jesus-freak Joel should be a lock). The problem with both of them is lack of the quality that transcends both strength and speed – the ineffable “athleticism”. Neither has it.

Good point about Stan, though…do I get any love for my hilarious characterization of Jay’s freaky-ass eyes? My girlfriend thought it was funny…