Who is the Best in the NFC/AFC?

[JW]

What did I learn Last Night?

1. More reaffirmation that the Cowboys have a great QB on their team.

I agree, John - and his name is Isiah Stanback. But they are playing him at wide receiver.

Stanback i definately a great athlete, but has had injury problems all year. I am hoping he turns into an Antwaan Randle El type.

Well as a life-long Cowboys hater I'm sure hoping Dallas doesn't figure out that Isaiah could be much better than Romo at QB. Now I'll admit that Romo has definitely improved, but I think he is being over-rated because the entire Cowboys team is so much better overall. Stanback is a better passer than Michael Vick or Vince Young, and pretty damn close as a runner. If given a chance at QB he could really shine in the NFL, whereas at wideout will probably never be more than a 3rd or 4th option.

This might just be the worst opinion you have ever thrown out there.

So you are telling me that 32 teams thought that Isaiah Stanback was a better passer and runner than 2 former top 5 picks, so teams only looked at him as a WR. The Cowboys haven't looked at him as a QB.

I know that Romo wasn't drafted, but he did put up numbers, albeit in D2.
Romo is a very good passer, is very good in the pocket, and a good team leader.

[Beta]

Well as a life-long Cowboys hater I'm sure hoping Dallas doesn't figure out that Isaiah could be much better than Romo at QB. Now I'll admit that Romo has definitely improved, but I think he is being over-rated because the entire Cowboys team is so much better overall. Stanback is a better passer than Michael Vick or Vince Young, and pretty damn close as a runner. If given a chance at QB he could really shine in the NFL, whereas at wideout will probably never be more than a 3rd or 4th option.

Dan are you serious? Where do you come up with this stuff?? Haha.

Why would he shine in the NFL when his completion percentage in college was around 50% and he totaled what....3800 yards in 2 years? Hell Reggie Ball for GT had that many yards in his Junior and Senior year and he was terrible! Reggie even had similar (barely better) rushing yards and a better W/L record as a QB.

It is known that the College->Pro translation often isn't exact...and people often don't do as well...whereas some do better. But Stanback didn't make it to the NFL for being a good QB...he made it with his speed. And Romo may have come from D2 or where ever...but he's putting up the numbers and doing it right. Isiah won't be getting a chance anytime soon.

A better passer than Vick or Vince Young? So he can throw the ball 10 yards to someone wearing a similarly colored jersey as himself? Speed similar to Mike Vick or Vince Young? Only putting up 350 yards a year rushing as a college QB is cute...but that's not mind-blowing to say the least.

[Dan Wishengrad]

I understand the disagreement, and realize that Stanback wasn't rated high by NFL scouts as a QB. You guys are free to ridicule my opinion, as I was pretty sure you all would, given where he was drafted and at what position Dallas projected him to play. But just because he wasn't grabbed as a #1 overall pick as a QB does NOT mean the kid can't play, either.

There have been numerous guys through history who proved the NFL scouts and coaches wrong. For every "can't miss" guy like a Peyton Manning or a John Elway, there are others who everybody thinks will be big stars and prove to be complete busts (Ryan Leaf sure comes to mind). Remember Kelley Stouffer and Todd Marinovich? This isn't an exact science, gents, and while you can measure things like height and arm strength, as well as success (or lack thereof) in college, intangibles like heart can't be measured.

None of the pros' collective braintrust thought that Warren Moon would ever be able to play QB in the NFL, so Warren went to the CFL for years before someone was willing to give him a shot back here in America, and he sure proved that the experts were wrong. Joe Montana was bypassed by teams needing a QB who felt that Joe was too small and too weak-armed to be successful in the NFL. Personally, I think he turned out to be a pretty decent QB, too.

We may never know about Stanback, who might not ever get his chance. But ask Neuheisel -- who despite all his faults does know a little about recruiting and coaching QBs -- if he thinks Isaiah can be a great NFL QB. Rick's answer might be ridiculed by you all also. But I'm pretty confident what he would say, and it would be that he agrees with me on this one.

[Beta]

We may never know about Stanback, who might not ever get his chance. But ask Neuheisel -- who despite all his faults does know a little about recruiting and coaching QBs -- if he thinks Isaiah can be a great NFL QB. Rick's answer might be ridiculed by you all also. But I'm pretty confident what he would say, and it would be that he agrees with me on this one.

I'll listen to the Dallas Cowboys head coach and what he says, and he says "Romo now".

Everything else is wouldashouldacoulda.

Like with Matt Schaub in Atlanta. Everyone said he was a better pure QB than Vick. But you, like the rest of us had to wait till the opportunity arose before our opinions were validated. Until then...the only person hearing your complaints are the bench that Stanback is sitting on.

If Stanback thinks he's the QB....he needs to prove it. If that means wait 5-10 years on the Cowboys...or get traded....he needs to deal with it like Romo had to until he got the nod.

[Dan Wishengrad]

Fair enough, Joe. But speaking of "couldawouldahouldas", I'd humbly point out that I never said Stanback would be a better QB than Romo, I said he could be. He may or may not ever get the chance -- in Dallas or anywhere else. It is the curse of being "too good an athlete" or "too fast". Romo has improved alot, and as long as his team wins will likely remain "the Man" in Big D. I do think Romo is pretty good already and will continue to mature as an NFL QB, but I doubt he will ever morph into Peyton Manning, either. He looks great playing for a very strong Cowboys team right now, but how would he be faring if, say, he played for Miami, instead?

Here in Seattle, Mike Homgen was ridiculed and demonized for trading for Favre's back-up over in Green Bay, and Hasselbeck truly stunk as a first-year starting QB. This is one of the most difficult positions in ALL of sports to master. Holmgren stuck with Hasselbeck who matured quite nicely into a pretty effective NFL Pro-Bowl QB. More recently we drafted Seneca Wallace, who the Seahawks weren't sure what to do with. We kept hearing he might wind up as a full-time wide receiver, that he was simply too fast and too great an athlete to be a QB. Well I have watched Seneca mature as a passer and an NFL QB, and now the guy is too valuable to even let line up at WR, even though he runs great routes and has terrific hands. It will take lots of reps and seasoning, but Wallace also could prove to be a great NFL QB. think Isaiah could be as good or better, but probably won't ever get to truly find out...

[JW]

Dan,

I am sure that as the Dallas Cowboys know how hard it is to find a QB, if they thought Stanback was a good QB I am sure they would use him as their emergency third QB.

This reminds me of another Cowboys WR. Patrick Crayton. He was a 7th round draft pick and played QB at NE Oklahoma St. The Cowboys have had issues at the QB position for years, and he did not get a chance.

[Gary Robinson]

Now I'll admit that Romo has definitely improved, but I think he is being over-rated because the entire Cowboys team is so much better overall.

Perhaps Romo has something to do with the Cowboys' improvement of late? Bledsoe had most of the same players around him and the team was merely above average then.

[Dan Wishengrad]

Now I'll admit that Romo has definitely improved, but I think he is being over-rated because the entire Cowboys team is so much better overall.

Perhaps Romo has something to do with the Cowboys' improvement of late? Bledsoe had most of the same players around him and the team was merely above average then.

Definitely could be a factor, you're right. I wonder if the absence of "The Tuna" might also be a factor? Parcell was a good coach, but he wasn't a touchy-feely guy who made everyone around him into happy campers, either...

PS For the record, I'm definitely NOT a Romo-hater. I hope he leads the Cowboys to a 15-1 record, and then against my Seahawks he does something like bobbling an extra-point snap again so we can steal a playoff win. Now before you all jump down my throats for this one, yes, I know he doesn't hold on kicks anymore! Just having a little fun with a stroll down memory lane...

[JW]

Now I'll admit that Romo has definitely improved, but I think he is being over-rated because the entire Cowboys team is so much better overall.

Perhaps Romo has something to do with the Cowboys' improvement of late? Bledsoe had most of the same players around him and the team was merely above average then.

Definitely could be a factor, you're right. I wonder if the absence of "The Tuna" might also be a factor? Parcell was a good coach, but he wasn't a touchy-feely guy who made everyone around him into happy campers, either...

PS For the record, I'm definitely NOT a Romo-hater. I hope he leads the Cowboys to a 15-1 record, and then against my Seahawks he does something like bobbling an extra-point snap again so we can steal a playoff win. Now before you all jump down my throats for this one, yes, I know he doesn't hold on kicks anymore! Just having a little fun with a stroll down memory lane...

Probably the best thing about the emergence of Romo as a Starter is that he doesn't hold on any kicks. Hasn't done it all year. Brad Johnson is pretty effective in the role. So you might actually have to beat the Cowboys in order to get past them this year as opposed to them beating themselves. I don't see that Happening.

Gary is absolutely right about the difference this year to last in Romo and Bledsoe. I will always defer to Coach Robinson, the guy who brought me up as a Goalie and a coach. One could almost say that I am a Gary Robinson Coaching disciple.

I have a fever... Romo Fever

[Kyle Berggren]

Okay, I have to add a penny or two. I'm a big Stanback fan, hell, I'm a big Husky football fan. Stanback is indeed a great athlete & has a ton of potential at QB, but I doubt he'll get a shot. He wasn't in Romo's position in college... He played D1 ball, on the worst team in the Pac-10... that means terrible offensive line & weak receivers... I doubt anyone other than Dan or myself in this conversation has actually seen him play a considerable amount (if any) college football. I've seen very little Romo from college, but the Cowboys have turned him into one hell of a player. That's an awful big contract

If you're argument is NFL scouts didn't like him at QB, so he must suck. 4 years earlier college scouts didn't like Romo at QB, which is probably why he ended up at D2. ... 10 years from now, I'll guess it will be tougher for the Romo's of the world to get looks in the NFL. There's becoming more & more of a shift toward the Running athletic QB, right or wrong (& I'm not sold on it).

I'm almost done... Just like recruiting, you want the best athletes... Lots of DE in college end up as linebackers, corners as safetys, etc. It happens, you move folks around to fit the team. Wear someone is drafted doesn't mean mean too much in comparing qb's especially, leaf, Mirer, wow what a big list this could be.

Shaub was a great example of what it would take to get him a shot in Dallas, only it would have to happen a few times. Volek wouldn't even have been a terrible example of this as well from a few years back. It will be interesting to see if the golden boy from ND ever gets to play in a game for the Browns now that they've found some success.

I have to ask this question also, was TO in Dallas with Bledsoe?

[Dan Wishengrad]

A better passer than Vick or Vince Young? So he can throw the ball 10 yards to someone wearing a similarly colored jersey as himself? Speed similar to Mike Vick or Vince Young? Only putting up 350 yards a year rushing as a college QB is cute...but that's not mind-blowing to say the least.

My rationale for saying this, Joe, is that Stanback has better touch than either Vick or Young. Young has an absolute cannon, no doubt, and he tries hard to use touch on short passes but sometimes aims the ball or floats it too much. Vick has never had much touch at all. Stanback doesn't have the moves of Vick or the strength of Young as a runner, but he is a great runner, nevertheless, with an uncanny knack for gaining just enough yards to get the tough first down. Isaiah also uses his running ability more intelligently, IMHO, by escaping the rush and getting out of the pocket but still looking downfield for an open receiver. Vick and Young always seem like they just go ahead and RUN the ball once they start scrambling, maybe because both are so great in the open field. But the combination of these skills gives Stanback unlimited potential as a QB.

I have talked with this young man on numerous occasions. He is smart, he is humble, and he will keep his mouth shut considering the Cowboys are paying him $785,000 to basically sit on the bench. He will never complain or "grandstand" for an opportunity to get a look at QB.

But make no mistake -- he WANTS to play Quarterback, and I know this for a fact, because he told me so himself. Ridicule me all you want for my "worst opinion ever", as Coach Williams did above, but I think Stanback will open alot of eyes if and when he gets his shot, and if he gets a real chance at the toughest position there is to play he will become a great NFL QB, in my humble opinion.

[Beta]

Dan, he may be a really great QB. But till that day comes where he can step up...

Don't jinx it.

[JW]

I would not necessarily say that there is a shift toward the athletic running QB as you say.

I would say that there is only really one running QB in the NFL right now, Vince Young.

Romo may not rush for a thousand yards, but he is going to throw for 4,000 and maybe 40 touchdowns.

[JW]

This Weeks Top 5
AFC
1. New England... Can they be beat... Watch out
2. Colts - with anthony Gonzales, they are beginning to look offensively Dominant
3. Pittsburgh - are very good still, but not good enough
4. Jacksonville - are starting to score points quickly, have a great defense
5. San Diego - on a roll

Watch out for
Cleveland - continue to win, might challenge Pittsburgh for the AFC north
Buffalo

NFC
1. Cowboys - yes they were lucky, but you have to be lucky some times
2. Packers - continue to look very good. Ryan Grant is becoming a dominant runner
3. Seattle - Talk about on a roll, offense is looking great and defense is creating turnovers
4. NY Giants - not looing great, but finding ways to win.
5. Tampa Bay - are better with Garcia, need him to do any damage in the playoffs.

Watch out for
Saints
Vikings - Tavaris Jackson is starting to put it together. If you would have told me that AD would have only rushed for 14 yards on 13 Carris, i would have told you that they would have been blown out. They are looking like a complete team.

[nhoskins]

A better passer than Vick or Vince Young? So he can throw the ball 10 yards to someone wearing a similarly colored jersey as himself? Speed similar to Mike Vick or Vince Young? Only putting up 350 yards a year rushing as a college QB is cute...but that's not mind-blowing to say the least.

My rationale for saying this, Joe, is that Stanback has better touch than either Vick or Young. Young has an absolute cannon, no doubt, and he tries hard to use touch on short passes but sometimes aims the ball or floats it too much. Vick has never had much touch at all. Stanback doesn't have the moves of Vick or the strength of Young as a runner, but he is a great runner, nevertheless, with an uncanny knack for gaining just enough yards to get the tough first down. Isaiah also uses his running ability more intelligently, IMHO, by escaping the rush and getting out of the pocket but still looking downfield for an open receiver. Vick and Young always seem like they just go ahead and RUN the ball once they start scrambling, maybe because both are so great in the open field. But the combination of these skills gives Stanback unlimited potential as a QB.

I have talked with this young man on numerous occasions. He is smart, he is humble, and he will keep his mouth shut considering the Cowboys are paying him $785,000 to basically sit on the bench. He will never complain or "grandstand" for an opportunity to get a look at QB.

But make no mistake -- he WANTS to play Quarterback, and I know this for a fact, because he told me so himself. Ridicule me all you want for my "worst opinion ever", as Coach Williams did above, but I think Stanback will open alot of eyes if and when he gets his shot, and if he gets a real chance at the toughest position there is to play he will become a great NFL QB, in my humble opinion.

Stanback may have great touch and unlimited potential as a QB... But the question is... do Stanback's dogs fight as well as Mike Vick's?