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QB guide - The Future

As the 2021 NFL Draft is only one week away, it is time for us to look at the top QB prospects. 

Trevor Lawrence

Age: 21 College: Clemson (2018-2020)

“With the 1st pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars select Trevor Lawrence, quarterback, Clemson.” This is the sentence we will hear from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on the 29th of April. 

Ever since throwing a ball in high school, it was very well known that when the time comes Trevor Lawrence will be the number one draft pick. They call him a generational talent, the first one since Andrew Luck back in 2012. 

Over his 3 years as the starting QB for Clemson, he threw over 10,000 yards and 90 touchdowns. His record is 34-2 as a starter. 

Zach Wilson

Age: 21 College: BYU (2018-2020)

While everybody was focusing on Lawrence, this boy in Utah slowly but surely made a name for himself.

During his first season, he suffered a shoulder injury and needed surgery, in 2019 he had a thumb injury, so everyone was worried about what will happen in 2020. Well, Zach Wilson came and tore everything apart. The Cougars went 11-1 in the 2020 season. Wilson threw for 3,692 yards and had only 3 interceptions to 33 touchdowns. 

He climbed to the number 2 QB spot and will likely be drafted by the New York Jets second overall. Personally, I like him more than Lawrance. I watched all of BYU’s games from last season, and damn, this boy can play. I just hope the Jets won’t ruin him. (they probably will, beacuse the Jets will be the Jets, but I’ll pray for him)

Justin Fields

Age: 22 Colleges: Georgia (2018), Ohio State (2019-2020)

Justin Fields was the projected second overall pick for about the same time as Trevor Lawrence was the first. Now, people say he may not even go until 8. 

What happened? To be honest, no one really knows. He put up amazing numbers during the 2020 season, and his team was one of the two who ever defeated Trevor Lawrence. (first one was last year’s overall number one pick, Joe Burrow’s LSU) 

The San Francisco 49ers traded up to number 3 but many say they will take Alabama’s, Mac Jones. I have no idea why. Fields have a photographic memory, and already proved he can swing the ball around. I personally believe that he will be the number three overall pick, especially that after his second Pro Day he and 49ers’ head coach Kyle Shanahan was seen talking and laughing together. 

Mac Jones

Age: 22 College: Alabama (2018-2020)

After sitting 2 years behind Tua Tagovailoa, Mac Jones finally had his chance to be the starter for Alabama in 2020. During his one year as a starter, he threw for 4500 yards and 41 touchdowns.

He is mocked by a lot of people to go third overall to the 49ers, but I don’t see how they could pick him over Fields. Jones has only 13 starts and one year as a starter under his belt. He is known to have a little beer belly, and he is not that mobile QB type. Of course, this doesn’t mean anything because that is exactly what the GOAT, Tom Brady was when he was selected 199th overall in 2000. I can’t wait to see where he will end up, and how they will turn him into an NFL QB.

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Oregon LT Penei Sewell on his relationship with Justin Herbert and the 2021 NFL Draft

Original article: https://www.si.com/nfl/chargers/news/oregon-lt-penei-sewell-would-love-to-reunite-with-chargers-qb-justin-herbert

The 2021 Draft class is packed with talented offensive linemen, and Penei Sewell is one of the best among them. He is only 20 years old and only started 20 games in college before opting out of the 2020 season because of COVID-19. So what makes him the best linemen in his class? In his two years of playing for the Ducks, he only allowed one sack. Pretty good if you ask me. But even the great ones have their doubters. Many label Sewell as a system player and believe that Northwestern's Rashawn Slater is the best tackle in the draft. When asked about it, Penei said that everyone has their opinion, but he is different from the rest in this draft class.

Penei Sewell played for the Oregon Ducks. Throughout his whole college career, Chargers' AP Rookie of the Year, Justin Herbert was his starting quarterback. The Chargers select 13 overall in this upcoming draft, and the chances for Sewell to fall to 13 are very slim. During his interview with the press on Monday, Sewell said that he did talk with the Chargers. He also mentioned that blocking for Herbert again would be a "dream come true." According to the press, he had a big smile on his face the whole time while talking about Justin Herbert and the Chargers.

During a press conference in February, Justin Herbert also mentioned that he and Penei are still close and that "whoever gets him is going to be very lucky to have him." Sewell also said that Herbert is his brother, and he will carry out this relationship during his whole life and to the grave.

Justin Herbert played behind the worst offensive line during his rookie season and still set almost every rookie record. The Chargers already started to address this problem by signing three top linemen but getting Sewell would be the cherry on top. Not only he already has a great relationship with Herbert, but protecting the blind side of a franchise quarterback is one of the most important things. In the end, all I know is that if somehow Tom Telesco can get this done, he will be the hero of the Bolt Fam forever.

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QB guide - The “Now” Generation

NOTE: I will only list QBs who played during the 2020 season.

Patrick Mahomes 

Age: 25 Team history: Kansas City Chiefs (2017 -)  Super Bowl win: 2019 MVP: 2018

I think, if you followed sports news in the last couple of years, then the name Patrick Mahomes should be familiar.

This amazing young man came into the NFL like a storm when he was named starter in his second season. He won the league's MVP that year. In his third year, he led the Chiefs to a Super Bowl win and won Super Bowl MVP.

Before the 2020 season, he signed the second largest contract in sports history. It is a 10-year contract extension worth $477 million with another $26 million in potential bonuses, for a total of $503 million. 

It's quite shocking to believe that this past one was only his fourth year in the game and only his third as a starter. He led the Chiefs to another Super Bowl. Unfortunately, the GOAT was on the other side of the field, and with an injured O-Line the Chiefs didn't even have a chance. As a Chiefs fan, I can ensure you that that was their worst game of the season. Mahomes was running around for his life with his injured toe throughout the whole game.

I believe that we will only come back stronger next season.

Josh Allen

Age: 24 Team history: Buffalo Bills (2018 -)

2020 was the breakout season for Josh Allen. He improved in every aspect it is humanly possible. He completed 69.1% of his passes in the regular season which is 11% more than his first two seasons! He threw for 5361 yards and came in second for the MVP votes after Aaron Rodgers. He led the Buffalo Bills to the AFC Championship where they were defeated by the Kansas City Chiefs.  

I think the future is very bright in Buffalo. Nothing else proves this more than players taking pay cuts just to be able to stay in Buffalo because they believe this team is a Super Bowl contender.

Lamar Jackson

Age: 24 Team history: Baltimore Ravens (2018 -) MVP: 2019

"Not your typical quarterback" could be a perfect Instagram bio for Lamar Jackson. 

This guy can run through any safety he wants to. In his last two seasons, he ran for over 1000 yards. No other QB has ever done that before! 

He also won the league's MVP honor in 2019 for his incredible season with the Ravens.

Justin Herbert

Age: 23 Team history: Los Angeles Chargers (2020 -)

Justin Patrick Herbert, aka the guy who made me become one of the biggest Chargers fan.

Herbert was thrown into the game without notice during Week 2 against the Chiefs when around 5 minutes before the game, the doctors accidentally punctured starting QB Tyrod Taylor's lung, and Justin had to step in. He led the team to overtime, where they almost defeated the reigning world champions.  He was named starter before the Week 5 game. 

Herbert rewrote the NFL rookie record book this past season. He broke almost every record including the most TDs by a rookie QB and most completions by a rookie QB. He received the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year award and the Pepsi Zero Sugar Rookie of the Year. 

I can't wait to see the Chargers succeed with the new coaching staff and their franchise QB. 

Also, I am praying to Tom Telesco every day to extend Hunter Henry and get my man an O-Line. UPDATE: Well, Hunter Henry is a Patriot now, BUT we signed the best center in the league, plus some other offensive linemen so we’re good for now.

Baker Mayfield 

Age: 25 Team history: Cleveland Browns (2018 -)

2018 number one overall pick Baker Mayfield was the hope the Browns needed for a long time. He threw 27 touchdowns in his 13 starts for the Browns in 2018, breaking the rookie-season passing-TD record (Justin Herbert broke this in the 2020 season). 

In 2020, he led the Browns to their first playoff since 2002, and they had their first playoff win since 1994.

Joe Burrow 

Age: 24 Team history: Cincinnati Bengals (2020 -)

2020 number one overall pick Joe Burrow is the star the Bengals needed. 

As a starting quarterback for LSU in 2019, he had the best season for a college quarterback ever. He threw for over 5000 yards and had 60 touchdowns. 

He had a very promising start in the NFL too. Unfortunately, during the Week 11 game against the Washington Football Team, he was hit while throwing a pass and subsequently tore his ACL and MCL in his left knee, as well as sustaining other damage to his PCL and meniscus, and was placed on injured reserve. He was breaking records left and right before his injury and was predicted to win OROTY before the season. 

Burrow said that he will be ready to start the 2020 season, and I can only hope that the Bengals will get him an O-Line so he won't suffer the fate of Andrew Luck.

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QB guide - The Greats

NOTE: I will only list QBs who played during the 2020 season.

Tom Brady

Age: 43 Team history: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2020 -), New England Patriots (2000 - 2019) Super Bowl wins: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2020 MVP: 2007, 2010, 2017

Let me start my post with the GOAT of football and professional sports.

When the New England Patriots selected Tom Brady at the 2000 NFL draft in the sixth round as the 199th overall pick, no one knew who he will become.  Brady had the opportunity to come into the game after Patriots’ starter quarterback got injured, and he hasn’t left since then. This was his 21st season in the game, most by any QB in the history of the NFL. 

After the news came out last year that after 20 years Brady will not re-sign with the Patriots, many thought this was the end of him. Oh boy, they were wrong. He signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, got Robert Gronkowski, the best TE in league history out of retirement, and won the Super Bowl for the 7th time in his career. With that win, Tom Brady has more Super Bowl wins than any team in history. (the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots both have 6)  Whenever he gets asked about which is his favorite ring, he always answers “the next”. That’s the TB12 mentality.

He is called the Greatest Of All Time for a reason. 

Drew Brees

Age: 42 Team history: New Orleans Saints (2006 -), San Diego Chargers (2001 - 2005) Super Bowl win: 2009

Drew Brees is one of the bests who ever played.  He holds numerous records such as career pass completions, career completion percentage, and career passing yards. 

He started his career at the Chargers as a backup QB but was named starter in his second season in 2002. 

In 2006, after the Chargers and Brees couldn’t come to an agreement on his new contract, he signed with the New Orleans Saints. In 2009 he won the Super Bowl with the Saints and was named Super Bowl MVP. 

This past season they got defeated in the playoffs by the Buccaneers.  As of now, it sadly looks like this was Brees’ last season in the NFL. If he really hangs up his shoes, then we can say one thing for sure; he had one hell of a career. 

Aaron Rodgers

Age: 37 Team history: Green Bay Packers (2005 -) Super Bowl win: 2010 MVP: 2011, 2014, 2020

Aaron Rodgers is a beast on the field. He is known to be one of the most accurate passers of all time. He set the single-game franchise record with a perfect 158.3 passer rating in 2009.

Drafted in the first round of the 2005 draft, he sat behind Brett Favre during the first three years of his career. He took over the starting job after Favre retired in 2008 and has been keeping the job ever since then. 

The 2020 NFL Draft had the best WR class for a long time, and Rodgers hoped that he would finally get a weapon (Packers haven’t drafted a receiver since the 2002 draft). When they traded up for a pick in the first round, everyone had big expectations. Well. The Packers drafted QB Jordan Love. Yes, when one of the best QB in the NFL, Aaron Rodgers still got 4 years left on his contract. I don’t even want to say anything more about this, and rather link this video from the Pat McAfee Show where you can see diehard Packers fan, Ty Schmit’s reaction. Fun fact before the video, like two minutes before the pick Ty said, “I swear to fucking God, if the Packers draft Jordan Love, I’m fucking done.” Well, they did. Here’s his reaction (they sometimes refer to Ty as Mel in the video as he was impersonating Mel Kiper all night): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FZLM46-CFo (I seriously recommend you to watch this if you have 5 minutes, it’s amazing) 

Despite the fact that the Packers did not pick any receiver, the team did get to the NFC Championship where Brady defeated them. Rodgers also had an MVP season with 4,299 passing yards and 48 touchdowns. 

Ben Roethlisberger

Age: 38 Team history: Pittsburgh Steelers (2004 -) Super Bowl wins: 2005, 2008

BigBen has been one of the most efficient passers in NFL history. He is currently ranked 7th all-time in NFL career passing yards and 12th all-time in passer rating (94.3).

Philip Rivers

Age: 39 Team history: Indianapolis Colts (2020), San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers (2004 - 2019)

Philip Rivers is one of the best who has ever done it and got nothing back in return. Rivers played 16 seasons with the Chargers, and one with the Colts before retiring after the previous season.

The Chargers plan to sign Rivers for a one day contract after the new league year starts so he can retire officially as a Charger. 

Dadgummit, call me selfish but I am very happy that he went to the Colts last year. The Chargers drafted Justin Herbert to be his replacement and look at him, ROTY. 

Russell Wilson

Age: 32 Team history: Seattle Seahawks (2012 -) Super Bowl win: 2013

He has been named to eight Pro Bowls and has started in two Super Bowls, winning one of them in 2013. He holds the record for most wins by an NFL quarterback through nine seasons (98), and is one of four quarterbacks in NFL history with a career passer rating over 100.

Alex Smith

Age: 36 Team history: San Francisco 49ers (2005 - 2012), Kansas City Chiefs (2013 - 2017), Washington Football Team (2018 -)

I am not a WFT supporter, hell I don’t even watch their games, but this man right here is one of the biggest warriors on planet Earth.

In 2018, in a game against the Texans, Smith suffered a life-threatening injury.  He suffered a spiral and compound fracture to his tibia and fibula in his right leg when he was sacked. Following the initial surgery, Smith developed life-threatening necrotizing fasciitis that resulted in sepsis which required him to undergo 17 surgeries, including eight debridements, across four separate hospital stays over a period of nine months. Doctors had even suggested that an amputation above the knee might be his only option before performing skin grafts and an operation transferring muscle from his left quadriceps to save it. (Source: Wikipedia)

Despite all of that, Alex Smith returned to the field in Week 5 of the 2020 season and led the team 5-1 as a starter. He was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year, and many suggested to officially rename the award the Alex Smith Comeback Player of the Year. 

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Justin Herbert talks to the media following NFL Honors

Original article: https://www.si.com/nfl/chargers/news/chargers-qb-justin-herbert-talks-roy-award-playbook-and-outlook-for-2021

The 2020 NFL season was different than any other, and even though it wasn't perfect for the Los Angeles Chargers either, one good thing that came of it was their rookie QB, Justin Herbert. 

Herbert was thrown into the game without notice during Week 2 and impressed everyone. He received the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year award during the NFL Honors ceremony and also the Pepsi Zero Sugar Rookie of the Year. 

He got back to LA on Monday from his hometown Eugene, Oregon, then held a press conference on Tuesday to catch up with the media.

Herbert rewrote the NFL rookie record book this past season. He had the most TDs by a rookie QB, most completions by a rookie QB, etc. He didn't really like to talk about these, and whenever someone mentioned it to him during the season, he said that those are just numbers. Now he said that these "official" honors are awesome, but they are not individual awards because he couldn't get them without the entire team. One funny thing that stood out for me was that he always thanks his O-Line. Oh, honey, they did nothing for you. He had the most completions under pressure in the entire league. You can only get this "honor" when you have a terrible O-Line and you need to throw under pressure.  

When asked about his growth Herbert said that his understanding of the game got better as the season went on, and he learned a lot. He also mentioned that this offseason will be very important for him since teams now got film on him and can prepare more against him. 

The Los Angeles Chargers already went through some big changes during this past month since their season ended. They - thankfully - fired head coach Anthony Lynn and hired Rams' defensive coordinator Brandon Staley as their new HC. Staley already got to work, cleaned the house, and among others hired Saints' QB coach Joe Lombardi as the new offensive coordinator. Herbert said that he already spoke with his new OC and is expected to get the new playbook in the following weeks. He mentioned that he is planning to reach out to Saints' QB Drew Brees, who worked with Lombardi during the past four years. Next to Brees, he is also gonna talk to other QBs of the league who are more experienced than him to listen to their pieces of advice. 

As the Chargers now have an entirely new staff, great players, and their franchise QB, the 2021 season will be very exciting and it cannot come soon enough.

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Hi y’all!

I made this blog for one of my classes at the University.

I'm gonna post some article summaries and 3 QB “evaluation”.

Maybe I’ll continue even after the semester is over with football stuff but I don't know yet.

Gonna write my first entry soon!

Until then here's the coolest video of Joey Burrow. 🤪