Wednesday, March 23, 2005

Great workouts don't guarantee NFL greatness

IT'S A GREAT thing that Aaron Rodgers and Alex Smith wowed'em in separate glorified practice sessions, elevating their status in the eyes of NFL coaches and scouts while putting millions of dollars in the bank.
Put them both in the Jeff George workout Hall of Fame, that safe and spectacular place where quarterbacks face none of the factors that make playing the position in the NFL one of the most difficult jobs in professional sports.

Rodgers, the sharpshooter from Cal, and Smith, the wizard from Utah, can always take their skills to the county fair, if pro football doesn't work out. There they would need a big rig to load up all the stuffed animals won from knocking over milk bottles and throwing footballs through the mouths of cardboard clowns.

Nothing against either quarterback, mind you. They may end up at the top of their profession in a few years for reasons that have nothing to do with the pass-and-pony shows each put on at their home stadiums before prospective employers.

It's like concluding Wisconsin-Milwaukee will win the NCAA Tournament based on its layup drill.

Mike Nolan and his 49ers staff were no doubt stunned to learn that — surprise! — Rodgers and Smith both throw a hell of a pass.

Particularly when no one is attempting to body-slam them into the turf and when receivers run unimpeded through an imaginary secondary absent of those annoying cornerbacks and safeties.

Neither quarterback showed up for his workout with a cigarette dangling from his mouth and a whiskey flask in his back pocket. The few times when Rodgers' passes hit the ground, expert analysis determined the receivers were at fault.

Smith even drew a round of applause.

Yet, beware of the workout.

George just happened to be one of the best practice quarterbacks of all time. When Jon Gruden took over the Raiders in 1998, he was smitten with George's accuracy and noted, "He can knock a bird out of a tree while looking the other way."

George threw passes so perfect even Rickey Dudley found them difficult to drop.

After a season in which George showed little fire and declared himself out for the season on his radio show with a groin injury, Gruden concluded knocking birds out of trees wasn't nearly as important as being functional under fire and basic leadership skills.

Enter Rich Gannon, who didn't look nearly as good in warm-ups but led the Raiders to three division titles, a conference championship and won an MVP award.

The same year Gruden was marveling over George, Washington State quarterback Ryan Leaf was running neck and neck with Tennessee's Peyton Manning to be the first quarterback selected in the draft.

At Leaf's predraft workout, conducted in the chilly winds of the Great Northwest, he proceeded to complete nearly every pass he threw. Not only that, but also Leaf — who had ballooned to 262 pounds after the Rose Bowl — had hired a nutritionist and dropped to 240.

Leaf took the opportunity to thank all his receivers for making him look good, and then-coach Mike Price told scouts video of Leaf's performances — with both back and side view — were on sale for $19.95.

"Very impressive," Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Tom Moore said.

"I was very impressed with him," Kansas City Chiefs coach Marty Schottenheimer added.

Moore kept his job because his team selected Manning instead. Schottenheimer eventually wound up in San Diego because the Chargers franchise temporarily hit bottom after selecting Leaf.

It turns out the Chargers should have been more concerned about Leaf blowing up to 262 pounds than impressed with the fact that he lost the weight.

San Diego made the bonehead pick, but it could have been anyone else. Whatever personality flaws that caused Leaf to self-destruct were well-hidden by his physical skills, even to the most shrewd talent evaluators.

The 49ers, who once hit the jackpot with a third-rounder named Joe Montana, spent their first-round pick in 1997 on Virginia Tech's Jim Druckenmiller, who had a powerful throwing arm and produced video of himself pulling a car while wearing a harness.

In 2000, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady towed no cars and won some big games at Michigan. His workout was not accompanied by fanfare.

The 49ers opted instead for Giovanni Carmazzi in the third round. Four more quarterbacks — Chris Redman, Tee Martin, Marc Bulger and Spergon Wynn — followed before the Patriots unknowingly struck gold by selecting Brady with the 199th pick of the draft.

So there's really no way to know whether Rodgers or Smith will be Manning or Leaf. Or if they're the second coming of Tim Couch or Donovan McNabb.

Their success will be determined by the system they're in, their supporting cast and something inside their head that's impossible to identify until they're on the 20-yard line and down by four points with two minutes to play in a real game.

The only certainty is they sure look good in practice.


NFL Editor Jerry McDonald

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