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What we can learn from Case Keenum's star turn

eriadoc

eriadoc

Texan-American
Some interesting points. LINK

The idea that there aren't 32 good NFL quarterbacks is overstated

Nobody would have said that Keenum was an upper-echelon starter before this season. If anything, they would have held up Keenum's 24 pro starts as proof that there weren't enough good quarterbacks to go around in the NFL. Yet here we are in Week 12, and Keenum ranks second in Total QBR and 10th in passer rating through 10 games and 330 pass attempts. If he isn't a good quarterback, he sure is doing a wicked impersonation of one.

You might argue that Keenum is in a great situation to succeed given the quality of his defense and his receivers, and I'd agree. If Keenum can look like a Pro Bowler in that context, though, we need to change the way we talk about scarcity. Instead of saying that there aren't 32 good quarterbacks to go around, we should be saying that there aren't 32 good situations for quarterbacks at any given time in the NFL.
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Coaching matters

It's telling that the two biggest quarterback surprises of the 2017 season were on the same team last season and didn't play very well. Keenum began his 2016 campaign as the starter for the Rams before giving way to first overall pick Jared Goff. Keenum was mediocre, and Goff was worse.
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Investing in infrastructure is probably better than throwing money at a prayer of a passer

Keenum wasn't exactly a highly desirable quarterback on the free-agent market this offseason. He ended up signing a one-year, $2 million deal with the Vikings to serve as the primary backup behind Bradford until Bridgewater returned, at which point Keenum would presumably have become the third quarterback. You don't need me to tell you that Keenum is making less than the vast majority of starting quarterbacks, but with $1 million guaranteed at signing, Keenum wasn't even making good backup money.

Quite clearly, Keenum was the best veteran quarterback signing of the offseason. Elsewhere, teams with a possible hole under center signed bigger-name options such as Josh McCown, Brian Hoyer, Matt Barkley, Jay Cutler and Mike Glennon, the latter of whom will cost the Bears $18.5 million before he is released. Keenum had relatively similar statistics to those of the better options within that group over the past five seasons, but he just wasn't taken as seriously.

The Vikings benefited, in a way, by keeping their budget low. They didn't spend a ton of money to go after a backup, given Bradford's $18 million cap hit, and the millions of dollars they saved by going after Keenum as opposed to McCown, Cutler or Glennon went elsewhere on their roster.
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I love me some Case Keenum!
Good to see him having a lot of success.

A Case Keenum Texans highlights video from 2013. Nice montage.


You have to watch it on YouTube (the NFL still blocks it from other sites). Not sure why the NFL media policy is so strict though? The MLB, NBA and NHL all allow their videos to be shown on any website.
 
What can we learn? Absolutely nothing.

Case had multiple opportunities to flourish and show his stuff before he finally caught some fire. And just because he's having a strong year this year doesn't mean it will continue next season. QB's over the last 6 to 7 years or so have been hot and cold like crazy. Rookies having the best rookie seasons of all time and then being mediocre the next season. There have been plenty of Derek Anderson/Matt Cassell types who caught fire in a bottle in a season here and there. No one saw this coming with Case, because he had a ton of opportunities with the Texans twice, the Rams, and the Vikings now. It's great to see him having success, and I hope it continues. But there isn't any lesson in between the clouds or magic dust that some coach sprinkled on him. He's in a zone and he's learned well enough to finally catch fire for this season at least. Good for him.
 
Case always flashed talent here. I think OB got rid of him too soon.

He should’ve never drafted Savage because Case could do the job just as well as he could.

If they weren’t going to Invest in a real qb I don’t see any reason why case couldn’t be kept around as a back up/spot starter.

I get that OB wanted his guys in here though.

And I don’t even count his time under fisher. Steve McNair made him look a lot better than he was as a coach....kinda like Watson with OB.
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
The Vikings made every effort to build up their offensive line (just like the Texans :mcnugget:) ...............that is the major factor that has allowed Keenum to flourish..........funny how that works..........the Vikings offensive line is presently ranked as the 2nd best in the NFL.
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The 2013 Oline was not bad. We aren't talking this year.
 
xtruroyaltyx said:
Case always flashed talent here. I think OB got rid of him too soon.
.
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Kubiak also should be held accountable for jerking Keenum around. and blunting his development in his first playing year. Not all rookie QBs come onto the scene with a flash like Watson. In fact, most require several years (and usually with the same team or system) to develop into what they will ultimately become.
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
Kubiak also should be held accountable for jerking Keenum around. and blunting his development in his first playing year. Not all rookie QBs come onto the scene with a flash like Watson. In fact, most require several years (and usually with the same team or system) to develop into what they will ultimately become.
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Yeah I was not a fan of that either.
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
Kubiak also should be held accountable for jerking Keenum around. and blunting his development in his first playing year. Not all rookie QBs come onto the scene with a flash like Watson. In fact, most require several years (and usually with the same team or system) to develop into what they will ultimately become.
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Cant speak ill of Kubiak around these parts.
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
Kubiak also should be held accountable for jerking Keenum around. and blunting his development in his first playing year. Not all rookie QBs come onto the scene with a flash like Watson. In fact, most require several years (and usually with the same team or system) to develop into what they will ultimately become.
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So... we should have been patient with him until he comes around in his 6th year? Didn’t we follow that strategy with David Carr? Just sayin, more often than not, that thinking fails and makes you look idiotic.
 
dream_team said:
So... we should have been patient with him until he comes around in his 6th year? Didn’t we follow that strategy with David Carr? Just sayin, more often than not, that thinking fails and makes you look idiotic.
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I think that without taking into account the specific circumstances it's impossible to compare them or even fairly judge them. People who wanted to **** on Keenum in 2013 did so with complete disregard for the circumstances and people who **** on the idea that we could have developed him here faster than Jeff "What's Offense?" Fisher are just in denial. No way Keenum takes 6 years to show what he's showing right now if he never leaves the Texans. Bill O'Brien should have rolled with him in 2014 instead of bringing in Shitz and Mallet. I'm thrilled that we ended up with Watson but the ****-show at QB over the past three years wasn't necessary.
 
infantrycak said:
The 2013 Oline was not bad. We aren't talking this year.
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True. In 2013 the OL wasn't terrible at all. It wasn't great but it wasn't bad. What killed us in 2013 were injuries on offense to Arian Foster and Owen Daniels combined with injuries on defense to Manning and Cushing (along with poor play from "The Hobo" that Bob McNair sent his private jet to pick up). Wade Smith was questionable most of the season and Duane Brown was a little banged up early but mostly the line wasn't in that bad a shape.
 
Texecutioner said:
What can we learn? Absolutely nothing.

Case had multiple opportunities to flourish and show his stuff before he finally caught some fire. And just because he's having a strong year this year doesn't mean it will continue next season. QB's over the last 6 to 7 years or so have been hot and cold like crazy. Rookies having the best rookie seasons of all time and then being mediocre the next season. There have been plenty of Derek Anderson/Matt Cassell types who caught fire in a bottle in a season here and there. No one saw this coming with Case, because he had a ton of opportunities with the Texans twice, the Rams, and the Vikings now. It's great to see him having success, and I hope it continues. But there isn't any lesson in between the clouds or magic dust that some coach sprinkled on him. He's in a zone and he's learned well enough to finally catch fire for this season at least. Good for him.
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Lots of people saw this coming with Case. You ("Some") spent that season in 2013 making fun of them and calling them Cougar homers.

Hold up there! I owe you an apology Texecutioner. I must have associated your name with a number of the Keenum "bashers" at that time because you answered so many of them but after quickly reviewing the posts I see you were not one of them. I'm leaving my original assertion up but I was mistaken and want that on record. Wasn't you.
 
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Hervoyel said:
Lots of people saw this coming with Case. You ("Some") spent that season in 2013 making fun of them and calling them Cougar homers.

Hold up there! I owe you an apology Texecutioner. I must have associated your name with a number of the Keenum "bashers" at that time because you answered so many of them but after quickly reviewing the posts I see you were not one of them. I'm leaving my original assertion up but I was mistaken and want that on record. Wasn't you.
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I didn't see any bad comments made at me about it, but maybe I missed it. I liked Keenum, but he just didn't work out well for Kubiak and who knows how long it may have taken him to get it together here any way. No one really knows. He didn't exactly tear up the league on the Rams. I'm just glad he finally has now. It's unfortunate that we weren't able to hold onto him longer with OB, because he did get like two wins for us.
 
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