Who Should The Future Be Behind Tony Romo At Quarterback?

Kellen Moore, QB Boise State. 6-0 197

Every year at draft time I try and find the Diamonds In The Rough. (The Guys No One Is Talking About.) When I look at a quarterback there are several traits I focus on. The first being intelligence.(football IQ). Lets face it, the captain of the ship has to understand that offense as well as the offensive coordinator. Once he reaches that line of scrimmage, he becomes the coach. He needs to be able to read the defense and change the play when necessary. Once the play is underway, he needs to be able to make good reads so he can recognize in a matter of seconds where “not” to throw the football.

The next important trait is “awareness”. A good quarterback needs to be able scan the defense and determine who the pass rushers will be, and where the best matchups will be before the play begins. Once the play is underway, he needs to be able to perform 2 tasks at once. A. Knowing where his receivers are and who is open, and B. Where the oncoming pass rushers are. If he is not aware of both things at once, one of 3 things will happen, an interception, a sack, or a stripped ball.

The next two traits go hand in hand, anticipation/accuracy. Being that the pass has to be thrown in advance an NFL QB needs to not only be able to anticipate where his receiver will be when the ball reaches him, but where the defender will be as well. He then needs the accuracy to get the ball to to the right spot at the right time. In many cases, the the coverage is that tight that the QB must be accurate enough to put the ball where only his receiver can get it.  All that being said, accuracy is at the top of my list of mandatory skills for my QB.

The next top priority is poise. It is very important how a QB plays under pressure. Weather it be against teams with a good pass rush or late in games in a clutch situation. Kellen Moore has proven he has ice for blood in many key situations. A lot of people have tried to knock him by saying he is in an easy conference and doesn’t play anyone, well,,,,,,, I disagree. I watched him handily beat Georgia, Oregon, TCU, and Virginia Tech just to name a few.

Speaking of VT, did you happen to see the Boise States season opener against them in 2010? In a remarkable 2nd half comeback (after trailing 17-0 in the first quarter) VT came back to take the lead 30-26 with 1:47 left on the clock (Moore had no timeouts left). I clearly remember the announcer saying,

"” If I was to choose any QB to put the ball in his hands right now, it would be Kellen Moore.”"

He, as well as any of us who have followed his career, knew he was flawless in pressure situations. Moore took over and as efficiently as Tom Brady, ran the no huddle offense, and took his team down the field with precision to win the game 33-30. He finished the game with 215 yds, 3 TD’s and no interceptions in a shocking upset over VT in their own back yard. This was in front of over 80,000 devastated and awe struck fans in the Red Skins stadium.

My story continues on the next page…..