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/>Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesHorizontal - WhiteBig Blue Viewa New York Giants communityLog In or Sign UpLog InSign UpFanpostsFanshotsSectionsLibraryGiantsOddsAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 322 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections New York Giants NewsGiants Training Camp 2016Giants vs. Eagles 2015 Deandre Baker NFL Draft , Week 17Evaluating the quarterback position: Arm talent a critical, and obvious, trait to assessNew,40commentsWe continue looking at traits to analyze when studying quarterbacksEDTShareTweetShareShareEvaluating the quarterback position: Arm talent a critical, and obvious, trait to assessNoah K. Murray-USA TODAY SportsSummer school rolls on here at Big Blue View, as we do our best to shine light on various aspects of the game we all love and obsess over. Continuing our look at evaluating the quarterback position, we move from processing speed to arm talent. Throughout the entire draft process there might be no more nebulous term than “arm talent?” Every quarterback profile uses that phrase in one way or another, but what exactly goes into that trait and how does one identify it in a prospect?The first thing that comes to mind when talking about a quarterback’s pure ability to throw the football is arm strength. Certainly the YouTube/highlight era we live in makes this easy, with the ability call up in a matter of seconds some impressive throws from quarterback throughout the college and pro game. But football graveyards are littered with tombstones highlighting quarterbacks who could dial up the velocity on throws...but little else. So there is more to arm talent than velocity alone. When evaluating quarterbacks and their arm talent, pure velocity is but one component. You also need to study other aspects to passing such as touch, feel, placement and trajectory. A simple way to frame the question is this: How well can the player move the football from Point A to Point B given the situation in front of him? Not every problem is an nail and not every arm is a hammer. The quarterback needs to balance the situation and demonstrate that he can make the right throw in the moment.Last draft cycle, Kyler Murray from Oklahoma was a prime example of arm talent. Consider this quick clip that combines some of the elements necessary: Velocity, touch, feel Deandre Baker Buffalo Bills Jersey , placement, and you see it to all levels of the field. These throws are prime examples of what Murray can do with his arm:You were probably expecting his long touchdown pass against Alabama in the playoffs. Fear not gentle reader, we will get to that play. But on these two plays Murray flashes impressive arm talent. On the first play he works through multiple reads before throwing a seam route into the end zone, which he delivers with a perfect mix of velocity and placement, dropping the throw in over the defender but before the back line of the end zone. On the second, Murray uncorks a deep ball that covers 40+ yards on the fly, but drops it in while rolling to the right and places it perfectly along the right sideline. Touch and trajectory are also big components of arm talent. Returning to the “Point A to Point B” framing of the issue, there are instances when the ability to throw a football through a brick wall is not the right answer to a question. If the brick wall in instance is a talented safety, trying to throw the football through him just leads to an interception. Instead, the quarterback’s ability to apply touch and understand trajectory is tested. Murray was again a standout in this area, and his understanding of touch and feel is impressive, and on display on throws like this:The corner route is among the toughest to throw in football because a quarterback you face in essence three defenders, as Murray does here: The cornerback, the safety and the boundary. You need to show precision with the throw to get it over the CB, outside of the S, but drop it in so the receiver can complete the play before falling out of bounds. Murray’s precision and touch here against Iowa State is perfect. Here is another example of a quarterback balancing touch Infant Daniel Jones Jersey , velocity and trajectory, and it comes from Brett Rypien from Boise State. Look at this throw on an intermediate seam route against Troy:Rypien’s throw here is perfect. He appropriately balances touch with velocity, dropping this in over the trailing defender but well before any other defensive back could make a break on the route. Now we can turn to the velocity question.One of the standard benchmarks for evaluating arm strength is the “deep out pattern.” Typically, NFL scouts want to see if the quarterback in question can drive the football into the receiver on a deep out route, at about a depth of 20 yards. This throw of Rypien’s checks that box in my opinion:In their game against UConn the Broncos face a third-and-13 just inside Huskies territory, on the 46-yard line. Rypien takes the shotgun snap and uses a crisp three-step drop, hitches and uncorks the deep out route from the left hashmark to the right sideline. He lets this pass go from the Boise State 47-yard line, and drives it down to the UConn 25-yard line where he hits his receiver perfectly just before he steps out of bounds. This throw comes on a near-line, with great velocity and spin to it, covering at least 28 yards, but Pythagoras tells us this throw covers a greater distance. The question to balance on the velocity issue is how much it matters. I have often viewed velocity as more a pure threshold question. Can the player get enough velocity on throws to survive life in the NFL, or not? Anything over and above that gets into an area of diminishing returns. After all, when most NFL offenses operate within 20 yards of the line of scrimmage, having a pure cannon for an arm might impact such a small percentage of plays, that it should not be used to justify reaching for a player early in the draft when other traits are not commensurate with the player’s arm strength.There is also the matter of velocity being a double-edged sword. If a quarterback has been able to rely on pure arm strength to survive throughout his college years and during his development as a passer, it can serve as a crutch of sorts Daniel Jones Jersey Draft , and even hamstring his development in other areas such as processing speed. Josh Allen (and more recently Drew Lock) are examples of this. This quick video breaks this down when it comes to Lock:In the end, the velocity component might be a matter of weight. It is a necessary box to check, but one should not place too much emphasis on the pure RPMs a QB can dial up. Velocity is just one factor but the ultimate issue is how the QB gets the ball from Point A to Point B, and do not forget the other components to that puzzle. Today may not be Ezekiel Elliott’s day of reckoning, but things are heating up in Dallas" />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesBig Blue View homepageHorizontal - WhiteBig Blue Viewa New York Giants communityFollow Big Blue View online:Follow Big Blue View on TwitterFollow Big Blue View on FacebookLog in or sign upLog InSign UpSite searchSearchSearchBig Blue View main menuFanpostsFanshotsSectionsLibraryGiantsOddsAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 321 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections New York Giants NewsGiants Training Camp 2016Giants vs. Eagles 2015, Week 17NFC East Roundup: Jerry’s talking toughNew,81commentsToday may not beEzekielElliott’s day of reckoning, but things are heating up in DallasEDTShare this storyShare this on FacebookShare this on TwitterShareAll sharing optionsShareAll sharing options for:NFC East Roundup: Jerry’s talking toughTwitterFacebookRedditPocketFlipboardEmailJerry Jones had some things to say about Alfred Morris — but really about Ezekiel Elliott.Photo by Al Pereira/Getty ImagesThe day of reckoning in Dallas has not yet arrived. Emphasis on not yet.The potential deadline for Ezekiel Elliott to report to Cowboys camp and end his holdout was believed by some to be Aug. 6. But that is not the case, Blogging the Boys’ RJ Ochoa informs us. But Jerry Jones is ensuring the holdout remains interesting.The Cowboys owner’s musings on Elliott have raised some eyebrows in Texas. Even if his comments Sunday were technically about Alfred Morris.Let me repeat that: Morris “has the best feel of any back I’ve ever seen.” And Jones has seen Emmitt Smith... and Elliott... AND Morris, who played for the Cowboys in 2016 and 2017 — who started a total of five games for them — before they decided to move on BECAUSE THEY HAVE ELLIOTT. (And yes, we realize Jones claims to be quoting Brown, but c’mon.)As Ochoa rightfully explains, Jones is quite calculating when it comes to public message-sending. So his statement cannot be taken literally. It can’t even be taken about Morris.It is a warning to Elliott.Just how serious a warning is the question?Obviously, Jerry isn’t going to go so far as to permanently alienate Elliott, right? [Insert Jimmy Johnson joke here. Thank you.] Of course, Jerry is known for his colorful metaphors and enlightening dinner conversation. I mean Daniel Jones NFL Jersey , the man has publicly discussed “a crippled cricket’s ass” — whatever that is — his coach’s penchant for holding handfuls of Jell-O, and of course, glory holes.But Jerry is getting closer and closer to that uncomfortable line.And the ramifications of Elliott’s holdout extend well beyond just himself. Jones’ quarterback and star receiver are seeking their own paydays, although both reported to camp on time. You better believe Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper — and their agents — are paying close attention to how Elliott is treated. Neither may be as good as Elliott, who is arguably the best back in football. But Prescott is the quarterback. And no one can dispute the difference in the Cowboys after they acquired Cooper last fall.Back to that supposed day of reckoning.The reason today’s deadline seemed important was players who don’t report to training camp by Aug. 6 lose an accrued season toward free agency. And since they need four seasons to qualify for unrestricted free agency, well, the deadline looms rather huge for some. Players with only three accrued seasons are merely restricted free agents, subject to tenders — and therefore subject to their teams choosing to match those RFA tenders if they desire. But Dallas had an option to add a fifth year to the end of Elliott’s rookie deal as he is a former first-round draft pick. And to nobody’s surprise, the Cowboys exercised that option, extending Elliott’s contract through the 2020 season. The running back can earn that fourth year then. So today likely will be just another day in an increasingly intriguing holdout. So the saga continues. Reports say the two sides are talking, but rather far apart. Could a Le’Veon Bell situation be in the offing?Here are some of the other big stories around the NFC East since the start of training camp:Dallas CowboysWhile the rest of Dallas is wrapped up in All Things Zeke, the injury bug has begun to bite in Big D.LB Sean Lee suffered a sprained MCL last week. There is no clear timetable for his return.Despite the emotional ties the franchise has with the Pro Bowl middle linebacker, Lee is no longer a vital player on its defense with Leighton Vander Esch and Jaylon Smith around. However, he does remain a starter on their projected depth chart.But Zack Martin is a vital player on their offensive line, and an MRI revealed that the right guard has irritation in a disk in his spine. While his return to practice may come in a week or so, we all know how tricky bad backs can be Daniel Jones NFL Draft , especially for those on the line. And three-time All-Pros are awfully difficult to replace.And Cooper injured his heel, although word is it’s a minor issue.Philadelphia EaglesDon’t get angry, but ESPN says the Iggles have the second-best roster in the NFL behind only the New Orleans Saints. (That sound you hear is Bill Belichick chuckling. He may not laugh, but he does chuckle.)Of course, the margin for error is quite small now that a certain Super Bowl hero resides in Jacksonville. Speaking of margin of error, there is little of it at linebacker now that Kamu Grugier-Hill suffered an MCL sprain and will be out for quite a while. But DeSean Jackson got a hero’s welcome in his return to the Linc. (Isn’t that nice?)And Miles Sanders is breeding hope at running back, Bleeding Green Nation’s Brandon Lee Gowton says. I guess there’s room in the division for two Penn State running backs. Washington RedskinsCoach Jay Gruden’s first 2019 depth chart began with Colt McCoy and Case Keenum as his quarterbacks, his first-round-pick on the scout team (Dwayne Haskins), his left tackle engaged in some kind of bitter holdout — whether it’s over money or the Skins’ medical staff (Trent Williams) — and the latest saga in Adrian Peterson’s life.So 7-9 yet again won’t cut it. But as every New York Giants fan knows, if Ereck Flowers is indeed penciled in as their starting left guard, well, 7-9 would be quite an accomplishment.