ROOKIE NFL PIVOTS STRUT THEIR STUFF IN EXHIBITION
Kizer and Trubisky lead pack of youngsters who look good behind centre in pre-season
How ’bout them rookie NFL quarterbacks?
You might have felt the tremors caused by their teams’ fans jumping up and down in unison after several of these newbie passers made eye-popping plays in Week 1 of the pre-season.
Most conspicuous was Mitchell Trubisky of the Chicago Bears, who in relief of Mike Glennon and Mark Sanchez — and in contrast to those veterans’ miserable aeronautics — showed off his impressive array of physical gifts in nearly rallying the Bears to victory against the Denver Broncos.
Before Week 2’s slate of preseason games begins Thursday, let’s take a look at how some performed in their first pro game, and what’s next.
Nine of the 10 drafted quarterbacks from April played this past Wednesday to Sunday. Chad Kelly (nephew of hall of famer Jim Kelly) of the Denver Broncos was the one who didn’t, as he continues his slow recovery from April surgery on his throwing wrist.
Bear in mind that eight other rookie quarterbacks also played in Week 1 — undrafted guys with little or no buzz. A couple opened some eyes, including Denver’s Kyle Sloter, Dallas’ Cooper Rush and Green Bay’s Taysom Hill, albeit against third-stringers. The top rookie QB performances from Week 1 of the pre-season:
1. DESHONE KIZER, CLEVELAND BROWNS (2nd-round pick, No. 52 overall) Opponent: vs. New Orleans, Thursday night
Played: All of second half. Took 34 snaps.
Stats: 11/18, 184 yards, one TD, zero interceptions, 114.1 passer rating. Three sacks. Ran three times for 12 yards.
Summary: Completed the two most impressive passes of any rookie: dodging and weaving in the pocket but keeping his eyes downfield, then launching a rocket into the arms of man-covered Richard Mullaney for a 52-yard gain to the Saints’ oneyard line. Then, with under two minutes left and facing fourthand-two, he hung in the pocket before getting walloped by a free blitzer and hit Jordon Payton on a game-winning 45-yard fly pattern down the left side. “I’m sure he’s … excited, but there are so many other things to clean up,” Browns coach Hue Jackson said.
2. MITCHELL TRUBISKY, CHICAGO BEARS (1st-round pick, No. 2 overall) Opponent: vs. Denver, Thursday night Played: From the last drive of the first half until game’s end. Took 49 snaps (62 per cent of Chicago’s in the game). Stats: 18/25, 166 yards, one TD, zero interceptions, 103.1 passer rating. Zero sacks. Ran three times for 38 yards, more than any other rookie quarterback during the week.
Summary: Bears fans hoping Trubisky is indeed their longawaited QB saviour nearly crashed the interwebs after the youngster put on a show. Head coach John Fox has been through such overreactions before (Tim Tebow in Denver), but said: “There’s a reason why we drafted him the second pick. I think for the first time people got to see that in a Bears uniform, which I think is exciting.”
3. C.J. BEATHARD, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (3rd-round pick, No. 104 overall) Opponent: at Kansas City, Friday night Played: Followed Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley, playing the whole second half. Took 41 snaps.
Stats: 7/11, 101 yards, two TDs, zero interceptions, 133.0 passer rating. Two sacks. No runs other than game-ending kneel.
Summary: Impressive debut by Iowa product. In the fourth quarter, he hit rookie Kendrick Bourne with a 46-yard touchdown dart, then connected with him again for the game-tying two-point conversion. “Things are starting to slow down a lot for me,” Beathard said.
4. PATRICK MAHOMES, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (1st-round pick, No. 10 overall) Opponent: vs. San Francisco, Friday night
Played: From the middle of the second quarter (following veterans Alex Smith and Tyler Bray) until end of the third. Took 20 snaps.
Stats: 7/9, 49 yards, one TD, zero interceptions, 126.4 passer rating. One sack. No runs.
Summary: Led only three drives, but two for scores. Field goal and touchdown. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid on Sunday promoted Mahomes from third team to second. “It is not something that Tyler (Bray) didn’t do. Tyler is playing well, but Patrick has also done a nice job. In order to step up with that group, he would have had to have done that and progressed.”
5. DESHAUN WATSON, HOUSTON TEXANS (1st-round pick, No. 12 overall) Opponent: at Carolina, Wednesday night
Played: all of the second and third quarters and early part of fourth. Took 47 snaps.
Stats: 15/25, 179 yards, zero TDs, zero interceptions, 81.9 passer rating. Three sacks. Ran three times for 24 yards, including a nifty 15yard score.
Summary: Those sacks came on consecutive plays on his last series, when surrounded by the scrubs. Texans coach Bill O’Brien said Watson remains secondstring, behind Tom Savage, and will get occasional first-team reps. “I just think that he’s doing a good job mentally as a rookie, no doubt.”