Honestly wasn’t trying to compare the two as “apples to apples” just showing how such throws could end up dangerous. Kelly himself mentioned that Golson is a heart-attack and I believe this play is a great example of a reason why. It was a fantastic play, threaded perfectly through the smallest of windows, but definitely room to improve and take the danger out of the play.

I would have been just fine had Eifert been the target because he did beat the one-on-one coverage. What I like about Golson’s read though is that he found the best mismatch. Give me WR against LB all day.

I think they were both one on one, so really either of those throws is fine. However, we can’t see (at least from these pictures) what kind of underneath traffic or Louis Nix’s might have been in the way of a throw to Eifert.

RE #1: Re-watch that play, the blitzing CB is on top of Hendrix just after the ball is released. I doubt that he would have had time to pump fake.

I do agree with you though that the slot receiver (Welch) is open at that point. Not sure if that’s a coverage breakdown or not – it looks like they’re playing cover 3, except that the safety in this case (Collinsworth?) never leaves the right hash mark to cover the middle of the field It looks like he locks onto Toma’s vertical route and never even looks at Welch.

I could be wrong, though, it may have just been cover 2.

I would also add that depending upon the circumstances (score, down and distance, matchup etc.) sometimes it’s ok to give a talented athletic receiver in one on one coverage a chance to make a play. Sometimes a slightly underthrown pass that gives your receiver a chance to make a play is preferable to the throw that ends up in the 3rd row of the seats, especially in this type of case where it is essentially a back shoulder throw. It is much more difficult for a defender who is running full speed with his back to the QB to stop and make this play then it was for the Pitt DB who saw the pass the whole way. I would expect to see Eifert get all sorts of attempts this year to make a play on imperfect throws and I like his odds of succeeding in most cases of single coverage.

Good post Tex.

JDRivesthnd,

While they aren’t apples to apples, I still think they are comparable throws. I think the only point that NDTex was making was that there is a big difference between placing the ball right where it needs to be, and placing it in a dangerous place.

I agree Joe. I would also point out that Golson made a couple throws on the run Saturday that the other QBs, including Hendrix, just can’t make. Golson is a smooth, fluid athlete. That is something you cannot quantify and can’t really teach, but you know it when you see it. He looks natural rolling out. The others do not. He also looks natural and comfortable throwing to his left, including on the run, and the others look like fish out of water doing it.

First, Riddick wasn’t being guarded by some scrub from the intramural squads. Joe Schmidt had at least a couple major college football scholarship offers and he traveled with the team last year as a true freshman walk-on. So that speaks to how highly Diaco/Kelly think of him.

Second, you can’t really compare the Golson-to-Riddick TD to the Rees-to-Eifert INT against Pitt. Golson may have under thrown the ball a little, but it still basically hit Riddick in stride. Both Riddick and Schmidt were moving at nearly full speed when Riddick caught the pass. In fact, you even point out the incredibly small window Golson had to fit that pass into and he did.

By contrast, the Rees pass you’re comparing it to was so badly under-thrown that Eifert literally had to stop his forward momentum and come back to try and meet the ball in an attempt to prevent the interception. It’s just not apples to apples.

It looks like we have four verticals going on this play, with the innermost slot player on the top of the field beginning to bend his route over the top of his man. Hendrix would have been in just as solid a position by pump faking that throw and then lobbing it up to the slot man.

2) You list Nix as “300+” pounds? Should that be more like “300+++” pounds?

3) Totally agree on Golson. He seems very natural in his throws. I think he has just as if not very close to the arm strength that Hendrix has, but seems more comfortable taking a bit of steam off a throw. However, I sometimes get the feeling that throws like these are a result of him focusing on his reads (which is good) so much that his mechanics are suffering at times. Regardless, he has the ability to be able to put this ball where it needed to be, and if he can clean that up can be a dangerous QB for us.