Gaming the System

» ESPN: Eagles sure that Kolb can shed 'systems QB' label (Len Pasquarelli)

A brief Kevin Kolb update here. So far, the reviews of his performance are "solid" ... which has even this blogger "pumped." Pasquarelli's column caught my eye for another reason, though. He includes an updated quote from another Cougar alum who played QB: David Klingler.

The history of the quarterback position just in the past 25 years or so is littered with the names of players -- many of them, like 1989 Heisman trophy winner Andre Ware and David Klingler (each of whom, like Kolb, starred at Houston) and Cade McNown, onetime first-rounders -- who failed to make that transition. Whether their shortcomings were a function of the designs in which they played in college, or just an absence of an NFL-caliber skills-set can be debated, but the perception clearly is that "systems quarterbacks" represent a big gamble.

It is a perception, noted Klingler, who was chosen by the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round of the 1992 draft, and who started only 24 games in four seasons with the team, that simply adds more pressure to what is already a difficult task.

"There's like a stigma attached to it," said Klingler, who once threw 11 touchdown passes in a single game, running Houston's earlier version of the run-and-shoot, and then posted only 16 touchdown passes in his 33 NFL appearances. "You're like a walking question mark. 'Can he do this? Can he handle that? Is he going to be able to successfully transfer the stuff from his [college] offense and do the same things [in the NFL]?' The pressure of playing the quarterback position in the NFL is hard enough without all that."

Back in the day, I thought Chuck Clemens might have had a decent run in an NFL uniform and his success came in a pro-style offense. So there's no givens. Ware and Klingler had some obvious flaws that never got ironed out at the pro level. Ironically, it would have helped Klingler's own career had they not tried to correct one of those flaws that took a bit out of his elbow. But he was still trapped on a hideous team in Cincy and behind a guy that wasn't about to take himself out of a game no matter what in Oakland.

Kolb should be even better positioned, not just in terms of his adaptability, which never got a lot of notice since he played in the same system all the way from Stephenville High to University of Houston. The kid is probably the smartest QB (at least in terms of football smarts) we've seen in the post-Yeoman era. The Eagles have a great team even as they undergo a few major changes on the roster.

In other news, Aaron Peña now qualifies as one of the shortest tenures as UH QB. Guess it sucks that a 5th year graduate student QB (onetime starter, at that) from a Big 12 school is getting smoked in scrimmages by a redshirt freshman that looks like a dorkier version of Garth Brooks. At least Pena's big about it and has what looks like a great opportunity to land on his feet:

"I was starting to realize that it was time to move on," Pena said. "I could see that Case and Blake were better fits in the offense. I was pretty sure that it wasn't going to work out for me here. I have other plans now. I have a coaching job with my father, where I will be coaching the quarterbacks. Like I said, I just felt it was time to move on."

As for the new guy: Case Keenum. Best of luck kid.