It was very obvious that Bryce is a mega-talent. He's got so much ability, but he's raw -- as you would expect an 18-year-old starting quarterback at a Power 4 school to be. He was not a completely finished product, and that's our job now to turn him into that.
In the midst of his best game in the NFL, J.J. McCarthy started feeling it. So when the Minnesota Vikings' quarterback broke free on a goal-line bootleg run in the second quarter, with nothing but the end zone in front of him, he slowed down. Holding the ball low as he crossed the goal line, McCarthy appeared to be performing a modified "Griddy" dance made popular by teammate Justin Jefferson. The touchdown was one of several key plays in the Vikings' 34-26 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, but it was perhaps the most revealing moment of the push and pull involved in developing a young quarterback.
Heisman Trophy favorite Fernando Mendoza was a redshirt freshman and Cal's third-string quarterback at the start of the 2023 season when he walked into the office of tight ends coach Tim Plough. Would you be willing to meet with me? Mendoza asked. Would you be willing to teach me the offense and talk to me about quarterback play, go through the game plan with me?
DENTON, Texas -- North Texas coach Eric Morris -- the 40-year-old Air Raid virtuoso who launched Baker Mayfield, unleashed Patrick Mahomes and found Cam Ward -- likes a process. It's why, even days before a Nov. 1 visit from Navy, Morris is talking about cotton farms in northeast Arkansas. Specifically, his own. They're a long-term investment. Morris recently bought his third. "When I retire, I'm going to farm cotton," he tells ESPN. "Give me a good process, and I'll work at it. Plus, cotton won't talk back to me -- I won't have to deal with any bulls---."
The quarterbacks - who will face off for the second time Monday night at Northwest Stadium - will be compared throughout their careers. But as much as their individual performances matter, what is equally as important is how their teams build around them - particularly while they're still on their rookie contracts, before they're eligible to sign lucrative extensions in the 2027 offseason.
"I could give you a dissertation on what I think about the whole quarterback position," Kupp said. "In short, I do think the plugs get pulled on guys a little early."
The name of Patrick Mahomes has been used around the Giants for years. It goes all the way back to when head coach Ben McAdoo was lobbying for the Giants to draft him in 2017. He was already off the board and selected by Kansas City by the time they got around to picking Evan Engram. Then general manager Dave Gettleman began evoking Mahomes after he drafted Daniel Jones with Eli Manning already on the roster in 2019.
