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Quarterback Comparison
In the previous three pages we looked at each quarterback individually, but on this page we will compare all three quarterbacks based off of desired traits that are necessary to be a starting NFL quarterback.
1. Accuracy (Short/Medium/Deep)
a. Short-Medium Accuracy
1. RG3
2. Colt McCoy
3. Kirk Cousins
b. Deep Accuracy
1. Kirk Cousins
2. Colt McCoy
3. RG3
Accuracy is the most important trait of a starting quarterback in the NFL. The ability to perfectly place throws across the field, on target, and in-stride can’t be understated. The game of football is getting more and more complex with timing routes, backshoulder passes, and plays that require even more practice and perfection. Gruden runs a west coast offense that relies on short passing routes and then occasional deep shots down the field. Short accuracy usually refers to passes under 10 yards, which are typically quick outs, slants, and hitch routes. Medium accuracy refers to 10-20 yard throws which routes like in-routes, out-routes, and seam routes. Lastly deep accuracy refers to anything greater than 20 yards which are typically your go, post and corner routes. Here are ProFootballFocus’ passes by direction for each quarterback. Note: Scouts usually create similar tables when analyzing quarterbacks for the NFL Draft.
RG3 (from ProFootballFocus)
Cousins (from ProFootballFocus)
McCoy (from ProFootballFocus)
Looking at these charts you can see that short passes (less than 10 yards) were thrown most by RG3 (76.9%) of his passes, while Cousins (65.1%) and McCoy (71.8%) of his passes. For medium passes (passes between 11-20 yards), RG3 threw the least (12.6%), Cousins threw the most (21.9%) and McCoy was in the middle (18.5%). For deep passes (greater than 20 yards), Cousins attempted the most (13.0%) and completed the highest percentage (48%) while RG3 and McCoy threw similar numbers (~10%) yet RG3’s deep ball only was completed 28.6% versus McCoy’s 41.7%. RG3’s deep ball accuracy was the biggest surprise dropoff. Coming from Baylor he had one the best deep balls and completed 16/37 (43.2%) his 2012 rookie season. So clearly something happened to his deep ball.
In 2014, Cousins had the best deep ball and it showed on multiple occasions where I was left in awe analyzing his perfect accuracy, but Cousins also struggled with inconsistency especially if he lost confidence or felt rushed. McCoy was one of the most inconsistent players in terms of accuracy across the middle. He’d throw a perfect comeback route, then miss a wide-open drag route. RG3 was typically good at hitting short throws and the vast majority of his throws were short, but once he switched to a more traditional multi-read pocket-passer, his accuracy suffered as did his confidence.
2. Vision and Decision-Making
1. Colt McCoy
2. Kirk Cousins
3. RG3
Vision refers to the ability of the quarterback to see the field and find the open receiver on the play. This is done by route separation by the wide receiver, or by the quarterback throwing the wide receiver open with route anticipation. A quarterback needs to be able diagnose coverages and determine who should get the football based on how the defense presents itself during the play. This is a very difficult job which is why many rookie quarterbacks tend to throw a lot of interceptions due to their inability to read coverages and how it relates to game speed.
This was a difficult thing to compare. It’s easy to see that RG3 has the worst vision and decision-making of the group while Cousins’ decision-making is so quick that it produces interceptions by forcing balls. McCoy made the correct decision with the ball the vast majority of the time and made a quick choice, not as fast as Cousins, but still acceptable to move this fast-paced offense. The only reason why Cousins is behind McCoy is because of his tendency to not see underneath coverages. If Cousins can improve on that, he could be an excellent quarterback. RG3 switching from Baylor’s three-zone offense to a standard pocket passer is going to be a rough transition. We’ll see what happens after this off-season.
3. Pocket Presence
1. Colt McCoy
2. Kirk Cousins
3. RG3
Pocket presence is the trait of a quarterback to sense and feel pressure coming from the pass rushers. A quarterback needs to be able to move fluidly around the pocket while keeping his eyes downfield all while sensing the pressure with his peripheral vision. It’s a difficult task, but this trait separates the average from the elite.
McCoy typically does a good job of avoiding pressure and moving around the pocket. Cousins is a close second but that’s mainly due to him being so quick with throwing the ball. RG3 is the worst of the group, even though he definitely has improved on his ability to step into the pocket and stand poised as he delivers a pass downfield.
4. Arm Strength
1. RG3
2. Kirk Cousins
3. Colt McCoy
Arm strength is important, but way too often overrated by fans. The difference between throwing the ball 65 yards and 62 yards is not what will make or break a quarterback. What will make-or-break a quarterback in the NFL is the ability to throw the ball with velocity and be able to put “touch” on the football when necessary. The difference is small, but important. If a window is closing, can a quarterback see the hole and throw it to the wide receiver before a safety or cornerback breaks on the ball? It’s this ability to squeeze a football threw tight coverage while maintaining speed is the important thing to watch for. For example, an 18 yard out route is one of the most difficult throws to make due to the speed of the cornerbacks and the safeties, due to the time necessary for the ball to travel to the sideline. An underthrown ball gives the defense an opportunity to intercept it.
RG3 can fling the ball downfield at the flick of his wrist even with poor footwork, while falling backwards. His arm is extremely impressive at times with the ability to just rip the ball across the field or over deep safety coverage to hit a wide-open DeSean Jackson go-route. For most people, that throw would take a lot of arm strength, but in fact if RG3 is going to miss a deep ball throw it is because the ball is usually overthrown and not underthrown.
Cousins has surprising downfield throwing ability and can successfully squeeze the ball into tight windows. His problem is that he often lets the football sail on him which causes turnovers or incompletions.
McCoy clearly has the weakest arm of the group and leaves the ball underthrown at times. This is what led him to be drafted in the 3rd round as opposed to an earlier round due to his decreased ceiling as compared to other quarterbacks in that draft class.
5. Anticipation
1. Colt McCoy
2. Kirk Cousins
3. RG3
Anticipation is an extremely underrated trait, but still only fifth most important when analyzing a quarterback. Throwing with anticipation refers to the quarterback’s ability to throw a receiver open or ability to predict where the ball should be placed before the wide receiver makes his cut. On a hitch route, for example, the ball should be thrown before the wide receiver even makes the cut back to the quarterback at the top of the stem. This is why a major wide receiver training drill is when they practice turning and catching a ball with the jugs machine in practice.
McCoy leads this category and usually does an excellent job throwing with anticipation. He clearly releases the ball before the cut and does a good job of placing it the vast majority of the time. Cousins could be better at this by releasing the ball a quarter or half second sooner, but he still does a good job overall. I wouldn’t discredit him in this category. This is RG3’s weakest trait by far and something that needs to be fixed over the off-season.
6. Mobility
1. RG3
2. Colt McCoy
3. Kirk Cousins
Mobility is becoming more and more important in the NFL as read-option and play-action bootleg passing becomes more popular especially with the speed of the pass rushers. Quarterbacks with little to zero mobility with great other traits like Tom Brady or Peyton Manning are still the most preferred, but the threat of a running quarterback like Russell Wilson is still extremely appealing to offensive coordinators.
RG3 clearly has the best mobility of the group but needs to be more controlled with his movements. He did a much better job this year than the previous two years of getting to the ground and out-of-bounds to avoid unnecessary contact.
RG3 sees the entire side of the field wide-open and scrambles outside.
McCoy’s mobility is very underrated. He is surprisingly quick on read-option plays and can move around once he scrambles outside the pocket. Watch this play against the Colts found in my Week 13 Colt McCoy breakdown.
Cousins has the ability to scramble but rarely does. His MO is mainly throwing a very decisive pass sometimes forcing the ball before he ever scrambles. This is actually one of his best traits even though it does lead to turnovers.
7. Upside
1. RG3
2. Kirk Cousins
3. Colt McCoy
Upside is not as important for veteran football players as it is for NFL Draft prospects due to the wear and tear both physically and mentally on the player. However, it is still important to look at for the complete picture of a player. RG3 is the youngest at 24 with 3 years of NFL experience, Kirk Cousins is 26 with 3 years of NFL experience, while Colt McCoy is the oldest at 28 with 5 years of experience. Age is a very basic statistic and as all members are still under 30 years old, you need to look at potential development.
RG3 has clearly shown throughout his career that he has a very talented arm, and has the mobility to make big plays on the ground, but mentally he isn’t anywhere near where he should be three years into his career. He has played in 37 games in his first three seasons, but his extensive injury history and inability to be solely a pocket passer is what hurts him.
Cousins has shown flashes of absolute brilliance, it’s just way hard to ignore the predictable turnovers that is associated with starting him. He NEEDS to do a better job of protecting the football. Outside of this, and occasional mistakes with inaccuracy, he really only played in a total of 14 games while starting just 9 of them in his three year career, so he still has plenty of room to grow. Personally, I want to see him get another chance to lead the Redskins, because if he can clean up the turnovers he is literally a perfect fit for Jay Gruden’s offense and it showed at times in his five starts.
Colt McCoy has played in 33 games in his first five seasons in the NFL, and has shown to be a relatively safe, above-average player at the most important position. The journeyman quarterback has limited upside due to his age, lack of arm strength, and inaccuracy at times that make him a stop-gap starter or as a very talented backup. Based on these traits, I really hope the Redskins re-sign him as an insurance poicy to whoever wins the starting quarterback spot on the team of Cousins versus RG3.
RG3 is ranked number one in this category, but it’s suprisingly close with Cousins right behind him. McCoy is clearly third-best in this category.
Overall
Each of these three quarterbacks offer a different skill set. RG3 offers the most potential, Kirk Cousins is the best fit for the team’s offense currently, while McCoy is the most consistent of the group in terms of quarterback development. I would like to see Kirk Cousins be given another shot to lead the team. I think with another off-season of practice and a fair quarterback competition he could win the job outright even though the Redskins and fanbase have devoted so much to RG3 over the past three seasons. With that being said, it honestly makes sense why RG3 is so much more behind in terms of development due to his Baylor offense and his first two years in the league whereas Kirk Cousins and Colt McCoy were both in pro systems in college.
