"What was the reasoning behind the 49ers opting for Smith over Rodgers? Well, Mike Nolan, who was the team's coach at the time, told NFL Network that (among other things) the team considered Smith "safe" while it felt Rodgers was "very cocky, very confident, arrogant" per CSN Bay Area. If that sounds ridiculous to you, well... you're not alone. Because it is quite ridiculous."
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From the article:
"And as time has showed, that's really how Alex plays. He doesn't turn the ball over. He's very secure with the ball. And on the other hand, Aaron is a slinger. He's all over the place and makes great, big plays. Obviously, he'll be a Hall of Fame player one day.”
Alex is incredibly safe with the football. Many, many checkdowns. And yet Alex is almost twice as likely to throw an interception than Aaron Rodgers. Aaron has 428 more attempts than Alex (almost a full season) and has thrown 20 fewer INT's.
What I'm trying to say is Mike Nolan is an idiot. But only half as stupid as the Vikings who passed on Aaron twice.
Confidence as a QB is um, kinda a big deal in the NFL Mike. If you don't believe in yourself and what you can do, other players will smell that schit out and you'll be done in this league.
I can sorta see where "cocky" can lead you to wonder how coachable a player is but AR clearly proved he was beyond coachable and recall the many stories of the countless hours he spent reviewing film and studying all on his own, unprompted.
Let's also remember the Queens passed on Aaron. Twice. 
I don't consider Aaron a slinger. He just knows he can get the ball there. There isn't anything reckless.
ChilliJon posted:What I'm trying to say is Mike Nolan is an idiot. But only half as stupid as the Vikings who passed on Aaron twice.
They didn't need Aaron Rodgers, because they already had a superstar QB: Daunte Culpepper!
I think Mike Nolan is the first person to call Rodgers a "slinger". He's the exact opposite. He'll take the sack rather than chuck it up for grabs, or take off running if nothing's there. That's why is interception total is so low, he doesn't take unnecessary chances with the ball, which to me, is what a slinger does.
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/...h-over-aaron-rodgers
Leading up to the 2005 NFL Draft, the 49ers gave an edge to eventual No. 1 pick Alex Smith thanks to Smith's humble nature and a litany of perceived flaws in Aaron Rodgers -- cockiness, arrogance and a goofy throwing motion among them.
"The other thing as Alex at the time was a good kid -- a very good person, a safe choice, always trying to please," former 49ers coach Mike Nolan said Tuesday morning on NFL HQ. "On the other hand, Aaron was very cocky, very confident, arrogant. So you can say, 'Why didn't you take him to begin with?' Because that's really what your best quarterbacks look like. They aren't very pleasing. They aren't very safe."
I do think Rodgers was a slinger the 2nd half of last season, but that was the first slingerness I've seen from him in Green Bay. The late attempt to comeback at Carolina is where I first remember it, the stuff Rodgers referred to as school yard ball or something like that. For awhile it was just half of the 4th quarter but it crept more and more into his game as the season went on. The stats bear that out too, he through 5 INTS in the last 6 games of the season. 6 of his 8 INTs came from that Carolina game on.
So I guess Nolan was prophetic, knowing AR would be a slinger for half of the 2015 season. Good thing he dodged that bullet.
AR can be a little arrogant, so what. All that matters is his teammates see him as their leader.
slinger = 6 ints in 1 game.
To be fair to Nolan, Rodgers had 13 INT in college to Smith's 8...those 5 INT are the difference between a safe player and a gunslinger.
Aaron has also acknowledged the situation he fell into and how lucky he was to be able to sit back a few seasons and learn, get better and better. Much in the way Hundley is doing now.
Had Nolan taken AR, he would have started him immediately. Then, who knows. A few may also recall McCarthy telling Nolan that Alex wasn't ready and needed to sit behind a veteran QB for a while. Nolan ignored MM. The rest is history.
If Aaron had gone to SF, they would've ruined him. RUINED!
Everything worked out the way it was supposed to
RushRunner posted:I do think Rodgers was a slinger the 2nd half of last season, but that was the first slingerness I've seen from him in Green Bay.
I agree with this, too. However, he was really 'forced' into that situation, with the way that season played out, the poor performance of our WRs and RB, and suspect OL play.
Outside of the Packers getting Rodgers, The best part of the whole scenario is that the Queenies drafted Troy Williamson and Erasmus James!!! 
This is the game that should have told us what we needed to know about Aaron Rodgers in college.
29-34, 267 yards, 1 TD, O interceptions. Cal lost this game 23-17 to the eventual National Champions, USC, but Rodgers had 5 incompletions in 34 attempts. He was 29 for his first 31 until Cal got stopped in the red zone to end the game. Here's some quotes:
"Rodgers was 14-for-14 in the first half for 133 yards."
"It's frustrating as a defense when a guy is on fire like
that," Cody said. "You've just got to hold on and try to do
something thing to stop them from the end zone."
http://www.sports-reference.co...hern-california.html
The other question would be, how good of a quarterback would Smith had been if he was drafted by the Packers instead of Rodgers?
In 2003 Rodgers went 18-25 for 220. Threw for two TDs and ran for another in a 34-31 OT win over 3rd ranked USC. This was USCs only loss in 2003. Aaron was a pain in the ass for Pete Carroll.
And Pete Carroll is a pain in the ass.
Aaron wasn't cheating.
Pretty interesting question, doc.
I think Smith is (was?) likely smart enough to learn to read defenses, ditto for developing solid mechanics. I doubt he would have ever had the raw arm strength to be at a "superstar'.
Nice to 'see' you again!
Shouldn't arm strength be one of the easiest things to scout for?
LOL!
Well, we did draft Flynn, after all.
Oh, and Brohm...
"Here, kid, throw this football as far as you can." If he can't throw it over 20 yards I'm not signing him.
Great! I'm drafting Jamarcus Russell
Funny you mention Russell. Saw an article earlier today where he says he wants to return to the NFL.
Hmmmmm.....seems Vince Young tried that, too. 
You can say slinger... But his conversion rate of those passes is simply higher than other "slingers". That pass to Jennings in the SB was a slinger pass- he wasn't open. It was an impossible throw. And he makes them all the time...
ChilliJon posted:What I'm trying to say is Mike Nolan is an idiot. But only half as stupid as the Vikings who passed on Aaron twice.
If the Vikings had drafted Rodgers, he would have never turned into a superstar, I can guarantee you that. He would just be another journeyman QB. Going on the Love Boat and using a Whizzinator.
