Posts tagged AndreWoodson at FanHouse

One of the many staples of Louisville Cardinal football for the past few years has been high octane, statistically fueled 50-plus point games. Tonight, in a super-special, happy-fun-time Sunday afternoon football game, they scored ... two.

Yes, two. Hint to Coach K-Thorpe: if I have to type your team's score out in letters, you are doing a poor job with your offensive scheming and gameplanning. Work on that. Quickly.

Kentucky wasn't exactly the Andre Woodson-inspired offensive juggernaut for most of the game either, racking up 17 of their 27 in about the time for me to say "____ this boring ___ ____" and go take a shower. (In actuality, it was a field goal, a touchdown and a defensive touchdown in the span of seven minutes).

Hunter Cantwell, no Brian Brohm he, went 20/43 for 135 yards and three interceptions. Hard to imagine a scenario where Louisville fans would ever want/take Bobby Petrino back, but, yeah, this is it. (Aside: or do they even really hate him? I probably would, but then I have a soul.)

Man, Andre Woodson has had a tough go of it, dating back to the Senior Bowl when his draft stock commenced downward spiral. At one time thought to be a first-round pick, the former Kentucky star fell to the Giants in the sixth round, proceeded to struggle mightily during the preseason, and now finds himself released.

According to the Star-Ledger Giants blog, Woodson and backup Anthony Wright didn't make the final cut, which means that ... wait, what? David Carr is the only other quarterback on the roster after Eli Manning? Really? Wow, that's a lot of faith in the Giants offensive line and Elisha's ability to take a hit.

In any event, New York will probably try to sneak Woodson onto the practice squad, which should be pretty easy given the glut of mediocre quarterbacks currently flooding the market.

In other Giants personnel news, both R.W. McQuarters and Sam Madison made the roster despite speculation that one or both of the cornerbacks might be on the wrong side of the final 53 today. Sinorice Moss, the team's 2006 second-round pick, also avoided the Turk, which probably had a lot to do with New York releasing Brandon London.

But seriously, Mr. Mittens?

At some point, roughly a year ago, Andre' Woodson was considered a possible first-round pick. But as the college season progressed, and NFL teams got a closer look via offseason workouts, the Kentucky quarterback began to slip down draft boards.

And come the actual April draft, Woodson ended up going to the Giants in the next-to-last round. Not exactly how he envisioned it. In any event, he's in New York, and like most rookie quarterbacks, is having something of an adjustment to the professional game:

...Woodson is under no illusion about how much command he has of the Giants New York Giants offensive playbook.

"Right now I don't have the best understanding of it," said Woodson ... "This system is very detailed, it's difficult to pick up, and they've thrown a lot at me. That's the most frustrating thing; there is so much offense that you want to learn, but if you don't have a great understanding or feel for it, it can show in your play."

With Eli Manning firmly entrenched as the starter, there's no rush for Woodson to master an entire offense, but there is some urgency when it comes to making the final 53. It looks like Anthony Wright will be Manning's backup and the No. 3 job will be between Woodson and Mittens.

While there's no shame in spending a year or two on the practice squad to hone your game, the psychological damage of losing a quarterback battle -- even as the backup to the backup -- to David Carr can be irreparable.

Whatever, Woodson will see his first preseason action tonight against the Browns.

I'm starting to think that maybe it's David Carr's fault. I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt when he flailed with the expansion Houston Texans, or after he was unsuccessful in offense-less Carolina last season, but, you know, maybe the guy just isn't very good.

Granted, Carr, now with the Giants, is learning a new offense and recovering from a sore foot, so perhaps we should cut him some slack. Or not; his nickname is Mr. Mittens, for cripes sake.

"He's getting limited snaps and trying to do everything he can in a limited number of snaps," Tom Coughlin said. "It's going to take a little time, but we've got time, we're in camp." Working with the third team, Carr at times escaped the pocket a bit prematurely. He also threw a pass that was intercepted by safety Sammy Knight.

At an Indy-area Shoney's Jared Lorenzen is wondering where it all went wrong in New York. Whatever happens, though, Carr will always have one supporter, so there's that. In the meantime, however, the Giants will have to decide how far they're willing to go with this Carr-at-QB experiment.

The team drafted Andre Woodson in the sixth round, and there's a chance he could pass Carr on the depth chart before the season opener. It's not likely, particularly since Woodson has plenty to learn, but stranger things have happened. Like wearing gloves to throw a football.

Commence corpulence humor: the Giants have released heavy-set quarterback Jared Lorenzen. This comes as shocking news, not so much because Lorenzen was ever considered anything more than a Eli Manning's backup during his three-year career, but because New York's front office thought him to be less effective at his job than David Carr. Which is another way of a saying Lorenzen now replaces Jesse Palmer as the worst quarterback on the planet. Sad times, indeed.

The Giants still have four quarterbacks heading into training camp -- Manning, Carr, Anthony Wright and rookie Andre Woodson -- and there's a chance the team goes into the season with just two on the active roster. Wright has been a competent backup for most of his career, but I wouldn't be surprised if David Carr gets the nod because, well, I have no idea (because his nickname is mittens, maybe?).

Woodson could end up on the practice squad if he's slow to pick up the offense, and that's not necessarily a bad thing (Ryan Grant got his start there). Or, maybe the coaches will come to their senses, send Carr packing, and go into the season with Wright and Woodson behind Manning.

As for Lorenzen's future, I'd have to say it looks grim. Daunte Culpepper and Byron Leftwich are still looking for work, and I can't imagine any team would prefer the Hefty Lefty to two former first-round picks. That said, I don't think Lorenzen will be demanding a shot at a starting job, so who knows.

Unless you're a scout or front-office type, it's hard to know exactly when Andre Woodson went from a potential first-round pick to second-day afterthought. For us non-scout-yy/front-office-y types, the transition seemingly happened sometime around the Senior Bowl.

Woodson had a pedestrian performance there, and was unable to participate at the NFL Combine, and by the time his Pro Day rolled around, his fate was apparently already determined. To everybody but Woodson, anyway.

"It was kind of tough to swallow as the draft was going on," the 6-4, 227-pounder said. "As it went past the third round, fourth round, I still couldn't believe I hadn't been taken off the board yet. You know, those types of things happen. Unfortunately it happened to me. But I'm just going to be very positive about it and try to be a better quarterback so maybe possibly down the road I'll get an opportunity to get back on the field."

Currently, Woodson is looking up at Eli Manning, David Carr, Anthony Wright, and around Jared Lorenzen on the depth chart. If you're an optimist, you might roll out the tired "hey, Tom Brady was a sixth-rounder and look how he turned out!" comparison; if you're a realist, it's pretty clear that Woodson's immediate future is probably on the taxi squad.

That's not to say Carr, Wright and Lorenzen are anything more than warm bodies, but they have experience and a better understanding of the offense. That will change in time, and hell, maybe Woodson will be Brady to Eli Manning's Drew Bledsoe. Not likely, I know; it's just too bad the Bears didn't take him

Hat tip: PFT

When the New York Giants drafted Andre Woodson in the sixth round of last month's draft, it meant that the G-men would have two quarterbacks from the University of Kentucky on their roster.

The one that was already there -- Jared Lorenzen -- was a bit shocked when the pick was made:

"Well, first of all, I was shocked that Andre fell so low," Lorenzen said this week. "And then I was shocked from the standpoint that we already have four quarterbacks. But I do think it was a great value pick. Andre is a second- or third-round guy and you get him in the sixth round."

"This is for a job," Lorenzen said. "This is your livelihood. At Kentucky, I knew if I lost the quarterback job, I had a chance to win it back. But this is all about your career, your future, and taking care of your family."

Woodson and Lorenzen's paths crossed in 2003 when Woodson was a redshirt freshman during Lorenzen's senior year at Kentucky. Right now, Woodson shouldn't post any threat to Lorenzen's job. Lorenzen is Eli Manning's backup and Woodson will probably wind up on the practice squad. However, if the Giants commit to developing Woodson, then there could be a changing of the guard. Remember that Lorenzen went undrafted in 2004 but was scooped up by New York and has stuck.

"It can be a friendly competition. Andre's a Kentucky guy, so I want him to do well. I'm hoping that we can help each other out."

New York Giants 2008 Draft Picks:

Round 1 (31): Kenny Phillips, S, Miami
Round 2 (63): Terrell Thomas, CB, USC
Round 3 (95): Mario Manningham, WR, Michigan
Round 4 (123): Bryan Kehl, OLB, BYU
Round 5 (165): Jonathan Goff, LB, Vanderbilt
Round 6 (198): Andre' Woodson, QB, Kentucky
Round 6 (199): Robert Henderson, DE, Southern Miss

The Good: What can you say? On paper, it looks like Jerry Reese has done it again. The Giants needed a safety, so they selected the best one in the draft. They needed a cornerback, so they snatched up the very talented Terrell Thomas in round three. They also needed help at linebacker, so they grabbed two very capable ones in rounds four and five. And with several questions about their backup quarterback situation and the long-term problems they may face there, they went out and hauled in Andre Woodson in round six. All in all, New York did a very good job improving an already talented team.

The Bad: Unlike most questionable selections, the Giants decision to draft Mario Manningham in round three could have a tremendous upside. At the same time, if "Super Mario" doesn't turn his act around, it will ultimately end up being a wasted pick. The 21-year-old has battled many questions about his character over the last few years, and coupled with a score of six on his Wonderlic test, it resulted in him falling down most teams draft charts.

The Grade: B/B+. The actual grade really depends on Manningham. If the Giants get the player - and only the player - they saw at Michigan, their paper grade is easily a B+. However, if they get the same person who scored a six on his Wonderlic and repeatedly failed drug tests, their paper grade is a B ... at best.

Click here to read other draft grades.

A confluence of events torpedoed Colt Brennan's draft prospects -- a horrid Sugar Bowl (which wasn't entirely his fault) and some subpar off-season workouts -- but he's now been drafted in Round 6, some three or four rounds later than a lot of folks anticipated back in the fall, which is something Andre Woodson still can't say.

Brennan's new employer: the Washington Redskins, who took Carson Palmer's brother (now his legal name) on Day 2 last season (that obviously didn't work out). Jason Campbell is the starter (head coach Jim Zorn said so!) and Todd Collins is firmly entrenched as the backup, but Collins, who came into the league when Brennan was seven, can't play forever.

So what does this pick mean? Well, that Brennan will be battling for a roster spot, and best case, eventually graduate to Jason Campbell-backup status. No way that happens in 2008 -- the West Coast Offense isn't something you pick up while you're waiting for Domino's to show up -- or, hell, 2009, but I'm guessing that was the thinking behind the selection.

So what does NFL Network's Mike Mayock think?

Pros: "Slides naturally in the pocket, finds throwing lanes, in-breaking routes he does a great job on."

Cons: "Anytime he has to drive the football to the outside of the numbers, he will struggle; he looks like a centerfielder crow hopping to throw the football home.

He's also had well-documented off-field issues; he didn't deal with them very well at the Senior Bowl and [NFL] Combine ... but I will say that getting hurt didn't hurt him."

Mayock adds that Brennan will go on injured reserve, and that he's a developmental prospect. So, yeah, maybe the 'Skins should've held onto Carson Palmer's brother.

So we're midway through the fourth round and the only quarterback drafted so far today is San Diego State's Kevin O'Connell. To the Patriots. USC's John David Booty, Kentucky's Andre Woodson and Hawaii's Colt Brennan are still on the board, which is kinda surprising given all the teams in need of quarterback help.

I think Brennan's issues are more physical in nature, but Booty's and Woodson's fall might have more to do with their test-taking abilities. Mac Mirabile annually gets his mitts on the super-secret Wonderlic scores, and it looks like Booty and Woodson could use a little Kaplan prep course. From the Wizard of Odds:

According to Mirable, Booty and Woodson each scored 14 out of a possible 50. To put this in perspective, Terry Bradshaw scored 15 when he took the test in 1970, according to Mirabile's site. Pat McInally, a graduate of Harvard, is thought to be the only player to score a perfect 50.

A score of under 10 is an indication of literacy problems. The average score for a quarterback is 24. Offensive tackles average the highest score at 26.

I'm not convinced there's a strong correlation between Wonderlic score and on-field performance, but just to be safe, it's probably in a player's best interest to actually, you know, try to actually stay inside the lines when filling in the bubbles.