2015's Quarterback Conundrum - Greg Peshek
Through these three quarterbacks, Mariota was the only one that exceeded average on the intermediate and long throws. By our stats, Mariota’s 70.1% in the 11-20 yard zone would have been near tops in last year’s class. Even more encouraging is that these quality completion percentages were on a larger than average amount of his passes – meaning he didn’t just rack up stats on a small sample size
FA Recap: AFC West - Kevin Connaghan
The Chargers lose WR Eddie Royal who was productive out of the slot, but have more than replaced him with the additions of Stevie Johnson and Jacoby Jones. They have also added defensive line depth with the addition of Mitch Unrein. Unrein barely played in 2014, seeing just 46 snaps all season, but played 826 snaps over the previous two seasons.
Analysis Notebook: Week 15 - Sam Monson
This play is a perfect example of Johnson just having some traits with his movement and body control that most receivers don’t possess. The Bills have isolated him to the left side of the field, with a bunch formation to the far side. This singles Johnson up against Sherman, a matchup both sides are probably pretty comfortable with pre-snap. From here the Bills simply allow Johnson to work from the corner’s leverage and run his route to the open space, getting open for the quarterback to deliver the football.
Analysis Notebook, Week 9 - Sam Monson
Stevie Johnson is the most unique route-runner in the NFL. He has a way of moving that nobody else can match, and it makes him extremely difficult to cover one-on-one. When I spoke to him in the offseason he put his unique style down to playing basketball. Instead of practicing running routes in the offseason, Johnson practices his crossover move, and that’s what he broke out against Sean Smith here.
Chargers: Savvy route runner Johnson signs on - Michael Mountford
Teaming up with Philip Rivers pairs Johnson with the best quarterback he has ever had. So long as Johnson and Rivers are quick to get on the same page, Johnson’s unique and weird route running should become a strength for the Chargers.
Futures: Deep Diving for Small-School Sleepers - Matt Waldman
In his recent article on CSU-Pueblo quarterback Chris Bonner, Mike Tanier referred to me and Optimum Scouting's Eric Galko as "deep divers" of the draft analyst community. With my caps and "seafarer" grooming, I admit that I sport a resemblance to Steve Zissou on occasion. (I probably bear a greater resemblance to Russell Crowe lost at sea, but I'm hoping to sell you on Bill Murray. We all have our little delusions of self we like to hold onto.)