It’s All In The Mind
However, as much as a quarterback needs to be able to throw the ball well in order to be successful in the NFL, what actually separates good and bad quarterbacks in most cases is their processing ability post-snap. A lot of college quarterbacks, almost all in fact, play in very simplified schemes; so it is easy to mistake the absence of bad reads for the ability to make good ones. While Rypien didn’t exactly play in a pro-style scheme at Boise State, he repeatedly showed the ability to work through his progressions using both sides of the field:
These mostly seem like routine plays, but what he is doing here which is so important is that he is able to move beyond the initial route concept and make the most of all of the options available to him. Another key point is the speed at which he does this, as NFL quarterbacks simply don’t get the same time in the pocket as many college passers – so what he does well is not just notice that a receiver isn’t open, but recognizes the coverage and moves on from receivers he knows aren’t going to get open without having to wait for the route to develop.
This is important not just in terms of avoiding sacks, but also because against zone defenses it is important to hit receivers as they get open – if a quarterback takes too long to make the read, the defender is able to close the space and either take the throw away or limit the ability after the catch. On both of the following plays, Rypien shows the importance of this processing speed by hitting the open man early against zone:
He also showed some ability to work outside the structure of the offense, such as on the following play where a receiver appears to run the wrong route but he is able to find an open man regardless:
The only significantly poor decision I saw from Rypien was on the following play where he fails to account for the safety and gets locked on the stutter-and-go:
He even showed a decent ability to work through reads under pressure:
Despite his offensive line’s best attempts to get him killed:
Though as mentioned before, his accuracy did struggle at times when unable to get his feet set:
Nobody is going to be perfect all the time, but Rypien made consistently good, quick decisions, the type of which should allow for him to play effectively at the NFL level. Of course, this is something which can only be properly probed through interviews and interactive tape work, but from what he shows on tape at least, Rypien’s decision making ability is very good.
Despite all of the nice things I’ve said about Rypien so far, I have actually left the best for (almost) last, as the thing that really stands out about him on tape is his anticipation. Probably the clearest example of this is on comeback routes, where he routinely showed the ability to make the throw before the receiver broke off his vertical stem, thereby allowing for maximum separation at the catch point – making incompletions into catches and maximizing run-after-catch potential:
In addition to this, he also showed a remarkable ability to get the ball out well ahead of the receivers making their break:
This is extremely valuable, as often routes in the NFL only come open momentarily, so it is important that the ball arrives during this window. This is actually one of the few weak spots in Cam Newton’s game – he does have a tendency to wait for receivers to get open before making the throw – something he is often able to get away with due to his immense arm strength; but for mere mortals, this ability to anticipate routes makes all the difference.
The only shortcoming of such a tactic is that sometimes the route just never comes open:
It’s hard to be overly enthusiastic about quarterback’s mental ability based purely off of tape; as mentioned earlier, this is best tested in interviews, but in terms of what can be assessed using only tape, Rypien is extremely impressive, and while he might not be the most spectacular player in terms of arm talent, this ability to gain an edge mentally is what makes him really stand out.
Up Next: The Cherry on Top And Grade/NFL Comp
