Colts Quietly Encouraged by Eason’s Progress

[BleedBlue4Shoe86]

Just thought this was a great read. Really shows that he put his head down and came in knowing what he had to do. He worked hard and studied hard. Seems to be taking full advantage of Rivers, JB, Reich and Siranni. 
 

 

[Mel Kiper's Hair]

It would be great if he were to be our QB of the future. Let's just hope he continues to put in the work to hone his craft and become the player we would all like for him to be!

[Archer]

Y’know, it was easy to knock him as a prospect, and there were a ton of flaws in his game last year.  But the fact is he barely played in college.  A season as a frosh at Georgia, then sat out a year due to transfer protocol, and one season at U-Dub.  Great raw talent that was severely underdeveloped in college.  It really gets me excited about his upside and the probability of him reaching that potential...

[fatboy]

It used to be common for a QB to sit a year or longer before taking the helm - maybe it’ll work here, and in a year or two, he’ll be polished and ready.  If so (big if I realize), we’re set!

[Jackie Daytona]

11 minutes ago, Archer said:

Y’know, it was easy to knock him as a prospect, and there were a ton of flaws in his game last year.  But the fact is he barely played in college.  A season as a frosh at Georgia, then sat out a year due to transfer protocol, and one season at U-Dub.  Great raw talent that was severely underdeveloped in college.  It really gets me excited about his upside and the probability of him reaching that potential...

Yes and no.... Most starter level NFL QBs don't play more than two seasons in college. They either redshirt a season, and okay 1-2 or they are backups for a year or two and start one to two.... Either way, Eason's had three years in college to develop.... Yes, he sat out a year, a d yes, the redshirt and soph season were in Washington's system.....which does few favors for an NFL hopeful QBs development in many key areas....but it's not as if he didn't have time and exposure In College.

12 minutes ago, fatboy said:

It used to be common for a QB to sit a year or longer before taking the helm - maybe it’ll work here, and in a year or two, he’ll be polished and ready.  If so (big if I realize), we’re set!

It's still common for rookie QBs to do that, outside of a couple early picks each year or two

[EastStreet]

I'm a fan of Eason's ceiling, and always thought he'd be a better QB than Fromm.

 

But.

 

Taking all these reports with a grain of salt. We shouldn't expect to hear anything but positives right now. 

 

If he can improve on reading Ds, progressions, and quicken his release, he'll do well. Brissett never did. And those are all things that Rivers excels in, so he's got a great guy to watch and learn from.

[crazycolt1]

45 minutes ago, Shafty138 said:

Yes and no.... Most starter level NFL QBs don't play more than two seasons in college. They either redshirt a season, and okay 1-2 or they are backups for a year or two and start one to two.... Either way, Eason's had three years in college to develop.... Yes, he sat out a year, a d yes, the redshirt and soph season were in Washington's system.....which does few favors for an NFL hopeful QBs development in many key areas....but it's not as if he didn't have time and exposure In College.

Kind of like you cant make up your mind ? 

Each QB is different in the time it takes to develop depending on who their coaches are. 

One never can be sure. Take Brady for instance. He wasn't even a big time QB in college and was picked 199the in the NFL draft.  He was then stuck in a NFL game only because of an injury to Bledsoe. He was  coached by Belichick.

Even Joe Montana didn't have a college career that was all that impressive. His last year he only threw for 2010 yds and 10 TDs with 9 picks. In three years he threw for 4121 yds, 25 TDs and 25 picks. Drafted in the 3rd round at pick #82. He sat behind Deberg for a season and a half.  Coached by Bill Walsh. 

Terry Bradshaw (a #1 pick) took quite a long time to develop into a two time super bowl MVP. He even lost his starting job to Joe Gilliam before winning 4 super bowls. 

My point is there is no cut and dried way a QB is drafted and coached into the NFL. Each player is different. 

 

 

 

[BleedBlue4Shoe86]

1 hour ago, crazycolt1 said:

Kind of like you cant make up your mind ? 

Each QB is different in the time it takes to develop depending on who their coaches are. 

One never can be sure. Take Brady for instance. He wasn't even a big time QB in college and was picked 199the in the NFL draft.  He was then stuck in a NFL game only because of an injury to Bledsoe. He was  coached by Belichick.

Even Joe Montana didn't have a college career that was all that impressive. His last year he only threw for 2010 yds and 10 TDs with 9 picks. In three years he threw for 4121 yds, 25 TDs and 25 picks. Drafted in the 3rd round at pick #82. He sat behind Deberg for a season and a half.  Coached by Bill Walsh. 

Terry Bradshaw (a #1 pick) took quite a long time to develop into a two time super bowl MVP. He even lost his starting job to Joe Gilliam before winning 4 super bowls. 

My point is there is no cut and dried way a QB is drafted and coached into the NFL. Each player is different. 

 

 

 

Amen. Think about the top QBs in the league right now

 

Mahomes- everyone thought he was taken to high. Sat for a year. 
 

Jackson- everyone told him to play Wide out never thought he would be a QB in the NFL. Sat for half the season. 

 

Wilson- 3rd round pick and considered by some the second best QB in the NFL. 
 

I personally believe Eason to be the future at QB fit the Colts. He is gonna get a year to learn from Rivers and JB. say what you want about JB but he is so respected by this team and has that leadership quality.  Then he might get a year as the direct backup to Rivers. All the while learning from Reich. 
 

I seem to remember everyone wanting a smooth transition at QB and didn’t have a problem letting him sit for a year or two. 

[Moosejawcolt]

Easons biggest concerns coming out of college were his work ethic and being under pressure.  He appears to b putting in the work. However, we wont know how he does under pressure till he gets in a game. Our impression could quickly go from " hes got it", based on practices, to " "oh my".

[Mr. Irrelevant]

Best case scenario is that Eason will progress enough to be the prime backup to Rivers next season (and that Rivers can play at his best next season too). And then be ready. Two years should be enough for the front office to have a good enough read on whether he have what it takes. Not the same as his first year as a starter will not be without flaws, obviously.

[Coltsman1788]

Pre-draft I was pro drafting Eason and so very happy the Colts were able to get him in the 4th. I was also critical of Jordan Love when a lot of fans wanted him.  Love is off to a shaky start in Green Bay.  Not progressing as hoped and this 1st round pick isn’t even the primary backup to Rodgers right now.  Hopefully Eason continues to learn, keep his head down, and progress.  I believe he will. 

[John Hammonds]

I actually liked him the most, while watching the QB's at the combine.  He seemed to have the greatest poise; the greatest sense of control.  He looked like an NFL QB.  While everybody else was watching Justin Herbert or Jalen Hurts or Jordan Love or Jake Fromm, I was watching this guy.  I truly think that he'll be given a chance.  Either next year (when he's the only QB on the roster with a contract) or the year after (once Rivers truly has begun his decline).

[NannyMcafee]

I think the best thing about this QB story is that Eason was drafted how he should have been drafted. Late. And gets to sit behind a potential HOFer to learn behind, like he needed. 

 

Eason got everything he could have needed from the NFL. Drafted to a team with a great running game, great oline, a great HC for QBs, and a real mentor in a QB with Rivers. 

 

He has been set up to succeed. Ill be happy to follow his story. 

 

His weakness? Work ethic, and pressure in the pocket... 2 things Rivers is absolutely proficient in. Time for him to grind. Time for him to study. Because he has the physical ability to be a great thrower... the mental game is the hardest to learn for these young QBs, and Eason has a year at least! 

 

After Andrew retired, im really happy with the Colts QB situation at least.... right now anyways lol 

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

What makes me more encouraged is the quotes coming from him and what clearly looks like he is working hard. He is right he has had to sit and study so he has been through this before. Hopefully next year rivers  comes back and he ends up the backup and gets more reps. Then he is ready in 2022.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

32 minutes ago, NannyMcafee said:

I think the best thing about this QB story is that Eason was drafted how he should have been drafted. Late. And gets to sit behind a potential HOFer to learn behind, like he needed. 

 

Eason got everything he could have needed from the NFL. Drafted to a team with a great running game, great oline, a great HC for QBs, and a real mentor in a QB with Rivers. 

 

He has been set up to succeed. Ill be happy to follow his story. 

 

His weakness? Work ethic, and pressure in the pocket... 2 things Rivers is absolutely proficient in. Time for him to grind. Time for him to study. Because he has the physical ability to be a great thrower... the mental game is the hardest to learn for these young QBs, and Eason has a year at least! 

 

After Andrew retired, im really happy with the Colts QB situation at least.... right now anyways lol 

He also got drafted to a team with no clear future. So if he works hard and develops he will have every chance to be the guy of the future. It really is the perfect situation. I like that they are making Herbert and TUA sit too. It’s good got them.

[NannyMcafee]

9 minutes ago, Chloe6124 said:

He also got drafted to a team with no clear future. So if he works hard and develops he will have every chance to be the guy of the future. It really is the perfect situation. I like that they are making Herbert and TUA sit too. It’s good got them.

 

It would seem that QBs who aren't good enough to start right away have more success than the number 1 overall pick. 

[stitches]

11 hours ago, EastStreet said:

I'm a fan of Eason's ceiling, and always thought he'd be a better QB than Fromm.

 

But.

 

Taking all these reports with a grain of salt. We shouldn't expect to hear anything but positives right now. 

 

If he can improve on reading Ds, progressions, and quicken his release, he'll do well. Brissett never did. And those are all things that Rivers excels in, so he's got a great guy to watch and learn from.

I mean... to some degree I agree but at the same time we've seen some reports of Love not doing great in Packers camp so... I will take that as a positive development. We all know that talk is cheap and we won't really know how far along he is until we see him play or until Reich and Ballard make a brave decision in the realm of Chiefs letting go Alex Smith for Machines to start.

[crazycolt1]

9 hours ago, Moosejawcolt said:

Easons biggest concerns coming out of college were his work ethic and being under pressure.  He appears to b putting in the work. However, we wont know how he does under pressure till he gets in a game. Our impression could quickly go from " hes got it", based on practices, to " "oh my".

Even if he gets the starting job there will be bumps along the way. 

It's a totally different thing to look good in team practices than facing another NFL team that's gunning for you. 

I am sure there will be those times when fans will wonder if he will make it.  Not too much patience when it comes to winning and losing. 

We as Colt fans are used to having great QB play with Manning and Luck. Filling those shoes will not be easy. 

 

[Moosejawcolt]

1 hour ago, crazycolt1 said:

Even if he gets the starting job there will be bumps along the way. 

It's a totally different thing to look good in team practices than facing another NFL team that's gunning for you. 

I am sure there will be those times when fans will wonder if he will make it.  Not too much patience when it comes to winning and losing. 

We as Colt fans are used to having great QB play with Manning and Luck. Filling those shoes will not be easy. 

 

Agreed.  I guess my point was this. Was he terrible against pressure in college because he panics or were there other reasons?. I am not sure a qb who crumbles under pressure can fix thst deficiency. Its kind of built in.

[Four2itus]

Lol, when young QB's that truly have ego, work, or dedication issues are asked questions about their development, they give answers like, "I just need the reps...I'll be fine"....or, "If I work hard, things will take care of themselves".

 

They don't answer, “I haven’t been able to watch them from the sidelines in a game yet this year, so I’m excited to do that and get that and learn from all that stuff on gameday. The learning never stops. The growing never stops.”

[Jackie Daytona]

3 hours ago, stitches said:

"until Reich and Ballard make a brave decision in the realm of Chiefs letting go Alex Smith for Machines to start."

This may be just an autocorrect..... But it's the most fitting typo I've ever seen.... Machine is exactly what Mahomes has proven to be!

[EastStreet]

4 hours ago, stitches said:

I mean... to some degree I agree but at the same time we've seen some reports of Love not doing great in Packers camp so... I will take that as a positive development. We all know that talk is cheap and we won't really know how far along he is until we see him play or until Reich and Ballard make a brave decision in the realm of Chiefs letting go Alex Smith for Machines to start.

I think the difference is, Eason was a 4th round guy, wasn't going to get many snaps, and was assumed 3rd or 4th on the depth chart coming in. Very different spotlight on Love.

[il vecchio]

16 hours ago, BleedBlue4Shoe86 said:

Amen. Think about the top QBs in the league right now

 

Mahomes- everyone thought he was taken to high. Sat for a year. 
 

Jackson- everyone told him to play Wide out never thought he would be a QB in the NFL. Sat for half the season. 

 

Wilson- 3rd round pick and considered by some the second best QB in the NFL. 
 

I personally believe Eason to be the future at QB fit the Colts. He is gonna get a year to learn from Rivers and JB. say what you want about JB but he is so respected by this team and has that leadership quality.  Then he might get a year as the direct backup to Rivers. All the while learning from Reich. 
 

I seem to remember everyone wanting a smooth transition at QB and didn’t have a problem letting him sit for a year or two. 

 

People often say "everyone" when they mean some.  I'll venture that most GMs knew Mahomes was not taken too high.

[Jason_]

19 hours ago, EastStreet said:

I'm a fan of Eason's ceiling, and always thought he'd be a better QB than Fromm.

 

But.

 

Taking all these reports with a grain of salt. We shouldn't expect to hear anything but positives right now. 

 

If he can improve on reading Ds, progressions, and quicken his release, he'll do well. Brissett never did. And those are all things that Rivers excels in, so he's got a great guy to watch and learn from.

 

You think eason needs to quicken his release? Maybe I'll have to go back and re-watch but when I was watching videos prior to the draft I thought eason had the fastest, or at least second fastest release. In fact it was his quick release that first caught my attention. 

 

[EastStreet]

1 hour ago, J@son said:

 

You think eason needs to quicken his release? Maybe I'll have to go back and re-watch but when I was watching videos prior to the draft I thought eason had the fastest, or at least second fastest release. In fact it was his quick release that first caught my attention. 

 

Yes. He's highly inconsistent. Some of it I think was mechanics and scheme, which he should be able to improve. Some of was due to poise when under duress. His set up is slow at times, and that's mechanics/coaching. He was deep dropping a lot in WA, and that will change. The poise is what worries me most. He'll have better protection in Indy, but still he drops his eyes and doesn't stay with progressions when there's a whiff of pressure. He can be really good and look really fast when his first read is open though.

[AwesomeAustin]

Eason has his work cut out for him.  The physical talent is there for sure but he has A LOT to do before he can even come close to the starting lineup.  He will get his shot in practice and hopefully he makes the most of it.   He has very good chance of being a solid backup QB for our team.  There are only 25 or so true starting QBs in this league at any given time.  He has more of a chance to be out of the league in 7 years than a starter. 

[Carlos Danger]

I read a lot about Eason's arm strength, but this kid has more than that... he's got "arm talent". He throws a beautiful deep ball with amazing accuracy. He throws with anticipation on mid routes and can throw guys open.

 

He had some huge holes in college, too. He is awful, just pitiful, when pressured. He stares down his primary read and doesn't work through progressions nearly fast enough. He tries to squeeze balls into impossible windows. 

 

To me, with good coaching and hard work, he should be able to learn how to run Frank's offense... He should be able to become a starting level QB. The issue is that Frank's offense doesn't require a rocket arm and a gorgeous deep ball as much as it requires an accurate passer who can get the ball out quickly to the best option... That isn't Eason's game... not yet, anyway.

 

It isn't his release as much as his indecision, but that takes experience to remedy. I would love to see the kid soak up some of that Rivers processing speed, but I'm not sure it works that way. Time will tell, though. 

[EastStreet]

12 minutes ago, Carlos Danger said:

I read a lot about Eason's arm strength, but this kid has more than that... he's got "arm talent". He throws a beautiful deep ball with amazing accuracy. He throws with anticipation on mid routes and can throw guys open.

 

He had some huge holes in college, too. He is awful, just pitiful, when pressured. He stares down his primary read and doesn't work through progressions nearly fast enough. He tries to squeeze balls into impossible windows. 

 

To me, with good coaching and hard work, he should be able to learn how to run Frank's offense... He should be able to become a starting level QB. The issue is that Frank's offense doesn't require a rocket arm and a gorgeous deep ball as much as it requires an accurate passer who can get the ball out quickly to the best option... That isn't Eason's game... not yet, anyway.

 

It isn't his release as much as his indecision, but that takes experience to remedy. I would love to see the kid soak up some of that Rivers processing speed, but I'm not sure it works that way. Time will tell, though. 

Good post. I'd just add he's got to clean up some mechanics, which should be very doable. You're spot on about Reich's O. I do think that Reich is smart enough to adjust a little to his QBs strengths. The biggest issue as you said is poise. The good news is, he won't have pressure a lot if his release is good/quick. The bad new is, because of that, he might not learn as quickly since he's not pressured as often. I love the possibilities, especially given he was bargain in the 4th. I've said all along that UGA should have kept both Eason and Fields. 

[Valpo2004]

On 9/11/2020 at 10:34 PM, EastStreet said:

I'm a fan of Eason's ceiling, and always thought he'd be a better QB than Fromm.

 

But.

 

Taking all these reports with a grain of salt. We shouldn't expect to hear anything but positives right now. 

 

If he can improve on reading Ds, progressions, and quicken his release, he'll do well. Brissett never did. And those are all things that Rivers excels in, so he's got a great guy to watch and learn from.

 

That and showing out in a team scrimmage or in practice is a long ways from showing out in a game which is even further away from doing it consistently in games.

 

It is undoubtedly good news that he played well.  But there is a lot of reason to be cautious.

[Breeze]

I’ll go glass half full.  If this was a normal college season and Eason stayed in school and under the same system for a second consecutive season, he’d likely be a top 10 pick next year (maybe even 2nd behind Lawrence).  We got him in the 4th and didn’t have to suffer through a horrendous season or trade the farm to get him in 2021.  And....instead of that season in college, he gets to spend it on the Colts, learning from a potential HOFer and arguably one of the best QB friendly coaching staffs in the NFL.

[Dogg63]

2 minutes ago, Breeze said:

I’ll go glass half full.  If this was a normal college season and Eason stayed in school and under the same system for a second consecutive season, he’d likely be a top 10 pick next year (maybe even 2nd behind Lawrence).  We got him in the 4th and didn’t have to suffer through a horrendous season or trade the farm to get him in 2021.  And....instead of that season in college, he gets to spend it on the Colts, learning from a potential HOFer and arguably one of the best QB friendly coaching staffs in the NFL.

That sounds more like two half-full glasses.

[Breeze]

3 minutes ago, Dogg63 said:

That sounds more like two half-full glasses.

I was thirsty.

[Jdubu]

On 9/11/2020 at 10:34 PM, EastStreet said:

If he can improve on reading Ds, progressions, and quicken his release, he'll do well.

Was his release considered slow and a flaw of his? I don’t recall. I recall progressions and reading D as well as pressure up the middle as an issue but I can’t recall all of the cons of his development needs. 

[EastStreet]

On 9/13/2020 at 11:43 AM, Jdubu said:

Was his release considered slow and a flaw of his? I don’t recall. I recall progressions and reading D as well as pressure up the middle as an issue but I can’t recall all of the cons of his development needs. 

I should have been more specific. His set up can be slow which impacts time to throw. His mechanics under pressure need improvement. So not really pure "release" issues. It's more overall time to throw, and how he handles pressure. Progressions and reading Ds, also impact that. I do think all of those issues can be improved, but that's the optimist in me. Brissett had a lot of those issues throughout college, and still is struggling with the same things. I guess I'm optimistic but cautious. Way too early to give a thumbs up or down.

[GoColts8818]

On 9/12/2020 at 3:57 PM, il vecchio said:

 

People often say "everyone" when they mean some.  I'll venture that most GMs knew Mahomes was not taken too high.

I think when people say “everyone“ they mean they feel the “vast majority”.  There is always going to be someone who disagrees with something.  

[NewColtsFan]

I’d like to add to this very good discussion that not only did Eason start two season at two very good programs..

 

But his head coach his Freshman year at Georgia was Mark Richt, a very good and offensive minded head coach,  and then Chris Peterson, a highly respected offensive minded head coach at Washington.

 

Two years of starting under two very good coaches is better than what a lot of young college quarterbacks get.

 

Yes...,  he still needs polishing and developing, but he should get tons of that here.   I’m hoping Eason starts by ‘22, maybe sooner. 

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

Hopefully in 21 he gets that backup roll and gets more reps. This year is a lot of watching rivers and soaking  up how to be a pro with little practice reps. Next year hopefully he takes that next step as backup and gets more practice reps. The team should know before the draft in 22 if he can be the future. I hope rivers does well and plays one more year to give Eason that one year as a backup. So far coaches seem excited and have had good things to say. Even Ballard before the season was mentioning how talented he was and was very impressed with him in camp.

[superrep1967]

On 9/11/2020 at 9:44 PM, Archer said:

Y’know, it was easy to knock him as a prospect, and there were a ton of flaws in his game last year.  But the fact is he barely played in college.  A season as a frosh at Georgia, then sat out a year due to transfer protocol, and one season at U-Dub.  Great raw talent that was severely underdeveloped in college.  It really gets me excited about his upside and the probability of him reaching that potential...

I agree I happen to think he has great upside with the great arm. If he continues to learn I think the sky's the limit with this kid.  

6 hours ago, Chloe6124 said:

Hopefully in 21 he gets that backup roll and gets more reps. This year is a lot of watching rivers and soaking  up how to be a pro with little practice reps. Next year hopefully he takes that next step as backup and gets more practice reps. The team should know before the draft in 22 if he can be the future. I hope rivers does well and plays one more year to give Eason that one year as a backup. So far coaches seem excited and have had good things to say. Even Ballard before the season was mentioning how talented he was and was very impressed with him in camp.

I hope we get a pre-season next season so we can watch him. 

[BleedBlue4Shoe86]

 

[Myles]

9 hours ago, Chloe6124 said:

Hopefully in 21 he gets that backup roll and gets more reps. This year is a lot of watching rivers and soaking  up how to be a pro with little practice reps. Next year hopefully he takes that next step as backup and gets more practice reps. The team should know before the draft in 22 if he can be the future. I hope rivers does well and plays one more year to give Eason that one year as a backup. So far coaches seem excited and have had good things to say. Even Ballard before the season was mentioning how talented he was and was very impressed with him in camp.

I feel the same way.  I'm hoping Rivers will play another season (if he plays well this season).