#Josey Rodgers

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Somehow, the NFL is running out of quarterbacks

Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

Quarterbacks are dropping like flies (not Tom Brady and Russell Wilson, though!) while Adam Vinatieri and the Broncos’ pass rush look decidedly not like themselves.

If you’re an NFL fan in 2019, there’s approximately a 1 in 5 chance your quarterback situation is in complete and utter turmoil.

Sam Darnold is out indefinitely for the Jets while he battles mononucleosis. His backup, Trevor Siemian, is out for the year with an ankle injury. Drew Brees will miss six to eight weeks with a torn thumb ligament. Ben Roethlisberger saw those situations and raised them by opting for surgery to repair a torn UCL that will force him to miss the final 14 games of the season.

That’s not all!

Cam Newton hasn’t looked himself all season and missed practice this week with a foot issue. Eli Manning played so poorly through two weeks he gave the Giants no choice but to push rookie Daniel Jones into the starting lineup, ready or not. The Dolphins are sticking with Ryan Fitzpatrick in Week 3, but might still go with Josh Rosen should things implode (they will). It won’t make much difference either way.

That’s just THIS week too. Nick Foles had surgery after Week 1, and in August, Andrew Luck decided he’d rather retire than slog through another round of rehab after dealing with injuries throughout the offseason.

The league’s ripe for a changing of the guard, but if your team is suddenly stuck starting a guy who’d been slated for clipboard duty in 2019 you may not feel so confident. Alas, if only there were a free agent available who could step right into the starting lineup ...

So yeah, this season is already exhausting. Is it all worth stressing out about, though?

Crap, what if Tom Brady and Russell Wilson have a point with their pseudoscience?

The early part of this season is taking out starting quarterbacks one by one, as if the football gods had a John Wick marathon over Labor Day weekend and got inspired. Heading into Week 3, only four starting quarterbacks who’ve won a Super Bowl are set to take snaps: Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, and Joe Flacco.

It’s a strange coincidence several others were either injured or benched within days of each other, especially when you consider how consistent those quarterbacks have been in their long careers. Brees had only missed one start with the Saints due to injury. Manning has started 232 of 234 games he’s played in with the Giants. Roethlisberger’s entire injury history can be best summed up by this Terrell Suggs quote from 2016:

“He’s gonna act like ‘aw, I’m not playing. ... But then he’ll walk his big ass on out there and [I’ll be like] ‘how you doin’ Benjamin.’”

Rodgers (collarbone) and Flacco (hip, ACL) and have both dealt with serious injuries in recent years, too. Not Brady or Wilson, though.

It’s been more than a decade since the 42-year-old Brady has missed a game because of an injury. That’s never happened to the 30-year-old Wilson, who has started every game for the Seahawks since they drafted him in 2012 despite having a dismal OL for most of his career. Both players have also publicly lent their support to snake oil-type miracle cures like the TB12 Method and nanobubbles.

And while their peers are dropping like flies, Brady and Wilson are putting up MVP-like numbers:

Brady, for the 2-0 Patriots: 68.8% completion, 605 passing yards, 5 TDs, 0 INTs, 124.8 passer rating Wilson, for the 2-0 Seahawks: 78.2% completion, 495 passing yards, 5 TDs, 0 INTs, 134.5 passer rating

They’re clearly doing something right. Was it the, gulp, TB12 supplements and Recovery Water all along?

Panic index: Brady and Wilson take amazing care of themselves and have also been extremely lucky when it comes to injuries. Hopefully that continues because we don’t want to lose any more starting quarterbacks this year — someone please, bubblewrap Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson immediately. But as Gronk reminded us recently, NFL players are not doctors (Laurent Duvernay-Tardif excluded), so please don’t take medical advice from them.

Cam Newton was used like a running back; now he’s falling apart like one

Newton broke the career rushing touchdowns record for a quarterback three years ago and has added another 14 since. His rushing numbers aren’t just impressive among quarterbacks; two more touchdowns and he’ll be top 50 among running backs.

He’s at 934 career rushing attempts — another NFL record for a quarterback — but now all that wear and tear appears to be catching up with him.

Newton may miss the Panthers’ Week 3 game against the Cardinals due to a foot injury. It’s yet another setback for a player who was once pretty damn invincible. He missed just three games in his first seven years — including the time he only sat out one game after BREAKING HIS BACK in a car crash in 2014.

He’s not as bulletproof anymore. Newton missed the last two games of 2018 with a shoulder injury that required surgery, and now he’s dealing with his foot issue.

When he’s on the field, Newton doesn’t look the same. He’s still capable of making most of the throws, but when his feet aren’t underneath him, he struggles to get any velocity on the ball.

That’s not an easy throw to make, but it’s one that Newton of yesteryear completes, no problem. It was especially telling when Christian McCaffrey was stuffed trying to get 2 yards for a game-winning touchdown against the Buccaneers. That’s a situation that has been an automatic rushing touchdown for Newton for almost his entire career.

Running backs break down faster than any position in the NFL and often retire around 30. Did the Panthers put Newton — who is now 30 — on that career track by using him like a running back?

Panic index: A few minor injuries for Newton doesn’t mean his career is about to end. It’s possible, though, that his days running through defenses are behind him. If that means he has to transition into being a pocket passer and nothing more, that’s a problem. He’s never been much more than average at that.

The Broncos’ once-fearsome pass rush doesn’t have a sack in 2019

Von Miller and Bradley Chubb combined for 26.5 sacks last season. Through two games this fall, they’ve combined for zero. The rest of the Broncos’ defense has ... zero.

This is a problem. John Elway’s plan in 2019, as it was in 2018, is to hope a caretaker veteran quarterback could provide just enough support to push Denver to the postseason. That didn’t work with Case Keenum at the helm, and it’s not working with Joe Flacco. The former Raven is the engine behind an offense that’s scored only 30 points so far this year.

Flacco is 34 years old and has been only of the league’s least efficient passers since his Super Bowl 47 triumph. He’s not going to be much better than he has been. That leaves the heavy lifting of Denver’s playoff hopes on a once-triumphant defense that has seen its sack rate go from seventh-best in the league to dead last. The Broncos only have three QB hits on the season. All have come from Chubb, and one was wiped away by the especially ticky-tack roughing the passer call that helped the Bears win in Week 2:

Opponents have been able to make Vic Fangio’s pass rush obsolete by focusing on the Denver dynamic duo and daring the rest of the defense to make plays. They’ve been wholly unable to so far — per SIS, that pair only has two QB pressures between them — even against the underwhelming early-season combo of Derek Carr and Mitchell Trubisky. Unless someone else can step up and make opposing QBs uncomfortable, the Broncos may be relying on Flacco to gunsling his way to wins.

Panic index: Relying on late-stage Flacco is not a good sign. If Denver wants to pivot away from that, it’ll need big contributions from defensive linemen like Adam Gotsis and Derek Wolfe. At least Josey Jewell’s looked good so far!

Adam Vinatieri isn’t retiring, but he’s dealing with “demons”

Adam Vinatieri is the oldest player in the NFL and one of the last people anybody expected to be worried about going into this season. The 46-year-old is arguably the greatest kicker in NFL history, but he’s now missed kicks in each of his past three games, dating back to the Divisional Round of the playoffs last season.

In that game, Vinatieri missed a 23-yard field goal and an extra point. In Week 1 this season, he went 1-for-3 on extra point attempts. In Week 2, he was 1-of-3 on field goal attempts and 1-of-2 on extra points. That’s seven missed kicks in three games for the NFL’s all-time field goal leader.

After Sunday’s game against Tennessee, Vinatieri gave a cryptic message that led many to believe he was going to announce his retirement. That didn’t happen and he later said he’s just battling some “demons” right now and needs to get past them.

Of course, there were also reports that the Colts were attempting to persuade Vinatieri to stick around, and worked out six kickers, which they wouldn’t need to do if he wasn’t considering retirement — or if they weren’t considering moving on.

Panic index: It would be a shame for the Colts to lose both Andrew Luck AND Vinatieri in one season. That said, kickers are making more and more headlines in recent seasons and if the pressure is getting to him right now, that pressure is probably only going to increase. The Colts, at least, are sticking by Vinatieri for the time being. Hopefully a legend like Vinatieri gets to go out on his own terms, whenever that is.

The Chargers are slipping back into bad habits

Every year, we expect big things out of the Chargers. Philip Rivers is a great quarterback and they have a roster loaded with talent elsewhere. But they constantly underperform, and get by ravaged by injuries and kicking issues.

This season, it looks like not much has changed. Last weekend, Rivers couldn’t throw a touchdown against the Lions, punter Ty Long (filling in for injured kicker Michael Badgley) missed field goal attempts, the Chargers shot themselves in the foot with penalties, and then lost a low-scoring affair, 13-10. That came after a narrow 30-24 overtime win over the Colts in Week 1.

Not helping matters is tight end Hunter Henry is injured again, and the team just placed safety Adrian Phillips, who was filling in for Derwin James, on IR.

Meanwhile, running back Melvin Gordon is still holding out. Even though Austin Ekeler has looked decent, he hasn’t eclipsed 70 yards in either of the two games thus far this season and also had a costly fumble at the goal line against the Lions.

All in all, the Chargers look disorganized and uncertain ... again.

Panic index: The Chargers are pretty used to being here. Since 2015, they’ve started every season at 0-3 or 1-2, and in some of those cases (including last year) they turned things around. After starting 1-2 last season, the Chargers finished with a 12-4 record and made the playoffs. It’s not time to panic yet, but one has to wonder why they’re so sluggish to start so often.

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NFL draft: Shaquem Griffin, Maurice Hurst lead list of names to watch for on Day 3

The NFL draft has delivered an abundance of drama, trades and storylines through the first two days, and we’re not even halfway done yet.

The majority of the picks will be made on Saturday and, along with Chewbacca and parrots announcing selections, there are plenty of intriguing prospects left on the board for rounds 4-7.

Shaquem Griffin aims to complete his path to the NFL Saturday after a standout college career playing without a left hand. (AP)

UCF linebacker Shaquem Griffin Griffin is the coolest story of the draft. The one-handed linebacker who helped lead the Knights to a 13-0 season and a mythical national championship didn’t get his storybook introduction to the NFL with a high selection. But somebody will take a chance on Saturday after he crushed the combine and backed up talk that the only reason he’s not a first-round pick is because he doesn’t have his left hand.

Michigan DT Maurice Hurst

Everything about Hurst’s measurables and performance screams first round. He lived in the backfield at Ann Arbor, getting to running backs and quarterbacks at a high rate. Unfortunately, Hurst was flagged for a heart condition at the combine, which sent his stock plummeting. Doctors cleared him to play, but teams are obviously wary of investing heavily in Hurst.

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Richmond QB Kyle Lauletta

The book on Lauletta is that he has all the makings of an NFL quarterback other than arm strength. So yeah. Thanks kind of important. He’s the highest-rated quarterback on the board after Mason Rudolph went to the Steelers on Friday and has a reputation for being smart, a good leader and reasonably accurate in close quarters. Also, if confidence is your thing, he compares himself to Aaron Rodgers.

Oregon OL Tyrell Crosby

Crosby is widely considered the best lineman left in the draft with the potential to become a regular starter. A 6-5, 310 tackle with brute strength, he may project better as a guard in the NFL because of technical deficiencies. A broken left foot during his junior season caused him to miss nine games, but he returned healthy to play in 13 games as a senior.

Da’Shawn Hand didn’t live up to the hype at Alabama, but is still eyeing an NFL career starting Saturday. (AP)

Alabama DE Da’Shawn Hand Hand arrived at Alabama as a heralded recruit, one of the best prospects in the nation. Once there, he struggled to consistently crack a constantly loaded starting lineup that churns out NFL talent. A 6-4, 300-pounder, he has the size and athleticism to compete in the NFL and showed that ability in flashes in college. A DUI arrest in 2017 isn’t helping his cause.

Iowa LB Josey Jewell Jewell is a good story, a player who outplayed his measurables to transition from unheralded prospect to Division III recruit to AP All-American at Iowa. He played in the backfield and the secondary, logging 134 tackles (13.5 for loss), 4.5 sacks, 11 pass breakups and two interceptions his senior year. He’s not relatively fast or strong, but has proven enough on the field for a team to give him a look early Saturday.

Florida State DE Josh Sweat Sweat was an elite high school recruit looking to join a lineage of NFL pass rushers coming out of Tallahassee. Then knee injuries his senior year of high school and in 2016 at FSU slowed him down and planted the seed of risk among NFL evaluators. At 6-5, 250 pounds with a 4.53 40-yard dash time, Sweat has the size and speed of an NFL edge rusher.

Notre Dame WR Equanimeous St. Brown

At first glance St. Brown looks like a stud prospect. At 6-5, 214 pounds with 4.48 speed, he has a rare combination of size and speed. His production didn’t quite match up up with his measurables, and he has a reputation as a so-so competitor. He chose to leave Notre Dame after a subpar junior year playing with Brandon Wimbush on the heels of a standout sophomore season catching passes from Deshone Kizer. 

More from Yahoo Sports: • How not to announce an NFL draft pick • Former Eagles kicker savagely trolls Cowboys fans • Browns parlay landmark trade into bruising back • Bills captain: Josh Allen will have to explain controversial tweets

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New Post has been published on https://www.packernet.com/blog/2017/09/04/pn-podcast-94-preseason-mock-draft/

PN Podcast 9/4: Preseason mock draft

In this episode of the Packernet Podcast, I’ll take a look at the Packers in their current state, as well as the mental state of the fan base and roll it all together into one big overreaction mock draft.

To listen to previous podcasts and more in the future, click here and be sure to subscribe.

https://packernet.s3.amazonaws.com/podcast/PN%20Podcast%2094.mp3

    The NFL draft order has begun to be set and the 2018 draft big boards are far from being set but if you look hard enough you can find enough general information to make it work. For my efforts I simply assume the Packers won’t draft in the top 10. Other than that I gave the Packers 1 selection in each of the 7 rounds, plus a bonus pick in the 7th thanks to Mr. Jayrone Elliott.

As an interesting side note, and something I may take into consideration in future mock drafts, the Packers are expected to receive 4 compensatory picks on top of the additional 7th. If that holds up, the Packers look to have 12 picks in the upcoming draft (1,2,3,3,4,5,5,6,6,6,7,7). That could be kind of awesome.

Remember, this is an overreaction, NOT a prediction. So calm yourselves.

Stats provided by Pro Football Focus via PFF Edge and PFF Elite. Find PFF stat definitions HERE.

Round 1 Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville

If not for the fact that this was such a deep quarterback draft, Lamar Jackson would never fall to the Packers in the second half of the draft. Fortunately for the Packers he does.

With Hundley set to depart next year and Taysom Hill getting signed by the Saints, the Packers have 2 options, settle for Joe Callahan or get serious about finding a backup.

In his 2 years, Jackson completed 364 of 659 passes (52.2%) for 5,371 yards and 42 touchdowns. He added 423 carries for 2,531 yards and 32 touchdowns. Yes, you read that correctly.

So far in 2017, Jackson has played 1 game (@Purdue) in which he completed 30 of 46 passes (65.2%) for 378 yards and 2 touchdowns, adding 21 rushing attempts for 107 yards. If he keeps this up, he won’t be falling anywhere.

For a team that loves quarterbacks that can move, there quite possibly has never been a better one. In just a matter of seconds watching some of Jackson’s game film, there is only one name that comes to mind. Michael Vick.

Not only does Jackson have similar speed (Jackson 4.34, Vick 4.33) but the arm strength is truly unbelievable. With a flick of the wrist, with his feet not set, Jackson can sail the ball half way down the field.

If there is an area of concern it’s his accuracy. He tends to let the ball sail on him and his adjusted completion percentage of 69.5% would rank him 25th in the NFL (Just behind Bortles).

Best PFF Stat: 49 scrambles for 504 yards(10.3 Y/A) Worst PFF Stat: Adjusted completion % for passes between 21-30 yards, 37.5%

Round 2 Will Hernandez, G, UTEP

Offensive line is not a problem for the Green Bay Packers. Depth at offensive line? Well that’s just downright horrifying. With that in mind, there’s no real way to overreact without drafting a lineman and early.

Considering the biggest issues on the line are at guard, I figured that would be the best place to look. Furthermore, since the only real reason to panic is the image of Rodgers being carted off the field, a premium has to be placed on pass protection.

Enter Will Hernandez, the ultimate overreaction for the fan looking for a guard whose sole purpose in life is to keep the quarterback upright. In his 3 years at UTEP, Hernandez has allowed just 3 sacks, 4 hits, and 7 hurries in 2,498 snaps (1,162 passing snaps).

Surprisingly, Hernandez was also ranked 4th in positively graded run block percentage so he isn’t just 1 dimensional. The issue for Hernandez is his significant drop in performance against top level competition and how well his skills will translate to the NFL.

Best PFF Stat: Pass blocking efficiency, 99.8 Worst PFF Stat: Ranks 31st in snaps per bullrush pressure

Round 3 Rashaan Evans, EDGE, Alabama

Another area of immense concern is at outside linebacker. Even if you ignore the lack of depth, even if the injury issues don’t bother you, you still have to ask the question, who can get to the quarterback?

In terms of solutions, I really REALLY like this option. Everything about Evans screams Packers. Not only does he fit the Josh Jones mold of fast and physical, Evans also is a dual threat playing both outside and inside linebacker.

A player like Evans would give the Packers even more versatility, come from a program with incredibly good defenses, and as far as getting the quarterback, Evans was ranked #1 by PFF in pass rush productivity.

In terms of concerns, there are a few but the largest in my eyes are the missed tackles.

The intensity, speed, and power are all there but the production doesn’t match. Far too often, Evans uses his incredible tools to get where he needs to be but isn’t able to finish.

Best PFF Stat: Pass rush productivity, 22.9 (highest in the NFL is 15) Worst PFF Stat: Missed 11 of 52 tackles (21%)

Round 4 Jeremiah Kolone, G, San Jose State

We got 1 guard. That’s great. It’ll provide some depth and a possible replacement. But does everything have to be about Aaron Rodger all the time? The Packers have 4 young stud running backs, when do we put the spotlight on them? When do they become the priority.

Allow me to introduce to you, Jeremiah Kolone. The answer to all of our run game concerns. If Hernandez is going to replace Taylor on Rodgers blind side, Kolone would replace the aging Evans on the strong side.

Why would he be replacing Evans on the strong side? Perhaps it’s the fact that he was ranked 5th in the nation for run block success percentage. Not bad for a prospect expected to be drafted on the third day.

In terms of concerns, Kolone is also going to need to prove he’s able to play at a high level against top tier competition.

Best PFF Stat: Run block success percentage, 93% Worst PFF Stat: Ranks 93rd in pass blocking efficiency in 3 step drops

Round 5 Josey Jewell, ILB, Iowa

Is anyone panicked about inside linebacker? For the first time in a long time, not really. But nothing has changed at the position which leads me to believe the panic will once again rise as the season wears on.

There are a few reasons Jewell fits. Most of it is shallow surface level stuff that doesn’t relate to anything but seriously, google Jake Ryan, Blake Martinez, and Josey Jewell. It fits.

A.J. Hawk, Ohio State. Jake Ryan, Michigan. Josey Jewell, Iowa. It fits. Also, at 6’2 236, he matches up pretty perfectly with the Jake and Blake tandem. Inside linebacker for the Packers is like an exclusive country club and Jewell fits the mold.

Beyond the completely unnecessary and not too helpful comparisons, Josey does seem to be a pretty good linebacker and one that could help the Packers. Jewell is ranked in the top 10 in run stop percentage as well as top 20 in pass rush productivity, something Capers would be fond of.

The glaring issues are his coverage grades. Something he will likely need to get cleaned up if he’s going to play for the “everyone has to do everything” Green Bay Packers.

Best PFF Stat: 4th highest percentage of positively graded plays against the run Worst PFF Stat: Ranks 121st in coverage snaps per target

Round 6 Tim Settle, NT, Virginia Tech

Are we too light along the defensive line? I don’t mean in terms of bodies, I mean in terms of BMI. The guys are too trim. What is this 301 pounds nonsense. Where are all the Gilbert Browns? To make matters worse, Brian Price got shipped off. Now what do we do?

We draft Tim Settle, that’s what we do. At 6’3 328 pounds, there’s no point in calling him a defensive tackle, this guy is a nose tackle all day every day.

But Settle isn’t simple a lane clogging, two gapping, run stuffer. Oh no, that would never get him on a Packers roster. To have a shot in Green Bay you have to be able to generate pressure up the middle. Settle can.

https://giant.gfycat.com/BarrenWastefulEnglishpointer.webm

Settle, despite his massive frame, is ranked 10 among all defensive interior lineman in pass rush productivity. Couple that with the fact that he has the 13th highest percentage of positively graded plays against the run.

Best PFF Stat: 6th in pressures per inside pressure Worst PFF Stat: Missed 4 of 19 tackles (21%)

Round 7  Justin Lawler, EDGE, SMU

We already got an edge guy, and one that could rack up a lot of sacks but what if Capers likes him more as an inside guy? Did we really just draft 2 inside linebackers? We can’t have that.

Quick, find the guy with the second best pass rush productivity! Oh, here he is. Justin Lawler. At 6’4 266 pounds, Lawler is built like a Packers outside linebacker with similar dimensions to Nick Perry, Chris Odom, and Ahmad Brooks.

Lawler primarily plays as a 4-3 defensive end but he’s simply not being utilized correctly. In his 3 years and 656 pass rush snaps, Lawler is ranked 143rd in pass rush productivity from the 3-point stance. He needs to stand up.

His biggest issue from what I can see is consistency. He racked up almost all his sacks in two games in 2016. A player that can disappear for several games at a time simply isn’t going to cut it as an OLB in the NFL.

Best PFF Stat: Ranks #1 in snaps per outside pressure Worst PFF Stat: His pass rush productivity is 0 on sub 2.5 second plays

Round 7 Jared Cornelius, WR, Arkansas

I know what you’re thinking, great another wide receiver. We just cut both of our receiver draft picks this year, we’re stacked, enough already. That’s fair, but I’m also hearing a lot of fans talking about trading or otherwise offloading Randall Cobb. Although I can’t say I understand it myself, it’s a classic overreaction so lets address it.

So Cobb gets traded for some elite corner and Geronimo Allison continues to have problems with the law. Now what do we do? Those two are the only two receivers that primarily play in the slot. Janis is the next closest with 30% of his snaps coming in the slot. Does anyone really want to see Janis in the slot?

It’s alright everyone, I found a solution. We trade away Cobb and found his replacement in Jared Cornelius. Although he doesn’t have all the attributes to replace Cobb, it isn’t going to be possible to find a Randall Cobb in the 7th round. So what did I focus on? His hands

Randall Cobb had 0 drops from the slot last year. If you’re going to Replace Cobb you better have some good hands and be a target that Aaron Rodgers can rely on. In Cornelius’ 3 years at Arkansas, he caught 74 of 113 targets. In all that, he totaled 2 drop. 2 Drops in three years. The guy is solid.

Best PFF Stat: Deep pass catch percentage, 72.7% Worst PFF Stat: 113 targets in 3 years isn’t a great sample size

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If these three met the universe would explode

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They probably talk about stupid stuff together <3

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So. Men.

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He’s gonna be a jockey mixed with a screamer when i draw him infected lol

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Josh Allen’s weirdly early NFL draft hype wasn’t his fault

He’s not as accomplished as Lamar Jackson or as promising as Josh Rosen, but let’s just appreciate him for what he is right now.

For the 2018 draft, the NFL machine long ago decided on its out-of-nowhere guy, almost a year ahead of schedule. For months now, Wyoming QB Josh Allen has been considered a likely top-10 pick by analysts and reporters alike, ranking alongside former five-star Josh Rosen of UCLA and Rose Bowl winner Sam Darnold of USC, and ahead of big-number producers like Louisville's Lamar Jackson, Washington State's Luke Falk, and Oklahoma State's Mason Rudolph.

A Yahoo! story called Allen one of "the big three," along with Rosen and Darnold. SB Nation's first mock draft predicted him at No. 3. At one point, Bleacher Report had Allen at No. 3 in 2017, let alone 2018. The extremely plugged-in Adam Schefter reported 12 months in advance that Allen's earning No. 1 buzz. None of these outlets did anything wrong in context, since this was all based on some combination of just-for-fun early projecting, genuine scouting, and journalism (actual NFL scouts really do like Allen).

Still, Allen’s soaring status amounted to little more than these three things:

He’s 6’5.

He plays for Craig Bohl, a defensive-minded head coach whose offense produced Carson Wentz at North Dakota State.

He’s mobile and has a strong arm.

Allen’s numbers have been nothing special (in 2016, he ranked third among the other sophomores in his mid-major conference in passer rating), and that was before he put up a 23-of-40, 174-yard, two-interceptions line in a 24-3 loss at Iowa to start 2017. Those interceptions were both really bad.

In his two games against Power 5 teams, he’s thrown a total of seven picks (five against Nebraska). Iowa’s much more talented than Wyoming, it was a road game, he displayed some Roethlisberger-like unsackability ...

Don't know about you, but we'd be sucking wind here if we were Josh Allen. Naturally, @HawkeyeFootball LB Josey Jewell never gave up. http://pic.twitter.com/xH3H5eAwjD

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) September 2, 2017

... and the Hawkeyes are always pretty good on defense.

But you’d expect a better day out of a potential No. 1 QB pick.

Here’s how I feel about Allen, a day after Wyoming-Iowa:

Look at what #drafttwitter did. They're making us root against a Wyoming QB. Unforgivable

— Rodger Sherman (@rodger_sherman) September 2, 2017

When our college football group here at SB Nation was divvying up Week 1 noon watch duties, I claimed Wyoming-Iowa. I kind of wanted to make sure I hadn’t missed something about Allen. But I mostly wanted to be able to say, “I told you so,” to those who’d pegged him as the country’s best quarterback. I’m not proud that I felt these things. I’m just telling you what happened. It wasn’t about Allen at all; it was about the NFL apparatus making foreign proclamations about our sport years earlier in the process than usual. In hindsight, I do feel bad about waiting to see an amateur athlete struggle.

None of this is Allen’s fault. He’s a talented athlete. His team is a blast in Mountain West games. The Cowboys were one of 2016’s feel-good stories, coming out of nowhere to win their first division title ever.

Going forward, I’m gonna try to ignore the NFL hype and just appreciate Allen for what he currently is: a promising, entertaining, small-school quarterback. If he goes on a surprise tear for the rest of the season and makes first-round money, excellent.

If the NFL side were able to wait until after junior seasons to start picking out seemingly random players, that would also be excellent, but I understand why talented college quarterbacks will always face massive spotlights.