BJ Reidell and Drew Mahowald discuss Sharrif Floyd’s career being in doubt, search for the value of Ted Thompson and take a good hard look at the most important quarterback competition.
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Taylor Heinicke was needed last year. His opportunity came and he wasn't available. He wasn't available because he was stupid. Keenum will learn our NEW offense very quickly and be able to keep us around .500 if he should have to play for a stretch of games. We would be in rough shape if we have to replace Bradford for the season with anybody but Bridgewater. Heinicke has had moderate success against 3rd and 4th string subs in the pre-season games played more than a calendar year ago. He CANNOT be relied upon (although nobody will be happier than me if you end up being right about him). BTW, undrafted free-agent QB Case Keenum made the Texans 53 man roster as a rookie and is already considered a spot starter. You're hyperbole did not serve you well in this podcast, and I mean that 100,000%.
warrian - I certainly appreciate the no-holding-back criticism here, and thank you for listening to the show. Hopefully it was still entertaining even though we disagree on this matter.
And Here's my Rebuttal: You're right to devalue Taylor Heinicke's success based on the competition he played against during the preseason, but I believe his technique, fundamentals and composure translate to success against starting defenses as well. His decision-making, ability to control the flow of the game and chemistry with receivers he had known for 8 weeks was outstanding against Tennessee. I view these as high-floor traits that, combined with some polish and experience, also give him a much higher ceiling than the vast majority of backups in the NFL.
I will say that — and I believe I said it on the show, too — that I would admittedly be more comfortable with Case Keenum in a "keep us afloat" scenario because I agree with the idea that he is capable of playing .500 ball for a short span of games.
I think it's fair to be skeptical of Heinicke's reliability after missing the entire year for a funny but — you're right — very stupid reason. Still, I'd bet on him threatening defenses more than Keenum, given that we know exactly who the latter is, and that is a consistently below average quarterback who arguably isn't even deserving of the spot-starter title given his consistently poor results.
For what it's worth, Keenum didn't make the 53 out of Texans camp, he was added to the roster midseason due to an abundance of QB injuries – which, naturally, is the quickest path to the 53 for UDFA QBs. What Heinicke did by making the initial 53 is extremely rare. Sure, there are other examples to counter with, but it remains a significant achievement and, if nothing else, it says a lot about his work ethic, character and how impressed the Vikings were with his performance.
While I don't believe I was hyperbolizing all that much here, the customer is always right, so I'll concede to you on that matter. Once again, thanks both for listening and offering some cutthroat feedback; it's very much appreciated on our end.
- BJ Reidell
BJ! That was quite the rebuttal. I would expect nothing less and of course I love the show and VT. Also, I stand corrected on Case making the 53. I was sure he did. He was a Heinicke-like guy coming out of U of Houston with huge college numbers but a physicality that IMO kept him undrafted. I really like Taylor but I do feel let down by his antics last year. It will be cool to see if he can get his mojo back this coming preseason. It's been a long time since we've seen him take a snap. It may not have seemed so in my original post but I was very entertained by your inability to hold back the Heinicke love. My post was meant in the spirit of that enthusiasm. It was supposed to be combatively fun. Peace.
warrian - I appreciated your response regardless of tone cause it's honestly just nice to get some extended feedback what you guys think of the show. Sincerely. That said, your post was indeed received in the spirit of enthusiasm and fun — or I wouldn't have responded at length.
I think your thoughts, doubts and questions about Heinicke are all completely fair, I have nothing but respect for your opinion and I hope you will continue to share your reactions and opinions with us.
- BJ Reidell