I’d add:
He’s the best crunch time QB I think we’ve ever had here. He’s led 4 go-ahead, late 4th quarter drives this year. All would have been game-winning drives but the D couldn’t hang on against Texas Tech. I’ve never seen that before as an ISU fan.
Not worried about arm strength, but two concerns I have are accuracy and against the blitz/pressure. He misses a lot of throws that I’d rank easy or intermediate difficulty levels. I’m not sure if accuracy is correctable.
He was better against the blitz last night, but he gets happy feet and panics when the blitz is coming. He appears to recognize it well pre-snap, but really struggles to get the ball out as the play unfolds. This I think is more correctable with time and experience.
Agreed, but here's why arms strength matters. Because like you said, at times he struggles against the blitz, arm strength gives you an out. Because 1) if you're late, it lets you be that and still complete it down the field. Like, Josh Allen struggles from the opposite. He thinks he can make every throw in the universe, and technically, he can, cause he doesn't have an arm he has a howitzer. But that also means he forces the ball.. but what it allows him is the confidence that if he comes off a read late, he can still deliver to whomever.
And against the blitz, he can complete it 15-20 yards down field falling backwards, running sideways, etc... where as if you move Rocco off his spot, his accuracy greatly diminishes (as it does for most QB's cause guys like Allen simply don't exist that often) because he can't set his feet. In some ways, guys with weaker / average arms are like a spot shooter in basketball. If you make them move, some of those guys really struggling shooting 3's. Average arm strength to slightly below average QB's are the same. Make them move off their spot, where they can't set and throw in rhythm, and accuracy plummets. That's where arm strength matters.
And that's precisely why DC's blitz. Cause they know that most mortal QB's are going to have that same issue. Make them move, disrupt their flow and completion % drops like a stone.
He is extremely clutch. He is extremely poised, there is no doubt about that. He doesn't get rattled easily and even if he is, has the ability to come back. Those are traits you really can't coach but he possesses them in spades.
He's 100% good enough to beat K-State and win the Big 12 and give us a punchers chance in the playoff depending on matchup.
But I also don't know where I'd rank him in terms of Big 12 QB's. Sanders, then IDK, I think the kid at Cincy is pretty special. Right now probably the Sawyer at Baylor... then he's probably somewhere in the Getzlaff - Rocco-Avery-kid at Tech- group. Avery maybe #4 just because his ceiling's higher but his floor's also lower. So I guess Tech kid at #4, then Avery then Rocco then Getzlaff? So somewhere between 5th and 7th is where I'd rank him. Again, good enough to win with, more than capable, but not the peak performer either IMO
