Davis arm strength lacking

[RFIP]

I have re-watched the game 2x now and am a little surprised at the lack of arm strength Davis has.

First off, this is not to say he can't be highly successful, as we all know arm strength isn't the be-all end-all for a QB.

That said, Jerry's post the other day had me wondering (YAC) so I watched again.

Davis ball floats like few I have witnessed at this level. The crazy thing is it floats on even the shortest of patterns which is way guys aren't have the time to catch and separate.

There was a 3rd and one play where Davis play fakes and rolls right then throws back left for a big first down. I swear to you the ball was in the air for 10 seconds....or so it seemed.

Now Warner obviously didn't have a gun but he had impeccable timing, often throwing the ball well in advance of his guys head being turned around.

Davis doesn't have that trait, he's a see it, throw it guy. The ball he threw to Harkey was painful to watch again, and again. He should have seen in front of him and the throw was late and soft and had Harkey's cleat hit the ground he'd have torn his acl for sure.

All of which makes ANY comparison outside of same school, to Farve laughable. These two could not have more different skill sets and arm talents.

Again, so far so good but I can't see this kids arm working against the 3 defenses in the NFC west.

But as they say, time will tell.

Anyhow, just my thoughts on the matter.

 

[NJRamsFan]

I recorded the nfl rewind and have watched it multiple times. That being said, I must disagree. While Davis clearly doesn't have a strong arm (by NFL standards) his arm does not stand out to me as being particularly weak. At the end of the day the ball seemed to arrive where it needed to be on time.

 

[jjab360]

Some of the intermediate patterns he threw had a little loft on them but ultimately made it easier for the receiver to come down with it. Short passes seemed to have enough zip on them, imo. In my amateur opinion, pure arm strength is overrated, some of the greats had huge arms, some had average arms, some of the biggest busts of all time had cannons. It all depends on accuracy, timing, and mental preparation.

 

[jrry32]

Davis's arm strength is underwhelming. However, I disagree that he's a see it throw it QB. That's definitely not what I observed. He made some throws while under pressure that necessitated getting the ball out to a spot ahead of when the receiver was coming open.

 

[DR RAM]

Davis's arm strength is underwhelming. However, I disagree that he's a see it throw it QB. That's definitely not what I observed. He made some throws while under pressure that necessitated getting the ball out to a spot ahead of when the receiver was coming open.

He had some zip on the Tavon throw, but that was the only one that I recall.

 

[jrry32]

He had some zip on the Tavon throw, but that was the only one that I recall.

Eh. I don't know about that. I felt like he didn't have a ton of zip on the Tavon throw which contributed in Tavon getting blown up.

 

[LesBaker]

I disagree with you he does not having a noodle arm he has average arm strength and the balls were not floating or fluttering he got several of them there in perfectly fine fashion

he played a great game for a third stringer why is anybody criticizing him he had a game winning drive on the road in the rain

 

[Ballhawk]

Just some observations as well. I noticed that compared to other teams our receivers never have any YAC, at least since the GSOT days, so I guess all of our QBs are weak armed? I watch Denver a lot and their WRs always run after the catch for big yards and Manning gets the credit. His arm isn't very strong any more either but he can throw for ten and get fifty yards over and over.

 

[jjab360]

Just some observations as well. I noticed that compared to other teams our receivers never have any YAC, at least since the GSOT days, so I guess all of our QBs are weak armed? I watch Denver a lot and their WRs always run after the catch for big yards and Manning gets the credit. His arm isn't very strong any more either but he can throw for ten and get fifty yards over and over.

YAC doesn't have much to do with arm strength, it's just the type of routes our receivers run and how well they break tackles.

 

[Ballhawk]

Exactly!

 

[Mojo Ram]

"Soooo...what is is arm strength you speak of that is so crucial to success RFIP? "

 

[Athos]

Manning's arm strength looks even more weak this year than last. I remember when he had Brees zip on his ball. Never elite strength, but spun a beautiful, tight spiral.

Now, Davis isn't or will ever be Manning at QB. Like Manning though, all he needs is anticipation, clean routes, and accuracy. Flutter doesn't matter if you still hit your guys in stride.

And I'm not sure sure there's much of difference between the arm of Hill and Davis.

 

[jrry32]

On the subject of Austin Davis, if anyone is curious as to why Davis hasn't had any issues with batted passes to this point despite not being the tallest QB...look at his throwing motion and release point. He's actually similar to Drew Brees in this regard in that his release point is ABOVE his helmet. Here's a picture of right before the ball leaves his hand...so it actually leaves his hand at a slightly higher point.

 

[jjab360]

On the subject of Austin Davis, if anyone is curious as to why Davis hasn't had any issues with batted passes to this point despite not being the tallest QB...look at his throwing motion and release point. He's actually similar to Drew Brees in this regard in that his release point is ABOVE his helmet. Here's a picture of right before the ball leaves his hand...so it actually leaves his hand at a slightly higher point.

What do you think about Davis' mechanics in general, jrry? I've been really impressed with his footwork and pocket presence, personally.

 

[fearsomefour]

I think it is pretty obvious he lacks arm strength for the reasons mentioned. He also had a bit of a windup, a slow release. If gets into a situation where DBs can anticipate his throws it will pic city.
That said, he could improve him feel and timing. He was impressive on Sunday, we will see when coaches start to get a book on him.

 

[jrry32]

What do you think about Davis' mechanics in general, jrry? I've been really impressed with his footwork and pocket presence, personally.

Haven't analyzed his overall mechanics so I honestly don't know.

 

[LACHAMP46]

Floating the ball all over is what I saw, but so does Hill...So did Clemens....My only concern is, it tends to put wr's in tough situations. The ball that Tavon dropped before he got injured, took a while to get there....I believe it may be the reason he dropped it. Ill at ease...that's what I wanted to use instead of tough situations....Passes need a lil zip....I know Joe Montana didn't have an arm. Yada, yada , yada....this is 2014...much faster game....until you get Peyton type anticipation, fire them balls in there....

 

[mr.stlouis]

Well, arm strength or lack there of, he hit Quick in the face mask. He did not hit Quick in stride, though.

 

[CodeMonkey]

Arm strength aside and you're right he doesn't have the strongest arm in the world. What was most impressive was his composure in the pocket. And that he isn't afraid to let it go downfield. The kid has balls. Quick decision making and accuracy trump strength.

 

[jjab360]

Arm strength aside and you're right he doesn't have the strongest arm in the world. What was most impressive was his composure in the pocket. And that he isn't afraid to let it go downfield. The kid has balls. Quick decision making and accuracy trump strength.

That clutch 3rd down pass facing pressure throwing down the seam to a well covered Pettis was amazing. I like Bradford, but that's one of the best plays I've seen a Ram QB make in a long time.