Could Anthony Calvillo have succeeded in the NFL?

[footballfan4life]

If he was drafted to the NFL back in '94, or even jumped ship a decade ago, could he have made it big?

He does hold the record for most passing yards in football. Keep in mind he plays on a wider, 110-yard field, but there's only three downs in the CFL. We've seen some successful transitions (Warren Moon), so it's not that far-fetched.

Thoughts?

[bad_philanthropy]

I want to say no, but there was a story the other day about how Mark Trestman brough Calvillo in to tutor Jay Cutler a few months back.

I think he would have been more of a scrappy Charlie Batch type at best.

[SPTO]

Funny you should mention this as I recently just watched Calvillo's third ever CFL start and even back in '94 the guy showed a lot of poise and made excellent decisions with the ball rather than forcing the ball down the field he'd find the open receiver and dump it off. There was one pass where he threw a safety valve type pass to his RB Kalin Hall who promptly took it to the house on a TD. He even ran with the ball a bit though it was very ugly!

I think Calvillo is a very cerebral and smart QB though i'm not sure if what he brings to the table would work in the NFL. As Calvillo's career progressed he became more of a in the pocket QB whereas in the same span of time the NFL has turned into a league where the QB HAS to be able to move around in the pocket.

Calvillo would probably be a guy who's too good to be a backup but not quite good enough to be a full time starter in the NFL. I wouldn't say he'd be a game manager as he does have some arm strength and can handle a large playbook. His best bet for success would be if he were on a top 10 team with a very good O-line.

[55]

Career clipboard holder.

[bkrich83]

If he could have made it in the NFL he'd have been on an NFL roster.

[SPTO]

Quote: Originally Posted by 55

Career clipboard holder.

Quote: Originally Posted by bkrich83

If he could have made it in the NFL he'd have been on an NFL roster.

Well Jeff Garcia didn't get into the NFL the conventional way either so it's not out of the ordinary.

We've seen far less talented QBs from the CFL given shots at an NFL job so it's kinda strange that Calvillo never got a shot. Maybe he did have opportunities but decided to stay in Canada.

[Majingir]

Quote: Originally Posted by bkrich83

If he could have made it in the NFL he'd have been on an NFL roster.

Not everyone goes to the main league even if they are good enough. Look at hockey, some guys stay(or go to) the KHL even though they could play in NHL. In baseball, not every good player from Japan or Cuba or something ends up going to the MLB.

[shotgun styles]

Quote: Originally Posted by bkrich83

If he could have made it in the NFL he'd have been on an NFL roster.

At another position, maybe. But QB is rapidly becoming the easiest position in sports. High school QBs like Cassell come out of nowhere to set records now. With the super-easy passing rules there are alot of guys who could do it at a high level.

Remember, prior to the 1978 rules changes only one QB had ever thrown for more than 4000 yards in a season, Joe Namath. In the last three years a full 1/3 of the NFL has routinely thrown for four grand with multiple 5000 yard passers.

There are literally way more guys that can do the job, and do it well, than there are teams for them to play on. The problem is the coaching and scouting are garbage and everyone keeps trying to invent the RoboQB who can run a 4.4 forty dash and throw like Marino. If they gave up on that crap and stuck to grooming pantywaists like Brady and Manning (who specialize in accuracy and anticipation) the whole league would look like Arena football.