Alright, I guess I’m going to pander to you Vols fans every once in awhile on this blog! You guys don’t get it from me enough! In all seriousness, I’m simply fascinated by Hendon Hooker winning the backup quarterback job with the Detroit Lions. So, I wanted to take some time to roll back some of his game film to see how exactly he did it.
One of the main concerns about Hooker, other than his age, coming out in his draft class was his transition to the style of offense Josh Heupel runs at Tennessee to what he’d likely see in the NFL. It ain’t exactly pro-ready in Knoxville. While we have to acknowledge that it was against Steelers backups, I’d say Hooker looked quite poised and in command of that offense. He went 12/20 for 114 yards, one touchdown, one interception, 93 rushing yards, and two fumbles (one lost, one recovered). They started him off with a couple of easy rhythm throws to the flat, a pitch, and a couple of runs. They were lining him up in the shotgun and under center. It’s like they were focused on getting him all kinds of reps in this game.
Hooker showed some nice pocket awareness and poise, evading pressure to deliver well-placed balls on occasion. He flashed some really good anticipation on a couple of throws down the field – both of which are in the video below…one, hitting his receiver in stride over the middle after recognizing that he was open…two, down the field in the bucket that was dropped. I do think there were a couple of times when he was stuck on his first read for a little too long (one of those plays resulted in a sack). And, I’d like to see more velocity on some of those intermediate throws. There were a few lobs that should’ve been zips, one of which was close to turning into a pick six. Hooker’s also a plus with his legs, either extending plays with his eyes remaining down field or as a scrambler in the open field. All in all, it was a pretty solid performance from a guy who could be cementing himself as the heir apparent to Jared Goff one of these days.
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Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
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