Ty Simpson was arguably the NFL’s biggest star of the preseason because he’s a quarterback, he’s a first-round pick, he’s a rookie, and he didn’t get as many bad results as Fernando Mendoza. In fact, Simpson’s biggest negatives on the box score were merely the incompletions, of which there were relatively few.
The film will tell a different story.
At times that story will be giving Simpson deserved credit for things that a 6-yard completion fails to convey, like play recognition or arm strength. Or an 8-yard run that may not seem like much, but displays how Simpson’s “dip and run” elusiveness could extend plays that Matthew Stafford couldn’t.
At times the story will go deeper into mechanics and subpar footwork, and other things that would probably hold back Simpson from being a great starter until he develops and fixes those potential issues. Things that may have led Simpson to some errant throws. Sometimes also overlooking or missing better options to throw to than the ones he ended up choosing, or that coaches chose for him.
If you welcome the good, can you also accept that there’s some bad?
In a long breakdown of Simpson’s third and final preseason start against the Chargers, former NFL quarterback J.T. O’Sullivan objectively looks at every play by the Rams rookie quarterback. It’s a fair analysis that shouldn’t make any Rams fan less confident in Simpson’s ability to become a good quarterback knowing that these are the same types of things that Simpson should be hearing when he breaks down film with L.A.’s coaches.
You’ll also hear some interesting thoughts on players like C.J. Daniels and Max Klare, at times doing more to take options away from Simpson than they were helping him.