How much better could Ray be?
Right off the bat, I'll say RR is the only QB that I would have here over any other QB in the league right now. So the following is not an anti-RR post but a subject that I think is worthy of some discussion.
RR's rise to prominence has certainly been meteoric ever since he dropped off his last box of potato chips. GC rings, GC appearances, MOP's, records, and an NFL stint, numerous POW awards, all there for display.
My question has been quietly over the past two seasons is: Is he doing what it takes to get better or is he comfortable at the level he is at?
All QB's over time learn with experience to read defences better etc, and with Ray I'm sure that's no exception. My question stems from a series of comments from a former Eskimo ( who never played with Ray) who when commenting about his arm strength and power, brought up some very good points.
His comment was pretty blunt: " He needs to look after his ****"
To which the overal reaction was one of surprise. Now this former Esk knows a thing or two about what he speaks as his career now is as a physical trainer of atheletes from weekend warriors to high end long distance runners.
The comment was expanded on: " His velocity is not where it needs to be, but you can fix that. How much work does he put into strengtheneing his back, his lats, his delts. I can tell by looking at his arm that he could be stronger than he is..."
So that led to another discussion amongst a bunch of us as to how much drive or how hard is RR being pushed externally or internally to get better? I think it was a valid question and with certain things we see in his game, I think there can be room for improvement.
With me, I think RR's comfort level with certain sets of plays adds to the level of predictability that exists in stretches of games. The wide side of the field has been an area under-utilized ever since Swerve's last two seasons and continues to be now. Is RR's lack of confidence in his pass strength preventing him from attacking that area of the field?
Now I'm not saying that by utilizing better training or improving his mechanics that RR should be expected to hit Maas type velocity, as we see with all atheletes, some just have different body makeups that give them advantages. But the point brought up by a former player is valid when one sees the body makeup of RR. He's in good physical condition, but can he be better, training wise, mechanics wise to close the velocity gap to make him an even more lethal QB?
As he ages into his late 20's and early 30's I would see this as an area that should become a priority.
RR's rise to prominence has certainly been meteoric ever since he dropped off his last box of potato chips. GC rings, GC appearances, MOP's, records, and an NFL stint, numerous POW awards, all there for display.
My question has been quietly over the past two seasons is: Is he doing what it takes to get better or is he comfortable at the level he is at?
All QB's over time learn with experience to read defences better etc, and with Ray I'm sure that's no exception. My question stems from a series of comments from a former Eskimo ( who never played with Ray) who when commenting about his arm strength and power, brought up some very good points.
His comment was pretty blunt: " He needs to look after his ****"
To which the overal reaction was one of surprise. Now this former Esk knows a thing or two about what he speaks as his career now is as a physical trainer of atheletes from weekend warriors to high end long distance runners.
The comment was expanded on: " His velocity is not where it needs to be, but you can fix that. How much work does he put into strengtheneing his back, his lats, his delts. I can tell by looking at his arm that he could be stronger than he is..."
So that led to another discussion amongst a bunch of us as to how much drive or how hard is RR being pushed externally or internally to get better? I think it was a valid question and with certain things we see in his game, I think there can be room for improvement.
With me, I think RR's comfort level with certain sets of plays adds to the level of predictability that exists in stretches of games. The wide side of the field has been an area under-utilized ever since Swerve's last two seasons and continues to be now. Is RR's lack of confidence in his pass strength preventing him from attacking that area of the field?
Now I'm not saying that by utilizing better training or improving his mechanics that RR should be expected to hit Maas type velocity, as we see with all atheletes, some just have different body makeups that give them advantages. But the point brought up by a former player is valid when one sees the body makeup of RR. He's in good physical condition, but can he be better, training wise, mechanics wise to close the velocity gap to make him an even more lethal QB?
As he ages into his late 20's and early 30's I would see this as an area that should become a priority.
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