Tommy to the Raiders

[autocat]

Just saw something posted following last nights game regarding Tommy. The gist of it was that his stock went down and yet his potential and athleticism are off the charts. So, to put him on the practice squad means that he is at risk of being picked up by another team before he’s signed as a practice squad guy. So it’s up to the owner to decide what to do. Likely a practice squad guy for a couple of years to learn his new position was the prevailing opinion.

Yes, Tommy needs to keep grinding away on the practice squad at the least like Ty Okada been doing for the last couple of years. I thought Ty played well for the Seahawks on Thursday IMO

[PortlandCat90]

After the lack of chances in PreSeason #1, I would assume he's heading to the Practice Squad for the Raiders unless another team picks him up in the interim.

Cheers to this young man. Has to be brutal (but f***** enjoyable!!) to walk into an NFL camp playing a 3 positions that you've never really trained in. If he's given some time I'd bet he will shine as always.

This guy has covered the Raiders and usually been pretty close:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/ra ... 8ccbf&ei=6

Raiders Predicted to Cut Intriguing Rookie With 4.39 40-Yard Dash Speed
Story by Austin Boyd

The Las Vegas Raiders‘ first preseason game is in the books, and we have a better idea of who will make the roster. One of the most interesting draft picks the team made was selecting former Montana State quarterback Tommy Mellott in the sixth round.

While he played quarterback in college, the Raiders transitioned him to wide receiver due to his 4.39 40-yard dash speed. However, the transition has been a bit slow. He had one catch for -2 yards in the first preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks.

There would be a risk with putting Mellott on the practice squad, as it would mean other teams could sign him. The Raiders would also have to waive him, wait for him to clear waivers and then sign him to the practice squad. That might be too risky for Spytek if he truly thinks Mellot can be an impact player.

Mellott Continues to Improve

It’s not an easy transition going from quarterback to wide receiver. They have very different skill sets. Luckily, Mellott has the athletic ability to make the transition, but there are so many small things he has to learn.

Mellott recently spoke about the work he’s putting in at Raiders training camp.

“When I’m out there at practice, those reps are very, very valuable and I go out there and I give the greatest effort I possibly can and let that be a non-negotiable,” Mellott told reporters recently. “Make sure my attitude is where it needs to be and day after day make improvement.”

Mellott might be facing an uphill battle making the roster, but he still has potential. It might be a couple of seasons before he’s able to put it all together.

[catatac]

I'm sticking with, I think he turn heads once he gets a chance to show what he can do with the ball in his hands. I don't think he's had that chance yet. I need to re watch the game as I saw distracted during, but the one catch I saw him make had no chance for YAC, and we've already discussed the miscommunication on the punt.

[SCVBobcat]

I'm sticking with, I think he turn heads once he gets a chance to show what he can do with the ball in his hands. I don't think he's had that chance yet. I need to re watch the game as I saw distracted during, but the one catch I saw him make had no chance for YAC, and we've already discussed the miscommunication on the punt.

I agree that he'll turn heads if given the chance, but the deck has been stacked against him since they didn't give him many receiver reps in OTA's and have the returner reps split among a bunch of guys. It looks like it's going to be practice squad unless he rips off some chunk plays in the next couple of games, but the Raiders beat writers have pretty much assigned him to the practice squad.

I don't want to beat a dead horse, but I'm starting to get more intrigued by the Calgary Stampeders offer to sign Tommy at QB. We know he loves playing QB. I understand concerns over his arm strength, but no one will work harder than Tommy in trying to improve. And it's hard to find a big city that feels more like Montana than Calgary. Will be really interesting to see what Tommy decides. Now watch him score 2 TD's this week (I sure hope he does).

[CodyCat]

Last summer I took a guy fishing whose son started at RB for NDSU. I think 2015-2019. The kids name is Bruce something. He was drafted and bounced around the NFL for awhile. The insights into top tier FCS programs was interesting. His son made a roster one season. What I had never thought about was that his son was in the game of Madden. He receives quarterly checks around $30,000 just for being in the game.

His son ended up playing in the CFL. And the differences between the two leagues was wild. For instance, CFL players only spend about two hours a day practicing or lifting. Most have second jobs.


Most of this is an FYI. But if Tommy sticks with the NFL it’s very lucrative.

[SCVBobcat]

I agree, and I still think the NFL will play out for Tommy, but maybe with some practice squads and team changes involved. I think the question is whether Tommy will decide that he'd rather be playing QB, and would he be able to play his way back to the NFL (maybe as a backup or 3rd QB, if not a starter) through the CFL. Also, QB is the highest paid position in the CFL, with starters making 300 - 500 K. But Dickenson may have Tommy pegged as short yardage QB, which might be less. Anyway, no guarantees with either path - Tommy just has to follow his heart.

[coloradocat]

Last summer I took a guy fishing whose son started at RB for NDSU. I think 2015-2019. The kids name is Bruce something. He was drafted and bounced around the NFL for awhile. The insights into top tier FCS programs was interesting. His son made a roster one season. What I had never thought about was that his son was in the game of Madden. He receives quarterly checks around $30,000 just for being in the game.

His son ended up playing in the CFL. And the differences between the two leagues was wild. For instance, CFL players only spend about two hours a day practicing or lifting. Most have second jobs.


Most of this is an FYI. But if Tommy sticks with the NFL it’s very lucrative.

The CFL sounds like pre-free agency, or even pre-Super Bowl, era NFL. Maybe a little more pure, which in practice largely translates as poorer (similar to the current college football landscape).

This may turn out to be a difficult decision for Tommy. Chase the dream of playing in the NFL (really playing not just fighting every day for the last spot on the active roster or practice squad) or chasing a more realistic career in the CFL that is more in line with his ability. He's super competitive and super smart but there are limits to how far that can take a person.

Hopefully things fall into place in the NFL where he can have a career that he's happy with.

[BLACKnBLUEnGOLD]

I understand concerns over his arm strength, but no one will work harder than Tommy in trying to improve.

Forget arm strength. He's not even accurate enough.

Arm talent isn't something that you can fix by outworking guys. You can't put in what God left out.

[AFCAT]

[kwcat]

A couple more years of hard work and maturity Tommy will be a specimen. You can see how much Ty has physically matured in the last two years.

[Clinton T]

A couple more years of hard work and maturity Tommy will be a specimen. You can see how much Ty has physically matured in the last two years.

Will be?!?!! The next level is Dwayne The Rock Johnson, and I’m not sure how fast he will be able to move at that size!

[Bobcat4Ever]

I thought it was way ironic that the QB’s first career completion and the WR’s first career catch was Cam Miller to Tommy Mellott. That only happens in movies.

[iaafan]

I understand concerns over his arm strength, but no one will work harder than Tommy in trying to improve.

Forget arm strength. He's not even accurate enough.

Arm talent isn't something that you can fix by outworking guys. You can't put in what God left out.

Despite having close to a 70% completion mark, I agree with this. He often went with the wrong read or to the wrong receiver. It’s hard to be critical but that’s something that you’d think he would need to be better at as a pro.

[Hi-Line Bobcat]

I understand concerns over his arm strength, but no one will work harder than Tommy in trying to improve.

Forget arm strength. He's not even accurate enough.

Arm talent isn't something that you can fix by outworking guys. You can't put in what God left out.

Despite having close to a 70% completion mark, I agree with this. He often went with the wrong read or to the wrong receiver. It’s hard to be critical but that’s something that you’d think he would need to be better at as a pro.

It’s weird to me, this narrative has been going on for awhile and the stats simply don’t back that up. He was excellent across the board the last year and a half. I think it’s a reflection of his size and people coming up with every other reason to say he wasn’t a good enough passing QB. If he was two inches taller this wouldn’t even be a topic, he would have been drafted higher than Miller at QB.

[BelligerentBobcat]

I understand concerns over his arm strength, but no one will work harder than Tommy in trying to improve.

Forget arm strength. He's not even accurate enough.

Arm talent isn't something that you can fix by outworking guys. You can't put in what God left out.

Despite having close to a 70% completion mark, I agree with this. He often went with the wrong read or to the wrong receiver. It’s hard to be critical but that’s something that you’d think he would need to be better at as a pro.

It’s weird to me, this narrative has been going on for awhile and the stats simply don’t back that up. He was excellent across the board the last year and a half. I think it’s a reflection of his size and people coming up with every other reason to say he wasn’t a good enough passing QB. If he was two inches taller this wouldn’t even be a topic, he would have been drafted higher than Miller at QB.

I love Tommy, and he was a fantastic FCS QB, but even if he was 6’5, he isn’t an NFL QB. MSU had to run a very simplistic passing offense and almost never passed over the middle. There’s no denying that Tommy improved dramatically as a passer, but he just flat wasn’t any more than an average passing QB. A guy could get super in depth and talk about his issues in the passing game, in which his height is the least of those, but I really don’t think it’s necessary. He just isn’t an NFL QB, which is why he never tried.

[Hi-Line Bobcat]

Some of the top QBs drafted, even though sanders wasn’t drafted high. Not saying Tommy would have made it, but calling him an average passer, doesn’t seem to fit the stats. I understand stats don’t tell the whole story, I thought it was just interesting to compare him.

Cam Ward-172.2 QBR, 39 TDs, 7 picks
Sanders-168.2 QBR 37 TDs, 10 picks
Dart- 180.7 QBR 29 TDs, 6 picks
Gabriel- 164.9 QBR 30 TDs, 6 picks

Can Miller- 180.1 QBR 33 TDs, 4 picks
Tommy- 177.7 QBR 31 TDs, 2 picks

Tommy had the lowest attempts by far, with some having over 100 more attempts. But playing with less weapons at wrs, and smaller oline, contributed to his numbers and the scheme being simple, even though that’s debatable. I say he was better than average as a passer, but that’s just me.Of course the argument could be Tommy also played against weaker defenses, so his passing numbers are inflated.

Either way I hope he makes it at WR, because I think he is all in letting the QB role go.

[BelligerentBobcat]

Some of the top QBs drafted, even though sanders wasn’t drafted high. Not saying Tommy would have made it, but calling him an average passer, doesn’t seem to fit the stats. I understand stats don’t tell the whole story, I thought it was just interesting to compare him.

Cam Ward-172.2 QBR, 39 TDs, 7 picks
Sanders-168.2 QBR 37 TDs, 10 picks
Dart- 180.7 QBR 29 TDs, 6 picks
Gabriel- 164.9 QBR 30 TDs, 6 picks

Can Miller- 180.1 QBR 33 TDs, 4 picks
Tommy- 177.7 QBR 31 TDs, 2 picks

Tommy had the lowest attempts by far, with some having over 100 more attempts. But playing with less weapons at wrs, and smaller oline, contributed to his numbers and the scheme being simple, even though that’s debatable. I say he was better than average as a passer, but that’s just me.Of course the argument could be Tommy also played against weaker defenses, so his passing numbers are inflated.

Either way I hope he makes it at WR, because I think he is all in letting the QB role go.

There’s a significant difference in arm talent and what these guys were asked to do in terms of being a QB. MSU’s offense didn’t do more with the passing game because of who was at QB. That’s not a knock on Tommy, he was clearly an elite player and one of the greatest in FCS history, but there’s also a reason he’s not an NFL QB.

[mslacatfan]

[nanacat]

Well, that's somewhat encouraging. Of course time will tell for sure.

[BLACKnBLUEnGOLD]

I understand concerns over his arm strength, but no one will work harder than Tommy in trying to improve.

Forget arm strength. He's not even accurate enough.

Arm talent isn't something that you can fix by outworking guys. You can't put in what God left out.

Despite having close to a 70% completion mark, I agree with this. He often went with the wrong read or to the wrong receiver. It’s hard to be critical but that’s something that you’d think he would need to be better at as a pro.

It’s weird to me, this narrative has been going on for awhile and the stats simply don’t back that up. He was excellent across the board the last year and a half. I think it’s a reflection of his size and people coming up with every other reason to say he wasn’t a good enough passing QB. If he was two inches taller this wouldn’t even be a topic, he would have been drafted higher than Miller at QB.

You can't look at completion percentage, you have to look at the actual passes. An open receiver in the NFL is much less open than a receiver in college. The throwing windows are smaller and close much more quickly. If he's not throwing perfect passes in college, then those passes are probably not completions in the NFL. Tommy completed a lot of good-enough passes to wide open receivers. Really, the entire passing game was built around those looks. It was extremely productive, and part of the reason receivers were so open was Tommy's success as a runner. But offenses can't rely on good-enough passes or get receivers that open with that level of consistency.