Todd Boeckman: A Good Backup for the Palmer Brothers

Kyle Strittholt by Scribe Written on April 03, 2009
NEW ORLEANS - JANUARY 07:  Todd Boeckman #17 of the Ohio State Buckeyes passes against the Louisiana State University Tigers during the AllState BCS National Championship on January 7, 2008 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.  (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

The Bengals are pretty set at the quarterback position as far as their franchise player. Carson Palmer is one of the best in the league when the team knows what they’re doing.

 

Palmer claims that his elbow is fully healed from the injury that occurred during the Giants game in September, and that he as felling as good as ever.

 

Fitzpatrick took the team over and had a little bit of production, but it just wasn’t the same Bengals team without Palmer in the backfield.

 

Now with Fitzpatrick gone they acquired J.T. O’Sullivan to fill the open roster spot, but his numbers aren’t very convincing if Palmer was to go down again.

 

What they need to do is find a quarterback that fits the system well. Fitzpatrick did not have a strong arm and the stats showed it with very few 20+ yard plays.

 

Out of the players coming out of College I think Todd Boeckman out of Ohio State fits the team well. He wasn’t amazing as a Buckeye and only started for one season, but he could get the ball to his players, especially the deep ball.

 

When you look at who has started in front of Boeckman you’ll see Troy Smith and Terrelle Pryor both two quarterbacks who fit the college system. What Boeckman has is a NFL capable arm.

 

This would be a smart decision by the Bengals, because they most likely wouldn’t have to draft Boeckman.

 

In his junior season, Boeckman passed for 2,379 yards. This may look mediocre to some people, but the Buckeyes were a balanced team with Chris "Beanie" Wells getting a lot of carries.

 

Boeckman threw 25 touchdown passes and averaged almost eight yards a throw. He had a 64% completion average and a quarterback rating of 148.95.

 

They wouldn't need to worry about him complaining about playing time, because he accepts his role on the team as it's leader or as its support.

 

A great example of this is when Terrelle Pryor came into Ohio State. He could have pushed Pryor away, but he helped the young quarterback and watched him take his position on the field. I'm sure he was upset, but he knew the coach knew what was best for the team and he believed in him. He has great character.

 

I do not think they should have to draft him they have bigger needs than QB depth, but he would be a good asset to the team. Not having to draft Boeckman would make it easier for them to cut him if they needed to, and would set up for backup security.

 

With Fitzpatrick’s inability to get the ball down field the other play makers couldn’t get the offense clicking. Chad Johnson has dropped his fair share of balls, but last season the balls were over thrown or under thrown and not on target.

 

I personally thought they should have given young Jordan Palmer a shot where at least the long game could have been there.

 

The Bengals do need to think of having support if their stars go down Boeckman or not. If they don’t think ahead the “Who Dey” chant will certainly be changed to “Dey Who.”

 

Vote Now! - Author Poll

Would Todd Boeckman Be A Good Back-Up For Palmer?

  • Yes
  • No
  • He won't make it past free-agancy
vote to see results
Results - Author Poll

Would Todd Boeckman Be A Good Back-Up For Palmer?

  • Yes

    91.5%
  • No

    3.7%
  • He won't make it past free-agancy

    4.9%
  • Total votes: 82
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written on April 03, 2009 Opinion

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