Mike Reilly's funky throwing motion ... Mike Beamish ...

[WestCoastJoe]

At times, the NFL personnel guys are so stupid ...

They overlooked athletic, smaller quarterbacks for years. Some of that was racist thinking. Some of it was just shortsighted.

They overlooked scat backs, guys that thrived in the CFL. (Although the Giants under Parcells used scatbacks. And Emmitt Smith, who was considered undersized by most NFL teams, was seen by Jimmy Johnson as an outstanding talent.)

The Dallas Cowboys trade up to obtain the 17th pick in the draft and and use it to select Smith. "There were all these people saying, 'He's too slow,' or 'He's too small,"' Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson says. "All I know is that every time I saw a film of him, he was running 50, 60, 70, 80 yards for a touchdown. That looked pretty good to me."

They overlooked rush end types like James Parker.

They have often overlooked linebackers that "lack height."

And oftentimes the CFL has been the beneficiary of this myopic, safe thinking.
.............

They also often disregard quarterbacks with an unusual throwing style. Latest example is Mike Reilly. And once again the CFL is the beneficiary.

Article by Mike Beamish follows ...

[WestCoastJoe]

Lions' Mike Reilly found idols on diamond

By Mike Beamish, Vancouver SunOctober 23, 2012

VANCOUVER - Ivan (Pudge) Rodriguez was once celebrated as the best catcher in baseball, for his bat but mostly for his wondrous arm.

Springing to his feet, cocking his arm back like the drawstring on a crossbow, with the ball just behind his ear, Rodriguez gunned down doomed base runners trying to steal second or third. He left others, leaning off first, frantically pawing their way back to safety because of the velocity of his throws.

As a minor baseball player growing up in the Pacific Northwest, B.C. Lions quarterback Mike Reilly wanted to be Rodriguez.

“He was one of the guys I watched all the time,” Reilly said Tuesday, after practice. “Him, (Mike) Piazza, I liked all the catchers, because that’s the position I played. I tried to throw like Pudge, because I wanted to get the ball out there real quick. I thought it was beneficial. And I started doing the same motion when I played football, and just rolled with it.”

More Pudge than Peyton Manning, Reilly’s throwing delivery -- which football people refer to as “funky” not textbook -- will be on display for the second straight game Friday, when the Lions play the Calgary Stampeders at McMahon Stadium.

First-stringer Travis Lulay, who had his streak of 39 consecutive starts snapped last week, when a sore shoulder ruled him out of a game against the Edmonton Eskimos at BC Place, had exactly zero reps in practice Tuesday. He tossed the ball once with his left arm; another time he threw it under-handed. But his right arm, the one attached to his injured shoulder, stayed mostly inert, or wrapped around him, trying to ward off the cold.

“I didn’t throw at all today. None,” Lulay explained. “The last two days have been rest days. That was the plan. Maybe I’ll get a chance to warm up Wednesday (today) and see where we’re at.”

Lions head coach Mike Benevides is going on the assumption that Lulay won’t play against the Stampeders but he expects him to be ready for the final regular-season game, Nov. 3, against the Saskatchewan Roughriders, two weeks before the team plays host to the West Division final on Nov. 18.

The 12-4 Lions clinched first place with a 39-19 win over the Eskimos.

“When Travis is ready, he needs to play,” Benevides said. “As soon as he says, ‘Coach, I’m good’ and the docs and trainer tell me he’s good, he’s going in.”

If Benevides is pining for Lulay’s full arm strength to come back this week, he certainly doesn’t show it -- not after what Reilly did last game against the Eskimos, when that funky arm motion threw for 276 yards and two touchdowns. It may be more representative of a baseball catcher or a shot putter, the way Reilly cocks the ball near his earhole and fires. But it’s an arm that broke Jon Kitna’s records at Central Washington, got him an invite to the NFL combine and camp time with the Steelers, Packers, Rams and Seahawks. They liked his NFL size (6-foot-3, 220), and running ability, but Reilly was a curiosity when it came to throwing the football.

“It’s definitely unconventional. It’s not a wind-up by any stretch,” Reilly explained. “There’s the normal throwing motion that people deem as purrfect. Then you have a wind-up like Tim Tebow or Byron Leftwich that takes too long. Mine’s on the other end of the extreme, where people think I don’t wind up enough. They think I don’t have enough strength on the ball. I got labelled, when I came out of college, as not having a strong arm. I think it was based on my throwing motion, not what was actually happening. It’s unfortunate they were going more by the ‘look factor.’”

Only one NFL team, however -- the Seahawks -- actually tried to monkey with Reilly’s mechanics.

The Packers? They didn’t care, as long as he could get it out there, when it was supposed to be there. And that’s what Lions fans saw Friday night -- more fling than flutter.

Reilly put a lie to the belief he doesn’t put enough zip on the ball with a spectacular end-zone throw to Courtney Taylor, into a tight window. He also made a purrfect touch pass to Akeem Foster that resulted in a 47-yard gain.

For Lulay, who knows what Reilly went through, it was conformation of the larger perspective that the end result is what counts.

“Unfortunately, a guy like Mike, with a little bit of a funky throwing motion, failed the (NFL) eye test,” Lulay said. “If you’re watching game film, though, you ask these questions: ‘Does he get the ball out on time? Does he have enough zip on his throws?’ There are a lot of productive guys who don’t do everything the way scouts believe it should happen.”

He may be more Pudge Rodriguez than Philip Rivers, but CFL teams that underestimate Mike Reilly might do so at their peril.

[WestCoastJoe]

More Pudge than Peyton Manning, Reilly’s throwing delivery -- which football people refer to as “funky” not textbook -- will be on display for the second straight game Friday, when the Lions play the Calgary Stampeders at McMahon Stadium.

If Benevides is pining for Lulay’s full arm strength to come back this week, he certainly doesn’t show it -- not after what Reilly did last game against the Eskimos, when that funky arm motion threw for 276 yards and two touchdowns. It may be more representative of a baseball catcher or a shot putter, the way Reilly cocks the ball near his earhole and fires. But it’s an arm that broke Jon Kitna’s records at Central Washington, got him an invite to the NFL combine and camp time with the Steelers, Packers, Rams and Seahawks. They liked his NFL size (6-foot-3, 220), and running ability, but Reilly was a curiosity when it came to throwing the football.

Size. Mobility. Gets the ball there, fast. Funky throwing motion. Cut him ... D'oh ...

“It’s definitely unconventional. It’s not a wind-up by any stretch,” Reilly explained. “There’s the normal throwing motion that people deem as purrfect. Then you have a wind-up like Tim Tebow or Byron Leftwich that takes too long. Mine’s on the other end of the extreme, where people think I don’t wind up enough. They think I don’t have enough strength on the ball. I got labelled, when I came out of college, as not having a strong arm. I think it was based on my throwing motion, not what was actually happening. It’s unfortunate they were going more by the ‘look factor.’”

Only one NFL team, however -- the Seahawks -- actually tried to monkey with Reilly’s mechanics.

The Packers? They didn’t care, as long as he could get it out there, when it was supposed to be there. And that’s what Lions fans saw Friday night -- more fling than flutter.

Not surprised the Packers don't follow conventional NFL thinking. Their GM, Ted Thompson, is very astute IMO.

Reilly put a lie to the belief he doesn’t put enough zip on the ball with a spectacular end-zone throw to Courtney Taylor, into a tight window. He also made a purrfect touch pass to Akeem Foster that resulted in a 47-yard gain.

For Lulay, who knows what Reilly went through, it was conformation of the larger perspective that the end result is what counts.

“Unfortunately, a guy like Mike, with a little bit of a funky throwing motion, failed the (NFL) eye test,” Lulay said. “If you’re watching game film, though, you ask these questions: ‘Does he get the ball out on time? Does he have enough zip on his throws?’ There are a lot of productive guys who don’t do everything the way scouts believe it should happen.”

Exactly right. And even a wobbly pass thrower can get it done, especially in the older days. Kapp. Kilmer. Wilkinson. Montana had no rocket arm. Some of Calvillo's passes wobble. Some of Lulay's passes wobble a bit. Doesn't matter, it seems to me. Does it get there? Accurately. On time.

And Reilly's throwing motion? Looks good to me. Tight spirals come out of that motion. Fast, accurate. Good zip. The NFL needs to give its collective head a shake at times. But then ... we CFL fans do benefit from their cave man thinking at times.

[TheLionKing]

Bruce Lemmerman of the Eskimos didn't exactly having the classic mechanics.

[Blitz]

When you first watch Reilley's throwing motion it looks very wierd, But it is very efficient. Its a much faster release than other quarterbacks throw because its slightly abbreviated from a ful motion. But that quick release, combined with strength, gets the ball to a receiver fast and accurate.

I don't care what a quarterback looks like or any other player...its whether he gets the job done. Stereotypes don't always work out for the best. Look at Bighill for example. The guy is awesome but he does not look like a stereotypical middle linebacker. Look at Valli..he looks like a stereotypical offensive lineman. and he often doesn;t get the job done.

Sometimes its not always wise to stay in the box.

[Tighthead]

Did anyone look worse throwing the football than Bernie Kosar?

[South Pender]

I'm surprised no one (including Beamish, who has never seemed very astute or knowledgeable to me) has mentioned Philip Rivers' very unconventional throwing motion. (Beamish mentions Rivers at the end as one with great throwing motion by his comment "more Pudge Rodriguez than Philip Rivers"!). His (Rivers') throwing mechanics have something of a shot-put element to them, and this has been picked up many times by the NFL play-by-play and colour guys. So it's clear that unconventional throwing motion hasn't always disqualified QBs in the NFL. Despite his throwing motion (which, to my eye, looks "funkier" than Reilly's), Rivers has, until this year, racked up great QB ratings through the years and has been considered a top NFL QB.

And when it comes to "flutter," Peyton Manning often throws flutter-balls. But they're accurate. I guess flutter slows the ball down a little, but, other than aesthetics, doesn't seem to have serious negative consequences.

And a quick release--which seems to accompany Reilly's throwing mechanics--is a big asset for a QB.

[Rammer]

I'm surprised no one (including Beamish, who has never seemed very astute or knowledgeable to me) has mentioned Philip Rivers' very unconventional throwing motion. (Beamish mentions Rivers at the end as one with great throwing motion by his comment "more Pudge Rodriguez than Philip Rivers"!). His (Rivers') throwing mechanics have something of a shot-put element to them, and this has been picked up many times by the NFL play-by-play and colour guys. So it's clear that unconventional throwing motion hasn't always disqualified QBs in the NFL. Despite his throwing motion (which, to my eye, looks "funkier" than Reilly's), Rivers has, until this year, racked up great QB ratings through the years and has been considered a top NFL QB.

And when it comes to "flutter," Peyton Manning often throws flutter-balls. But they're accurate. I guess flutter slows the ball down a little, but, other than aesthetics, doesn't seem to have serious negative consequences.

And a quick release--which seems to accompany Reilly's throwing mechanics--is a big asset for a QB.

The flutter ball does have an impact in windy conditions, as you suggest it slows the ball down, but in windy conditions knock that ball down even moreso. Reilly's throwing motion isn't affecting his zip and it appears that it is a tight spiral as well, combine that with a quicker release and that he isn't as likely to get the ball ripped from behind by a would be tackler, and it actually is an enhancement.

[South Pender]

Another interesting thing about Reilly's throwing is, despite an abbreviated wind-up, he seems able to throw the deep ball very well, and to put real mustard on his throws. This has been remarked on by some. Most of the thrust comes from the wrist and forearm, I think. I recall being taught how to throw a football many decades ago, and the conventional wisdom at that time seemed to be to bring the ball back to your ear and flick it with as much power as possible. Big windups were discouraged.

[South Pender]

When Casey Printers first came to the Lions, his throwing mechanics were widely criticized--described, IIRC, as 'herky-jerky." If I'm remembering things correctly, some effort was made by Lions coaches to correct his throwing motion. In any case, he did have one great passing year. The guy whose throwing mechanics I most admire is Aaron Rodgers. Geez, a flick of the wrist and...boom (sorry John Madden)...the ball's 60 yards downfield, with a tight spiral, on a rope, and right on the money.