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Both of them
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 10,302
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Thompson the No. 3 QB?
http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/spor...204756&ntpid=1
Quote:
Tom Clements wanted the word back the moment it escaped his lips.
The Green Bay Packers' quarterbacks coach had just been asked about No. 4 quarterback Paul Thompson, the undrafted rookie free agent from Oklahoma who has opened eyes during the first 11 days of training camp and could make a legitimate run at the No. 3 job behind Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers.
"We're surpris ..." Clements said, catching himself. "Uh, we're happy with him."
The truth is, the Packers are both — surprised and happy. While second-year quarterback Ingle Martin is still working as the No. 3, Thompson, who was projected by most NFL teams to be a wide receiver after his yo-yo career with the Sooners, has shown enough promise with his arm strength and athleticism he just might be a better long-term prospect than Martin, a fifth-round pick from Furman last year.
Asked why he was so surprised by — uh, happy with — Thompson, Clements replied, "I guess because we really didn't know about him. I looked at him a little bit on film before the draft, and I liked him, but until you get someone in and they actually start performing in your system, you really don't know about them. ... He's a diligent worker and he has a lot of ability. He's progressing."
Thompson came to the NFL with a host of questions because of the way his Oklahoma career played out. After spending two years backing up Jason White — including White's Heisman Trophy-winning 2003 season — Thompson redshirted in 2004 before winning the starting job during the 2005 training camp.
But when he struggled in a season-opening loss to Texas Christian, coach Bob Stoops benched him in favor of Rhett Bomar, and Thompson asked to be moved to wide receiver.
"Because I didn't want to back up again," explained Thompson, who ended up catching 11 passes for 106 yards in 10 games. "I wanted to play."
He was set to play receiver again as a senior when Bomar was kicked off the team by Stoops before the start of training camp last August — Bomar had violated NCAA rules by accepting money for a no-show job at a Norman, Okla., car dealership — and Stoops asked Thompson to move back to quarterback. He did, throwing for 2,590 yards and 21 touchdowns to lead the Sooners to the Fiesta Bowl, where they lost an unforgettable overtime thriller to Boise State 43-42.
Still, when he went undrafted in April, the Packers were the only team willing to consider Thompson as a quarterback. But Green Bay signed Louisiana-Lafayette's Jerry Babb, and Thompson signed with the New York Jets as a receiver. When Thompson worked out an agreement with the Packers to play quarterback, the Jets let him go and he signed with Green Bay May 16.
Although he struggled at first, the Packers saw enough that they released Babb and took Thompson to camp. Now, entering Saturday night's preseason opener at Pittsburgh, he's mounting a challenge for Martin's job.
"We have a pretty good battle for the No. 3 spot," coach Mike McCarthy admitted.
Natural ability
While Thompson's repetitions are limited when Favre practices — he gets one snap at most out of every five — he gets more playing time when Favre is out, as he was Tuesday morning. During that practice, Thompson threw back-to-back touchdown passes during an 11-on-11 session, lasering a picture-perfect pass to wide receiver Chris Francies on an out route against cornerback Frank Walker and lofting a high touch pass over linebacker Desmond Bishop to tight end Donald Lee.
"I'm definitely feeling more and more comfortable week-in and week-out with the offense and studying film and going through my playbook," Thompson said.
"At quarterback, more so than any other position, if you don't know what you're doing, then you're not going to be productive. So little by little, it's starting to come and I'm becoming more comfortable."
Thompson is at a disadvantage because Martin spent all of last season in the offense. Martin also has improved over last training camp, but Thompson is clearly more athletic and has a stronger arm.
"He has a lot of natural ability. He moves around well, has a strong arm, and he flashes a lot of talent when he's in there," Clements said.
Added Packers general manager Ted Thompson (no relation): "He's always the fourth guy in line, which is just the nature of the beast. But when he gets in there, I think he carries himself pretty well. He stands, (he's a) nice-looking athlete, stands tall in the pocket. I think he's got a good arm. He's made a few good throws, and he can move around a little bit. There's a little something about him."
Whether that something translates into the No. 3 job will be decided during the preseason. But for his part, Paul Thompson isn't interested in settling for a spot on the practice squad. He wants more than to be a developmental guy.
"I'm definitely not planning on being on the practice squad. Everyone here is trying to take someone else's spot, and I'm trying to do the same," Thompson said. "The No. 3 spot is what I'm going for, and I feel like I have the ability to take it. That's my mindset. We'll go from there.''
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Thompson the No. 3 QB?
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