It wasn’t that long ago when many scouts felt that Penn State’s Christian Hackenberg would be a future number one pick in the NFL Draft. Now many question if he is one of the top five quarterbacks in this year’s class. Plagued by inconsistency, poor offensive line play, and a terrible completion percentage, Hackenberg could find himself falling hard when the Draft arrives. Scouting Hackenberg I am not a big fan. My criticisms of the quarterback are that he doesn’t through a tight spiral, has trouble pushing the ball down field with his arm strength, and trouble reading defenses. As a prospect I see Hackenberg being a bust in the NFL, unless he is drafted by one team.
A reunion could happen with O’brien and Hackenberg. It would be in Hackenberg’s best chance to succeed in the NFL
The Houston Texans is the perfect landing spot for Hackenberg. Given that they are looking for a franchise quarterback after playing QB roulette last season with four different starters, Houston has never truly had a franchise quarterback since their inception in 2002. With the 22nd pick in the draft, Hackenberg figures to be available at that spot. While he fits the Texans’ need for a signal caller, the main reason this is a match made in heaven is because of head coach Bill O’Brien.
As the head football coach of Penn State, O’Brien recruited Hackenberg to Happy Valley and helped turned him into an enticing prospect after a stellar freshmen campaign. In O’Briens system, Hackenberg had his best season at the collegiate level with a 58.9 completion percentage, and 20 touchdown passes to 10 interceptions. It looked like the Nittany Lions would have a dynamic duo with O’Brien and Hackenberg, until O’Brien accepted the head coaching job in Houston.
Since James Franklin took the reigns of the Nittany Lions, Hackenberg regressed with his completion percentage and passing yards both as career lows in his final season at Penn State. Franklin’s system did hurt Hackenberg by often putting the quarterback out their with a below average offensive line and asking the quarterback to throw the ball down the field.
Now the question is does O’Brien want to recruit Hackenberg for the second time? Currently Hackenberg is the fifth quarterback on Mel Kiper’s big board. He should be available at the 22nd pick for the Texans. There are scenarios, could Houston pass on Hackenberg in the first round and hope to trade up for him in the second round? It’s possible but one thing that could cripple Hackenberg’s draft stock is the interest his former head coach gives him.
If O’Brien doesn’t draft Hackenberg in the first round, or worse not even attend his pro day, that would certainly scare off teams that could have interest. Those teams would have to be thinking “if he doesn’t want his former quarterback that he recruited, there must be some major red flags”. The lack of interest could mean that Hackenberg would have a major fall on draft day.
Will their be a Penn State reunion on draft day? Or will Hackenberg’s college regression translate into his stock plummeting during the draft? Stay tuned to find out.
Before they were the Ducks of Anaheim, a little company called Disney owned an NHL team known as the Mighty Ducks. While the team has desperately tried to change their image from the “Mighty” days, the problem is they never found a better logo then their previous incarnation. The webbed duck foot is a decent shoulder logo, but not a stand alone on the chest. The team has really hit it off with their current third uniform which brings back the double hockey stick duck goalie mask logo with a great color combination. The orange, gold, and black could make for three great uniforms, but one thing they should all have in common is the old Mighty Ducks logo with the new color pallet. The logo is too good to waste, and is the team’s best option unless they can come up with a better design.
The Penguins don’t have a logo problem, it’s a color problem. Their alternate jerseys are beautiful and should become the full-time uniform combo for a few reasons. One, it’s more vibrant and eye catching. Two, it pays tribute to the great Penguins’ teams of the early 90’s. Third, and most importantly it ties time with the rest of the city’s black and yellow color pallet. There’s nothing wrong with their current gold, it just doesn’t match the Steelers and Pirates. It’s time for all the Pittsburgh teams to be on the same page.
The Hurricanes have always had a very generic look with a less then inspiring logo. I’m sorry but if your logo reminds people of swirling toilet water, you have room for improvement. The team should completely change their image and go with the alternate uniform logo and design. The design is different then other teams, but most importantly the alternate logo is a vast improvement. The hurricane storm flag whipping in the wind on a hockey stick is a perfect logo for the team’s namesake, while the background triangle representing the state’s research triangle, is a subtle touch that pays homage to their Carolinas.
The Coyotes have always had an image problem, especially over the past few seasons. Since the team changed their brand, there has been a lot of confusion with uniforms featuring red, tan, and black with a generic looking howling coyote logo. This season the team brought back their 90’s throwbacks, which is a look they should go back to. The red, green, tan, and purple color pallet gave them a definitive look that none in the league could match, and the original coyote logo not only payed tribute to the native american tribes in the state, but was truly one of the most unique logos in NHL history. It’s time for the Coyotes to turn back the clock.
The Avalanche hit a home run with their new third uniform logo and design. The simpler design, and look perfectly sums up the team namesake and the city of Denver. While their current “A” logo is good, the main concern with the Avalanche brand is the uniforms. The current home and away set have so much going one with all the piping, design, colors, and odd number fonts. The current alternates a crisp, simple, and feature a great new logo. This is a look that the team should consider making a full-time change.
Rich Sports Talk 