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Fancy footwork Boller's running ability separates him from packPosted: Sunday February 23, 2003 10:42 PM
INDIANAPOLIS -- Of all the numbers emanating from the NFL Scouting Combine on Sunday -- which was quarterback workout day -- one resonated the loudest: 4.61. That was the 40-yard-dash time turned in by Cal quarterback Kyle Boller, whose quicker-than-expected showing mirrors his relatively fast and continued climb up teams' draft boards. If there was a buzz created by anyone in the quarterback grouping on Sunday, it mostly revolved around Boller, who didn't throw a single pass at the RCA Dome. "The one guy who made himself a lot of money and moved up today was Kyle Boller," one AFC personnel man said. "What he did today with that 40 was he separated himself so much. He was starting to really rise anyway; he really was. But his time here made people kind of stop and think, 'Hey, here's a guy who can move.'" Coming out of the Combine and entering the final two months of the predraft process, if there was any consensus regarding the top six quarterbacks, it seems to roughly fall in this order: USC's Carson Palmer remains the clear-cut No. 1-rated passer, with Marshall's Byron Leftwich, Boller, Texas's Chris Simms, Florida's Rex Grossman and Louisville's Dave Ragone following in slots 2-6. While Leftwich seems to be firmly entrenched in the No. 2 position for now, some personnel men were speculating that Boller could surpass him by draft day, depending on whether a team prefers a mobile quarterback or a traditional pocket passer like Leftwich. "If you want the athletic quarterback, the quarterback who can move, Boller can do that," the AFC personnel man said. "And he's a good quarterback; he's not just an athletic quarterback. He didn't throw, not yet, but he'll have his workout day, and if he throws well that day, he's going to be in great shape."
Of the top six passers, only Boller and Leftwich declined to take part in Sunday's throwing workout, with Leftwich neither running nor throwing because of the continued rehabilitation of his late-season leg injury. So why did Boller draw mostly positive reviews despite not showing off his arm? Chalk it up to the NFL's growing trend toward quarterbacks who can make plays on the move. "He's an athlete, and that [40 time] is certainly going to help his stock, no question," said Jon Gruden, head coach of the Super Bowl champion Bucs. "If you can run good here, that really helps you. Unfortunately, a lot of guys don't work out and don't run, which leaves us a little disappointed." In Boller's case, he disappointed NFL talent scouts Sunday for a reason. According to Boller's agent, Mike Sullivan of Octagon, Boller opted not to throw at the Combine as part of a calculated plan designed to draw attention to his athleticism. The thinking was this: Boller already wowed scouts with his passing arm at last month's Senior Bowl, outperforming every top-rated quarterback other than Palmer. And that was in a game or practice-field setting, rather than the artificial environment of the Combine, where quarterbacks wear shorts and no pads and throw a handful of passes to receivers they've never worked with before. Thus, having already impressed scouts with his arm, Boller's goal Sunday was to make them notice his feet. Mission accomplished. "Our plan was two-fold," Sullivan said by phone Sunday. "Kyle was going to go to the Senior Bowl to display his passing arm and quarterback skills, showing people he was as good as any of those other guys. And the second step was not to throw at the Combine, forcing them to put all the focus on his athletic skills. "After all, he had thrown for an entire week at the Senior Bowl under football conditions. Hundreds of passes. All different throws. Every kind of pass they wanted to see. Those were evaluated there. But at the Combine, we wanted them to see his athletic skills and his mobility." Some teams clocked Boller's 40 time as low as 4.59, a blazing performance for any quarterback not named Michael Vick. Sullivan said Boller's goal was to break 4.6 at the Combine. In addition, Boller, who is capable of a 360-degree dunk, checked in with a 35½ inch vertical jump on Sunday. "That was a shock to me; that was surprising," said Houston general manager Charley Casserly of Boller's timing in the 40. "I thought that was a positive for him. I was disappointed he didn't work out, but we've coached him in the Senior Bowl. He was there for seven days, and we got a good look at him there. I think he's a talented kid. I think he's got a big-time arm." Cincinnati head coach Marvin Lewis, whose Bengals hold the draft's top pick, was equally impressed with Boller's feet-first performance. "I'm sure he probably elevated himself in a lot of people's minds," said Lewis, whose team continues to be the most likely destination for Palmer. "I think it gives people more options, I'm sure it does. You've got a guy who displayed a lot athletically. He's got decent footwork, and he backs it up by running well." Most talent evaluators gave this year's quarterback crop a passing grade, saying few players did anything in Sunday's workout to hurt or drastically improve their draft standing. "After Palmer, I don't think anyone's going to grasp any ranking that firmly," the AFC personnel man said. "If you talk to 10 different teams, you get 10 different orders after Palmer. People like different things about the next five guys. "And it's tough to tell anything off of today, where they get two throws each [in a series] and then they're out, at least until you sit and study the tape. That's why I think Boller kind of separated himself, because the one way you could do that today was with your run." While many coaches and personnel men around the league said they have only three of the top six passers pegged for the first round at this early date, others put the number closer to five, with perhaps only Ragone, whose stock continues to slip, falling into the second round. "I think whoever needs a quarterback, if they wait, it'll be a mistake," said one league personnel man. "There's like seven teams that need a young quarterback, and if they think they're going to wait until the second round to get one, they could be in trouble. "There are teams at every level that need a quarterback, early in the round, middle and late. If the teams early in the round start trading back, it could be difficult to drop back and wait until the second round to get a quarterback. That's going to be the risk."
Don Banks covers pro football for SI.com.
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