An example of quarterback positioning in an offensive formation

Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick looks to pass during a game with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Quarterback (QB, originally called blocking back)^[1] is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line. Quarterbacks are the leaders of the offensive team, responsible for calling the play in the huddle.

Description[link]

At most levels, but especially at the college and professional level, the quarterback role is the most visible and important role on the team. The position is probably the most influential among all team sports in the success or failure of the team. The quarterback touches the ball on nearly every offensive play and has a great deal of responsibility both in calling plays and making decisions during the play.^[2]

While there is liberal substitution at most positions in football based on the play call and to minimize player fatigue, most quarterbacks are on the field for every offensive play leaving only for injury or when the game's outcome is no longer in doubt. Quarterbacks are frequently chosen early in the NFL Draft and often receive much more lucrative contracts than other positions. As of 2011, players in this position have won more Super Bowl MVP awards (24 of 45) than players at all other positions combined.

The presence or absence of a star quarterback usually greatly affects the team. For example, by ensuring that the team would be able to select Robert Griffin III of Baylor University in the 2012 draft, the Washington Redskins likely became more attractive for free agents who wished to play with the Heisman Trophy winner.^[3] By contrast, the Indianapolis Colts—among the most successful franchises in any sport during the 2000s with quarterback Peyton Manning—had a 2-14 record in 2011 because of injuries that prevented Manning from playing. A non-star quarterback on a winning team may be called a "game manager" if he avoids making mistakes that prevent his team's defense and rushing offenses from succeeding.^[2]

Role[link]

As the term "quarterback" gained acceptance in the 1930s, it originally referred to the player's position relative to other members of the offensive backfield. Before the emergence of the T-formation in the 1940s, all members of the offensive backfield were legitimate threats to run or pass the ball, and most teams used four offensive backs on every play: a quarterback, two halfbacks, and a fullback. The quarterback began each play a quarter of the way back, the halfbacks began each play side by side and halfway back, and the fullback began each play the farthest back. Now that most offensive formations have only one or two running backs, the original designations do not mean as much, as the fullback is now usually a lead blocker (technically a halfback), while the halfback or tailback (called such because he stands at the "tail" of the I) lines up behind the fullback.

Traditionally, quarterbacks have been responsible for calling the team's offensive plays based on the defense's formation, or game situation. To choose the proper play, quarterbacks often spend time rehearsing and studying prearranged plays during their team's practice sessions.

In recent years, the rise of offensive coordinators has led partiality toward a scripted game plan. The offensive coordinators and coaches usually give the quarterback information via a built-in headphone in the helmet as to what to do before the play. Quarterbacks are allowed to hear, but not talk to, their coaches until there are fifteen seconds left on the play clock.^[4] The quarterback then relays the information to teammates and executes the plays. When the players are set in a formation, the quarterback starts the play by calling out a code word, a number, or a combination of the two.

Dallas Cowboys head coach Tom Landry was an early advocate of taking play calling out of the quarterback's hands. Although this remained a common practice in the NFL through the 1970s, fewer QBs were doing it by the 1980s and even Hall-of-Famers like Joe Montana did not call their own plays. Buffalo Bills QB Jim Kelly was one of the last to regularly call plays. Among current NFL QBs, Peyton Manning of the Denver Broncos has been known to call all, or nearly all, of his team's plays using a no-huddle offense.^{[citation needed]}

Special tactics[link]

If quarterbacks are uncomfortable with the formation the defense is using, they may call an audible change to their play. For example, if a quarterback receives the call to execute a running play, but he notices that the defense is ready to blitz—that is, to send additional defensive backs across the line of scrimmage in an attempt to tackle the quarterback or thwart his ability to pass—the quarterback may want to change the play. To do this, the quarterback yells a special code, like "Blue 42," or "Texas 29," which tells the offense to switch to a specific play or formation.

Also, quarterbacks can "spike" or throw the football at the ground to stop the official game clock. For example, if a team is down by a field goal with only seconds remaining, a quarterback may spike the ball to prevent the game clock from running out. This usually allows the field goal unit to come onto the field, or attempt a final "Hail Mary pass". However, if a team is winning, a quarterback can keep the clock running by kneeling after the snap. This is normally done when the opposing team has no timeouts and there is little time left in the game, as it allows a team to burn up the remaining time on the clock without risking a turnover or injury.

Receiving[link]

While quarterbacks are mainly not a factor in terms of receiving forward passes, some trick plays, like the flea flicker, require quarterbacks to catch a lateral by a wide receiver or running back before delivering a forward pass. In the wildcat formation, a quarterback lines up as a flank receiver who can be used to catch a forward pass. Typically the quarterback is not thrown to in this formation, but serves as a decoy, as even the least mobile quarterbacks are capable of catching a ball for positive yardage. Occasionally, some backup quarterbacks may be used to receive long snaps as a holder for field goal or extra point attempts, as quarterbacks generally have good ball handling skills, and may have to become the passer in the event of a bad snap, an aborted kick attempt or a designed trick play.

Under NFL rules, if a quarterback lines up under center, he is by definition ineligible and not allowed to receive a forward pass. However, in college and high school ball, quarterbacks are eligible receivers (by a special exemption in the high school rule books) regardless of whether they are under center or in a shotgun formation. The NFL allows a quarterback in a shotgun formation to receive a forward pass.

Dual-threat quarterbacks[link]

Michael Vick, a member of the NFC team at the NFL's 2006 Pro Bowl, uses his mobility to elude Dwight Freeney.

With the rise of several blitz heavy defensive schemes and increasingly faster defensive players, the importance of a mobile quarterback has been redefined. While arm power, accuracy, and pocket presence – the ability to successfully operate from within the "pocket" formed by his blockers – are still the most important quarterback virtues, the ability to elude or run past defenders creates an additional threat that allows greater flexibility in the team's passing and running game.

This is generally more successful at the college level. Typically, a quarterback with exceptional quickness is used in an option offense, which allows the quarterback to either hand the ball off, run it himself, or pitch it to the running back following him at a distance of three yards outside and one yard behind. This type of offense forces defenders to commit to either the running back up the middle, the quarterback around the end, or the running back trailing the quarterback. It is then that the quarterback has the "option" to identify which match up is most favorable to the offense as the play unfolds and exploit that defensive weakness. In the college game, many schools employ several plays that are designed for the quarterback to run with the ball. This is much less common in professional football, except for a quarterback sneak, but there is still an emphasis on being mobile enough to escape a heavy pass rush. Super Bowl XXIX MVP and Hall of Famer Steve Young was famously known for being a dual-threat quarterback. He was the first player ever to win the Super Bowl with the most touchdowns (6) and being the leading rusher of the game.

Two quarterback system[link]

Some teams employ a strategy which involves the use of more than one quarterback during the course of a game. This is more common at lower levels of football, such as high school or small college, but rare in major college or professional football.

There are three circumstances in which a two-quarterback system may be used.

The first is a circumstance in which a team is in the process of determining which quarterback will eventually be the starter, and may choose to use each quarterback for part of the game in order to compare the performances.

The second, still occasionally seen in major-college football, is the use of different quarterbacks in different game or down/distance situations. Generally this involves a running quarterback and a passing quarterback in an option or wishbone offense. This strategy had all but disappeared from professional football, but returned to some extent with the advent of the "wildcat" offense.

The third is a starter/reliever system, in which the starting quarterback may be replaced later in the game if ineffective. This is distinct from a situation in which a starter is benched in favor of the back-up because the switch is part of the game plan, and the expectation is that the two players will assume the same roles game-after-game. This strategy is rare, and was last seen in the NFL in the "WoodStrock" combination of Don Strock and David Woodley, which took the Miami Dolphins to the Epic in Miami and Super Bowl XVII the following year.

See also[link]

• American football quarterbacks
• Canadian Football League quarterbacks
• List of quarterbacks with multiple Super Bowl wins

References[link]

External links[link]

• Sports Illustrated's 10 Best Journeymen
• ArmchairGM's 100 Greatest Quarterbacks of the Modern Era

Johnny Mack Brown (September 1, 1904 – November 14, 1974) was an American college football player and film actor^[1] originally billed as John Mack Brown at the height of his screen career.

Early life[link]

Born and raised in Dothan, Alabama, Brown was a star of the high school football team, earning a football scholarship to the University of Alabama. Playing the halfback position on his university's Crimson Tide football team, he earned the nickname "The Dothan Antelope" and helped his team to become the 1926 NCAA Division I-A national football champions. In that year's Rose Bowl Game, he earned Most Valuable Player honors after scoring two of his team's three touchdowns in an upset win over the heavily favored Washington Huskies. While at The University of Alabama, Brown became an initiated member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity.

Film career[link]

His good looks and powerful physique saw him portrayed on Wheaties cereal boxes and in 1927, brought an offer for motion picture screen tests that resulted in a long and successful career in Hollywood. He played silent film star Mary Pickford's love interest in her first talkie, Coquette (1929), for which Pickford won an Oscar.

He appeared in minor roles until 1930 when he was cast as the star in a Western entitled Billy the Kid and directed by King Vidor. An early widescreen film (along with Raoul Walsh's The Big Trail with John Wayne, produced the same year), the movie also features Wallace Beery as Pat Garrett. Brown was billed over Beery, who would become the studio's highest paid actor within the next three years. Also in 1930, Brown played Joan Crawford's love interest in Montana Moon. Brown went on to make several more top-flight movies under the name John Mack Brown, including The Secret Six (1931) with Wallace Beery, Jean Harlow, and Clark Gable, as well as the legendary Lost Generation celebration of alcohol, The Last Flight (1931), and was being groomed by MGM as a leading man until being abruptly replaced on Laughing Sinners in 1931, with all his scenes reshot, substituting rising star Clark Gable in his place.

Rechristened "Johnny Mack Brown" in the wake of this extremely serious career downturn, he made exclusively low budget westerns and eventually became one of the screen's top B-movie cowboy stars, making 127 western films during his career, including Ride 'Em Cowboy with Abbott and Costello. A fan of Mexican music, he showcased the talents of guitarist Francisco Mayorga and The Guadalajara Trio in films like Boss of Bullion City and The Masked Rider. Brown also starred in four serials for Universal Studios (Rustlers of Red Dog, Wild West Days, Flaming Frontiers and The Oregon Trail) and was a hero to millions of young children at movie theaters and on their television screens.

When the B-Western genre dropped sharply in box office popularity, Johnny Mack Brown went into retirement in 1953. He returned more than ten years later to appear in secondary roles in a few Western films. Altogether, Brown appeared in over 160 movies between 1927 and 1966, as well as a smattering of television shows, in a career spanning almost forty years.

Personal life[link]

Brown was married to Cornelia "Connie" Foster from 1926 to his death in 1974, and they had four children.

Awards[link]

In recognition of his contribution to the motion picture industry, Brown was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6101 Hollywood Blvd. In 1969, Brown was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.

Death[link]

Brown died in Woodland Hills, California of heart failure at the age of 70. Brown's cremated remains are interred in an outdoor Columbarium, in Glendale's Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery.

Selected filmography[link]

• Slide, Kelly, Slide, 1927
• The Fair Co-Ed, 1927
• Our Dancing Daughters, 1928
• A Woman of Affairs, 1928
• The Divine Woman, 1928
• A Lady of Chance, 1928
• The Valiant, 1929
• The Single Standard, 1929
• Coquette, 1929
• Billy the Kid, 1930
• Great Day, 1930 (incomplete & unreleased)
• Montana Moon, 1930
• The Last Flight, 1931
• The Secret Six, 1931
• The Great Meadow, 1931
• Fighting with Kit Carson, 1933 (12-chapter serial)
• Female, 1933
• Belle of the Nineties, 1934
• Branded a Coward, 1935
• The Courageous Avenger, 1935
• Rustlers of Red Dog, 1935 (12-chapter serial)
• Rogue of the Range, 1936
• Desert Phantom, 1936
• The Crooked Trail, 1936
• Wild West Days, 1937 (13-chapter serial)
• Born to the West, 1937
• Lawless Land, 1937
• Bar-Z Bad Men, 1937
• A Lawman Is Born, 1937
• Flaming Frontiers, 1938 (15-chapter serial)
• The Oregon Trail, 1939 (15-chapter serial)
• Boss of Bullion City, 1940
• Law and Order, 1940
• Law of the Range, 1941
• Deep in the Heart of Texas, 1942
• Ride 'Em Cowboy, 1942
• The silver Bullet 1942
• Law Men 1944
• Gun Smoke 1945
• Stampede, 1949

References[link]

1. ^ Obituary Variety, November 20, 1974.

External links[link]

Biography portal

• Johnny Mack Brown at the Internet Movie Database
• Johnny Mack Brown at AllRovi
• Johnny Mack Brown at Find a Grave
• College Football Hall of Fame Official Biography
• Johnny Mack Brown at B-Westerns
• Photographs and literature

Alex Tanney (born 1987) is an American football quarterback from Lexington, Illinois.He was the starting quarterback for the Monmouth College Fighting Scots. Tanney missed the entire 2010-11 season after tearing his A-C joint in his right shoulder in the Midwest Conference season opener, home debut against Grinnell College, and 1,000th game in school history.^[1] Tanney is known for making a montage video showing trick football throws that went viral.^[2] On October 29, 2011, in a game against Carroll University, Tanney set the NCAA record for all-time career touchdown passes.

Football career[link]

High School[link]

He was a three-sport high school standout athlete at Lexington High School in Lexington, Illinois. He was a two time first team Illinois All-State quarterback and lead his team to the IHSA state semi-finals his senior year. He holds nearly every football passing record at Lexington. He was also a star basketball player becoming the all-time points leader in LHS history. Tanney also placed at the IHSA State Track and Field Finals his junior and senior years.

College (2008-present)[link]

Tanney was named Pre-Season All-American for the 2009 season. He was named the 2008 Midwest Conference Offensive Player of the year headlining the First-Team offensive squad. After only two years at Monmouth Tanney has shattered nearly every Monmouth College passing record. He leads in five different categories. These include yardage (3,624) and touchdowns (50) in the 2008 season. In just two years, he set the new career marks for completions with (560) and games with over 300 yards (14). With two years remaining, he is just nine touchdowns shy of the career mark of 83 touchdown passes.

Tanney was awarded the 2009 Melberger trophy which is given annually to the best player in Division III. He repeated again as the Midwest Conference Player of the Year while leading the Scots to the playoffs throwing for the most passing yards in the country with 3,856 yards and tossing 44 touchdowns while rushing for one. He was also named second team All-American by D3football.com and First Team All-West Region.

In 2011 a quarterback trick shot video highlighting Tanneys talent went viral. Subsequently in July 2011, History Channel’s “Stan Lee’s Superhumans” filmed an episode featuring Tanney. The episode featured Tanney's "super-human" throwing accuracy.^[3]

On October 29, 2011, in a game against Carroll University, Tanney set the NCAA record for all-time career touchdown passes with 150, surpassing Jimmy Terwilliger who had 148. Tanney finished his collegiate career with 157 touchdown passes.

In February 2012, Tanney was selected to take part in the 2012 NFL Prospects All-Star game; featuring many top Division I players.

Professional Career[link]

Buffalo Bills[link]

Tanney declared for the 2012 NFL Draft and was projected as low as a sixth round pick. However, he was not chosen by any team. He was invited to the Pittsburgh Steelers rookie mini-camps as an undrafted free agent.^[4]

On May 1, 2012, Tanney announced via Twitter he would not travel to train with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and would instead take a rookie mini-camp spot for the Buffalo Bills.^[5] On May 15, 2012 it was announced that the Bills had not extended a contract with Tanney making him a free agent.^[6]

Awards and Accomplishments[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• http://www.grinnell.edu/athletics/Football/includes/MWC_FB_AC_08.pdf
• http://www.monm.edu/sportsinfo/releases/2009/1.football-four_all-american_05-01-09.htm
• http://www.pantagraph.com/sports/article_e30e8dee-aa46-529a-8c9a-da576ebe900c.html
• http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospectrankings/TSX/2011_QB
• http://cdsdraft.com/profile.php?id=3579

Robert P. Griffin
United States Senator from Michigan
In office May 11, 1966 – January 3, 1979 Serving with Philip A. Hart (1966-1975) and Donald W. Riegle, Jr. (1975-1979)
Preceded by	Patrick V. McNamara
Succeeded by	Carl Levin
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 9th district
In office January 3, 1957 – May 10, 1966
Preceded by	Ruth Thompson
Succeeded by	Guy Vander Jagt
14th Minority Whip of the United States Senate
In office September 7, 1969 – January 3, 1977
Leader	Hugh D. Scott, Jr.
Preceded by	Hugh D. Scott, Jr. (R)
Succeeded by	Ted Stevens (R)
Personal details
Born	(1923-11-06) November 6, 1923 (age 88) Detroit, Michigan
Nationality	American
Political party	Republican
Alma mater	Central Michigan College University of Michigan Law School
Religion	Congregationalist
Military service
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1943–1946
Unit	71st Infantry Division
Battles/wars	World War II

Robert Paul Griffin (born November 6, 1923) was a U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator from the state of Michigan and Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court.

Griffin was born in Detroit, Michigan and attended public schools in Garden City and Dearborn. During the Second World War, he enlisted in the 71st Infantry Division in 1943 and spent fourteen months in Europe. After the war, he graduated from Central Michigan College (now Central Michigan University) at Mount Pleasant in 1947. He received a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School and was admitted to the bar in 1950. He commenced the practice of law in Traverse City.

Griffin was elected as a Republican to U.S. House of Representatives from the Michigan's 9th congressional district in 1956, unseating incumbent Ruth Thompson in the Republican primary. He served in the Eighty-fifth United States Congress and to the four succeeding Congresses, serving from January 3, 1957, until his resignation May 10, 1966. He was appointed by Governor George Romney on May 11, 1966, to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Patrick V. McNamara. He was elected November 8, 1966, to a full six-year term, defeating former Governor Soapy Williams by a 56% to 44% margin, commencing January 3, 1967 and was reelected in 1972, winning a tough race against state Attorney General Frank J. Kelley, and served from May 11, 1966, to January 2, 1979. He was Republican Whip 1969–1977. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1978, narrowly defeated by Democrat Carl Levin. He was a justice of the Michigan Supreme Court 1987–1994. His son, Richard Allen Griffin, was a judge on the Michigan Court of Appeals from 1989 to 2005, until he was appointed by President George W. Bush to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in 2005.

During Griffin's first Senate campaign in 1966, a suburban Detroit rock band, Doug Brown and the Omens, released a promotional flexidisc in support of his candidacy. The song, "Give Bob The Ball" (which extolled Griffin's "youth and experience") has been included on the garage rock compilation album Friday At The Hideout.

Robert Griffin is currently (as of 2010^[update]) a resident of Traverse City.

Bibliography[link]

• Griffin, Robert P. "The Landrum-Griffin Act: Twelve Years of Experience in Protecting Employee Rights." Georgia Law Review 5 (summer 1971): 622–42
• Griffin, Robert P. "Rules and Procedure of the Standing Committees." In We Propose: A Modern Congress, edited by Mary McInnis, pp. 37–53. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1966.

External links[link]

• Presentation of the Portrait of the Honorable Robert P. Griffin
• Robert P. Griffin at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

v t e United States Senate Minority Whips Wadsworth • Curtis • Gerry • Sheppard • Hebert • Wherry • Lucas • Saltonstall • Clements • Saltonstall • Dirksen • Kuchel • Scott • Griffin • Stevens • Cranston • Simpson • Ford • Reid • Nickles • Reid • Nickles • Reid • Durbin • Lott • Kyl

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Ryan Mallett (born June 5, 1988), nicknamed "Big Tex",^[1] is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL), taken in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks.^[2] Mallett spent his freshman year at the University of Michigan, but transferred when head coach Lloyd Carr retired.

High school career[link]

Mallett graduated from Texas High School in Texarkana, Texas, and was ranked as the #2 quarterback and #4 overall player in the nation by Rivals.com. He was also the Gatorade Player of the Year in Texas in 2006. Mallett participated in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in 2007 and won the Glenn Davis Army Award as the best player on the West team.

High school statistics[link]

Source:^[3]

College career[link]

2007 team huddle with Mario Manningham (86), Mallett (15), Mike Hart (20), Jake Long (77), Adrian Arrington (16), Mike Massey (83), Justin Boren (65), Carson Butler (85), and Stephen Schilling (52) against Penn State

Mallett rolls out against Penn State. Jake Long and Justin Boren are among the visible linemen.

Mallett hands off to Mike Hart

2007[link]

Mallett made his first appearance at Michigan in the second game of the 2007 season against Oregon. He entered the game for the injured Chad Henne in the third quarter and completed 6 of 17 passes for 49 yards and one interception. Mallett started the next week against Notre Dame and led the Wolverines to a 38-0 victory by throwing 3 touchdown passes, going 7/15 (46.7%) for 90 yards. Mallett started his first Big Ten conference game against Penn State the following week. He went 16/29 (55.2%) with 170 yards and one interception. He also scored on a 10-yard rush in the first quarter. Henne returned to start the Wolverines' next three games. In those games, Mallett had limited playing time completing 4/10 for 30 yards.

Mallett's next start was against Minnesota. He threw a touchdown pass and went 11/20 (55.0%) with 233 yards and no interceptions. Mallett did not start, but played extensively the next week in a loss against Wisconsin. He threw 3 touchdown passes and went 11/36 (30.6%) with 245 yards and two interceptions. In the fourth quarter, Mallett threw a 97 yard touchdown pass to Mario Manningham, the longest pass completion in Michigan history.^[4] Mallett played very little in the next week's game against Ohio State. He threw three passes and completed one of them for eight yards.

Departure from Michigan[link]

Mallett's departure from Michigan was widely expected after new head coach Rich Rodriguez was hired to replace retiring coach Lloyd Carr. Rodriguez overhauled Michigan's offense and installed a "spread" option offensive scheme, which did not fit Mallett's skills as a drop-back, pocket quarterback.

On January 14, 2008, Mallett made his move back to his home state official and enrolled at the University of Arkansas, where he was ineligible to play during the 2008 season due to NCAA transfer policies.

Arkansas[link]

2009[link]

In 2009 as a redshirt sophomore, Mallett began his career as an Arkansas Razorback, under the direction of head coach Bobby Petrino. Prior to the 2009 season, Mallett was named by ESPN's Bruce Feldman as one of college football's top 10 newcomers of the year, citing his arm strength as a major determining factor.^[5] In subsequent interviews, when Mallett was questioned about how far he could throw the football, he said farther than 80 yards.^[6]

On March 1, 2009, he was arrested on charges of public intoxication.^[7][8] He pled guilty to the misdemeanor charge on April 3, 2009 and paid $155 in court costs, fines, and fees. Mallett was also punished by Coach Petrino with early wake up calls, extra running, and early curfews.^[9]

Mallett earned the starting job in the Razorbacks' first game against Missouri State, going 17-of-22 for 309 yards and a touchdown. Two weeks later, Mallett passed for 408 yards and five touchdowns against Georgia in a losing effort. The passing yardage and touchdowns were single game school records. Ryan would throw for more than 250 yards in three of Arkansas' next five games, with nine touchdowns against three interceptions. Impressive victories over Texas A&M and Auburn were coupled with tough losses to Alabama and Ole Miss, and a loss vs. Florida. After a dismal 3-4 start, Mallett led Arkansas to three consecutive victories over Eastern Michigan (14-of-16 for 248 yards and three touchdowns), South Carolina (23-of-27 for 329 yards and one rushing touchdown), and Troy (23-of-30 for 405 yards, five touchdowns and one interception). Over those three games, he completed 83.1 % of his passes, and had a quarterback rating of 165.05, which was third-best in the nation. The victory over Troy pushed Arkansas' record to 6-4 and secured the Hogs' bowl eligibility, with games against Mississippi State and LSU remaining. Mallett went on to throw for 313 yards and matched his career high of five touchdown passes in a 42-21 victory over Mississippi State. The following week, he threw for 227 yards and a touchdown in a 33-30 overtime loss to LSU in Baton Rouge. Ryan was named to the All-SEC 2nd Team squad by the coaches and the AP for his performance during the season, behind Florida QB Tim Tebow despite superior passing statistics. The Razorbacks finished the 2009 season with an 8-5 record and won the 2010 Liberty Bowl against East Carolina University, 20-17 in OT. Mallett was named the bowl game's Offensive MVP.

Mallett currently owns sixteen school records, including most passing yards in a season (3,627), most consecutive passes without an INT, most passing yards in a game (408), most passing touchdowns in a game (5 - three times), only quarterback to pass for over 400 yards in a game (two times), most pass plays of 25 or more yards in a season, and most passing TD in a single season (30).

Mallett chose to forgo entering the 2010 NFL Draft, and return for his junior season at Arkansas. Mallett was considered among the top five quarterbacks if he had entered the draft.^{[citation needed]}

Mallett matched or broke 16 school records at Arkansas in 2009.

2010[link]

Mallett receiving a snap against Alabama in 2010.

It was announced on February 17 that Mallett had suffered a left foot injury in a change of direction conditioning drill.^[10] The junior had successful surgery later that day, and a planned second surgery was announced on June 9.^[11][12] Mallett missed the Razorback spring game and spring drills, but he did not miss fall camp. During the off season, Mallett was named one of college football's most irreplaceable players by ESPN.com, and he appeared on College Football Live.^[13] At the SEC's 2010 Media Days conference, Mallett became the first Arkansas quarterback to be named preseason first-team All-SEC by the SEC coaches.^[14] He was listed as the frontrunner for the Davey O'Brien Award by The Sporting News and a potential Heisman Trophy candidate. He was also named a preseason All-SEC quarterback and preseason All-American quarterback by numerous organizations.^[15]

Mallett's performance in 2009 led to higher expectations in 2010. The junior stated that he wished to change the mindset of Arkansas fans into that of a winning program. The confident Mallett was quoted saying, "I'm looking for 14," when asked about how many wins the 2010 Razorbacks could achieve.^[15]

On September 4, 2010, Mallett completed 21-of-24 passes (87.5%), setting an Arkansas school record for completion percentage in a game. The completion percentage also ranks second all-time in SEC football history. Mallett contributed 301 passing yards, as well, with a total of 8 receivers recording catches. Arkansas defeated Tennessee Tech in the game 44-3.

Mallett finished seventh in voting for the 2010 Heisman Trophy award.^[16]

On January 6, 2011, Mallett decided to forgo his senior year at Arkansas and declare for the 2011 NFL Draft.^[17]

Collegiate awards[link]

• 2010 Premier Player of College Football Trophy Winner
• 2009 and 2010 All-SEC second team by Coaches and AP ^[18]
• Autozone Liberty Bowl Offensive MVP
• SEC Offensive Player of the Week (vs. South Carolina & Mississippi State)

Statistics[link]

Updated on January 6, 2011

Professional career[link]

New England Patriots (2011–present)[link]

Mallett, who was often projected prior to the draft as a first-round talent,^[19] fell to the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft, where he was selected 74th overall by the New England Patriots (using the pick they received when they traded Randy Moss to the Minnesota Vikings); that pick is the highest pick the Patriots have used on a quarterback since taking Drew Bledsoe number one overall in 1993. According to Michael Lombardi of the NFL Network, the Patriots rated Mallett as the best quarterback available in the 2011 draft; nevertheless, six other quarterbacks were taken before the Patriots drafted him,^[20] drawing comparisons to Tom Brady, who was the seventh quarterback chosen in 2000, though with the 199th pick.^[21]

2011 season[link]

Mallett made his preseason debut in the Patriots' first preseason game, a 47–12 rout of the Jacksonville Jaguars on August 11. He played the entire second half, completing 12 of 19 passes for 164 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions. The Patriots scored touchdowns on each of the first four drives Mallett led, and ran out the clock on his fifth and final drive. Mallett struggled in his next preseason games throwing an interception run for a touchdown in his second game. At his fourth preseason game against the Giants he was 6 for 16 for 57 yards. Mallett spent 2011 as the Patriots' third-string QB, behind Tom Brady and Brian Hoyer;^[22] Mallett was inactive for 15 out of 16 regular season games in 2011 and was inactive for every post season game.

Stature[link]

NFL.com lists Mallett as standing 6'7", and weighing 253 pounds,^[23] while the Patriots' website lists him an inch shorter and 15 pounds lighter (6'6", 238 pounds).^[24]

References[link]