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Source says he expects #Saints to add Kellen Moore, likes his chances to succeed under Sean Payton

Credit: Cecil Lammey

I think this would be a great move considering Moore has a very similar skillset to the QBs they already have. Though Brees probably has the strongest arm between he, Daniels, and Moore all three QBs rely on accuracy and timing to make up for their lack of height at the position. Kellen Moore is going to be a serviceable QB wherever he goes due to his natural feel for timing routes, and it may be the best thing for him to study under Drew Brees for a couple years before taking over either in New Orleans or elsewhere.

Now on first look, a lot of people will dismiss him as a 190 lb 6’1 QB who simply won’t make it.  But when you look at his yardage totals you have to respect the guy for what he’s done at Boise State of all places. Kellen has thrown for over 3500 yards, 30 plus tds and less than 10 interceptions each of the past two seasons.

The problem with “scouting” him  (if that’s what you want to call it, I don’t do scouting reports on guys its kinda pointless) is Boise’s system.  Its a spread offense.  And we all know spread offense produce the Timmy Chang’s of the world.

Just because you can throw for a lot of yards in college means nothing to the NFL.  They look for accuracy, the complexity of the throws you’re making, and the reads you have to make, among many other things.

To me, Moore definitely has talent there.  He has shown accuracy on short routes, and a nice touch on his longer passes.  If you’ve ever watched a Boise State game though, you’ll realize that most of the throws Moore is asked to make are short throws.  If he has thrown a pass that’s gone over 25 yards in the air I haven’t seen it yet.

Due to that I have to say his NFL comparison is Chad Pennington, and that is not an insult at all. Chad is actually a very good quarterback when he is healthy, he just doesn’t have the type of arm that makes a defense respect him.  I believe Kellen is quite comparable in that aspect.  However Chad has shown you can still be pretty successful without it.

I believe Moore will grade out as a 3rd or 4th round prospect.  The main thing that will hurt him is his size, and the fact that he’s a spread system QB.  He would be a nice fit as a developmental QB for a team that already has a reliable starter.

Cam Newton has been on a roller coaster ride this season, having to play under a cloud of an NCAA investigation.  He torched the SEC in ways that Tim Tebow wish he could have, and has led the Tigers to a undefeated season and BCS Championship bowl berth.

Kellen Moore led a Boise State team that at one time had the longest inning streak in the nation.  He routinely puts up video game numbers in three quarters of play as Boise usually pulls him before the game is over because they are so far ahead.  Kellen put up a nice season, but beating up on WAC(K) teams and losing to the only quality opponent on his schedule is going to hurt him.

Andrew Luck is a player who admittedly I didn’t get to see a whole lot of over here on the east coast.  The game I saw Andrew Luck was phenomenal, showing a lot of athletic ability to not only get outside the pocket but take off and finish off runs lowering the shoulder as well.  Stanford made the BCS and will play in the Orange Bowl but I think the good old East Coast bias is going to hurt Luck’s chances as not many people on the East have got a good look at him.

LaMichael James has been just one word this season: electric.  Running through the Pac 10 and routinely putting up 200+ yardage totals has put James and his Ducks on the map.  There is no doubt that LaMichael is one of the most athletic backs since Reggie Bush to be in the Heisman talk.  He is a serious contender to take home the trophy.

I predict that Cam Newton will be your winner of the 2010 Reggie Bush Award… I mean.. Heisman Trophy.

But I’m sorry Michigan fans, it does not work like that.

So moving forward lets look at how am I ranking the 2011 Heisman candidates. I look at a number of factors:

• Individual talent
• Team record
• Impact on team
• Overall excitement
• Consistency
• Stats

A very simple formula.  The best player on the best team with a highlight reel of outstanding plays and eye popping stats should win.  With that said, lets rank ’em up.

1. Cam Newton QB Auburn

Auburn’s quarterback is playing very consistent football and is the main reason behind Auburn’s rise in the polls.  He should be at Florida, but that is a different story for a different day. His exciting runs, Auburn’s #4 ranking, and the regular 50+ point games his team drops has him a firm #1.

2. LaMichael James RB Oregon

Oregon is the #1 team in the nation in the coaches polls, and James is a big reason why.  His electric 70+ yard runs has many thinking of Reggie Bush who also took a similar route to the Heisman.  Long as Oregon wins out LaMichael will be at the Downtown Athletic Club this winter.

3. Taylor Martinez QB Nebraska

I know, I know, Martinez had a bad game vs. Texas but that doesn’t take away from his incredible yardage totals and the 5-1 record that Nebraska put up.  Zac Lee relieved him in the second half of that Texas game so going forward Martinez has to play outstanding to keep his job and stay in the Heisman race.

4. Denard Robinson QB Michigan

Michigan lost a tough game versus Michgan State and Denard Robinson threw multiple picks for the second week in a row.  I’ve written several articles on how Denard was going to cool off in conference play, and he has, but like Martinez he has many games left to crank his hype machine up again.

5. Kellen Moore QB Boise State

I really wanted to include Terrelle Pryor in these rankings but I cannot justify that after he faltered on the national stage in a loss versus Wisconsin.  A come from behind win in that situation and Pryor would have been number two or three on this list.

Moore is the quarterback of the BCS’ third ranked team, and boasts the longest winning streak in the nation.  I don’t think that he is particularly as exciting or super talented but he reminds me a lot of another lefty to win the Heisman on a top ranked team: Matt Leinart.

Just Missed this list: Demarco Murray RB Oklahoma