I think EJ could very well be leading the in the competition for starter at this point. Everyone is so hung up on who is getting 1st team reps but what I have seen on three different occasions during camp, EJ has been taking snaps against the first team defense. He has been playing a lot with the 2nd-3rd team offense and still producing on par with the other 2 QBs. Also, according to PFF, he is also ranked 7th out of all the QBs that have played so far this preseason.
Now I am not saying that EJ is a top 10 QB, but I do think he has improved more than what many of us here may be thinking. It is looking to me like Rex has been intentionally putting EJ in the most difficult position. And at the same time Rex has also made it look like EJ is only taking 3rd team reps. Problem is, while EJ is going against the 1st team defense, Cassel and Taylor have been going against 2nd-3rd team defenders. That skews the numbers quite a bit and fools the media into thinking that 1st offense means 1st team QB. When you see EJ in interviews, and on the field, he's smiling and having fun. He does not look the part of a player on the outs.
I know many are enamored with the shiny new toy TT, but while I really do like what Taylor has been doing, I just don't see him as a starter. He would be a great package QB. And with all of the wildcat plays that the offense is installing, I think that is exactly what he will do. Taylor has a terrific advantage too because he can actually throw fairly well too. I see a defender spying TT and daring him to run. TT will have to throw more and run less if he wants to stay healthy.
Cassel gets rid of the ball fast. He seems to always nibble and almost never takes a big bite out of the defense. I just don't see it with him. I see defenders crowding the box on him.
EJ gets the ball down field and forces the defense to cover the whole field. He has enough escape-ability to let his receivers get down field. You cannot crowd the box on EJ because he can go over the top of the D pretty fast. This is what the great QBs in this league do. He isn't polished yet, but he has been getting better. I have been pondering the whole QB competition from this angle for a while now and at least to me it makes perfect sense. Of course, I might just be seeing things. Maybe I need to just put the computer down, turn the TV off and just wait for the season to start.
I've actually been think about this since before the conspiracy thread was started. Can't get it out of my head!