Questions about Max Hall from Revenge of the Birds

by JoeCB1991 on Oct 5, 2010 3:32 PM PDT

Hey BYU fans, I'm Joe from the Arizona Cardinal's blog Revenge of the Birds. As most of you have probably heard, Derek Anderson is playing like garbage right now, he was benched before Halftime against the Chargers and Max Hall finished the game. He didn't have incredible stats, and he was sacked 6 times, but he did look like he was more accurate than Anderson, and most of us think that he should be the starter now.

So, can anyone here give us Cardinals fans a little scouting report on the guy? We know that he is from Mesa and he went to Mountain View High School (I live in Mesa not far away from that) and that while he only has average arm strength he appears to be pretty accurate and he seems like a smart kid who already has a good grasp of the offense. He was also praised by the Coaching Staff a lot during Training Camp, and he is part of the reason Leinart is gone now.

Here are some things that I'm interested in seeing what you guys who got to watch him play for a few years think of him:

The normal Pros and Cons of his game.

Accuracy and Arm Strength: How accurate is he when he throws the ball down the field, can he consistently complete the easy throws, how far can he throw a ball without losing accuracy.

Mobility: How good is he at keeping the play alive after it breaks down.

Leadership: How much of a leader is he, can he lead the team down the field with two minutes left in the game when you need a Touchdown to win the game.

What types of defenses normally confused him.

Against higher competition (top 25 teams), how well did he usually play.

This is all I can think of right now, if you have anything else that I would like to know about him, go ahead and say it. I'm planning on using some of what you guys say in a post on RotB.

Thanks in advance.

This is a FanPost of the Vanquish The Foe community. This post does not necessarily reflect the views of VTF or of SB Nation

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Max was stable

Max wasn’t the most amazing passer we’ve had at BYU (granted, we’ve had some amazing QBs), but he was stable as long as the going was good.

Here’s my take on the specific questions you asked:

1. Accuracy and Arm Strength
Hall was amazingly accurate on short (5-20 yards) passes, but as you guessed, his accuracy diminished as it went longer. I’d say anything over 35 yards was a toss-up. But if you’ve got someone to run under a long ball, he get it out there decently. John Beck had a stronger arm, but I think Max was much more accurate on short. Grade: B+

2. Mobility
He was much more of a pocket passer, but he had that internal clock that allowed him to step out when needed. He never liked to slide. Some might call that stupid, but he was such a fighter than he’d rather try to hit someone than slide or go out of bounds easily. Even with his fight, he wasn’t fast or agile. Grade: B-

3. Leadership
Here’s where Max made his mark. He was such a fiery guy that you couldn’t help but listen to the guy. His passion and fight was evident on (and sometimes off) the field. He demanded respect and people listened. Grade: A

4. Defenses
Like many pocket passers, he struggled when the defense was fast and gave him pressure. But he knows how to read the blitz and get the ball out. He really struggled when the DBs were very fast and covered our slower than normal receivers. I’m not the one to say that he struggled against a 4-3, 4-4 or whatever.

The biggest problem Max had was that once he got behind (which wasn’t often), he would force things. So when a team went ahead two touchdowns (which happens when going against a top 25 team), he fell apart. As evidenced by the score on his losses, it was difficult for him to settle down and put together a solid come-back from more than 2 touchdowns. But if it was close, he could put together that final drive to finish them off (see BYU vs Utah in 2009).

Overall, Max is a solid QB. To be honest, I’m surprised he is in the running for the starting spot in his rookie season. Not because he isn’t capable, but because too often the NFL is all about size and speed and Max doesn’t have either.

Once he learns to settle down when he’s down by a few TDs, he will be a great QB. Hopefully he has a chance to learn that in AZ. The Cardinals are now one of the (very) few NFL teams I care to follow.

by killroyboy on Oct 5, 2010 5:51 PM PDT reply actions

Max

I sat 16 rows up for Max’s entire career at BYU and the guy was just a winner. EVERY SINGLE GAME we went into with him as the starter, I honestly thought we were going to win. He played with more guts and passion than just about any starting quarterback I’ve ever watched for so long in person. He just keeps coming and coming and coming. He never gives up. I’m not surprised he’s a QB so soon in the NFL; I’m surprised the Cardinals didn’t have QBs in the cupboard behind Warner and have to throw a rookie to the wolves. I hope Max survives. He had an average arm, but was deadly accurate, and he was a pretty good scrambler. Great pocket sense. He loves to throw to skill – he will lock into the best players on the field (Austin Collie, Dennis Pitta, Harvey Unga) and always knows where they are on every play and finds ways to get the ball to them. Larry Fitzgerald will become his favorite target.

by heyjoe! on Oct 5, 2010 9:26 PM PDT reply actions

Thats what happens when you dump Leinart after the argument that he was having with Whiz.

Anderson, and two vastly different rookies (Hall, and the 6’6" kid from Fordham with the rocket arm).

Lifelong Arizona Cardinals/Chicago Bears fan [I have always lived in Arizona, dad is from Chicago].

I can't stand fair-weather/bandwagon fans, stick with your team(s), throughout the good and the bad. And don't switch to whichever team wins the Super Bowl each year.

by JoeCB1991 on Oct 5, 2010 9:58 PM PDT up reply actions

Hall was just named the starter for this weekend.

Lifelong Arizona Cardinals/Chicago Bears fan [I have always lived in Arizona, dad is from Chicago].

I can't stand fair-weather/bandwagon fans, stick with your team(s), throughout the good and the bad. And don't switch to whichever team wins the Super Bowl each year.

by JoeCB1991 on Oct 6, 2010 11:13 AM PDT reply actions

Pitta

Now talk the Cardinals into trading for Dennis Pitta (currently on the bench in Baltimore) and you’ll be unstoppable! I can’t believe Pitta’s hands and route running are stuck behind the awesome Todd Heap. Bad drafting luck there.

Go Max!

by heyjoe! on Oct 6, 2010 3:50 PM PDT up reply actions