Tajh Boyd: An Investment with potentially high dividends

The time from now until training camp can be filled with a mix of vacations and training regiments for players and personnel, but for hardcore NFL fans it’s more of a time filled with vodka and despair.

We’ll be counting down to the July 23rd, report-to-Cortland date, by featuring current players with roster numbers that correspond with the number of days left. For days without a corresponding player, we’ll be featuring other players and maybe some surprises. (JUST THREE DAYS!)

3 Days = #3 Tajh Boyd

Tajh Boyd

Geno Smith and Michael Vick will dominate the back pages and SportsCenter updates during training camp, but another Jets quarterback will look to make an early impression on the front office.

Boyd, a noted college QB by way of Clemson University, looked to be an early round draftee before his 2013 campaign. Playing against the likes of the National Champion Florida State Seminoles in the ACC, Boyd struggled for consistency and accuracy, while still showcasing a laser arm, mobile ability, and earning second-team ACC honors. Interestingly enough, Boyd’s accuracy did improve in each of his four seasons, as did his quarterback rating.

So how did Boyd go from potential Heisman winner to an afterthought?

		Passing
Year	G	Cmp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/A	AY/A	TD	Int	Rate
*2010	7	33	63	52.4	329	5.2	4.3	4	3	107.7
*2011	14	298	499	59.7	3828	7.7	7.9	33	12	141.2
*2012	13	287	427	67.2	3896	9.1	9.4	36	13	165.6
*2013	13	283	413	68.5	3851	9.3	9.8	34	11	168.7
Career		901	1402	64.3	11904	8.5	8.8	107	39	155.2

Generated 20/7/2014.

Statistically (as you see), you won’t get an answer. However, on a game-by-game basis, it was Boyd’s decision-making and untimely errors that caused some hesitancy by scouts and analysts. He’s unorthodox — often throwing from varying arm angles and escaping the pocket at, sometimes, inopportune times. If he is to be successful on the next level, Boyd will require schooling on and off the field to refine his mechanics and football IQ, which is not something some franchises want to do.

But for the New York Jets, their investment in Tajh Boyd could potentially produce a very high ROI.

The Upside…

If only Boyd and Watkins were a package deal…

Need to work on defense

Boyd has the ability to really make all the throws and rocket the ball downfield. This being the case, it’s understandable why the Jets would take a sixth-round flyer on him.

The larger majority of his mistakes come from just misreading defenses. During John Gruden’s QB Camp on ESPN, Gruden showed Boyd a play in which he missed that the Florida State defense did not have all 11 of their men on the field and he could’ve easily taken advantage of.

While that kind of blatant error won’t come gift wrapped to QBs often in the pros, any improvements that Jets coaches can bring out of Boyd in the play recognition department may help afford him a game day opportunity.

His first step will be to just learn Marty Mornhinweg’s offense. Boyd is not expected to be in the starting QB conversation this training camp and possibly not even next season’s. However, he can put in the work now to fend off QB Matt Simms for the third-string role on the team, while shaping his skill-set for a more featured calling in the future.