[Elvis]

[dieterbrock]

I was feeling better about the clarification, until it clarified that he didn’t see the replay until after the game....
Jeez Louise...

[moklerman]

I don't agree with that, he (Johnson) was the first pick, but keep in mind it was a territorial thing. The Fleet had to pick from a geographical area
Heck, of the 7 other "1st round" QB, only 3 are the starter on their team.

Well, I wouldn't have tabbed him as a Martz QB so I'm not exactly arguing he's great or anything but of the 4 guys, he's the one who got playing time in real NFL games.

Which is my point. Bercovici, Nelson and Ross are all basically college guys who never even got a shot. Out of the 3, Nelson looks like he settled in and was making Martz's offense go. Maybe Bercovici can do that too but all 3 of those guys, I'd imagine, were clearly a tier lower than Johnson overall.

[dieterbrock]

Well, I wouldn't have tabbed him as a Martz QB so I'm not exactly arguing he's great or anything but of the 4 guys, he's the one who got playing time in real NFL games.

Which is my point. Bercovici, Nelson and Ross are all basically college guys who never even got a shot. Out of the 3, Nelson looks like he settled in and was making Martz's offense go. Maybe Bercovici can do that too but all 3 of those guys, I'd imagine, were clearly a tier lower than Johnson overall.

I don't think Johnson would have necessarily even been the starter. NFL experience? Johnson hadn't been on a team in like 4 years when he was "drafted". Zach Mettenberger has the most NFL experience and he didn't get a start until week 4.
In any event, as it turns out "Berco" may have been held out because of the savage hit he took in that 1st game and looks ready to go

[Elvis]

Cover the Fleet? Goldberg would love to to it...

https://aaf.com/bercovici-makes-practic ... er-company

Bercovici makes practice perfect in return as starter -- presented by Second Chance Beer Company

By Jeff Goldberg / The Alliance

SAN DIEGO -- By now, pretty much everyone has seen it. The hit on quarterback Mike Bercovici in Week 1 that sent his helmet flying and social media buzzing.

Well, not everyone saw it -- at least not in real time. Head coach Mike Martz admitted on Tuesday that he wasn’t looking in Bercovici’s direction when the hit occurred, and didn’t happen to look at the Jumbotron at the Alamodome in San Antonio to see a replay, either.

The Fleet return to SDCCU Stadium to face the Salt Lake Stallions in a Week 5 game on Saturday, March 9, at 5 p.m. PT (8 p.m. ET) on NFL Network. To see the Fleet in person this season, click here for tickets.

Had he seen it, Martz said, he would have taken Bercovici out of the game right then and there. Instead, Bercovici played through the end of the third quarter, a bit rattled and a lot overloaded with data trying to master Martz’s complex offensive schemes (that can hit a quarterback as hard as any unblocked linebacker).

The end result would have been the same. Philip Nelson came in to replace a struggling Bercovici in the fourth quarter and remained the starter for the next three games. But now Nelson is out several weeks with a broken collarbone, and in The Alliance of American Football, which prides itself on giving second chances, Bercovici is getting a second chance at his second chance.

Bercovici will be the starter this Saturday against Salt Lake, and on Tuesday he looked every bit like a quarterback ready to make good on his reboot.

“There’s just so much information for him,” Martz said. “I’ve been through this too many times with quarterbacks. You let them sit for a while and hold them off and they get to the point where he was today, and he was exceptional today. I would imagine from this point on, he’ll be the guy we thought he was. That was as good a practice I’ve had with a quarterback since I can’t remember when.”

Bercovici was sharp all afternoon, hitting his reads and doing it with a pop on the ball. It was a confident, veteran performance; one Bercovici has been waiting for since that disappointing night in San Antonio.

“It’s nice to get a lot of reps in practice,” Bercovici said. “Being in the backup role, it’s part of the role that you play in that you have to be ready at any time. Obviously, now is the opportunity. But I thought it was a great practice. We had a great plan.

“I’ve been a backup in my career before, and in my experience in the preseason in the NFL, whether it was coming in the fourth quarter and trying to evaluate and assess, when your number is called, you have to perform.”

Even without the big hit from linebacker Shaan Washington, Bercovici’s struggles against San Antonio were not a surprise. Unlike Nelson, who had previous experience playing in the Martz offense, Bercovici was still in the learning curve when the season began, which is not the best place to be when the games get played for real.

“He had to learn footwork and reads and formations and verbiage and all that stuff comes together in a mess for him,” Martz said “Then he got rattled in that game. So, the best thing you can do is sit him down and let him calm down. That’s what he did. I’m excited for him.”

# # #

Jeff Goldberg covers the San Diego Fleet for The Alliance of American Football. Follow him on Twitter at @SDFleetBeat.

[moklerman]

I don't think Johnson would have necessarily even been the starter. NFL experience? Johnson hadn't been on a team in like 4 years when he was "drafted". Zach Mettenberger has the most NFL experience and he didn't get a start until week 4.
In any event, as it turns out "Berco" may have been held out because of the savage hit he took in that 1st game and looks ready to go

You could be right. Johnson has worked with plenty of name coaches who seem to like him but it hasn't netted him much playing time and like I said, I don't perceive him to be in the Martz mold so he may not have been the starter.

But I do think he is NFL caliber overall so I think he'd have the edge over the other guys who don't seem to. Bercovici and Nelson, IMO, look like Martz QB's while Johnson and Ross don't. I'm interested to see how Bercovici looks this weekend.

[dieterbrock]

You could be right. Johnson has worked with plenty of name coaches who seem to like him but it hasn't netted him much playing time and like I said, I don't perceive him to be in the Martz mold so he may not have been the starter.

But I do think he is NFL caliber overall so I think he'd have the edge over the other guys who don't seem to. Bercovici and Nelson, IMO, look like Martz QB's while Johnson and Ross don't. I'm interested to see how Bercovici looks this weekend.

Yeah me too. Hope the kid turns it around.
I’ve definitely morphed in to a Fleet fan. Big week for the league as all the teams now have at least 1 win, and only 1 team appears to be ahead of the pack, and that’s the Apollo’s.

[Elvis]

[dieterbrock]

Man, I can’t see how they let that happen. Accrued seasons, players union and god forbid the player got hurt

I won’t be able to watch but man, looks like a really good game Saturday afternoon with the Apollo’s playing the Iron.

[Elvis]