Alright, so I spent a good chunk of my afternoon trying to really hash out this Sam Howell versus Trevor Lawrence thing in my head. It’s been bugging me, especially when thinking about fantasy lineups and just general quarterback potential, you know?
Getting Started
First thing I did was just pull up their basic stats side-by-side from last season. Didn’t want to get too deep into advanced analytics right away, just the raw numbers – yards, touchdowns, interceptions, completion percentage, sacks taken. That gave me a baseline.
But stats only tell part of the story, right? So, next, I went looking for game film. Not entire games, I don’t have that much time, but extended highlights and those “All-22” type breakdowns you can sometimes find floating around. I focused on a few key games for each guy – maybe a couple where they looked great, and a couple where they struggled.
What I Watched For
I wasn’t looking for anything super technical, just trying to get a feel for them as players through my own eyes. Here’s kinda what I zeroed in on:
- Pocket Presence: How did they handle pressure? Did they look calm or panicked? Howell took a ton of sacks, so I wanted to see if that was more on him holding the ball too long or the offensive line just being terrible. Lawrence seemed a bit more mobile, but did he bail too early sometimes?
- Decision Making: Were they forcing throws? Making smart checks? Hitting the open guy? This was tough because highlights often only show the good plays. But looking at interception reels helped balance it out.
- Arm Talent: Just pure throwing ability. Could they make all the throws? Deep balls, tight windows, touch passes? Lawrence obviously has that pedigree, but I wanted to see Howell’s arm strength too.
- Intangibles (as much as you can see): Did they look like leaders? How did they react after a bad play or a turnover? Body language stuff.
My Observations (The Messy Part)
Okay, so watching them back-to-back was interesting. Lawrence definitely looks the part more often. Smooth mechanics, can absolutely zip it. But man, sometimes the decision-making just wasn’t there last season. You see the flashes of brilliance, the reason he was picked number one, but then there’d be a throw that made you scratch your head.
Howell, on the other hand… it’s rougher around the edges. He felt like a gunslinger, willing to take chances. Sometimes it paid off with a great throw downfield, other times it ended badly. The sack numbers are alarming, and watching the tape, it felt like a mix of him holding on too long trying to make something happen and, yeah, probably some shaky protection too. He showed toughness, though, kept getting back up.
It wasn’t as clear-cut as I hoped. You’ve got Lawrence with the higher ceiling, maybe, but inconsistent results lately. Then you have Howell, who put up big yardage numbers driven by sheer volume and seemed to have some grit, but also made a lot of mistakes and took a beating.
Where I Landed (For Now)
Honestly? I didn’t come away with a definitive “this guy is absolutely better than the other” answer. It’s frustrating. If I had to pick one purely based on perceived talent and potential ceiling, it’s probably still Lawrence. He just has that physical toolkit.
But watching Howell, you see a competitor. If he gets better protection and maybe dials back the risky throws just a notch, there’s something there. It really depends on the situation they’re in – coaching, supporting cast, all that jazz.
So yeah, spent the afternoon digging into it, watched a bunch of clips, compared the numbers. The conclusion? It’s complicated. Maybe leaning Lawrence for raw potential, but Howell’s got that fight. Didn’t exactly simplify my fantasy decisions, haha. Just ended up with more questions, really. That’s how it goes sometimes when you actually sit down and watch the tape yourself instead of just reading headlines.
