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Q&A: Curtis Painter, QB, Purdue - 2.18.09

Player Spotlight With QB Curtis Painter - All Access Football Radio

School Bio

2.2.09 – Painter looked like the most polished and pro ready QB. He moved around well in the pocket, and he had terrific timing on a play action fake throw downfield. Painter tested the defense by throwing into small windows, and his accuracy often forced them to make a play. Painter also displayed great field vision and the ability to load up to deliver a long throw with zip rolling to his right. In general, he was the most engaged of the QBs and saw the field with the most clarity. - Draft Guys On Location at the Texas vs. The Nation Game

1.28.09 – Painter's quick decisions, quick setup, and efficient release stood out again today. He sees the field with clarity and puts decent zip on his short and intermediate passes. We haven't seen him throw deep too often, but that's partially because he's very good at throwing quickly to an open receiver when a corner is giving him too much cushion. Painter had some stretches where he was off, but when he was on, he was spot on - especially on play action fakes, when he sometimes displayed a great sense of exactly where the receiver would be in his route. - Draft Guys On Location at the Texas vs. The Nation Game

1.27.09 – Painter looked like the most pro-ready QB we've seen in the last three weeks. He was lightning quick to set his feet and release on his throws and made quick decisions. His delivery was efficient and compact, and on one throw, he was perfectly accurate throwing the out as the WR (Jaison Williams) was making his break. Painter also put good zip on the ball, still completing a pass downfield on a ball that was tipped at the line of scrimmage. It's only Monday and Painter looks to be mid-season form. - Draft Guys On Location at the Texas vs. The Nation Game

Scout's Take - 7.15.08

Pros: The record-setting quarterback hopes to join the long line of successful signal-callers from “The Cradle of Quarterbacks” (Drew Brees, Jim Everett, Bob Griese & Len Dawson). In fact, Painter’s size and arm strength may make him more physically impressive than Brees. Under the tutelage of Joe Tiller, the three-year starter has steadily improved his accuracy and decision making--his touchdowns increased from 22 to 29 as junior, while his interception total dropped from 19 to 11. He is a prolific passer with 10 300-yard games, two 400-yard games and even a 500-yard game under his belt. While he is not known as a scrambler, Painter does have a nose for the end zone (13 rushing touchdown entering ’08).

Cons: The Boilermakers’ quarterback got off to a quick start with 13 touchdown passes and no interceptions in his first three games against lesser opponents as a junior…meaning his ratio over the final 10 games was a less than stellar 16 TDs to 11 INTs. Against Big Ten teams with winning records (five games), Painter only found the end zone three times, while finding his opponents five times. Not surprisingly, the Boilermakers lost all five of those contests. Even Coach Tiller concedes that Painter needs to do much more in big games if he truly wants to be a top signal caller.

Overall: In his first year as a fulltime starter, Painter nearly threw for 4,000 yards, setting a Big Ten record with his 3,985 yards during his sophomore campaign. If he throws for 3,030 yards this season, not only will Painter break Brees’ all-time school mark, he’ll set a new conference record for career passing yards. This is a big year for the Indiana native. Sure, there are records to be broken, but more importantly, Painter must prove he is not simply a player in a passer friendly offense who pads his stats against also-rans. Painter carries a mid-round grade heading into his senior season but could very well emerge as the first quarterback off the board in April.