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Tuesday, October 1
 
ESPN.com QB evaluation: Jason Gesser

By Gary Danielson
Special to ESPN.com

Untitled

Jason Gesser23Washington St.17QB
PLAYERAGESCHOOLNO.POSITION

Height 6'1"
Weight 200 lbs.
Year Senior
2002 stats 92-148, 1,282 yards, 11 TDs, 3 INTs
Career stats 467-864, 6,704 yards, 53 TDs, 29 INTs

QB SPECIFICS
Arm Strength
B
Average, but I will say again that I think this is the least important of these categories. Arm strength is not how Jason makes plays and is not a big part of his game.
Escape Ability
A
There is nobody better in the pocket. There are guys who are better once they break the line of scrimmage, but no one is better than Jason at escaping disaster behind the line and making the defense cover receivers for five or six seconds. His scrambles are at times reminiscent of Fran Tarkenton.
Quick Set Up
A
Jason runs a lot of shotgun but still has great feet, so there are no questions about his set up. He can make any kind of pass whether bootlegging, scrambling, etc., and can do whatever he wants with his feet.
Accuracy Long
B
He throws the long ball rather high to some spots, and Jason is not likely to attack downfield. I would put Jason in the same category Drew Brees was in at Purdue. The accuracy is good, but the throws are more timing routes than anything else.
Accuracy Short
A
One of the great things about Jason's short accuracy is that he can throw every pass. Whether he has to zip the ball between two defenders, throw it behind his body or against the grain he is accurate with it. He is as good as any quarterback in college football in this phase of the game.
Locate 2nd Receiver
A
Mike Price's offense demands that Jason be good in this area. He is counted on to control the offense with his mind and decision-making, and he does that continually.
Running Ability
A-
Jason is a great scrambler and a decent runner. Running is not something he wants to do, but he is good at it when he decides to take off.
Quickness of Delivery
A-
Not only does Jason have a quick delivery it comes at times when you least expect it. He can throw off the wrong foot, he can throw backing up and it seems like he enjoys throwing when he is in odd positions or with his feet at the wrong angle. His quickness is tremendous from all those positions
Judgment
A
He guns the ball into spots a little too much at times, takes some gambles, but Jason has to do that in the offense he runs. He is willing and able to take some chances, and his judgment in controlling the flow and tempo of a game is excellent.
Poise
A
Like I said abut Dave Ragone, Jason is used to the attention and pressure. He came from a powerful program at Honolulu St. Louis High and was anointed early as the quarterback at Washington State. Jason is in his third year as a captain for the Cougars and was voted in as a sophomore. That has played an important role in developing his poise and is emblematic of the kind of player and leader he is.

SUMMARY
Jason is the best player in football that no one has heard of. Playing where he does at Washington State he doesn't get the exposure that even a guy like Seneca Wallace gets at Iowa State. Jason has been playing at a high level for more than two years and he is a nightmare to defend in Mike Price's offense.

Former NFL quarterback Gary Danielson is a college football analyst for ABC Sports.






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