Yes, this is a Mizzou blog. We write about Tigers. Still, I have not hidden my respect for one Todd Reesing, Jayhawk QB. He’s gutsy, tough, and is apt at coming up with big plays. He may not have been a great college QB, but he was fun to watch even if you were rooting against him every single snap of his career. Well, he doesn’t play for KU anymore so I can now root for him. I will follow his career, such as it may be, and I wish him well.

Yesterday, Reesing played in the annual East-West Shrine Game. I only got to watch the first half and saw Reesing throw a pick and scramble around a lot. He didn’t impress, but none of the QBs I saw did much better. But, they did do better. Too bad.

The ‘09 Jayhawk season, for a bit anyway, mirrored the Mizzou ‘08 season – veteran skill players, questionable defense, great start, secret injury to the QB, disappointing finish. Granted, the Jayhawks took disappointing finish to new levels and the coach imploded, so the mirror was shattered at some point. One of the similarities, as mentioned, was the QBs. And, those similarities keep on keeping on.

Reesing and Chase Daniel, who is aiming for his first NFC Championship ring today, both played in the Shrine game. First, the lead up to the game was filled with less-than-glowing practice reports for each.

DraftGuys did their normal practice reports, with three on Reesing. Here they are in order:

Todd Reesing (Kansas) did not have a good day of practice. He looked adequate when throwing routes of 10-yards or less. However, when asked to throw downfield he neither had the accuracy or arm strength to get a completion. Reesing looked good when throwing on the run, but had to make short throws in order to be on target. He does have a nice set up when dropping back, and his footwork is crisp.

Todd Reesing (Kansas) was too hesitant when waiting to throw the football. He held on to the ball too long, which would have resulted in multiple sacks if the quarterbacks were allowed to be hit in practice. When he did throw, he had nice zip on his shorter passes. Anything over 15-yards he struggled with accuracy and velocity. He did pull the ball down to run and picked up a first down. It just seems like overall Reesing is trying not to make a mistake instead of trying to make a play.

Todd Reesing (Kansas) threw one of the ugliest passes I have ever seen today in red zone drills. He dropped back to throw a screen pass and ended up pushing the ball out of his hand and away from his body. It looked like the pass was tipped, but no defender was even close to him. The nose of the ball was almost 90 degrees to the ground and it was wobbling like an injured duck. Kerry Meier was the intended receiver, and the pass was completed but by the time it was caught the defense had caught up and stopped the play.

Really freaking brutal. For a flavor of the similarities, here’s one on our hero from yesteryear:

Chase Daniel(Missouri) reportedly measured 6’0” at the weigh-in, but he didn’t look a lick over 5’10” next to his East teammates, and played more like he was 5’7”. His release point was low for a QB of ANY height. His passing motion was exaggerated and anything but the quick efficient release you look for in an NFL prospect. Daniel was indecisive when reading the defense, no matter the coverage. He often pushed the ball and seemed to be aiming instead of throwing. Not everything was bad for Daniel. His three step drop was good- he looked light on his feet and had a smooth quick setup. His five step drop, on the other hand, was marred by a lack of the proper transfer of energy from his back foot to front foot which caused his passes to sail. We are willing to give Daniel a pass on the first day of practice, but he has to improve by the end of the week if he wants to have an NFL future.

Yeah, so, there’s that.

The game comparison doesn’t get much better, although Reesing did throw for 11 times as many yards at Chase. Todd went 2 for 5 for 11 yards and one INT. Chase, in last year’s game, went 2 for 9 for 1 yard. Reesing can take solace in the fact that Chase Daniel is just one game from the Super Bowl! His work on the scout team has reportedly been good for 5 wins this year….

Reesing, much like after he was caught molesting a dog, took his Shrine Game performance in stride.

“I’m tall enough to ride the rides over at Universal Studios,” said Reesing. “I was a successful quarterback in high school and college, and I can do the same as a professional.”

I don’t know if it’s quite that easy, but good luck. It worked for Chase Daniel.

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Jaron Baston also played in the game. I saw just one series that he was in and there was nothing to report. He got double-teamed twice. I also saw him give Reesing a high five after Todd led the team down for a Hunter Lawrence field goal. He’s a really good high-fiver. I haven’t been able to track down a real box score for the game – then we’ll see if Baston registered any stats.