San Jose State Football

A pair of Group of Five schools are set to clash on Tuesday in the Hawai'i Bowl, the lone college football action scheduled for Christmas Eve. And it has the potential to be a tight, competitive matchup.

San Jose State (7-5, 3-4 in Mountain West) and South Florida (6-6, 4-4 in AAC) will face off at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex on the University of Hawai'i at Manoa campus. The game will air live at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.

It will be only the second meeting between the Spartans and the Bulls. The previous matchup occurred on Aug. 26, 2017, when USF went on the road and notched a 42-22 victory.

Here's everything you need to know about the 2024 Hawai'i Bowl, starting with the betting information for the contest.

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Hawai'i Bowl Betting Information

Spread: San Jose State (-3)

Over/Under: 63.5 total points

Moneyline: South Florida (+136; bet $100 to win $136); San Jose State (-162; bet $162 to win $100)

Via DraftKings Sportsbook

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Preview, Prediction

San Jose State had a solid first season under head coach Ken Niumatalolo, who led the program to its third consecutive winning campaign. Now, the Spartans have an opportunity to secure their first bowl victory since 2015.

After losing back-to-back games to Boise State and UNLV last month, San Jose State closed out the regular season strong, recording a 34-31 win over Stanford. The Spartans will look to carry that momentum into their final game of the season, one in which they'll be favorited to win.

South Florida ended the regular season in a different manner. The Bulls had won four of five games before falling 35-28 at Rice on Nov. 30.

Now, USF will look to win its second bowl game in three years under head coach Alex Golesh.

Many non-Playoff bowl games are impacted by transfers and/or opt-outs. But a lot of the key players for both San Jose State and South Florida will be in action on Tuesday.

However, the Spartans will be without senior Nick Nash, their leading wide receiver this season (104 catches for 1,382 yards and 16 touchdowns). He opted out of the game.

There will also be some notable players missing from both defenses. San Jose State won't have cornerbacks Michael Dansby (Arizona transfer) and DJ Harvey (USC transfer), while South Florida will be without defensive tackle Doug Blue-Eli (Rutgers transfer) and safety Tawfiq Byard (transfer portal).

So the Hawai'i Bowl could have plenty of offense on both sides. The Bulls scored at least 35 points in each of their six wins this season. The Spartans recorded more than 30 points five times, including in their regular-season finale.

San Jose State will need other wide receivers to step up in Nash's absence. But it should help that junior quarterback Walker Eget is coming off of a 385-yard, four-touchdown performance vs. Stanford that showed what he is capable of.

Although this year's Hawai'i Bowl could go either way, the prediction is that San Jose State will be victorious, and it will cover the spread by winning by at least four points. But South Florida will put up enough points to keep things interesting for much of the game.

Predictions: San Jose State (-3); Over 63.5 total points

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Chubba Purdy, brother of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, is transferring to San Jose State, the former Nebraska quarterback announced on social media on Sunday.

Purdy spent two season at Florida State and two seasons at Nebraska before announcing his transfer following the conclusion of the season.

https://twitter.com/chubbapurdy/status/1746651418847805523

Last season, Purdy appeared in all 12 games for Nebraska, starting in four and throwing for 529 yards, two touchdowns, and six interceptions. He also had 353 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

Now, he'll head to the Mountain West Conference where he'll look to lead the Spartans.

As a transfer prospect, Purdy is considered to be the No. 635 player and the No. 67 quarterback in the portal by 247Sports.

Through his four collegiate seasons, Purdy has yet to find his footing as a regular starter. His few starts at Nebraska came after quarterback Heinrich Haarburg went down with an injury and he was called upon in relief.

Now with San Jose State, he'll be looking to establish himself as QB1 and perhaps find his way on an NFL roster.

The Spartans are coming off a 7-6 season that saw them reach the EasyPost Hawaii Bowl, where they lost to Coastal Carolina. With Purdy under center, San Jose State will be looking to reach a third-straight bowl game.

With Purdy's brother Brock playing nearby for the 49ers, the transition to the West Coast could be much easier as he suits up for San Jose State.

HEIGHT: 6'4"

WEIGHT: 276

HAND: 9"

ARM: 33"

WINGSPAN: 78⅜

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40-YARD DASH: 4.77

3-CONE: 7.32

SHUTTLE: 4.73

VERTICAL: 30"

BROAD: 8'4"

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POSITIVES

– Good blend of size and quickness for an NFL edge.

– Against outside zone runs, he's quick to recognize reach blocks to stay in his gap and is strong at the point of attack to set the edge against offensive tackles. Gets good extension too when his hands are right.

– Quickness helps him change the angle on offensive linemen to make them miss.

– Has a nice arm-over move to escape blocks.

– Refuses to get blocked by tight ends one-on-one.

– As a pass-rusher, he absorbs contact well to help fight through chip blocks.

– Has solid rip and swim moves he can win with on the outside to go along with a decent inside spin and inside stick move.

– Rushes with a plan and has a good motor; works countermoves if his initial attempt doesn't succeed.

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NEGATIVES

– Stands up out of his stance a bit and can get caught with high pad level at the point of attack, which causes issues against combo blocks from an offensive tackle and tight end.

– Late to see and get under pullers when unblocked.

– Has a habit of dropping his hands against the run and has wide hand placement, exposing his chest to offensive linemen. Also diminishes the effectiveness of his bull rush when rushing the passer.

– Doesn't have the acceleration off the line of scrimmage to win with speed around the edge.

– Still learning how to use his hands as a pass-rusher.

– Not very bendable in turning tight corners at the top of the rush.

– Runs out of gas quickly against hurry-up offenses or on two-minute drives.

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2022 STATS

– 12 G, 69 total tackles (41 solo), 19 TFL, 9 sacks, 2 FFs, 1 PD

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NOTES

– A 3-star recruit in the 2018 class, No. 1,576 overall, No. 68 TE, per 247Sports composite rankings

– Injuries: 2023 (sat out of Shrine Bowl with undisclosed injury)

– 43 career starts

– 2022 Honors: Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, Second-Team All-American (Sporting News, PFF), Fourth Team All-American (Phil Steele), First-Team All-Mountain West

– 2021 Honors: First-Team All-Mountain West

– 2020 Honors: First-Team All-Mountain West

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OVERALL

Not many non-Power Five prospects have Viliami Fehoko's combination of size and athleticism. His quickness stands out on tape and keeps offensive linemen on their toes, and he has the strength to win at the point of attack to keep blockers off balance.

That has also helped him build a solid pass-rush arsenal with a few inside and outside moves he can win with.

Fehoko does need to improve his technique, most notably his use of hands. He'll get caught with his hands down and expose his chest as a run defender, which could be a bigger issue at the next level, and he didn't show the ability to "defeat the hands, defeat the man" when rushing the passer. That can come with more experience, but he was a fifth-year senior.

Schematically, the Spartan would be best as a hand-in-the-ground defensive end for a team that uses a lot of even fronts. Playing out of a three-point stance more frequently should help him overcome some of his pad-level issues, and he has the traits of someone who can develop into a solid all-around player, which teams will love from an early-Day 3 prospect.

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GRADE: 6.5 (Potential Role Player/Round 4)

OVERALL RANK: 142

POSITION RANK: EDGE16

PRO COMPARISON: Antonio Smith

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Written by B/R NFL Draft Scout Matt Holder

San Jose State running back Camdan McWright died Friday after colliding with a school bus while riding an electric scooter. He was 18.

Austin Turner of the Mercury News reported McWright was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to ABC 7 Bay Area, the San Jose Police Department said none of the 14 students who were on the school bus were injured.

The accident is under investigation, although police said the bus had a green light and the right of way at the time of the accident. The university said in a statement it is "working cooperatively with the San Jose Police Department, the California Highway Patrol, SJSU University Police Department, SJSU Student Affairs and SJSU Athletics."

"We lost an amazing young man tragically this morning," head coach Brent Brennan said. "Camdan had a bright future ahead of him and everyone in this community that had the opportunity to spend time with him knew that. We are still trying to deal with the news of this tragedy, and appreciate everyone's support during these difficult times. Our thoughts and prayers are with the McWright family and I want them to know we are all here for them. Camdan will always be in our hearts and he will be profoundly missed."

McWright joined San Jose State as a 3-star prospect in the 2022 recruiting class, per 247Sports' composite rankings. He appeared in one game during the 2022 season and posted six yards on three carries in the Oct. 7 victory over UNLV.

The Spartans are 4-2 and scheduled to play at New Mexico State on Saturday.

San Jose State University announced it's retiring its "Spartan Up" hand gesture as part of a series of actions to address anti-Black racism. 

University president Dr. Mary A. Papazian cited the gesture's similarity to "what has become a well-known White Power hand gesture."

Athletics director Marie Tuite also issued a statement on the measure:

"We all agree that the gesture has become part of the fabric and footprint of our University, however when the gesture is used improperly, it can be offensive to some members of our University family. When our 'Spartan Up' hand gesture was misinterpreted as an 'okay' sign and not the proper gesture, the improper sign created a division in our campus community. It was timely and appropriate to make the decision to no longer use the hand gesture associated with 'Spartan Up.'"

The Southern Poverty Law Center's David Neiwert wrote in September 2018 that white nationalists had begun to co-opt the once-benign hand signal. The purpose was "both to signal their presence to the like-minded, as well as to identify potentially sympathetic recruits among young trolling artists flashing it."

"Spartan Up" dates back to 1990, when a former marching band director suggested band members, cheerleaders and fans should bring their thumb and forefinger together to form what looked like a spartan's helmet.

The retirement of "Spartan Up" comes as Americans across the country are demonstrating to call for meaningful reforms to root out systemic racism and social inequality.

UNLV announced earlier this month it was removing the statue of its mascot, Hey Reb!, that was stationed outside of the school's alumni center.

The NCAA has also banned all championship events in states that fly the Confederate flag, a policy that only applies to Mississippi for the time being. SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey recently said the conference might reconsider staging championship events in Mississippi if the state doesn't change its official flag.

San Jose State Spartans safety Chad Miller remains in critical condition after being stabbed over the weekend in San Jose, California.

"He is hospitalized and is expected to recover," San Jose State said in a statement, per the San Jose Mercury News' Eric Kurhi. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Chad and his family for his prompt recovery."

Miller's father, Brad, told ABC 7's Lilian Kim his son was with a group of friends and became involved in a nearby altercation before getting stabbed.

University officials confirmed to Kurhi that since the stabbing occurred off the San Jose State campus, local authorities will have jurisdiction over the investigation. Kim reported San Jose police have begun looking at security footage from the location of the altercation and have yet to make any arrests.

Miller, a junior for the Spartans in 2017, started in the team's final three games of the 2016 season. In 12 appearances, he finished with 25 total tackles and a forced fumble.

San Jose State has received a significant boost to its 2015 class with the commitment of 4-star wide receiver Kanya Bell. 

Jimmy Durkin of the San Jose Mercury News shared news of the commitment and comments from head coach Ron Caragher:

Kanya Bell is official for San Jose State. ESPN has the WR as a 4-star.

— Jimmy Durkin (@Jimmy_Durkin) February 4, 2015

Bell, who transferred from Diamond Bar to Long Beach Poly High School in advance of his senior season, is rated as the No. 28 wide receiver and No. 32 player from the state of California in the 2015 class, per 247Sports' composite rankings. 

More than anything else, he brings speed to the table. He has the wheels to threaten secondaries over the top, but he's also quick and elusive, capable of creating separation and then making defenders miss in space. 

Size will be a factor. At 6'0" and only 160 pounds, it looks like a light breeze could knock him off of his route. His quickness and change-of-direction skills will help him quell that problem, but he will still have to add some bulk to his frame before making an impact at the collegiate level, whether he plays wide receiver or cornerback. 

Still, even if he doesn't make much noise as a freshman, Bell's skill set points to a very high upside. He is an exciting playmaker with a bright future. 

Recruit star rating via 247Sports.com.

A year ago not many knew or were even aware of San Jose State quarterback David Fales.

Now, however, after an impressive first season—which saw him lead the entire FBS in completion percentage (72.5)—Fales has quickly gone from relative obscurity and unknown JUCO transfer to potential first-round NFL draft pick. 

Recently, respected CBS Senior College Football Columnist Bruce Feldman even had this to say about Fales via Twitter, following his performance in the Elite 11 quarterback camp.

Gaining respect from your peers and trusted talent evaluators like Feldman can go a long way, but it is Fales' key performances against elite competition last season that really stand out. 

According to rankings from NCAA.com, Fales faced four teams in 2012 that ranked in the top 20 nationally in total defense in BYU (3), Bowling Green (6), Utah State (14) and Stanford (20). 

In those four games, Fales and the Spartans were just a combined 2-2 overall. However, Fales' completion percentage was also over 74 percent during this same stretch—completing 120 of 162 passes for 1,384 yards, nine touchdowns and just two interceptions. 

Those are the type of numbers that have evaluators like Feldman and Bleacher Report's very own Matt Miller taking notice. But as we know, it is in the film study where we truly find out how much NFL potential a player has to offer.

Ahead, we delve deeper into what allows Fales to be such an efficient quarterback—utilizing the attributes to look for when evaluating quarterback prospects, courtesy of the aforementioned Miller and his excellent series on "How Do Scouts Break Down NFL Prospects" by position.

Accuracy

Like a lot of modern day college football offenses, Fales and San Jose State operate out of a shotgun-heavy zone-read pistol offense. Because of this, Fales' completion percentage can become somewhat over-inflated as a good amount of his throws are either at, behind or just beyond the line of scrimmage. 

This is important to take note of during your evaluation, and is just one of the reason's why you always want to trust the film, as it also lends you more insight into the amount of drops or catchable passes that went down as incompletions.

Which, in Fales' case, happened quite a bit in the four games I charted (Stanford, BYU, Utah State and Bowling Green). 

Take for instance these three plays below from the Stanford game.

In each one of these, Fales does a great job of delivering the ball on target and on time. Unfortunately, his receivers just do a poor job of finishing the play—one of them even potentially costing the team a touchdown. 

Nonetheless, rather than focus on the negative, let's take a look at four additional plays that illustrate why Fales' ability to throw the ball with accuracy is nearly unparalleled at the college football level and just one of his many unique strengths as a pocket passer.

Sticking with the Stanford game, above, we see Fales and the Spartans offense execute a signature out route or sideline throw.

Notice the ball placement, timing and rhythm. Never does Fales appear flustered, uncomfortable or rattled in the pocket. Rather, he stays calm, cool and collected, delivering a perfectly thrown ball with good velocity and a quick release. 

Now let's move on to a couple throws that are a little more challenging.

As many of you know, a lot of times a quarterback has to do more than just be able to find and hit the open receiver. Sometimes, it takes a combination of accuracy, anticipation and even a little bit of trust to deliver an ideal pass in a window or accomplish what has become known as "throwing your receiver open."

The two plays below from the team's Military Bowl win are a prime example of this. 

As you can see from the two videos above, not only does Fales display superb accuracy, but he's also an accomplished anticipation passer with the vision to see the entire field.

Areas we will get to in a little bit, this last throw is icing on the cake of just how well Fales places the ball. Putting it in the only spot his receiver can make a play with proper arc, touch, timing and rhythm. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNLcqfKDjvM,289

Vision

A large part of scouting involves knowing whose opinion you can trust and who you should be listening to. Which guys you know spend copious (and sometimes even unhealthy) amounts of their time evaluating certain prospects at certain positions.

For quarterbacks and nearly anything football, one of the guys to give a follow on Twitter if you haven't already is NFL Draft Monster's Benjamin Allbright (@NFLDraftMonster). 

Besides being extremely knowledgeable, active, honest and approachable, Allbright also takes the quarterback evaluation process to an entirely different level.

Recently, he had this to say regarding Fales and his nearly impeccable ability to see the entire field while reading a defense. 

To better illustrate and hammer Allbright's point home with solid concrete video evidence, take a look at this succession of plays in last year's BYU game, capping off a drive that encompasses what it means to be in total command of an offense. 

Within this drive, not only does Fales show off his lighting quick release, but he routinely makes quick reads and decisions—seeing the entire field and going through his progressions before finding the open target. 

To do this takes vision and high football IQ, all while knowing where your hot read will be to consistently make effective pre- and post-snap decisions with a high degree of efficiency. 

The best quarterbacks in today's NFL have mastered this part of the game. The Peyton Mannings, Tom Bradys and Drew Breeses of the world all do a tremendous job using their vision to set their team up for success before any given play. 

It's a little bit of an acquired attribute that takes countless repetitions, but making pre-snap adjustments and taking what the defense gives you is perhaps one of the most valuable traits for highly effective quarterback play. 

Check out these last two plays below, each of which show off Fales' awareness to identify the blitz and immediately attack the voided area. 

Leadership and Poise

The leadership trait cannot be undermined when it comes to the quarterback position. Looking around today's NFL landscape, you'll notice plenty of leaders from all sorts of positions, but when the game is on the line it is the job of the quarterback to rally his troops and come out on top.

They're in fact the commander in chief of sorts, and not just for the offense, but for the entire team.

These are the guys so emotionally, physically and even spiritually invested in the game that they can barely keep their eyes off the action, even when they're not out on the field. The ones who you see on the sidelines constantly challenging and inspiring their teammates to rise above the adversity and block out the pain.

Certainly, these traits are a little harder to come by and even notice without spending a good amount of time with a player and person; however, luckily for us, there are analysts and evaluators like CBS Sports' Rob Rang, who have more inside access than others. 

Describing Fales in his recent scouting report, courtesy of CBS Sports as having a "selfless personality with the preparation habits needed for the next level." While also identifying Fales as a player with a "strong work ethic" and someone who is just as "ambitious" as he is "coachable."

Of course, these statements are only word of mouth for right now and should be taken with a grain of salt until further confirmation; however, that does not mean they should completely fall on deaf ears. 

After all, scouts like Rang don't usually stick their necks out for a player unless they mean it, and from everything I have gathered as well, Fales appears to be an even-keeled, level-headed kid with the persistency and degree of stubbornness it takes to make it in today's NFL. 

Take it for what it's worth, but I myself also believe Fales to be a rather "high character" guy and chalk this up as another positive checkmark in his ongoing evaluation process. 

Arm Strength/Velocity

To this point we've been quick to commend Fales on all he does well, but if there is one area he can stand to improve on it is his ability to drive the football down the field in tight windows. 

At this juncture, Fales' overall arm talent is good, but its just not at the ideal level of what you look for in a franchise quarterback and certainly won't have him being mistaken for Jay Cutler or Matthew Stafford anytime soon.

Nevertheless, since arm strength is largely an overrated quarterback trait to begin with, Fales should have no problem making the transition.

The clip below is a perfect example of Fales executing an NFL-caliber pass. Completing the daunting hash-to-far-sideline throw with adequate velocity, all while having a hand in his face. 

Throws like the one above do a good job highlighting what Fales is, and what he isn't as an NFL quarterback prospect.

Clearly he has enough arm talent to make even the most difficult of throws that will be asked of him at the next level, but where Fales will make his money is in the short-to-intermediate game and preferably in an offense that further plays into his strengths as a passer who processes information very quickly and gets the ball out in the similar manner. 

This is the type of system Fales was built for and an example of a quarterback prospect who has more value in a quick-hitting offensive attack, rather than one that is primarily interested and geared towards challenging the vertical parts of the field. 

Pocket Presence and Escapability

In Miller's article on breaking down NFL quarterback prospects, he describes pocket presence as being a skill that is two-fold.

The first part being the ability to see and feel pressure, and the second part involving the running ability to escape that pressure and extend the play. 

For quarterbacks with great pocket presence skills and awareness, the first part of this comes very naturally. The second part, however, depends almost exclusively on the amount of mobility and athleticism that player possesses to escape the pocket and create with his legs. 

To highlight each aspect of this in regards to Fales, I have chosen the following two plays, which can be seen below. 

In this first clip, you get a sense for just how well Fales is able to feel and temporarily escape it. Sliding up in the pocket, while simultaneously keeping his eyes down the field, before finding his open target for an impressive first down. 

This type of awareness is a rather innate quality, but to get a better sense of Fales ability as a true runner, we must pay close attention to clips like the one highlighted below. 

With this one, we get a much better sense and feeling of how well Fales is able create once he has been forced to tuck the ball and experiences that "flight or fight" moment. 

In both instances, Fales does a great job keeping calm in the pocket, while also realizing once that internal clock has gone off in his head it's time to make a run for it. 

Certainly, no one will be mistaking Fales with his former teammate at Nevada, Colin Kaepernick, anytime soon.

However, it is good to know that when push comes to shove, Fales at least has enough intellect, agility and vision to create with his legs, as this has become a skill that has become more and more important over the past several years.

Anticipation

Earlier we touched on what it means to "throw your receiver open," and this relies largely on not only on a quarterback's timing and chemistry with a player, but also his ability to anticipate when and where his receiver is likely to become open. 

It's a rather underrated quality and one that requires a quarterback to always be one step ahead of the defense.

These next two touchdown passes from Fales do a good job displaying not only his arm strength and deep-ball accuracy, but his ability to anticipate and deliver the ball when the opportunity presents itself. 

What's refreshing about these two throws is the fact we get to see Fales executing passes down the field.

We already knew he was a cerebral enough quarterback to deliver in the short-to-intermediate parts of the field, but these two throws tie in and encompass much of what we already knew and have covered to this point in his evaluation. 

In these throws it's all there. The accuracy, timing, vision, poise, arm strength and pocket presence are all very evident in this set of highlights.

Further confirmation that Fales gets it and has a little bit of that "it" factor we're looking for, when evaluating college quarterbacks for the NFL.

Mechanics

Mechanics are born out of habit and constant repetition, but the good news is that they are correctable and can be advanced with added focus, attention and determination. 

Plenty of quarterbacks come into the NFL with needed emphasis on mechanics. Sometimes this is a quick fix or minor tweak, while other times it can take much more physical conditioning and mental repetition.

Luckily for Fales, his mechanics are pretty spot on and don't require all that much work. However, that's not to say there aren't areas in which he can improve to get the most out of his throwing motion. 

For instance, everyone loves how quickly Fales snaps the ball off with his quick release. His fluid, crisp and efficient motion is key to making up for some of his deficiencies in terms of arm strength, and it allows him to get the ball to his intended all the much sooner. 

While all this is great, when I'm evaluating a quarterback (in my opinion) it all begins and ends with their footwork.

Which, if you ask me, has sometimes gotten Fales into trouble, as it does in the two clips leading to interceptions below. 

A large part of the issue with these two throws has a lot to do with poor decision-making, but another part of the issue can be traced back to Fales' sloppy mechanics and tendency to throw with poor balance.

His decision to throw the ball in the first place is questionable, sure, but just as guilty is his lower body mechanics that cause him to drift away from his throw and release off one foot.

Never is this acceptable, and especially not for a quarterback who lacks great arm strength.

Fales is much better off when he sets and re-sets his feet. As is the case in this clip below, which is perhaps the best example out there of Fales doing nearly everything flawlessly and to complete perfection. 

Notice how Fales does a great job of going through his progressions—constantly setting and re-setting his feet, all while standing tall and remaining poised in the pocket.

Then, once he finds his passing lane and anticipates his receiver coming open, he hits his man in perfect stride with pinpoint accuracy and velocity.

These are the type of throws NFL evaluators want to see and are a favorable sign that Fales is quickly putting it all together. 

Size

The San jose State Spartans official team website lists Fales as a 6'3", 220-pound quarterback, but those measurements are purely speculative and currently at the discretion of the team's athletic department. 

After all, it wouldn't be the first time a player has been listed taller than they actually are, only to later be discovered as being nowhere near as tall or as big as originally listed, at annual events such as the Senior Bowl and NFL combine. 

Certainly, this is not to say I believe this to be the case with Fales, but do believe he is getting a slight home-field advantage and benefit of the doubt when it comes to where he is currently earmarked. 

Fales' actual numbers are likely right around this range, and while I do not believe his overall size to be too much of an issue, I do have concerns regarding his hand size. 

On film and in the picture above, you can see that Fales does appear to have rather small hands for an NFL quarterback, which can lead to some issues with ball security and things like grip moving forward. 

Obviously these concerns will eventually work themselves out as we move further into the season and beyond; however, it is something to take note of and keep an eye on moving forward. 

Final Word

Not many quarterbacks with as little starting experience as Fales can say they have all the momentum going for them, but Fales truly does in only his second season behind center.

In a relatively short period of time, he has taken his team from poor all the way to winning a bowl game with an 11-2 record, and even has himself on the verge of potentially being the first senior quarterback taken next spring. 

Certainly, a lot of that depends on his performances in the upcoming year; however, judging by some of the film from last season I would be hard pressed to say I don't see him accomplishing that, and potentially much more this upcoming season. 

In terms of raw skill, Fales can be described as only being slightly above average. His arm strength is so-so and his legs aren't anything to write home about, but what Fales seems to possess is that rather innate quality and level of determination to make everyone around him better. 

His ability to do the little things right and excel in the most important areas of accuracy, vision, leadership and anticipation go much further than the numbers we will ever see show up in physical testings that take place leading up to the 2014 NFL draft. 

Simply put, quarterbacks like Fales don't come around too often and it's not every day you get to witness and experience a quarterback who has that enviable "it" factor about him to will his team to victory week in and week out.

We saw that on countless occasions on last year's team, and at the forefront of keeping his team in games they probably had no business being in at all was Fales.

The steady leader of the ship and quarterback whose importance to his team is infinitely greater than anyone could have ever imagined just one short year ago.