Tuitama Shafted: Left Off Combine Invite List

The NFL Combine is the best chance players have of making a last, lasting impression on NFL Scouts leading up to the NFL Draft. In some cases, the combine can take a little known player from a possible late round pick to a 1st rounder like last year's appearance of Joe Flacco.

There are 21 Quarterbacks on this year's invitee list. They are:

Jason Boltus: Junior, Hartwick (D-III)
Rhett Bomar: Senior, Sam Houston State (FCS)
Tom Brandstater: Senior, Fresno State (WAC)
Nathan Brown: Senior, Central Arkansas (FCS)
Hunter Cantwell: Senior, Louisville (Big East - BCS)
Rudy Carpenter: Senior, Arizona State (Pac 10 - BCS)
Chase Daniel: Senior, Missouri (Big XII - BCS)
Nate Davis: Junior, Ball State (MAC)
Josh Freeman: Junior, Kansas State (Big XII - BCS)
Cullen Harper: Senior, Clemson (SEC - BCS)
Graham Harrell: Senior, Texas Tech (Big XII - BCS)
Chase Holbrook: Senior, New Mexico State (WAC)
Brian Hoyer: Senior, Michigan State (Big Eleven - BCS)
Stephen McGee: Senior, Texas A & M (Big XII - BCS)
Curtis Painter: Senior, Purdue (Big Eleven - BCS)
Mike Reilly: Senior, Central Washington (D-II)
Mark Sanchez: Junior, USC (Pac 10 - BCS)
Pat White: Senior, West Virginia (Big East - BCS)
Drew Willy: Senior, Buffalo (MAC)
John Parker Wilson: Senior, Alabama (SEC - BCS)

That means, according to who ever does the picking and choosing of invitees, that they saw all of these QBs as having a better shot of being drafted than Willie T. I, respectfully, disagree.

I am not saying Wille is better than all, or even most of the QBs up there. I am simply saying that he is better than some and at least equal to others on this list. Consider his stats:

Career: 40 GP - 9,216 yds - 67 TDs - 31 INTs - 61% Comp. %
2008: 13 GP - 3,093 yds - 23 TDs - 8 INTs - 64.9% Comp. %

Now I understand trying to be fair, but how can you send a kid from D-III to the Combine ahead of a BCS quarterback coming off of his best season? I couldn't even find stats for Boltus or Central Washington's Mike Reilly, but I'm pretty sure Willie T deserves it more. Beyond that let's look at some of the other players selected ahead of Tuitama to show off their skills in Indy.

Fresno State's Tom Brandstater.
Career: 45 GP - 6,857 yds - 47 TDs - 32 INTs - 59% Comp. %
2008: 13 GP - 2,664 yds - 18 TDs - 12 INTs - 59.6 % Comp. %

Louisville's Hunter Cantwell. Led Louisville to their first losing season since 1997 as a Senior.
Career: 27 GP - 3,912 yds - 26 TDs - 22 INTs - 58% Comp. %
2008: 12 GP - 2,493 yds - 16 TDs - 16 INTs - 58.6% Comp. %

Arizona State's Rudy Carpenter.
Career: 47 GP - 10,491 yds - 81 TDs - 35 INTs - 58% Comp. %
2008: 12 GP - 2,493 yds - 16 TDs - 9 INTs - 60.7% Comp. %

Kansas States Junior Josh Freeman.
Career: 45 GP - 8,078 yds - 44 TDs - 34 INTs - 59% Comp. %
2008: 12 GP - 2,945 yds - 20 TDs - 8 INTs - 58.6% Comp. %

Clemson's Cullen Harper who's Sr. Bowl throws were called "Wobbly and Inconsistent".
Career: 31 GP - 5,762 yds - 41 TDs - 20 INTs - 63% Comp. %
2008: 13 GP - 2,601 yds - 13 TDs - 14 INTs - 61.4% Comp. %

Michigan State's Brian Hoyer.
Career: 42 GP - 6,159 yds - 35 TDs - 23 INTs - 55% Comp. %
2008: 13 GP - 2,404 yds - 9 TDs - 9 INTs - 51% Comp. %

Texas A&M's Stephen McGee who only started 3 games his Senior Year.
Career: 39 GP - 5,475 yds - 28 TDs - 13 INTs - 60% Comp. %
2008: 6 GP - 586 yds - 2 TDs - 2 INTs - 65.9% Comp. %
2007: 13 GP - 2,311 yds - 12 TDs - 8 INTs - 58% Comp. %

Purdue's Curtis Painter.
Career: 46 GP - 11,195 yds - 67 TDs - 46 INTs - 60% Comp. %
2008: 12 GP - 2,400 yds - 13 TDs - 11 INTs - 59.9% Comp. %

Buffalo's Drew Willy.
Career: 41 GP - 8,748 yds - 52 TDs - 30 INTs - 65% Comp. %
2008: 14 GP - 3,304 yds - 25 TDs - 6 INTs - 65% Comp. %

Alabama's John Parker Wilson.
Career: 45 GP - 7,894 yds - 46 TDs - 29 INTs - 57% Comp. %
2008: 14 GP - 2,243 yds - 9 TDs - 7 INTs - 57.9% Comp. %

Tuitama is comparable to ever single one of the players above, if not better. He may lack a little mobility but he has better accuracy and arm strength than a majority of the guys up there.

His career TD:INT ratio is better than 2:1. Of the players above only 2 (Rudy Carpenter 81:35 and Cullen Harper 41:20) have a 2:1 TD:INT ratio or better. Both of whom in 2008 (16:9 and 13:14 respectively) fell short, and in the case of Harper far short, of the 2:1 ratio.

His 2008 TD:INT performance is just shy of 3:1. Only one player up there approaches those numbers, Buffalo's Drew Willy (25:6).

Of the players listed above 7 have played in more games than Tuitama (40) - Brandstater, Carpenter, Freeman, Hoyer, Painter, Willy, Wilson. But only Carpenter (47 GP) and Painter (46 GP) have more passing yds or TDs. (RC - 10,491 yds - 81 TDs, CP - 11,195 yds 67 - TDs).

Also, of the players listed above 4 had more INTs than Willie, and of the remaining 6, 3 played in less games and the other 3 (Hoyer, Willy, and Wilson) none even came close to a 2:1 TD:INT ratio that Willie had.

My point isn't that Willie is a First Rounder. My point is that he deserves to be in Indy as much as any D-III, D-II, or FCS quarterback, yet there are four ahead of him, who played against lesser competition than a FBS quarterback.

Beyond that of the rest of the FBS quarterback his numbers are equal to or greater, especially in the most recent seasons. As more pressure fell on Tuitama to lead the team as a Junior and a Senior. And as the added pressure of not going to a bowl game and not beating ASU continued to build up, Tui had his best season. Under immense pressure Tuitama put up one of the best seasons of any other quarterback from the BCS schools to the D-III directional schools. He showed his leadership and led the Wildcats to Territorial Cup and Bowl Game victories and turned 5'8" Mike Thomas into the Pac-10's All-Time Leading Receiver.

Tuitama got shafted, and as far as his mobility, ask BYU: