But before we get carried away with some of the ideas about how to fix the team, we might want to consider this.... Now, suggesting that we ought to trade a whole cargo load of picks for Luck might render this saying operative. At least to me it would. Anything more than three picks and I'm outta there. Missing out on four or more high draft picks to select on will more than likely break a team rather than make a team. Ask Marino how the misses on draft picks when Shula took over the drafting helped the team. Trading four or more picks for the right to draft Luck would be little different except the possibility of a miss is more exaggerated when you have fewer picks to make because the top picks have been traded away, and Luck is not established as your quarterback yet. My take it that we use those picks to surround the quarterback with better players, while WHEN drafting the best player possible fit in a quarterback to groom. That way we don't become the reincarnation of the Indianapolis Colts for the 20teens. Build a strong team, and along the way, an Aaron Rodgers or a Tom Brady might appear. Build a weak team around a Mega-SuperStar Quarterback, and watch the house of cards tremble at the sound of rumbling defensive linemen and blitzing linebackers!
Yes, it would be such a horror to be the Colts of the last 12 years. Winning ten or more games every year, two Super Bowl appearances with one win, and several other AFC championship games. The horror.....
If we aren't going to try and get a great QB on this team then we need to build a steal wall of offensive linemen to protect Matt Moore. Matt Moore cannot play under pressure. No way we win with him unless the offensive line is flawless and even then we would also need to acquire another dominant wide reciever to compliment Brandon marshall. I'm thinking Larry Fitzgerald! We would then need to try and get a top flight tight end as well. I'm thinking a trade for Rob Gronkowski or Jimmy Graham. Yeah that is totally do-able! In all seriousness we need a franchise QB here before we move forward.
Listen I get it, I was and am on the Get Luck Bandwagon but I'm not willing to give up 3 firsts for him as hes proven nothing in the NFL. I can count you off scores of College studs who never transitioned well to the NFL for whatever reason. The #1 isn't a lock on anything. Recently we had the #2 pick and while I loved Ronnie Brown he's not a hall of fame player he wasn't honestly all that good but above average for a few years. Listen Luck has the skills to transition, but a fluke injury or something can happen and than were out of our #1 pick for 3 years! That's a death sentence for ANY head Coach, and I blame the current owner and GM for this mess. Ill give up a 1 and 2 this year and a 1 next year for him or anything lower in value but that's it. Without the proper team in place LUCK will suck and end up another failed QB in the NFL.. I honestly think the more likely scenario is that Miami Will trade up and grab a different QB in the #3-5 position.
I get the point, but QB is more important today than it ever has, and that trend will likely continue upward. Get that solid QB, then all else comes after. Look at the Pats now. They have about 5-6 quality players and a bunch of junk, yet they have home field advantage now. They have the elite QB, a couple great TEs, a pesky WR, a great O-lineman, and an elite NT. The rest is mostly garbage (alright, I forgot about Mayo). Point being, outside of Brady & Gronkowski, I'd take our roster 10 times outta 10 over the Pats. But insert Brady and Gronk (heck, just Brady), and all is well. In the late 80s, as good as Marino was, an elite QB could only guarantee 8-8. Today, those Miami teams would be 12-4, 13-3, defense be damned. Point being, if Luck is the man, GET HIM ANY WAY POSSIBLE!!!!
Or, be one injury away from dropping from 14-2 to 2-14. That is the history of the Indianapolis Colts. Peyton's longevity was remarkable, and was what led to that remarkable record over . Most quarterbacks don't have that degree of invulnerability to injury. OH! BTW - Manning's first four years, the Colts were a .500 team!
First, we're pretty much one injury away from being 2-14 with zero chance, as currently constructed to ever go 14-2. Second, yeah, Indy was technically .500 over Peyton's first 4 seasons but had a 13-13 and a 10-6 along with two playoff appearances.
Say we get Luck, for our entire draft this year and he busts.... Where does that leave us..as a non playoff team? A few years of not winning the SB? How is that different than now?
Let's see, we've had the first pick, that has got us...nothing. We've had the second pick, that has got us...nothing. We've had all our picks, that has got us....nothing. Meanwhile, all the teams that have real QBs, are in the hunt every year. In between the futility of Wanny & Parcells here, NO gave up their entire draft for a RB, rebounded and won a SB with an actual QB, all while we have exactly 1 playoff win that short time by playing it safe. We've played it safe forever and it has gotten us nowhere. There is a bonafide bluechip prospect this year, you gamble to get him. You people need to understand that draft picks have no inherent value. The only value they posses is when there's a player worth getting.
This years playoff teams: Brady = 6th round, 199th pick, 7th QB taken. Flacco = 1st round, 22nd pick 2nd QB taken. Schaub = 3rd round, 90th pick, 5th QB taken. Tebow = 1st round, 25th pick, 2nd QB taken. Dalton = 2nd round, 35th pick, 5th QB taken. Roethlisberger = 1st round, 11th pick, 3rd QB taken. Rogers = 1st round, 24th pick, 2nd QB taken. Smith = 1st round, 1st pick, 1st QB taken. Brees = 2nd round, 32nd pick, 2nd QB taken. E. Manning = 1st round, 1st pick, 1st QB taken. Ryan = 1st round, 3rd pick, 1st QB taken. Stafford = 1st round, 1st pick, 1st QB taken. Looking at this years playoff teams only 4 starting QBs of the 12 teams were the 1st QB taken the year they were drafted...seeds 2,4,5,6 in the NFC. 4 QBs were taken outside of round 1. 7 were taken with the 22nd pick in the draft or lower. And then there are the epic "FAILS" in the 1st round since P. Manning was drafted...Leaf #2, Couch #1, Smith #3, McNown #12, Carr #1, Harrington #3, Ramsey #32, Leftwich #17, Boller #19, Grossman #22, Campbell #25, Young #3, Lienhart #10, Russell #1, Quinn #22, Sanchez #6, Bradford #1...and this years crop of Locker #8, Gabbert #10 and Ponder #12 may join that list. Active #1 picks watching the playoffs this year...Bradford, Palmer, Vick. This idea that we just draft a QB in the 1st round and our QB problems are solved is naive imo...history has shown that isn't necessarily the case.
Blah, blah, blah. I never said just drafting a QB in the first round was the answer. I said an elite QB was the answer and the best shot at getting an elite QB is Luck.
And there are lies, damn lies and statistics. A few of the QBs on the playoff teams were drafted lower but also had to sit for years behind another QB before getting a chance and some aren't with their original teams.
eff it, just take Flynn or Clemons or stay pat...If it's possible to trade up for Luck or RGIII then it's a no-brainer. In fact, if Alshon Jeffrey is really going to be picked late in rd 1, then just trade down. We've built up a decent structure, now just trade picks for next year. Give Ireland some ammo for 2013's crop of QB's.
...and if Keenum or Coles drops past the fifth rd, pick'emup Ireland...and get in the habit of rolling the dice on QB's at the end of the draft.
The saints got a pair of 1st round picks back for ricky. You people need to understand that there are valuable players to be had in all rounds of the draft, the trick is to pick them. Also, we've had a hof qb, how many championships did that get us? By your logic that would mean what exactly?
a super bowl was never won with marino because this organization, in 16 years failed to draft 1 quality rb or a defense that could make ANY kind of difference...get over the fact that a SB never happened...i'm pretty sure marino would have handed in the records to have a thurman thomas or a bruce smith or a ronnie lott
I see, so Marino is indicative of a HOF QB not = SB, but the last 20 years of SB winning QBs (outside of Dilfer & Johnson) doesn't mean we need an elite QB? Perfect logic. There has never been a prospect that was this close to a sure thing at QB. In fact, going after him is less of a gamble, than not going after him. If you are going to blow your draft pick wad, then do it when its the closest thing to a guarantee you're going to get. Valuable players are relative. No player carries more value than a HoF QB. One more time, "Draft Picks Are NOT Currency."
ITS THE SYSTEM STUPID! Seriously you need a QB to fit your system... Sure some are better than others, but you can win a Superbowl with a mediocre QB and a solid team around them.
No its not system. The only thing that wins you a SB without a great QB is playing better defense than we have since the No Names. Even then its not sustainable. Sure you CAN win without a great QB. You CAN also become a millionaire by playing the lottery.
Its simple for the most part the elite qbs make the playoffs every year then you have sub par qbs make the playoffs here and there due to there team playing a weak *** schedule for that year.
No it's the system that wins the Superbowl. A Well rounded team vs a single player.. Pittsburgh won with a rookie QB, Baltimore won with a half *** QB all because of the defense. So having Luck here would not make us a Super Bowl team. Not debating that some QB's are better and elevate the team I will give you that. But selling out everything for the #1 when the last few SB's have been won with lower round QB's shows it's about the talent around the QB as well.
Puhleaze. Do not give me the only two examples as proof, while ignoring the 18 or more other examples that prove you wrong. To consistently win in this league and have a consistent shot at the SB, the ONLY common denominator is an elite QB. Everything else is luxury. Back to your two examples: Big Ben is an elite QB and Baltimore won with the greatest defense in the history of the league, and only won it once and have not seriously contended until...they got a better QB.
Elite QBs don't need perfect storms to win Superbowls. Elite teams with mediocre/average QBs do not win Superbowls unless there's a perfect storm (2000 Ravens).
