Again, if there is no blocking, nobody makes plays.. It's thinking like "we can find suitable blockers anywhere" that has this team in the mess it's in right now. The Ravens won a SB with Trent Dilfer. Why? John Ogden was a total blocking force, that's why. Did you see the OL play of the Seahawks this year? Walter Jones, the LT, anchored a line allowed the offense to play above level. Shaun Alexander was 5 yards deep before he even touched, and that goes on the OL. I understand where you are coming from, and respect your opinion. I still believe it's more important to have a franchise LT then a franchise QB. Certainly not as exciting or sexy, but it'll allow you to win more games, and that is what it is all about.
personally do you see mike williams this is the reason why i wouldnt draft a OT in the top 5. i can live with a skill position turning into a bust. but draft a OT and him turning into bust would piss me off to the max.
Ryan Leaf. Tim Couch. Akili Smith. The list goes on. In fact, I'd venture to say that there are far more QB busts that were drafted early in the first round then OT busts.
but its much more easier to stomach a qb bust than a top 5 Olineman. Manderich (sp?) even though not the biggest bust of all time still gets way more ridculed than a ryan leaf. im talkin in general. dbrick vs cutler aside
I studied this last year.... honest. It worked out that about 55% of first round QB's worked out.... guys most fans would be happy with. For O linemen, it's about 75% that work out. I will also add this..... the starting O linemen in the NFL are very evenly spread out in aech round, where QB's taken later than the third round rarely do. The percentages for franchise QB's goes down drastically after the first round, and it continues to plummet in later rounds. Bottom line, the longer you wait on a QB, the worse chance you have of getting a franchise QB. The drop off for O linemen is very gradual. I do not think that you can get O linemen anytime however. This team needs O line help now, and the earlier rounds are where the guys who can be ready to start are found. They are further along than the guys taken on the second day, and don't take two or three years to develop, like Jones. The depth of O line prospects this year makes it perfect timing for the Jets. There will be a very good OT or OG on the board for the second round pick, and a center like Degory will still be there in the third round. With all the cuts.... maybe we can get a FA O lineman as well. QB's need a year of clipboard time. To put it off another year sets the whole franchise back another year. Time to roll the dice on a future QB.
and thats why Dan Marino's fingers are flooded with super bowl rings. AND NO ONE on this board was talking about taking Cutler in the 1st round during the season. It was all Reggie Bush and Deangelo Williams. People were considering Cutler in the 3rd along with Croyle.
definately not. You hear Ryan Leaf's name ALL THE TIME. I've heard Mandarich mentioned only when the media does those sports lists about busts. And also, Mandarich was far more serviceable than Leaf. Leaf was out the league because he sucked, Mandarich was forced out the league due to injuries
Negative...... I had Cutler targeted for the Jets second round pick, and I thought he would be an absolute steal there. I've had Cutler rated over Leinart and Young for a loooooong time. So did Jabba, and a couple of others.
No, but that was because he wasn't ranked to go so high.... the fact remains, he was and remains my #1 ranked QB. So, if Leinart is a concesus #2, Cutler is still a good value at 4, according to my rankings, which haven't changed.
Again, what have the Ravens done without Dilfer? They still had Ogden after they cut Dilfer. QB is the most important position on the team by far. It's true that if you don't have blocking you can't make plays, but it's also true that even if you block if you can't make the plays you won't be making any plays. Since generally it is easier to block than it is to be a great QB, you take the gamble with the QB. As long as you have even a mediocre O-line you don't have to worry about "not being able to make any plays" at all because of O-line problems. But a QB barely above awful, generally will not win you games even with great O-line. I look at it more like this: games are lost in the trenches, but won by superior QB play. I think they're both important, but I rank having a great QB above having one great O-linemen. Now, if you can get me 5 great O-linemen, and get them working as a unit the likes of never have been seen in the NFL, I will concede you probably don't need much of a QB in that case, since the QB just has to hand the ball off every single down to win. However, do you honestly see that happening? In all honesty, even the best O-lines allow pressure in playoff games against great defenses. If you have a shitty QB, you lose because he makes stupid mistakes when he gets this pressure. If you have a great QB, he will beat the blitz more often than not. Imo, you get the harder component early in the draft, and then you take care of the O-line any way you can. Our dominant O-line from two years ago was mostly the result of a great FA signing (Mawae), a mediocre player signed that played well in our line (Kendall), a first day draft pick from the third round (McKenzie). But even so, we still could do nothing against the Steelers and the better teams in the NFL. Why? Because our playmakers just weren't good enough. I respect your opinion as well, but I just can't endorse it. There are few people that love a good O-line more than me (I was QB in HS, I absolutely was grateful to those guys) but the QB makes plays and handles the ball on every snap. Just too important a component, and too hard to get. You can sign FA O-linemen or draft them a bit later, but I just do not think you can get that QB reliably just using later picks. And when teams get a good QB, they just don't want to let them go. Hasselback is not going to be a FA anytime soon.
Left tackles drafted early are less of a risk than QBs IMO. Tarik Glenn, Ogden, Roaf, Walter Jones, were all fairly early round 1 draft picks.
adrian jones was ok i mean lets not kid ourselves he wasnt great or even good. I think he will be a good RT next year. Draft D'brickashaw
Some people just dont grasp that people move up and down the big board, often times drastically every year. Cutler just is in the spotlight for it b/c of the position he plays.Look at Mathias Kiwanuka. Back in September he was a top 5 pick. Now, he's considered a mid 2nd rounder. This is all just part of the process. Smaller school guys get recognized and move up all the time. It's no freak incident that should draw any comparrisions. Players in the Past who started as mid-late first day prospects and eventually became heralded 1st rounders: Nick Barnett Dunta Robinson Logan Mankins Ben Watson Chris Spencer Anthony Becht Kevin Jones Troy Williamson Matt Jones Jeff Faine John Abraham And of course there are many, many more. The fact is when you're evaluating talent, you dont make comparrisions, you dont think about players from past draft's success/failure, and you don't be subjective. Cut and dry, what is the player's grade in terms of physical ability and intangibles? Those are all you can go on, on draft day. B/c all these names from the past have 2 sides, and for every bust, there is a boom. So all you can do is trust in your evaluating system and select the BPA based on the needs of your team and how the player fits. IF the CS/Scouting staff feel that Cutler is a franchise QB, who fits into our scheme. That's all we can go on, and you have to respect it.
To win a championship, all the pieces need to come together. The Ravens haven't had even a decent QB since Dilfer, and their defense has gone downhill since then as well. The LT can't do it all. But, it's a great position to start with. You won't win with a "slightly above awful" anything, whether it's QB, SS, or anything else. All the parts need to fit. But if I had to choose between a guy I thought could anchor my OL for the next 10 years, and anyone else, I'd take the lineman. Just my own opinion.
Interesting note from all playoff teams this year # of LTs in first round: 6 # of QBs in the first round: 6 and that is if you are counting Grossman as the starting QB for the Bears who didn't start most of the year
Yeah but, what about top picks and late picks? I'd love an LT if I picked late, but high up I dunno. Unless it's Ogden or Pace level talent, it doesn't seem like a smart pick.
kevin jones stock went down in the draft. mel kiper was killing him. they even did a segment about him crying about it
