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RockRam
RBs can be effective in platoons (NE), as one single terrific one (LA), or as a tandem (like NO).
The QB handles the ball on EVERY offensive play. Has to read the D's. Throw accurate. Lead the team. Very few human beings can do this.
New York made a poor decision not to pick a QB with that pick. Manning has been declining for the past 2 or 3 years. Tom Brady he's not. This was a political decision (as in football political) and not a pure pragmatic team building decision. Nothing could have been better than to bring in one of these college kids, let him play a year behind Manning, let Manning take the beating, give the Giants another year to build a decent Oline. Who cares if the Manning family gets it's nose out of joint? With Archie an old man, Peyton retired, and Eli should be retired, they will fade very quickly as an influence.
I realize that because the Giants are so bad, they'll pick high again this year. But who says that any of the QBs coming out will be as good as last year's crop? Or that the Giants might not get lucky on a couple of games and find themselves drafting later than the top QBs will be taken.
Last year was a golden opportunity and they blew it. And the mantra that perhaps the FO of the Giants didn't see any QB worth the 2nd pick so they passed is just as damning since at least 2, and really 3, of those QBs are proving that they belong even as rookies.
Now they're in a position that they pretty well MUST draft a QB in round 1 this year or risk losing their fan base. Or, perhaps, they can sign a FA QB but I don't know if any worth considering are going to be available.
Their blind loyalty to Eli Manning, and some unjustifiable FO decisions, has cost the Giants dearly.
In times past an elite or franchise QB was definitely the hardest position to acquire. (There is no argument that it's the most important position by far.)
But the current trend seems to be producing 2-3 franchise to elite QBs per year. Take a look at the last 3 years, 2016-2018:
2018 class - It's early but it appears that at least 3 can/will be franchise QBs.
Darnold
Mayfield
Rosen
2017 class - Said to lack elite talent. It's not looking like that assessment was accurate.
Mahomes - will be elite
Trubisky
Watson -
2016 class - 2 potential elite QBs, 1 franchise QB
Goff - elite
Wentz - elite
Prescott - franchise QB
That's 9 QBs in the last three years.
That's a better yield than for the WR or RB positions.
Elite RBs from '16-'18: Elliott, Kamara, Hunt, McCaffrey, Fournette (is he really elite?), Barkley
That's 6, at most, elite RBs.
Elite WRs from '16-'18: Michael Thomas, Tyreek Hill, Smith-Schuster, Kupp (maybe?), Ridley
That's 5 elite WRs at most.
I'm seriously questioning the conventional wisdom that says a franchise QB is the hardest position to acquire. It's not looking like that.
Someone tell me why I'm wrong. And I'm looking for why I'm wrong only on the narrow point of is QB the HARDEST to acquire, not is it the most important.