Originally Posted by DaWolf
The reason this team hasn't won jack in so many years isn't because we don't draft QB's in the first round, it's because the people who have been running the organization have shown NO ABILITY to actually evaluate the QB position.
What does Carl do? Steve Bono. Elvis Grbac. Before they signed Grbac, they strongly considered signing Heath Shuler, but passed because his foot was injured. He has an NFL MVP sitting on the roster backing up Grbac, who he lets walk. He trades a first rounder for Trent Green, who to me is the epitome of decent but not great QB who was handed Priest Holmes, Tony G, and probably the best offensive line of the decade in the NFL. Then you have Huard, and Croyle. He was reportedly salivating at the idea of drafting Joey Harrington had Detroit not taken him. He may have pounced on Brady Quinn had Cleveland not jumped in front of us to take him. Had he drafted either of those guys in round 1, we still wouldn't be celebrating a championship here.
Before that, this organization famously passes on Marino to take Blackledge.
Hell, this organization is lucky that Len Dawson couldn't cut it with two NFL teams before arriving here.
Would we have really been that much better had we drafted Sanchez or Freeman in 2009? Perhaps, but more likely we'd be complaining about Sanchez (wouldn't have the Jets defense playing behind him, Rex still has a leash on him) or Freeman (badly regressed this year) not justifying getting drafted at 3. Does drafting Jimmy Clausen get us any closer to the promised land? Not likely.
I really don't care how this organization finds a QB, we just need someone who can actually EVALUATE a QB. And we need some good luck for a change. I don't care if the guy is a third round pick or a fifth round pick (Montana, Brady). I don't care if we trade another organization for his rights (Favre). I don't care if he's a street free agent (Warner). I don't care if it's just some guy who is there mid first round because it is a stacked year for QB's (Big Ben) or if he's a guy who free falls to you (Rodgers) or if he's a free agent (Brees). We just need someone in the organization who for once will evaluate that position properly, and who will go out and get that guy. I don't care where it is.
To me, it's not going to cut it if we just draft a guy in the first round. If that guy turns out to be David Carr, or JaMarcus Russell, or Ryan Leaf, or Harrington, or Quinn, or anyone who is no better than Cassel or Orton, then it's not going to cut it. It's not going to cut it to be the Bengals and keep drafting QB's high and hoping they'll lead me to the promised land. That person would need to be fired.
In regards to Orton, I see him much like I see Cassel. 70 starts, and they've both proven they're inconsistent. We've spent three years looking at Cassel and arguing whether or not he'd perform better if he had a better supporting cast. Now we're looking at Orton and wondering if he'd do better with this supporting cast than he did in Chicago or Denver. So to me, it's the same thing. Both guys have proven that they are streaky, and that they don't elevate anyone's games. They can perform well if given all day to throw, which in many cases Orton had against Green Bay. The only reason to go Orton over Cassel is that Orton plays the position more naturally, while Cassel is very mechanical and needs everything to go right on a play to make it work. Hoping that Orton will be any better than what he is is like hoping that the light goes on for Cassel. It probably won't happen. Even if Orton finishes strong this year and comes back next year, the most likely scenario is that next year we'll be complaining about the things that Orton doesn't do well...
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