Interesting that Michigan State has 2 starting (Cousins/Hoyer) and 1 backup QB (Stanton) in the league currently. Don't think any other school has produced that much at QB lately, USC maybe?
I didn't say anything about whether he was good enough. But the system matters. You can't expect a QB to live up to their full potential in a system that doesn't fit their skill set. I don't know if OB would adjust his system, but he seems to want a pocket QB. Take a QB who makes plays by running and confine them to the pocket and they're not going to perform as well as if they played for a coach that gave them free reign. I just don't think QBs like Kaepernick or RGIII are good fits for what O'Brien wants to do. They may do OK and even be better than what we've had the past couple of years, but they would be hamstrung by being restricted to OB's system (that's part of what happened to RGIII under Jay Gruden) and wouldn't be at their best here.
USC: Carson Palmer, Mark Sanchez, Matt Cassel, Matt Barkley NC State: Rivers, Glennon, Wilson (though he transferred) Florida State: Winston, Christian Ponder, EJ Manuel A&M: Tannehill, Manziel
Needs: QB, RB, ILB, Punter (Lechler has been bad this year), Kicker, SS, TE, a speedy WR with solid hands. Offensive line is not a huge need just yet, by all metrics it's been above average.
Nose tackle. Offensive line is a need as both Brandon Brooks and Ben Jones are free agents. The only needs bigger than those two are QB, RB, and ILB.
Completely forgot about that. Brooks has had a down year so far, but Ben Jones has been solid at center. Not sure how much they will command, but Brooks was an elite guard last 2 years.
"“I think there is something to be said about Michigan State and the way that they coach at Michigan State," said O’Brien. “Coach (Mark) Dantonio does a great job of making sure that guys understand their roles and teaches them how to play tough, hard-nosed football.” “Max Bullough, Kurtis Drummond, Brian Hoyer, these guys are coming in and they are good teammates, they know what it means to be a part of a team, so I think part of it is that,” explained O’Brien. Cook anyone?
Mentioned above but he's the most pro ready guy according to the system he plays in. His ''lack of leadership'' will cause him to slip which is good for us
Be honest, unless a tremendous prospect (top 2 QB) falls to whatever 20ish pick we have, is any QB in this draft going to be better than Bortles or Carr? We had our chance
So that's why Manziel and Bridgewater were selected before Carr? The only thing to "be honest" about is that nobody has any clue what any of these guys are truly capable of till they face an NFL defense.
honestly have no idea why you brought those guys up. But that's why I excluded them from my post. Cause no one cares about Manziel and Bridge. We're focusing on what's was attainable for us. I'm not complaining about not getting Mariota or Luck. True about not knowing until they enter the league. Point is, if we don't have one why aren't we investing more resources into finding one. I'm not even talking about using a 1st or 2nd every year on a QB til we find one. Lots of good QBs have been going in the late 1st or early 2nds recently. Even FA, if we keep our eyes peel. But succeeding would be us getting lucky. Like Tyrod Taylor or getting Drew Brees. Every year there's always been a QB that is available to us, if we decide to go out in get one. Mainly one that isn't a mediocre retread. We've only tried to find a QB 4x in our 13 years franchise. Carr, Schaub, (maybe)Yates, and Savage. That's pathetic. I'll give them 4 years for Carr because he was the first pick overall. But other than that, there's no excuse. Especially with Schaub who was made of glass for his first two years for us. Look how many times Jags and Titans tried to get their QBs during their years of mediocracy. They've just now hit on them the last 2 years. if we have the same luck as them in attempt to success ratio, it'll be decades before we find one. Thing is we're hardly even trying.
Really? You have NO idea? In the same breath suggesting we shouldn't bother looking for a QB after the first 2 QBs get drafted, you brought up Carr who was the 4th QB off the board. He was taken AFTER Manziel and Bridgewater. That's why they were brought up. Who's to say that the first 2 QBs of the board are going to be the best? IN YOUR OWN EXAMPLE, you bring up the 1st and 4th QBs off the board in the 2014 draft. Carr was definitely NOT considered a Top 2 QB prospect in that draft, yet things have played out differently since then. So why should we give up after the first 2 come off the board? If you ever bothered to do a little research, you'd see that since we got Schaub, virtually every QB who's been good in the league has been drafted BEFORE the Texans picks. 2007: No good QBs 2008: Matt Ryan (1), Joe Flacco (18), Texans drafted #27 (Duane Brown) 2009: Matt Stafford (1), Texans drafted #15 (Cushing) 2010: Sam Bradford ??? Best QB of that draft. Went #1 2011: Cam Newton (1) OK, here's the deal. Colin Kaepernick and Andy Dalton went in the 2nd round that year. The Texans theoretically could've drafted either with their first round pick (they both went before our 2nd round pick). But we spent our first rounder that year on JJ Watt. So I don't really consider either of those as examples of QBs the Texans could've/should've drafted. 2012: Andrew Luck (1), RGIII (3), Ryan Tannehill (8), Texans pick (26, Mercilus) Russell Wilson went in the 3rd round. And this is IT. People b**** and complain but since 2006, this the was the FIRST legit QB the Texans had an opportunity to draft and passed on. You want to act like the team had opportunity after opportunity to get a QB (in a period when Schaub was legitimately a borderline Top 10 QB) and it's complete BULL****. They could've conceivable drafted Rodgers in 2005 and Wilson 2012 but there's 7 years of jack **** in between. Stop pretending like there wasn't. 2013: Nobody 2014: Bortles (3), Carr (36) I don't care how their careers go, I will never blame the Texans for taking Clowney over Bortles. You have to look at things in context. Everybody and their mother was convinced Clowney would be the next big thing. And who know, he still may be. But you're foolish if you think the Texans should've somehow magically known that Clowney would get his foot caught in a seem and need microfracture surgery. Bortles might be OK, but was overdrafted and #3 and would've been at #1 too, and I still believe that. Even though the are other circumstances surround Carr because of his brother, it does look like a mistake passing on him. So that's two. Two QB's in a 9 year span that the Texans passed on that maybe should've drafted (because I wouldn't take Kaep/Dalton over Watt or Bortles over Clowney). Not exactly the unending incompetence that people cry about. So what about free agents? Ummm, who? People like to bring up Manning but they never consider the context. You want to bring up Schaub's injuries, but there was serious doubt about whether Manning would ever play again. His injury was serious. Hindsight is 20/20 but I in no way blame Gary for being scared off from Manning. Manning missed as many games with his neck injury as Schaub had in his entire career. Carson Palmer? Despite the ignorant narrative, Schaub was a very good QB up until he fell off a cliff. He threw for 4,000 yards in 2012 and made the Pro Bowl. In the years leading up to Palmer going to Arizona, Schaub was better. That's a fact. Alex Smith went to KC the same year and he was never as good as Schaub was. Were there any other FA's? People like you want to act like there have been all these amazing QBs every year that the Texans continually ignore and it's just not true. No, not every year a QB has been available to us. Not good ones anyway. Why weren't we looking for a QB every year? Because Schaub was actually very good and idiots refuse to believe it. He wasn't elite and his last year was bad, but he was arguably a Top 10 QB most of his time here and there were rarely options available that were better. Our QB situation was actually pretty solid for 6 years. That's why. The Jags and Titans tried and failed many times because they're poorly run organizations. I'm not saying the Texans aren't, but drafting a QB no matter what simply because you need a QB is stupid. That's how you get Blaine Gabbert and Jake Locker. Jags and t*** needed QBs and these were the next best on the board. Simple, right? No, not simple. OB and the Texans have taken the opposite approach, opting to not take a QB with a high pick that they're not willing to commit 100% to. I don't actually fault them for that. Drafting the wrong guy this year can prevent you from taking the right guy next year. But instead of drafting a bust, they might end up passing on guys who would do well (Carr, Garoppolo) and delay the team's progress. But ultimately, finding the next franchise QB isn't a matter of going through "X" amount of QBs until you find the right one. Most of it simply has to do with luck and where you are in the draft when the next great QB comes along. Some teams do it quickly. New England went from Bledsoe to Brady, Green Bay went from Favre to Rodgers, and Indy went from Manning to Luck. Other teams like Cleveland do it never. Denver went 13 years between Elway and Manning. Miami went 12 years between Marino and Tannehill (if he's even the guy).
Great post. Finding a great QB is almost always a crapshoot. If there were a real science to it teams would invest millions in it. You'd think between the physical tests, film tests reading defenses and VR testing of eye movement and decision making there would be a greater success rate with high choices. I think one issue in that is the NFL is the 'not for long' league. QB's and coaches are expected to produce right away, in a team game where individual success is interdependent with team play, like, a young QB with a bad O-line getting pounded and having no time, or receivers that don't read defenses and make the same adjustments he's looking for, or even having a bad defense that makes him play high-risk catch up all the time. Everybody is saying the Texans HAVE to take a QB in the first or second, but they don't if the feel like the guys available are not capable of playing right away or if there is a guy available at the pick that they feel will more likely make the team better than a risky QB pick. For one reason, if he can't the coaches drafting won't be there if it's going to take 3 years. None of the guys in this draft look like world-beaters to me, even Goff and Cook. I kinda like Lynch but if he shows much in evaluations he will go way above us. More than likely it will be Savage or bust for BOB. If he drafts Wentz, Jones or Hackenberg he'd be drafting for the next coach.
Of course we are forced to take a QB and watch it be a bust after voluntarily passing up on QBs the past couple years
