(10-11-2017, 02:18 PM)Jaguarrior Wrote:

(10-11-2017, 06:37 AM)The Real Marty Wrote: I think one of the biggest problems in the NFL for the past decade or so has been that teams have bought into the idea that you have to have a franchise QB to win.   The problem is, there are only about a dozen franchise QBs, but teams have gone all out trying to find a "franchise QB" and then they draft a guy and throw him into an offense that is designed for a franchise QB, as if they actually had one.   They want to throw the ball all over the place, because "that's the way it's done, that's the way the Patriots do it, etc etc."  

Teams are copycats, they copy whatever works for someone else.  No one has an original idea.  QB after QB fails because they are asked to do too much.  Teams draft a QB high in the first round, then try to build a team around them, assuming they got the right guy, when the odds that they actually got such a guy are very slim.  

Teams are doomed to failure if they insist on implementing a QB-centric offense when there are only a small handful of QBs in the league who can successfully run such an offense.  

Someday teams will wake up to the fact that that basket of high draft picks they traded to draft that over-hyped college QB could have been better used to build a butt-kicking offensive line that almost ANY QB could succeed behind.

And as far as Blake Bortles goes, right now, all he has to do is keep defenses honest.  He's going to have to drop back occasionally and throw one over the head of the defense in order to back them off the line of scrimmage.  I think he's capable of that.

Superbowl winners since the '90s. How many won without a franchise QB?

XXIV Jan. 28, 1990 Superdome (New Orleans) San Francisco 55, Denver 10
XXV Jan. 27, 1991 Tampa (Fla.) Stadium New York Giants 20, Buffalo 19
XXVI Jan. 26, 1992 Metrodome (Minneapolis) Washington 37, Buffalo 24
XXVII Jan. 31, 1993 Rose Bowl (Pasadena, Calif.) Dallas 52, Buffalo 17
XXVIII Jan. 30, 1994 Georgia Dome (Atlanta) Dallas 30, Buffalo 13
XXIX Jan. 29, 1995 Joe Robbie Stadium (Miami) San Francisco 49, San Diego 26
XXX Jan. 28, 1996 Sun Devil Stadium (Tempe, Ariz.) Dallas 27, Pittsburgh 17
XXXI Jan. 26, 1997 Superdome (New Orleans) Green Bay 35, New England 21
XXXII Jan. 25, 1998 Qualcomm Stadium (San Diego) Denver 31, Green Bay 24
XXXIII Jan. 31, 1999 Pro Player Stadium (Miami) Denver 34, Atlanta 19
XXXIV Jan. 30, 2000 Georgia Dome (Atlanta) St. Louis 23, Tennessee 16
XXXV Jan. 28, 2001 Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Fla.) Baltimore 34, New York Giants 7
XXXVI Feb. 3, 2002 Superdome (New Orleans) New England 20, St. Louis 17
XXXVII Jan. 26, 2003 Qualcomm Stadium (San Diego) Tampa Bay 48, Oakland 21
XXXVIII Feb. 1, 2004 Reliant Stadium (Houston) New England 32, Carolina 29
XXXIX Feb. 6, 2005 Alltel Stadium (Jacksonville, Fla.) New England 24, Philadelphia 21
XL Feb. 5, 2006 Ford Field (Detroit) Pittsburgh 21, Seattle 10
XLI Feb. 4, 2007 Dolphin Stadium (Miami) Indianapolis 29, Chicago 17
XLII Feb. 3, 2008 University of Phoenix Stadium (Glendale, Ariz.) New York Giants 17, New England 14
XLIII Feb. 1, 2009 Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Fla.) Pittsburgh Steelers 27, Arizona Cardinals 23
XLIV Feb. 7, 2010 Sun Life Stadium (Miami) New Orleans Saints 31, Indianapolis Colts 17
XLV Feb. 6, 2011 Cowboys Stadium (Arlington, Texas) Green Bay Packers 31, Pittsburgh Steelers 25
XLVI Feb. 5, 2012 Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis) New York Giants 21, New England Patriots 17
XLVII Feb. 3, 2013 Mercedes-Benz Superdome (New Orleans) Baltimore Ravens 34, San Francisco 49ers 31
XLVIII Feb. 2, 2014 MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, N.J.) Seattle Seahawks 43, Denver Broncos 8
XLIX Feb. 1, 2015 University of Phoenix Stadium (Glendale, Ariz.) New England Patriots 28, Seattle Seahawks 24
50 Feb. 7, 2016 Levi's Stadium (Santa Clara, Calif.) Denver Broncos 24, Carolina Panthers 10
LI Feb. 5, 2017 NRG Stadium (Houston) New England Patriots 34, Atlanta Falcons 28

1) No doubt a team is much better when they have a great QB.  It's a lot easier to win a Super Bowl when you have great players, and QB is the most important position.  But,

2) There is a long list of average to below average QBs in that list.  

There are also a lot of QBs in that list that are considered elite only because they won a Super Bowl, but are really just average or above average.  It's a kind of circular reasoning: you have to have an elite QB to win a Super Bowl.  How does a QB become considered elite?  Win a Super Bowl.  Circular reasoning.  

You can also make a list of franchise QBs who never won a Super Bowl. 

You can also make a list of QBs who would have been considered great if they had gone to a good team, but floundered and got beat to death on a bad team. 

You can also make a looong list of QBs who have been drafted in the top 5 and busted.  Remember Tim Couch, Akili Smith, Donovan McNabb, 1-2-3?   McNabb was better than average, the other two were busts.  

My point is that very often teams are too desperate to find a franchise QB.  They often waste resources that could be better spent building the rest of the team.  Which would you rather have: a great QB on an average team, or an average QB on a great team?   You'll get about the same result from either of those.  But to me, it's easier to build a great team and find an average QB than it is to find a great QB and build an average team.

---