(11-28-2020, 03:35 AM)flgatorsandjags Wrote: Of course all situations is different when it comes to starting the rookie QB.  it the team has the talent to help him succeed ala Big Ben, Lamar Jackson, etc with good olines and he showes it in practice put him in.  But when you have one of the worst olines in the league or arguably the worst, i wouldnt risk my franchise

(emphasis added)

I hear variations on this theme all the time (not singling you out flgatorsandjags, and people have expressed this in far more absolute terms), and I don't fully understand it.

Yes, I understand the need/desire to provide your new signal caller good protection.  But people act as if...

1.  You could not bolster the OL in free agency before (or after) the draft.  Free agency typically starts in mid March.  The draft is typically held in late April.  That is a month and a half to improve the OL with experienced help before a QB is drafted.  Post draft, teams often release serviceable veterans for whatever reason who can come in and provide some help in a given area, including OL.

2.  You could not bolster the OL in the same draft you address the QB position.  If you were to take a QB in the first round, even with trades, you still have the remainder of the draft to address the position, especially if you have an abundance of draft picks like the Jaguars have.  If the Jaguars remained at two and took a QB, by my count, we'd still have nine picks, including a first rounder and two second rounders to address offensive line.  Naturally, a trade changes the dynamic.  Depending upon how much the Jaguars were to give up, the ability to address the OL in this draft would be limited.  But given our draft position relative to the Jets and the abundance of draft capital we have, a move up to 1 from two may not be cost prohibitive.  In fact, it may be possible the Jets would prefer to have a first next year (thinking the draft choice would be higher next year) than our 2nd first rounder this year. 


3.  That all OL improvements will have to be made the QBs first year or not at all.  Hopefully you don't draft a QB at #1 or 2 overall with the idea of him having a one year career.  Assuming we take a QB in this upcoming draft, and football/society continues beyond this year, you could improve the offensive line over the course of your franchise signal caller's career.  Dallas' offensive line in front of Troy Aikman his first two years were horrible, and worse, they played in a division with three Super Bowl caliber defenses in the Parcells era Giants, the Gibbs era Skins, and the Buddy Ryan era Eagles.  In fact, even by his third year, though the line showed improvement enough to make the playoffs and have Emmitt Smith by one of the  league leaders in rushing, they gave up 11 sacks in a game to Philadelphia.  But by the next year, Aikman was winning the first of his three Super Bowls.  Hall of Fame OL Larry Allen didn't arrive until Dallas had already won their first Super bowl of the 1990s.  When the Packers traded for Brett Favre in 1992, their OL was far from a strength.  They were coming off the drafting of all time bust Tony Mandarich.  But they continued to build the team around him until the Packers were good enough to win it all in 1996.  Chances are, if you are picking in the top 5 and in position to draft a franchise QB, your offensive line isn't very good anyway.  If it were, chances are you wouldn't be in the top 5.  But you don't allow an offensive line deficiency stop you from taking what you fel is a franchise signal caller, because it's much easier to ger a good OL than it is to find a franchise QB.
 

4.  That you absolutely have to start your rookie QB immediately.  If you are rebuilding your OL, there's no rule that says you have to play the rookie behind a bad offensive line.  You could sit him until the OL starts to gel or you put more talent in it.  This year's Dolphins team is a good example of that, to say nothing of myriad examples of great QBs sitting all of not most of their rookie years, including Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers (though their OLs were not horrible) .  If you draft a rookie QB. there are other ways to protect him. including sitting him.

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