Trades?

[Dwinsgames]

It doesn't take a college football expert to know the odds of getting a great QB in ANY draft are pretty slim. There are more "can't miss" "blue chip" college QB prospects who simply never make the jump to the next level than you can shake a stick at. Just take a look at recent Heisman-winning QBs and how many of them washed out of the league as proof of that.

Don't believe me?

Ask the Broncos (outside of renting Peyton Manning for a few years at the end of his career, they've been trying since Elway retired after the '98 season).

Or the Dolphins (Dan Marino retired after the '99 season).

Or the Bears (LOL, Sid Luckman retired in 1950). And the biggest reason the 1985-88 Bears were a one-shot wonder was because McMahon was a journeyman QB (at best) who also happened to be a china doll to boot.

Or the Bills (Looking like Allen's a keeper, but before that? Jim Kelly retired after the '96 season).

And the list goes on.

And then there is the Steelers' history in the QB department, which isn't all that great overall.

The only saving grace now is the rookie salary cap, so misfiring on a QB with a high draft pick no longer cripples teams for the better part of a decade with the salary cap.

wait you mean to tell me you cant just trade up to the top 10 and get one that will be the face of the franchise for a decade or more ? doh whatever will we do ( some seem to think its just that easy ) but as you said every year pretty much with exception of the year Geno smith was drafted he was a 2nd rounder and I believe the 2nd QB drafted ej manual being the only 1st rounder )) we see 4 or 5 guys go in round 1 that means math wise 6-7 years every team would have a franchise QB if they all worked out yet every year we see 4 or 5 more go in round 1 and usually higher than their talent dictates ... meaning going top 10 when they are not one of the 10 best football players in the draft etc ..QB are over drafted because everybody needs at least 1 good one ...

more busts than hits on drafting them and its not just the Steelers its basically everybody ...

That said I like the Packers approach in doing so ... they draft a QB every couple years and spend a high pick on one every 9-10 years with a Starter in place ...

Majkowski ( a 12th rounder by the way ) was a solid starter ( injury prone ) and they went out and got Favre

while Favre was still in house they drafted Bud Keyes , Anthony dilwig and Jeff graham in back to back rounds same year ... Ty Detmer , Mark Brunell , Jay Barker , Kyle Wachholtz , Ronnie Mcada , Matt Hasselbeck , Aaron Brooks , Craig Nail , Aaron Rogers ( several of those guys started games or many games in the nfl ) Ingle Martin ( with arod and favre on roster still taking shots at qbs ) 2008 Favre gone so lets get 2 ... Matt Flynn , brian Brohm , BJ Coleman , Brett Huntley , Jordan Love ..........

so since 1991 they acquired 19 QBs via the draft ... 10 of which have started at least 1 nfl game and a couple guys who were very very good NFL starters with other teams

in that same time frame the steelers have drafted 13 only 1 of which worthy of Mention and that is Ben (and an crib note for Kordell )

[RunNGun]

wait you mean to tell me you cant just trade up to the top 10 and get one that will be the face of the franchise for a decade or more ? doh whatever will we do ( some seem to think its just that easy ) but as you said every year pretty much with exception of the year Geno smith was drafted he was a 2nd rounder and I believe the 2nd QB drafted ej manual being the only 1st rounder )) we see 4 or 5 guys go in round 1 that means math wise 6-7 years every team would have a franchise QB if they all worked out yet every year we see 4 or 5 more go in round 1 and usually higher than their talent dictates ... meaning going top 10 when they are not one of the 10 best football players in the draft etc ..QB are over drafted because everybody needs at least 1 good one ...

more busts than hits on drafting them and its not just the Steelers its basically everybody ...

That said I like the Packers approach in doing so ... they draft a QB every couple years and spend a high pick on one every 9-10 years with a Starter in place ...

Majkowski ( a 12th rounder by the way ) was a solid starter ( injury prone ) and they went out and got Favre

while Favre was still in house they drafted Bud Keyes , Anthony dilwig and Jeff graham in back to back rounds same year ... Ty Detmer , Mark Brunell , Jay Barker , Kyle Wachholtz , Ronnie Mcada , Matt Hasselbeck , Aaron Brooks , Craig Nail , Aaron Rogers ( several of those guys started games or many games in the nfl ) Ingle Martin ( with arod and favre on roster still taking shots at qbs ) 2008 Favre gone so lets get 2 ... Matt Flynn , brian Brohm , BJ Coleman , Brett Huntley , Jordan Love ..........

so since 1991 they acquired 19 QBs via the draft ... 10 of which have started at least 1 nfl game and a couple guys who were very very good NFL starters with other teams

in that same time frame the steelers have drafted 13 only 1 of which worthy of Mention and that is Ben

Do you believe they should go the free agent route then? Ben is quite possibly the weakest link on this team. QB is most definitely a need. I think it's too early to tell if there are QBs worthy of a rd 1 pick. I'd wait to make that judgment until the bowl games and combine are finished. With that being said, I'd rather roll with MR, DH, or a free agent than reach for a QB in rd 1.

[Dwinsgames]

Do you believe they should go the free agent route then? Ben is quite possibly the weakest link on this team. QB is most definitely a need. I think it's too early to tell if there are QBs worthy of a rd 1 pick. I'd wait to make that judgment until the bowl games and combine are finished. With that being said, I'd rather roll with MR, DH, or a free agent than reach for a QB in rd 1.

I personally never condone reaching for a player out of need that is how busts are acquired , but I do believe you have to take shots at guys who have potential along the way before you get into the position we are currently in ..

I mean they took Dobbs and apparently wasnt comfortable and snagged Mason but why have they done nothing in the draft since , what has Mason done that has made them believe that doing nothing more was the right approach ?

Granted they did Bring in Haskins but I would have liked to have seen a dart throw more than we have seen at guys in the middle rounds that have a specific set of skills that may be a little rough around the edges that need refined ...

looking back up at what the Packers did ... Brunell had great career , Hasselbeck had a very nice run in Seattle , Aaron Brooks had a some decent years starting 90 games in the league and Matt Flynn parlayed a couple incredible games into a lifetime of leisure ...

Pinpoint traits that make a guy successful and take calculated shots at those guys in the middle to late rounds , a QB should be drafted at least every 2 years between round 4-7 every 8-10 years spend a 1st or second rounder pick on one that has all the base traits you covet and something extra ,never be satisfied , draft them , groom them and if you end up with to many good ones ( is there such a thing ?? ) you have cultivated trade value ...

its just so expensive to spend a 1st round pick on need you are forced into settling for best case scenario with a guy you would have passed on if it wasnt a need because he isnt the best player on your board ... and in the 1st round you must take the best player after that I can see best player at a pos of need grouping 2-3 needs into a pile and getting the best guy on your board that fills one of those needs ...

this is just how I look at it , not saying I am "the expert" its just my opinion and how I would do it if I was the guy pulling the strings