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Why are QBs so difficult to assess?

Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2014 12:38 pm
by dead_poet
Worth the read: http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft2014/story/ ... igh-stakes
But most of the teams that pick a quarterback early in this year's draft should know there's a probability their bet won't come through. Of the 137 quarterbacks taken in the first two rounds of the draft since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, only 54 (39.4 percent) turned out to be five-year starters, according to Pro Football Reference.

The riches that await the one or two lucky winners this spring, though, are significant: Seven of the past nine Super Bowls have been won by teams starting a first-round pick at quarterback. The other two winning quarterbacks, Brees and Russell Wilson, went in the second and third rounds, respectively. One or two correct decisions can buy decades of success for a franchise: The Packers have as many championships as losing seasons (two) in their 22 years with Favre and Aaron Rodgers, and the Colts have been to the playoffs 13 times in the 15 years they've had a healthy Manning or Andrew Luck.

For each of those teams, though, there are others who have been snakebit: The Vikings, Cleveland Browns and Oakland Raiders have gone decades without a true franchise quarterback. Others, such as the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions, are caught in the middle, with a quarterback good enough to put up big numbers but so far unable to deliver consistent success.

The necessity of the position will keep teams coming back to the table, hoping the homework they've done will make their next bet pay off.

"Teams that don't have a franchise guy are always going to be doing that," Vikings general manager Rick Spielman said. "You have to do everything you possibly can to try to get that right person."

Re: Why are QBs so difficult to assess?

Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2014 4:36 pm
by Mothman
Thanks for posting that link. TexasVikes posted in VikingsTalk and I wrote a long response there so I won't repeat myself but it's an interesting article and I'm glad you guys shared it.

http://www.vikingsmessageboard.com/view ... &start=690