Question, has the NFL always had a bit of QB problem? There aren't enough quality QBs right now, the good ones are aging and the league relies more than ever on the position, but when you think about it there were never enough quality QBs in the past either. Back in the 80's and early 90's you could dink and dunk, pound the rock, play great/good defense and that was enough to compete. League's changed, few teams can do that these days. Teams like the Bucs, Hawks, Steelers, Ravens are rare. They didn't have a generational QB when they won (Burger turned into one), but they had generational Defenses. We've had 2 excellent QB drafts in the last 30 years or so, every couple of years we pull out a good talent, but it's one guy, two tops.
I've been thinking about this topic a lot, the game in general. The quality, for me, has gone down. Last year was garbage, I enjoyed the college game more because I know what I'm signing up for when I watch CFB. Fans gravitating towards the NFL do it because of social aspects, you can get together with your buds, barely pay attention and enjoy yourself. Fantasy football has drawn in a ton a fans. So many of my friends that gave zero shits about this sport a decade, now can't wait for Sunday strictly due to to fantasy. They don't watch the games, they watch scoreboards and their iphones.
I like what Les Snead said, adapt or die. Whaley talks about QB IQ, but he drafted EJ who has no IQ on the football field. EJ may be able to point out the mike, some teams have the Center call the protection anyway, he may know what an under front is, may know what pattern reads to look for on paper against X coverage, but get him on the field and he processes information at a snails pace. Why did these GMs shun Wilson and Bridgewater? IF it's about intelligence then why were these guys passed up? They probably have it in the classroom and on the field, but they were passed up. Why? Old dogs, most GMs fall back on measurables. They all want 6'4", with huge hands, big arms, large frames that can take hits even though you can't touch QBs these days.
Development is a huge issue, if you're not starting by year 2 you're a bust. There's not enough practice time to develop these guys, it's not exclusive to the QB position either. If you draft a guy in the second or later you have 4 years of control, if he gets injured or needs some grooming you have no room for error. If he does develop late, he'll get tagged, but you'll never take advantage of his cost controlled years because you were still getting him up to speed. You spent the low cost years trying to turn him into a viable player, as soon as he turns into one you're paying a premium price for his services. This is the opposite of NHL/MLB. Bad MLB teams didn't/don't spend enough on their minor league teams, an area where they should spend the majority of their money/efforts. It's not because they didn't chase the big FA's like the Yanks, they neglected their farm teams. We all know how the NFL can correct the development issue, we also know they probably won't come after CFB.
So many bad owners, bad front offices, lots of bad, some good. I can talk about this stuff for hours, don't want to bore you guys. Easier to talk about these things over a few cold ones than to sit down and write it all out. Not enough time to gather all of my thoughts and post them in a coherent way. Topic deserved a response, a rare football topic that we can discuss for a change.
tldr ENJOY THE FOOTBALL SEASON! Go Bills!
