FanPost

The Quarterback Question

Now that the pace of FA has slowed down, I thought I'd play devil's advocate for a moment.

One thing I've noticed on this site is that rumor has a tendency to become opinion and opinion often lends itself to the appearance of a factual statment. It seems as though someone hears something on ESPN, starts regurgitating the statement here, and before you know it some analyst's opinion takes the shape of presumed reality and quickly evolves to cliché status.

I wonder if this is not the case when I consistently here the phrase, "next year's QB class is way stronger than this year's". I don't believe I've ever see this statement followed with any type of subjective thought or analysis that supports the validity of the notion.

...So, the question is, 'why is next year’s QB class so much better than this one?'

I would suggest we can almost all agree that this draft is extremely deep with talent. Even so, many mock drafts have three QBs going in the top five picks. One can make the case that there are there are so many teams picking in the top five, in dire need of a QB- a point likely beyond reasonable contestation. However, I've recently looked at two mocks having only two QBs going in the entire first round- Mariota and Winston- of the 2015 draft.

Seeing that, I have to believe the case that's being made is these two QBs are better than the five that could potentially be drafted in the first round of a very deep talent pool in 2014. Having seen all of these players play, I just don't believe that's the case. No question Mariota and Winston are talented football players, but so are TB, Bortels, JM, and even Carr. I don't really see that other styles, football IQ, or system that any one of them stands out more than the other.

This said, is it possible that some of our brethren are subject to sheepism? If so, it's not just here. I here someone say this almost every day- whether it's some analyst from NFL Network, BSPN or some Donkey schmuck at the pub. And again, it's never followed with any intelligent reasoning.

I have to admit- I've caught myself saying it. "Build it from the trenches out and worry about a QB in next year's draft; It's a stronger class anyway" What the hell am I saying? What happens next year if we find ourselves picking in the middle of the pack in 2015? Guaranteed Mariota and Winston are long gone before the 5th pick.

Which brings me to my next thought. This may be our only chance to get a franchise QB in the draft. Maybe getting Bortels or JM or TB with the first pick isn't such a bad idea. Though I lobbied pretty hard against this, I believe there's a reasonable argument it's now or never.

So...is it time to bring on the circus? And if at first you don't succeed, there's always Cam Newton in 2015.