DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Who will be the QB IV: A New Hope

If the new ownership wants to make an immediate impact statement to the fans.... Getting Flacco would do it.

Think about it... Stealing the Superbowl MVP QB from the team that stole our team. You would put the Ratbirds at the bottom of the division and bring instant leadership and exp. to QB that we havent had since we came back.

This current Brown's team is close, real close. We have talent. We actually have decent depth in most positions. Yes we have a couple holes but all in all, this is a good, young, talented team with some exciting young playmakers on both sides of the ball.

Some of you are saying no way I'd give them 2 first round picks. But many of you were ready to give 3 for an unproven commodity such as RG3. Whats the difference? Except that we would know what we would have with Flacco. You then could trade Weeds, McCoy or both to pick up another pick. Grab a DB or OLB in free agency and draft soley for need (DB/OLB, DE, OG, TE, OLB, S, FB) in the draft and we would be in the playoffs next year.

I'm not a huge Flacco fan... but solidifing the QB spot and sticking it to the Birds, all in one.

I'm all for it.

Getting Flacco sounds nice, but it's a pipe-dream. It'll never happen.

It won't be Alex Smith either. Thankfully. KC it is.

Well ironically the first NON move Banner and Lombardi makes actually tells me they do know what they're doing. So far anyway.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that the Browns are not the team on the verge of acquiring Alex Smith.
The Jaguars have ruled themselves out. The Browns aren't the team, either, and the Chiefs have yet to dispute their association with CBS' report. All signs continue to point to Alex Smith becoming Andy Reid's next quarterback.

Rotoworld.com

I wouldn't mind getting Flacco, but I don't care if we do't get him. BUt the point is really to squeeze the crap out of Baltimore - make them pay big for him and decimate their defense. That's just smart. And maybe we pick off a couple of their linebackers.

Ahhhh, modern journalism...

No, 49ers do NOT have a deal in place for Alex Smith

ESPN is now showing the FULL list of Browns' starting QBs since 1999. Congratulations to Jake Delhomme on being the only starting QB even at .500 (and, of course, it comes with the note of not starting the Falcon game, but being a HUGE reason we lost it).

http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/post/_/id/66076/browns-best-option-is-to-stick-with-weeden

Quarterback Years W-L
Tim Couch 1999-2003 22-37
Ty Detmer 1999 0-2
Doug Pederson 2000 1-7
Spergon Wynn 2000 0-1
Kelly Holcomb 2001-04 4-8
Jeff Garcia 2004 3-7
Luke McCown 2004 0-4
Trent Dilfer 2005 4-7
Charlie Frye 2005-06 6-12
Derek Anderson 2006-09 16-18
Brady Quinn 2007-09 3-9
Ken Dorsey 2006-08 0-3
Bruce Gradkowski 2008 0-1
Jake Delhomme 2010 2-2
Colt McCoy 2010-present 6-15
Seneca Wallace 2010-11 1-6
Brandon Weeden 2012-present 5-10
Thad Lewis 2011-12 0-1

The worst part of that, Tim Couch in his last year, he seemed to be getting it. Not at all sure it would have meant anything.. Given that he ended up injuring his arm to the point that he couldn't catch on anywhere as even a third stringer. But he did start to look reasonable. Not Grade A, But reasonable.

Another thing that's funny, 1999, Only Donovan McNabb ended up as a QB with success from the top of that draft.. Funny how things work out.

As the years went on, we have:

Bradford looked like the real deal, I don't think he is turning out to be. I didn't like Ely Manning at all, but he's got two rings (shows you what I know), Loved Luck and I think I was right about that, loved RG3 and I think I was right about his skills, but also right about not going out on a limb to get him.. he's not going to survive long term. But he's going to be a hell of a lot of fun to watch... No question about it.

Going back again, I don't think anyone saw Tom Brady coming.. and Brady Quinn was somebody that almost everyone on this board was against.

Then you have Hassleback and Romo,, someone explain how a couple of guys out of nowhere can be so successful over all,,, Then you have the granddaddy of the unlikely, Curt Warner. Wins a superbowl, gets to another and loses and gets to another with a different team, and they lose,, But he got there. A freakin arena league guy who was stocking shelves in a grocery store...LOL

I guess we sometimes get caught up in the guy doesn't have this and he doesn't have that, he didn't play here or he didn't play there, He hasn't shown he can throw long, he hasn't shown he can be accurate yada yada yada..

Has anyone else figured out, it almost doesn't matter. None of it.

Get a player with basic skills, an arm, smarts, LOTS of Smarts, and with the right coach and teammates and scheme,, He'll win.

Pedigree doesn't matter if the other stuff is there.

I don't know who our QB will be next season, my best guess is Weeden, but honestly, Seattle probably thought that Flynn would be the man, now we hear he's on the trading block because he got beat out by a rookie who's 5'11", 206 lbs picked in the third round.. Go figure..

My point, if there is one, is you find them, wherever you find them,, then you coach them, put them in a system that works for THEM and BOOM you have Tom Brady.

OUT of NOWHERE...

You cherry picked 4 or 5 players over the course of 14 or so years. You can do that for almost every position. Jeff Saturday just retired as a, what, 11 year veteran? Undrafted. Undrafted. John Randle. Undrafted. Antonio Gates. Undrafted. Nate Newton. Undrafted. Josh Cribbs. Undrafted. Kris Dielman. Undrafted. Arian Foster. Undrafted. James Harrison. Undrafted. Wes Welker. Undrafted. Jake Delhomme. Undrafted. London Fletcher. Undrafted. Cullen Jenkins. Undrafted. Antonio Pierce. Undrafted. Bart Scott. Undrafted.

Also, not to spell check, but Curt Warner was a RB for the Seahawks. Kurt Warner was the QB for the Rams/Giants/Cards.

I was unimpressed with Sam Bradford from the word go. A QB throwing for 5 yards/catch doesn't impress me all that much. I know that he was handicapped by the Shurmur offense though. He improved quite a bit this past season.

Hasselbeck had Shaun Alexander to hand off to. He was the right QB in the right offense, at the right time, with the right weapons. Alexander ran for almost 1900 yards, at a 5.1 yards/carry clip, with a staggering 27 rushing TDs. Hasselbeck threw for 24 TD that year. How many times does a Super Bowl team have their RB run for more TD than their QB throws for?

The point is, that exceptions prove the rule. How many 6th round QBs go on to win multiple Super Bowls, and win 13+ games, seemingly every year? How many UDFA QB go on to win Super Bowls? Not many. In any system, some players may fall through the system, and others may be over-valued for reasons that escape everyone. (Like the pick of Tim Tebow by the Broncos)

There is no guarantee, even among top draft picks. The odds get longer the deeper into the draft one goes. That doesn't mean that it's impossible though ... just far more unlikely that you'll find that great QB in the 5th, 6th, or 7th round of the draft. (or into undrafted players)

On a similar train of thought:

Personally I'd pass on taking a QB outside the 1st round.

I'd be much happier taking someone else available in the 3rd: Tyrann Mathieu, Robert Alford, Bacarri Rambo; instead of taking the QB available (Nassim, Jones).

With QB it is all about having the elite of the elite. I see little reason to try grooming late rounders, the success rates seem awful to me, even in the 2nd round. I understand Kaepernick, Wilson, Brady, and Schaub, refute the notion, but they are very rare strikes. You're more likely to end up with Brian Brohm, Trent Edwards, Spergeon Wynn, and Colt McCoy.

I'd prefer to stick with Weeden and invest heavily at QB if we need to. Save the late rounders for positions where it will produce starters.

/rant

Just read Cabot's piece on Geno Smith and now I'm thinking maybe we want him. Film maniac, great leader. Threw 42 TDs last year, and played great against Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, etc. Will we ever have a shot at the clear-cut best QB in the draft again?

Appearing on Total Access, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport says the Seahawks will not release Matt Flynn, but they are open to trading him.

Seattle's "priority" is to have Flynn back up Russell Wilson, but "they know Flynn does want to be a starter in the league." He was held out for a part of training camp last season with "soreness" in his throwing elbow, and Rapoport says teams have had questions regarding the elbow. Two sources told Rapoport that the elbow is "absolutely fine," and should the Seahawks trade Flynn, he mentions the Jaguars, Browns, and Jets as possibilities.

http://www.rotoworld.com/playernews/nfl/football

Flynn wants t be a starter in the NFL?

So do I. That doesn't mean that I stand a chance of doing so.

Flynn absolutely bombed last year for the Seahawks, opening the door for Wilson to step in and do what he did. If Flynn had looked even remotely competent in training camp last year, (there were multiple reports that the Seahawks were disappointed in his adapting to their offense) the Russell Wilson experience might not have happened.

Quote:

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Will we ever have a shot at the clear-cut best QB in the draft again?

---

Three points:

1. It's the Browns, so I wouldn't be surprised if it happens again.
2. The clear-cut best QB in THIS draft, isn't saying a lot relative to many other drafts.
3. I wouldn't say he's the clear cut best QB in the draft, and if he is, it's more by default.

Wilson won that job ....... but the fact is that Flynn had an underwhelming camp, and an underwhelming pre-season, and let Wilson blow by him into the starter's role.

If Flynn had done a better job in camp, and in real live pre-season situations, then the door would never have opened for Wilson. However, in his 1st game he went 11-13, but for only 71 yards, (5.5 per throw) and an INT. In week 2, he went 6-13 for 31 yards. (2.4 per throw)

This wasn't some aberration. He was far from impressive in camp, and left the door wide open for Wilson. By game 3, Wilson had been named the starter. I bet that if Flynn had made things even close, his superior experience might have made the difference. However, he didn't. He simply did not have the ability to match Wilson's talent.

another HC who abided by the NFL standards of veterans and contracts and maybe I would agree.

Pete Carroll is all about the "best man winning" the job. Was at USC, has been so far in the NFL. Alot of things I don't like about him, but the one I do is that EVERY job is always open. Whoever plays better wins the job.

I mean it's funny looking back that Flynn was throwing to TO, Braylon and Winslow in those first preseason games as part of the starting crew. None of those guys ended up playing a signifcant role (TO and Winslow didn't even make the team and Braylon got cut during the season).

Note that game1 and 2, Flynn was going against starting defenses, while RW was going against 2nd and 3rd string defenses. Flynn was hurt in game2, leading to RW getting the starting nod in game3 (that he was earning anyway).

Once he took the starting gig (via injury technically), he never looked back.



Preseason Game1
Matt Flynn 11/13 71yds 0TD 1INT
Russell Wilson 12/16 124yds 1TD 1INT (59 rushing yards, 1TD)

Preseason Game2
Matt Flynn 6/13 31yds 0TD 0INT
Russell Wilson 10/17 155yds 2TD 0INT

Preseason Game3

The Flacco pipe dream is over...
http://m.espn.go.com/nfl/story?storyId=9006059&src=desktop

Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens have agreed to a six-year contract in excess of $120 million that makes him the highest paid player in NFL history, a source familar with deal told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

The two sides will work on the contract language throughout the weekend and Flacco is expected to sign the deal Monday in Baltimore, sources told ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen.

AFC North blog
ESPN.com's Jamison Hensley writes about all things AFC North in his division blog.

• Blog network: NFL Nation

Drew Brees is currently the highest paid player in the NFL, averaging $20 million per year. Flacco's deal will be somewhere north of that, a source confirmed to Schefter.

Flacco played out his rookie contract last season for $6.76 million.

Capping a perfect postseason, the unassuming and unheralded Flacco completed 22 of 33 passes for 287 yards and three first-half touchdowns, earning Super Bowl MVP honors for leading the Ravens to a 34-31 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.

He wrapped up Baltimore's four-game run to the title with a record-equaling 11 TD passes and zero interceptions, going 73 of 126 for 1,140 yards. It was an impressive streak that included road victories against two of the game's most respected quarterbacks, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, and a first-round home win against No. 1 overall draft pick Andrew Luck.

The 28-year-old Flacco, a fifth-year pro, threw for 22 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions in the regular season. He has thrown for 17,633 yards, 102 touchdowns and 52 interceptions in 80 career games.

Flacco is the only quarterback to win a postseason game in each of his first five pro seasons. He also holds the record for playoff road wins with six.

I have to say I'm pretty stoked to see this.

With a projected flat cap for the next few years and the largest contract in NFL history the Ravens are going to find it hard to carry moderate to large veteran contracts.

Flacco proved me wrong in that he had a phenominal postseason. Maybe he'll come crashing back to earth and the Ravens will have this contract sink them long term.

Unassuming and unheralded?

Oh well .... it was a longshot at best.

We really have no idea how much this will help or hurt them until the contract structure becomes available. He could have a 1st year salary of $6 million, which would open up quite a bit of cap room for the Ravens.

Even if they backloaded it that much, its gonna kill them in the years to come.

Perhaps. Of course, if they manage the cap properly between now and then, maybe not.

Plus, they could redo his deal down the road with further guarantees.

They HAD to resign him. How could you not?

I just think that they will lose most of their free agents this year from their defense. Combine that with Ray retiring, their best unit, which drives that locker room and the team, is dismantled. They have 11 UFA from the defense to resign. This team wont be the same because of this deal.

Peyton Manning invested in pizza. Colt McCoy is going with donuts.
Last December, it was reported that Cleveland Browns quarterback Colt McCoy was part of an investment team that is planning to open 24 Dunkin' Donuts locations in Central Texas over the next six years. Mike Barnes, a sportcaster for KVUE in Austin, Texas, interviewed McCoy recently, as he was in-person at one of his Dunkin' Donuts locations to do some promotion and marketing for the store. In the short clip, Barnes discussed McCoy's situation with the Browns, which I have transcribed below:
Barnes: "How tough was last year in Cleveland?"
McCoy: "You know, it is what it is. It was a tough year. Obviously, as a competitor, you always want to be out there playing and competing. We'll see what happens this year. We've got a new owner, a new head coach, and a new staff. So hopefully, we'll see where that goes."
Barnes: "Do you keep an eye on the coaching process and when Chudzinski was being hired? How close did you keep an eye on that to see what was going to happen?"
McCoy: "Yeah, you know, that's your team, it's where you've been for the last three years, so you keep a close eye on it. I've had lots of contact with those guys. It's been really good, really positive. I'm excited to go back this spring and compete."
Barnes: "The last time you had a year where you basically didn't play at all was with the Longhorns in 2005 for the National Championship. Is it strange for you, because you've been the star in high school, college, and all of the teams you've ever played on."
McCoy: "There's always ups and downs, especially with a career in the NFL. You hardly see guys where it's just smooth the whole time. You have to overcome a lot and pull through and fight and I'm excited, like I said, to go this spring and compete."
Watching the videos of McCoy (part 1 and part 2), McCoy seemed so energetic when talking about Dunkin' Donuts and being back in Texas, but it looked like the life was sucked out of his soul whenever the Browns got brought up.

I think Jerry Jones would give a 6th for McCoy.

$2+ million for a backup who doesn't fit the offense would seem to indicate that he won't be here.

He will probably find a home somewhere in the league, though I doubt that anyone will trade for him with that contract.

Wasn't sure if I should put this here or in one of the draft threads but (obviously) picked here.

THE DONNELLY REPORT
by Jared Donnelly, GBN Analyst

Previewing the Top QB Prospects for the 2013 Draft
March 4, 2013

This is a very strange NFL draft season. Deep, but maybe not excellent. Good NFL starters as late as the third round, but how many potential long term studs do we have? A handful? Less? With the draft a little less than two months away, NFL GMs and draft analysts alike are searching for those answers.

Let’s see if we can’t address some of those questions and glean some of those answers one position at a time. Let’s begin with the QBs. Each week, I will highlight a different position and rank my top five in each of them. I will also provide an under the radar guy at each spot.

1. Geno Smith, West Virginia – More than a couple of heads turned when I ranked the Mountaineer signal caller as highly as I did. Mechanically, I have almost no issues with Geno. In terms of production, only a fool can question what he was able to put together in his career at Morgantown. Good NFL size. Cam Newton type speed, and may have just as good an arm if not better in terms of being able to make any NFL throw you ask him to. Pencil him in as a top 10 pick in April. Interested Teams: Arizona, Oakland, Buffalo.

2. Matt Barkley, USC – After a disappointing team season in SoCal, and a devastating injury, people are down on Barkley. And I get that. However, despite not being able to throw at the combine last week, you could argue that nobody did more to help his cause than the former Trojan. I question his size. And maybe his durability. But I do not question his ability to make throws. Biggest thing I love about Barkley? His poise in the pocket. Does well against a rush and doesn’t get rattled. He is underrated when it comes to making plays with his legs, and is outstanding at stepping up in the pocket to allow the play to develop around him. Interested Teams: Arizona, Jacksonville*, Philadelphia*, Cleveland*. * Indicates team would use second round pick, or later, or trade back up into round one for Barkley.

3. Ryan Nassib, Syracuse – Not to diminish having him here…but…why not? I have seen enough tape on both Nassib and the rest of the group to say that I am definitively higher on Nassib. You will have a hard time convincing me that any of the other guys available are better. The league is changing. Teams understand that, and someone will want to catch up or stay ahead of the curve. I also believe, firmly, that Nassib can effectively operate a traditional NFL offense, giving his new team the flexibility to use different packages. Some are worried about his arm…those people should watch more tape. I have few questions. I also don’t think that the gap between Nassib and Barkley is insurmountable at this point in the process. Nassib may be a first round pick. Interested Teams: Buffalo, Philadelphia, NY Jets.

4. Mike Glennon, North Carolina State – He’s just so big. Huge. Strong. NFL body right now and an NFL skillset as well. I have a few questions about his accuracy on tight underneath throws, but it looks like he does as well. Throws with confidence, but never overdoes it. Doesn’t try to force balls to guys that aren’t open, but still manages to be able to throw his guys open. Meaning that even if a guy seems covered, Glennon is able to place the ball effectively enough that he can give weapons an opportunity to make a play. Hard to get a feel on where he will go. Mid second? Late second? Mid third? Lower? The answer is simply “sure”. Ideally, if I draft Glennon, I do it hoping I don’t have to start him right away. And that isn’t a bad thing. Interested Teams: Cleveland, Tampa Bay (if the value is present. It is known that they want some competition for Freeman). Arizona.

5. Landry Jones, Oklahoma – Remember Landry? Remember 10 months ago when people thought that teams would be dying to take him in the top five? Well, why did that change? Landry didn’t get worse. His numbers went down a bit, but watching the tape and the games, he is clearly the same quarterback. I have a few small issues mechanically, but nothing that scares me enough to drop him further than this at this point in the process. Durability may be an issue at the next level, but he has the type of body where he can put on a few pounds. Good arm. Nice presence. More mobile than people realize. I think a team like Chicago would do well to steal him somewhere in the mid rounds and let him learn from a Jay Cutler, who may be his best NFL comparison. And guess what? Some in the Bears offices agree, according to people that I trust. Interested Teams: Chicago, Philadelphia, NY Jets, Cincinnati.

Keep an eye on…

EJ Manuel, Florida State – The way the league is heading now, and with his skillset, someone will probably take him a little higher than they should. I am not sold on Manuel as a long term NFL prospect, but in fairness, it could be that I haven’t seen enough of him to date. From what I hear, he is rising up draft boards around the league, and where he winds up falling on draft day could surprise some folks, not only in general, but around the league as well.

http://www.gbnreport.com/donnellyreport.html

Geno Smith, West Virginia - could be a really good starter
Mike Glennon, North Carolina State- project

QB Colt McCoy Assumes Role As Browns NFLPA Player Rep At Annual Meeting
By DARYL RUITER, 92.3 The Fan Browns Beat Reporter
March 15, 2013 2:55 PM
http://cleveland.cbslocal.com/2013/03/15/qb-colt-mccoy-assumes-role-as-browns-nflpa-player-rep/

Colt McCoy has assumed the role as the Browns’ player representative at the annual NFLPA meetings being held this week in Nassau, The Bahamas.

McCoy replaces Ben Watson and Scott Fujita who are unrestricted free agents and are not returning to the Browns in 2013.

Fujita and Watson serve on the NFLPA’s executive committee and encouraged McCoy to take on the role.

“Those guys probably aren’t coming back and my mindset when I walk into a locker room has always been to be a leader, to be an example, to be a guy that my teammates feel comfortable talking to about anything,” McCoy said to ProPlayersInsiders.com. “I didn’t come here as knowledgeable as I’d like to be about all the benefits we have as players because when you’re young you’re trying to earn a job. That’s what this trip is for.

“My role when I go back is to inform our guys of all that we’re offered: the 401-K, the pension plan, the education funding, all of the Lifecycle things. There’s a lot more than a game check you earn on Sundays. That’s why we pay our union dues. I’ve really been impressed with how are our union is run. It’s been pretty cool being around the older guys who know how this league works.”

McCoy is among 57 new members joining a total of 96 representing the 32 teams this week in the Bahamas. In preparation for this weeks meetings McCoy attended a special session for new reps in Long Beach, Cal. in January.

One of the main topics of conversation this week – concussions.

McCoy sustained a concussion in Dec. 2011 against Pittsburgh after getting drilled by Steelers linebacker James Harrison but he felt fine and remained in the game.

The effects didn’t hit him until after the game.

McCoy returning to the game stirred up a nationwide controversy and the Browns came under heavy criticism for how they handled the situation.

It prompted the NFL to institute new protocols for assessing and identifying concussed players but McCoy told ProPlayerInsiders.com that some responsibility lies with the players too.

“I don’t think we’re at the point yet as a league where a guy is going to say, ‘I’ve got a concussion, I’m coming out of the game,’” McCoy told the website. “I’m not sure what I’d do. But the more you can inform guys, the more educated and knowledgeable they can be about their futures.”