A simple man's opinion-3 years from now we will regret passing on Leftwich.

[Lomax to Green 84]

The short term fix for this team is Terrell Suggs, no question about it. Suggs brings instant impact and if he is drafted I will line up with the rest of you and be his biggest fan. However, I would be lying to all of you and to myself if I didn't continue to pound home the fact that chances to get franchise quarterbacks don't come around very often and I see Byron Leftwich as truly a franchise type quarterback.

Sure the Cards have tried to get their franchise quarterback and have failed miserably in the past. Kelly Stouffer was the 6th pick back in 1987 and never signed and was a complete bust. The difference between Stouffer and Leftwich is that Leftwich is and has always been a top notch guy while Stouffer was just an average guy who happened to be able to throw the ball a long way in a workout. They tried with Rosenbach, they tried with Plummer and both failed. Now we are hitching our future at the most important position on the field on a young kid from Sam Houston State. Maybe McCown pans out and turns out great, but the odds are not in his favor. McCown is described as a great athlete who lacks a "live arm" and a kid who has trouble reading defenses. Any guess why Josh McCown did so well at the senior bowl? He was able to use his great athleticsm to make plays and he didn't have to worry about reading defenses because all star game defenses are all vanilla.

I will jump right on the Terrell Suggs bandwagon when and if he is drafted by the Cards and he will be an excellent pick. I just am really concerned that the Cards may be passing up an incredible chance to get the guy who will be a pillar for this franchise for the next 10 years. I am not arguing that Suggs could also be a pillar and that defensive end is a very important position to fill because it most certainly is, its just that history shows that franchise quarterbacks don't come around very often and if you have a chance to grab one you should not pass up the opportunity. Look what happened to the Eagles when they decided to go against the grain and take McNabb instead of the fan favorite and quick fix, Ricky Williams.

 

[Pariah]

I think drafting a QB is always a huge gamble. I'd rather see us make a move for a QB next year in FA or through a trade (I realize the trade scenario is far fetched--my point being that I'd rather get and overpay a proven guy).

 

[FrontRow]

I don't think he will be there at #6.

 

[kerouac9]

Originally posted by Holian
However, I would be lying to all of you and to myself if I didn't continue to pound home the fact that chances to get franchise quarterbacks don't come around very often and I see Byron Leftwich as truly a franchise type quarterback.

On the contrary, Franchise QBs come out every year, at the rate of at least two per year. Last year it was Harrington and Carr. The year before it was Mike Vick. Before that it was Leaf and Manning. Before that it was McNown, Couch, McNabb, Culpepper, and Pennington.

The QB position has been so degraded in terms of expected performance, and the college ranks so competitive that "franchise" QBs come out every year. Some of our best QBs of today weren't drafted in the first round (Brooks, Favre). I don't see why everyone thinks it's so important to have a Top 10 pick, Franchise QB when the teams with those often underperform in the W/L column, if not in the stats (Manning and the Colts, I'm looking in your general direction).

Suggs could make a 10-year contribution to the franchise (in a Sapp, Reggie White, Bruce Smith, and Strahan mold) on the Defensive Line. A great DE makes the entire defense better. A great QB makes his WRs better, I guess. I'd much rather have a Franchise RB, who does make the enitre offense better, than a franchise QB.

Finally, yeah, they passed on Williams to get McNabb, but they already had a "franchise" RB in Deuce Staley, who has underperformed, but was expected to be a monster when he came out. If you remember, it was the Deuce Staley Show in Philly before it became the McNabb Matinee (which means it's over before prime time).

 

[Krangodnzr]

Re: Re: A simple man's opinion-3 years from now we will regret passing on Leftwich.

Originally posted by kerouac9


Finally, yeah, they passed on Williams to get McNabb, but they already had a "franchise" RB in Deuce Staley, who has underperformed, but was expected to be a monster when he came out. If you remember, it was the Deuce Staley Show in Philly before it became the McNabb Matinee (which means it's over before prime time).

Duce (not spelled Duece) has not underperformed, injuries hurt his career. He had an entire season wiped out by injury, and he has never been the same.

 

[kerouac9]

Re: Re: Re: A simple man's opinion-3 years from now we will regret passing on Leftwich.

Originally posted by Krangthebrain
Duce (not spelled Duece) has not underperformed, injuries hurt his career. He had an entire season wiped out by injury, and he has never been the same.

That's right, my mistake ("Deuce" is the guy in Naw'lins), but the principle still applies. They had a young guy that they were grooming to replace him, but that guy got injured in the pre-season 2002. What was his name?

 

[Krangodnzr]

Re: Re: Re: Re: A simple man's opinion-3 years from now we will regret passing on Leftwich.

Originally posted by kerouac9
That's right, my mistake ("Deuce" is the guy in Naw'lins), but the principle still applies. They had a young guy that they were grooming to replace him, but that guy got injured in the pre-season 2002. What was his name?

Correll Buckhalter.