Yet Another QB Rumors Thread (Volume 9)

[GTripp0012]

Originally Posted by Dirtbag59

How valuable are our draft picks on a team without a QB? People around here are more then willing to let McIntosh and Landry walk, both of whom cost us a first round pick. No one shed a tear either when Rogers walked and we couldn't wait to get rid of Campbell. Thats 4 first round picks and a 2nd in that group.

Also who shed a tear when Thomas and Kelly left, or Chad Rhinehart? Two 2nd's and a 3rd right there.

The stock up strategy is akin to thinking like the Dolphins in 2008 when they passed on Matt Ryan for the smart pick in Jake Long then handled the QB situation by drafting a promising second tier prospect in Chad Henne who is now all but gone. And sure maybe Ryan hasn't won a playoff game but last I checked the Falcons are winning games while the Dolphins are picking in the Top 10.

You know what all these draft savy teams have that allows them to stock up on picks? Quarterbacks. Franchise game changing QB's. Unless you're lucky odds are you won't get that from Tannehill, Foles, Weeden, Cousins, etc. And you certainly won't get it from Kyle Orton.

Draft picks are equally valuable to teams who like their QB situation as they are to teams that don't like their quarterback situation. Who your quarterback is doesn't change how valuable a draft pick is.

I find it endlessly fascinating that you're all about the game changing quarterback, and yet you keep trotting out the Matt Ryan-in-2008 argument. It's mind boggling to me that you don't think that Tannehill, Foles, Cousins, Moore etc can be as good as Matt Ryan. If anything, the Falcons have proved that you sure can win 10 games a year with Tannehill or Foles.

The Falcons had a really good 2008 draft (Ryan, Lofton, Biermann, etc), one that helped to rebuild their franchise. Thing is, the Dolphins also had a good draft and that 2008 draft ended up being very weak for teams that didn't focus on running backs or quarterbacks, where it has produced very well.

But what you're totally forgetting about the Falcons is that despite having one of the smartest personnel guys in the league in Dimitroff, that's a team that isn't in a great cap situation anymore, hasn't fixed their defense, and is now caught hoping to a higher power that there's more to Matt Ryan than what they've gotten so far.

Ryan was great early in his career when the Falcons needed someone to make them forget Michael Vick. But now the Falcons only play is to pay Matt Ryan like an elite quarterback, and if he can't take Roddy White and Julio Jones and go light up the scoreboard, well, Brees and Newton are going to light up the Falcons for the next five seasons.