Draft A Potential Franchise QB In April

[Maelstrom787]

We have spent multiple 1st round draft picks along the lines and at skill positions over the last 10 years. Some have worked out and some have not. But it's time to spend one on a potential Franchise Quarterback. We need to take the chance.

Many seems to want to spend the resource to say the shot was taken, regardless of whether a shot is there to take. The draft isn't Build-A-Team Workshop, it's a farmers market where a couple of items are in season and are only there if you're early enough in line. The previous drafts have nothing to do with the obtainable prospects.

 

[Fresno Hawk]

Please, with the draft capital we have given up for other teams unhappy players we could have easily drafted a QB that is worthy in the first round. Again we need a Franchise QB.

 

[NoGain]

Kansas City took a shot and got Mahomes. Ravens took a shot and got Lamar. Packers took a shot and got Rodgers. Patriots took a shot and got Brady. Eagles took a shot on Hurts. Cowboys took a shot on Prescott. Chargers took a chance on Drew Brees. The 49ers took a shot on Montana. The Chargers took a shot on Dan Fouts.

None of these QB's were out of reach to teams who were either willing to be aggressive to get them, or simply were there to be had

The Hawks have just done nothing in this regard to speak of for years, even when it was apparent to them that RW's best days were behind him.

 

[Maelstrom787]

Are we all just straight up ignoring how the past 5 years of Seahawks football evolved solely to grow a vineyard of sour grapes? What are we even doing here?

QBOTF was absolutely not a necessary conversation to have until the wheels fell off, relationship-wise, with Russ. Going into 2020, he was coming off of two of his best years yet behind a stellar run game crafted by Solari and Schottenheimer. His efficiency was off the charts.

In 2020, the Let Russ Cook year, there were some obvious issues that cropped up. I became a huge proponent of trading Russ during this period, but even I can acknowledge that it would've been rash not to try to get things back to where they were a couple of years prior. It wasn't inherent regression on Russell's end causing this downturn - he was who he always was, and the contract they had signed him to prevented us from moving on instantly.

Again, at this point, quarterback is not a realistic consideration high in the draft.

So, in 2018, 2019, and 2020 - there was literally no good reason to start trying to nail down quarterback, and there was ABSOLUTELY no justification at the time for packaging your whole capital into drafting one. The focus was trying to get one last crack at the big game with Russ, and that was the correct focus at the time.

In 2021, things fell apart, and that was it. We got a haul for Russ. In 2022, there were absolutely zero quarterbacks worth drafting, and none presented any improvement over what Geno ended up being. No, Brock Purdy does not count. In 2023, Will Levis was your only option and he's also done no better than Geno.

I have no idea what you guys are looking for. Yes, absolutely, take a shot if one doesn't present an inordinate amount of risk of setting us back years. If they identify the dude, then go friggin' get him! Even better if they don't have to trade up. But there's a lot of invented past being thrown around here that just... is not how any of this went down. At all.

 

[Maelstrom787]

Please, with the draft capital we have given up for other teams unhappy players we could have easily drafted a QB that is worthy in the first round. Again we need a Franchise QB.

When, and who?

 

[12forlife]

Aggressively pessimistic and obtuse simplifications are not realism, and it's a serious societal ill that those things are constantly confused for one another.

Geno 15 games, 17 TD, 9TD, 3 fumbles. That's facts Jack, that's "realism" not a simplication. For example Kirk Cousins had in only 8 games 18 TD, 5 Int. Jared Goff 16 games 28 TD, 12 INT, I see Cousins & Goff as fringe QB's that can win a SB, and their numbers blow Geno out of the water.

 

[CactusJack]

The Hawks have just done nothing in this regard to speak of for years, even when it was apparent to them that RW's best days were behind him.

When was that exactly? How far back do you want to go?

Russ got his second big extension in early 2019. He was still playing well at that time. He had his best years in 2018/19. So there really wasn't a need to chase another QB at that time. No real sense of urgency anyway.

The signs pointing to his eventual decline & exit, didn't begin to really show until the following year. When the trade rumors took off after the conclusion of the 2020 season.

2021

Zack Wilson
Trey Lance
Justin Fields
Mac Jones
Kellen Mond
Davis Mills

Again, none of those guys have panned out.

2022

Kenny Pickett
Desmond Ridder
Malik Willis
Matt Corral
Sam Howell

Howell has shown some promise. But he's likely not the long-term answer for Washington.

 

[Maelstrom787]

Geno 15 games, 17 TD, 9TD, 3 fumbles. That's facts Jack, that's "realism" not a simplication. For example Kirk Cousins had in only 8 games 18 TD, 5 Int. Jared Goff 16 games 28 TD, 12 INT, I see Cousins & Goff as fringe QB's that can win a SB, and their numbers blow Geno out of the water.

Geno Smith had those Goff numbers in 2022 (with better efficiency than Goff), and Geno didn't have the literal hottest name in coaching as his offensive playcaller. He had Shane "Sure, Micah Parsons, let him through!" Waldron calling games. (Yes, that's an unfair way to sum Waldron up, but point is made.)

If you think Goff is actually appreciably higher in caliber than Geno is in 2023, I don't think you're watching the tape as closely as the box scores, unless you'd like to provide some well-reasoned and tape backed analysis that doesn't show up on the box score. I could be swayed, but I know that Geno and Goff are very, very similar players. I know this because I watched a lot of each to come to my conclusion that Geno's primary comparable IS Jared Goff. Here's a quote from 2022 of mine, expressing my opinion on both Goff AND Cousins.

Like, outside of McVay and Gurley setting the world on fire, Goff has been pretty Geno-esque. He isn't even Kirk Cousins level.

Kirk Cousins, however, is better than Geno Smith. As I've maintained.

 

[NoGain]

JS himself was looking to potentially move on from RW as early as 2018 by reports.

 

[Maelstrom787]

JS himself was looking to potentially move on from RW as early as 2018 by reports.

It would've been a prophetic move. One that we would've absolutely killed the man for at the time. One ownership might not have even signed off on, honestly.

But after Russell rebounded in 2018 under Schotty, it couldn't have been a consideration any longer. That season was amazing. He was put in the perfect circumstance (#1 run game, chucking it deep) and he shined. Made more sense to just build on that, and they did. 2019 could've been excellent if they'd had any running backs stay healthy down the stretch. We were just a little bit short of the NFC Championship Game that year.

I'm real bummed about how 2020 went. If we could've just kept trying to ride that run-heavy approach, it all could've stayed so nice.

 

[CactusJack]

JS himself was looking to potentially move on from RW as early as 2018 by reports.

Right. Then they gave him an extension the following year.

 

[NoGain]

We were never serious contenders for the SB from my perspective and many others from 2018 onwards.

 

[NoGain]

Right. Then they gave him an extension the following year.

PC ruled the roost. He was never interested in a tear-down and rebuild. He was always about winning now, even though a SB was pretty much a pipe dream with those teams.

 

[CactusJack]

JS himself was looking to potentially move on from RW as early as 2018 by reports.

The rumor was they scouted Josh Allen heavily that year. But stopped pursuing that when word got back to Russ' camp.

They then signed him to a 4 year, $140m extension the following year. So clearly, they we're still committed to him at that point in time.

 

[DarkVictory23]

Kansas City took a shot and got Mahomes. Ravens took a shot and got Lamar. Packers took a shot and got Rodgers. Patriots took a shot and got Brady. Eagles took a shot on Hurts. Cowboys took a shot on Prescott. Chargers took a chance on Drew Brees. The 49ers took a shot on Montana. The Chargers took a shot on Dan Fouts.

None of these QB's were out of reach to teams who were either willing to be aggressive to get them, or simply were there to be had

The Hawks have just done nothing in this regard to speak of for years, even when it was apparent to them that RW's best days were behind him.

But these situations you're highlighting aren't all equal, which is kind of the point I think Maelstrom is trying to make.

The Patriots didn't take a 'shot' on Tom Brady. He was the 199th pick. They took a 'sure, whatever' on Tom Brady and lucked out.

The Niners didn't draft Montana until the third round and the Niners were a TERRIBLE team the previous season and didn't start Montana as a rookie the next year either, despite the fact that they remained terrible.

Dak was a fourth round pick.

A couple of these guys, yeah, they were picked high by a team with a quality QB coming off of successful seasons (Mahomes being the obvious example) but a lot of them don't fit that situation at all.

And yes, JS has been linked to wanting to draft both Mahomes and Allen to be the successor to Russ, but neither year was Seattle in a position to get either guy. The Seahawks haven't just 'passed' on all these great QBs, they haven't even been in a position to get them.

And if taking a flyer on a QB in mid-to-late rounds while you don't already have a franchise QB on your roster counts as 'taking a shot', this is the same front office who drafted Russell Wilson in the third round.

 

[Fresno Hawk]

When, and who?

In 2020, there was guys like ,Burrow,Tua,Herbert, Hurts. Hurts was 2nd round pick could have had him, the others we could have traded up for one.
2021 Lawrence, Fields, Lance,Jones. Jones good first year now has no weapons after being coached by a ex defensive coordinator. Lance, don't know what he is ,hasn't played.Fields now looking good after getting help on offense.
2020 picket had his team in contention before getting hurt in arguably the toughest division in football. Purdy need I say more. Howell, has more Tds passes than our starter when playing for one of the worse franchise's in years. And could have had him in the fifth. Not to mention Russ wanted out so we had options to move up and get the draft capital to get basically anyone we wanted.

 

[Maelstrom787]

In 2020, there was guys like ,Burrow,Tua,Herbert, Hurts. Hurts was 2nd round pick could have had him, the others we could have traded up for one.
2021 Lawrence, Fields, Lance,Jones. Jones good first year now has no weapons after being coached by a ex defensive coordinator. Lance, don't know what he is ,hasn't played.Fields now looking good after getting help on offense.
2020 picket had his team in contention before getting hurt in arguably the toughest division in football. Purdy need I say more. Howell, has more Tds passes than our starter when playing for one of the worse franchise's in years. And could have had him in the fifth. Not to mention Russ wanted out so we had options to move up and get the draft capital to get basically anyone we wanted.

As I stated earlier, Russell was coming off of two of his 3 best seasons as a pro in 2020, and it would've made no sense to try to obtain said quarterbacks at the time unless we wanted to further provoke our at-the-time franchise quarterback.

In 2021, Russell was coming off of the Let Russ Cook year in which he started with the best stretch of his career and then came back down to Earth. His contract was a bit too much to reasonably trade away and the desire was there to give it another try with him, paired with a new OC. Again, really really terrible spot to deeply provoke your franchise quarterback by drafting... Trey Lance, Mac Jones, or Justin Fields... none of whom, by the way, have played ANY BETTER THAN GENO SMITH over their career.

If Geno's statline is unacceptable to you, please, by all means - quote me the statline of "looking good!" Justin Fields. Or Mac, or Trey. Now go ahead and compare the cost of their acquisition to Geno's. There ya go.

So, I ask again, when and who? With the caveat that I'd like to focus on players who wouldn't have been massive blunders to obtain.

 

[Maelstrom787]

In 2020, there was guys like ,Burrow,Tua,Herbert, Hurts. Hurts was 2nd round pick could have had him, the others we could have traded up for one.
2021 Lawrence, Fields, Lance,Jones. Jones good first year now has no weapons after being coached by a ex defensive coordinator. Lance, don't know what he is ,hasn't played.Fields now looking good after getting help on offense.
2020 picket had his team in contention before getting hurt in arguably the toughest division in football. Purdy need I say more. Howell, has more Tds passes than our starter when playing for one of the worse franchise's in years. And could have had him in the fifth. Not to mention Russ wanted out so we had options to move up and get the draft capital to get basically anyone we wanted.

Sam Howell has 19 touchdowns to 17 interceptions and has literally gotten benched off of a 2 interception, 6-for-22 performance against the Jets. He lost his job to Jacoby Brissett, who is suddenly playing much better than Howell. THIS is the point you're trying to make?

Pickett is not as good as Geno, who also has his team in the same level of contention, plus Pickett cost a first rounder to obtain.

Purdy is Mr. Irrelevant, is not replicable, and is playing in an offense that got flame-out Jimmy Garoppolo a Super Bowl appearance.

I ask a third time, when and who?

 

[Fresno Hawk]

Sam Howell has 19 touchdowns to 17 interceptions and has literally gotten benched off of a 2 interception, 6-for-22 performance against the Jets. He lost his job to Jacoby Brissett, who is suddenly playing much better than Howell. THIS is the point you're trying to make?

Pickett is not as good as Geno, who also has his team in the same level of contention, plus Pickett cost a first rounder to obtain.

Purdy is Mr. Irrelevant, is not replicable, and is playing in an offense that got flame-out Jimmy Garoppolo a Super Bowl appearance.

I ask a

 

[Fresno Hawk]

So go ahead pick the worse candidates on the this list provided to compare. Again we could have had any of the guys, including the top picks by giving the draft capital we have already been given away for other players, don't base your comment on just 3 guys. Like i said in the previous post we could have drafted someone. And develop them, they would have more upside than what we have now.Our Qbs on the roster have no more upside and are only going down hill. They are limited.