MorKnolle
All Pro
Out of curiosity I looked up the game log for Matt Schaub's entire career, and I wasn't overly impressed:
2004 (Atlanta went 11-5 on the season):
@ Carolina (7-9 that season) - 0/0, 0 yards, 2 carries, -2 yards - won game 27-10 - picked up a couple carries in garbage time of a win against a mediocre team
@ Kansas City (7-9 that season) - 2/4, 9 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT - lost game 56-10 - played one, maybe two possessions in garbage time against a mediocre team
@ New Orleans (8-8 that season) - started game, 17/41 (41.5%), 188 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT, 4 carries, 21 yards, 1 fumble, sacked 3 times - lost game 26-13 - didn't perform overly well in his first career start and lost the game to a mediocre team
@ Seattle (9-7 that season) - 14/22 (63.6%), 133 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 2 carries, 7 yards, sacked 1 time - lost game 28-26 - did not start but played pretty significant time in a close loss to a mediocre playoff team
2005 (Atlanta went 8-8 on the season):
@ Seattle (13-3 that season) - 0/1, 0 yards - lost game 21-18 - saw maybe one possession in a close loss to a good team
vs. Minnesota (9-7 that season) - 5/14 (35.7%), 39 yards, 4 carries, 56 yards - won game 30-10 - played a little over half the game in a win against a mediocre team and didn't perform overly well
vs. New England (10-6 that season) - started game, 18/34 (52.9%), 298 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT, 2 carries, 3 yards, sacked 3 times - lost game 31-28 - started and played the whole game against a good Patriots team and put up a good game
vs. Tampa Bay (11-5 that season) - 0/0, 0 yards, sacked 1 time and fumbled - lost game 30-27 - got in a for a play or two in there and coughed the ball up
@ Detroit (5-11 that season) - 0/0, 0 yards, 2 carries, 7 yards - won game 27-7 - saw a possession or two but didn't attempt a pass in garbage time of a blowout win against a bad team
vs. New Orleans (3-13 that season) - 1/2, 48 yards, 1 carry, 10 yards - won game 36-17 - saw a possession in garbage time against a bad team
vs. Carolina (11-5 on season) - 9/13 (69.2%), 110 yards, 1 TD, sacked 2 times - lost game 44-11 - saw some time late in garbage time in a blowout loss to a playoff-bound team
2006 (Atlanta went 7-9 on the season):
vs. Arizona (5-11 on season) - 0/0, 0 yards, 4 carries, 0 yards - won game 32-10 - saw limited time and didn't attempt a pass in garbage time against a bad team
vs. Cleveland (4-12 on season) - 0/1, 0 yards - lost game 17-13 - attempted one pass in a loss to a bad team
@ Tampa Bay (4-12 on season) - 0/0, 0 yards, 1 carry, 0 yards, 1 fumble - won game 17-6 - fumbled the ball on only carry in a win against a bad team
vs. Dallas (9-7 on season) - 3/5 (60%), 33 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT - lost game 38-28 - got in for a small portion of time and didn't perform overly well in a loss to a decent team
@ Philadelphia (10-6 on season) - 15/21 (71.4%), 175 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 2 carries, 21 yards, sacked 2 times - lost game 24-17 - saw good playing time and played fairly well against a decent team
It's all well and good if you wanted David Carr out of here and wanted a new QB, I don't have a problem with that, and I don't even have a problem with that new guy being Matt Schaub. I do, however, have a problem with the price we paid to get him. Matt Schaub was a late 3rd round pick and has started 2 games in his 3 professional seasons with total stats of 35/75 (46.7%), 498 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT, 6 sacks, and two losses by a combined score of 57-41. I know Schaub is a relatively hot name in the NFL, but I personally think his skills are at best marginally better than David Carr or Sage Rosenfels, and he sure hasn't done anything to this point to prove otherwise. I can't for the life of me see how he was worth two 2nd round picks and a slight trade back in the 1st round this year. I don't care that we might have gotten him for less than his restricted free agent tender was for, I still don't see how he's worth it. In games that he's seen significant playing time (i.e. attempting 5 or more passes) the Falcons went 1-5 and were 0-2 in games that he started.
Going back to my last post (albeit over a week ago), there are very few QBs in this league that can win games for their team more or less on their own. Peyton Manning is the best overall QB in this league, Tom Brady probably has the best ability to lift the play of those around him and win games for his team. Donovan McNabb has shown that ability at a few times in the past. Outside of that, every QB needs a solid team around him to succeed. We have yet to have that here, and Matt Schaub isn't going to be that special QB. We have just deprived ourselves of a high 2nd round pick this year that could have been used to add another instant starter to our team, and we're out a 2nd round pick next year too. Additionally, we have completely taken ourselves out of the possiblity of drafting Adrian Peterson. At #8 there was an outside chance he could get to us if Cleveland decides to take a QB at #3 and no other team could trade up, but moving back to #10 puts another team in front of us that could well be looking at a RB (Atlanta), and two more teams in front of us that could accept a trade down offer from someone else. It leaves us waiting on whoever is left between Laron Landry, Amobi Okoye, and Leon Hall/Darrelle Revis, or maybe even Patrick Willis, and Atlanta is also on the market for every one of those positions as well.
I wouldn't have a problem with this trade at all if we were giving up something like a 4th round pick this year then a conditional pick next year, even if we swap 1sts this year as well. But with the way things went down, we deprive ourselves of an instant starter this year, another likely starter next year, and maybe harm ourselves in the 1st round a bit, and all just to bring in another mediocre QB that is at best a marginal improvement over our current guy. Maybe Matt Schaub will end up being a good QB and make this trade seem mildly worthwhile, but from what he's proven so far in the league that isn't the case, and we took at least two steps backward in attempt to take one step forward with this trade. The one positive about this trade is that it takes us out of the market for a QB in this draft, so we won't be forcing a Brady Quinn pick in the 1st round or a mid-round pick on another marginal QB. Other than that I still don't like this deal.
Also, for those people that were upset about Carr never having to compete for his starting job before, Rick Smith has already come out and said this is our guy, so we get rid of one underperforming QB that has never been truly challenged and give the job to a much less-proven guy and openly say he is our starter, so we still aren't having any kind of starting competition.
I have been a mild fan of David Carr for a while, I think he could have improved and done what we needed him to do, but I acknowledge he isn't anything special and we may indeed have need some kind of change. I would have been fine with this if we had given up a mid-round pick this year and a conditional pick next year in case he doesn't perform as well as hoped, and if we had made him compete with Sage for the starting job. Instead we give up two 2nd round picks and openly hand the reigns over to a 4th year player that has 2 career starts under his belt. To me this looks like a move made by a team that is suddenly desperate to make some kind of change and a rookie GM that is eager to make some kind of splash on things. New regime, same old results. Congrats, we've been hosed again. Here's hoping Schaub proves me wrong and this deal looks good for us in a couple years. I'm still a fan even if we do keep making bone-headed moves.

2004 (Atlanta went 11-5 on the season):
@ Carolina (7-9 that season) - 0/0, 0 yards, 2 carries, -2 yards - won game 27-10 - picked up a couple carries in garbage time of a win against a mediocre team
@ Kansas City (7-9 that season) - 2/4, 9 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT - lost game 56-10 - played one, maybe two possessions in garbage time against a mediocre team
@ New Orleans (8-8 that season) - started game, 17/41 (41.5%), 188 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT, 4 carries, 21 yards, 1 fumble, sacked 3 times - lost game 26-13 - didn't perform overly well in his first career start and lost the game to a mediocre team
@ Seattle (9-7 that season) - 14/22 (63.6%), 133 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 2 carries, 7 yards, sacked 1 time - lost game 28-26 - did not start but played pretty significant time in a close loss to a mediocre playoff team
2005 (Atlanta went 8-8 on the season):
@ Seattle (13-3 that season) - 0/1, 0 yards - lost game 21-18 - saw maybe one possession in a close loss to a good team
vs. Minnesota (9-7 that season) - 5/14 (35.7%), 39 yards, 4 carries, 56 yards - won game 30-10 - played a little over half the game in a win against a mediocre team and didn't perform overly well
vs. New England (10-6 that season) - started game, 18/34 (52.9%), 298 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT, 2 carries, 3 yards, sacked 3 times - lost game 31-28 - started and played the whole game against a good Patriots team and put up a good game
vs. Tampa Bay (11-5 that season) - 0/0, 0 yards, sacked 1 time and fumbled - lost game 30-27 - got in a for a play or two in there and coughed the ball up
@ Detroit (5-11 that season) - 0/0, 0 yards, 2 carries, 7 yards - won game 27-7 - saw a possession or two but didn't attempt a pass in garbage time of a blowout win against a bad team
vs. New Orleans (3-13 that season) - 1/2, 48 yards, 1 carry, 10 yards - won game 36-17 - saw a possession in garbage time against a bad team
vs. Carolina (11-5 on season) - 9/13 (69.2%), 110 yards, 1 TD, sacked 2 times - lost game 44-11 - saw some time late in garbage time in a blowout loss to a playoff-bound team
2006 (Atlanta went 7-9 on the season):
vs. Arizona (5-11 on season) - 0/0, 0 yards, 4 carries, 0 yards - won game 32-10 - saw limited time and didn't attempt a pass in garbage time against a bad team
vs. Cleveland (4-12 on season) - 0/1, 0 yards - lost game 17-13 - attempted one pass in a loss to a bad team
@ Tampa Bay (4-12 on season) - 0/0, 0 yards, 1 carry, 0 yards, 1 fumble - won game 17-6 - fumbled the ball on only carry in a win against a bad team
vs. Dallas (9-7 on season) - 3/5 (60%), 33 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT - lost game 38-28 - got in for a small portion of time and didn't perform overly well in a loss to a decent team
@ Philadelphia (10-6 on season) - 15/21 (71.4%), 175 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 2 carries, 21 yards, sacked 2 times - lost game 24-17 - saw good playing time and played fairly well against a decent team
It's all well and good if you wanted David Carr out of here and wanted a new QB, I don't have a problem with that, and I don't even have a problem with that new guy being Matt Schaub. I do, however, have a problem with the price we paid to get him. Matt Schaub was a late 3rd round pick and has started 2 games in his 3 professional seasons with total stats of 35/75 (46.7%), 498 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT, 6 sacks, and two losses by a combined score of 57-41. I know Schaub is a relatively hot name in the NFL, but I personally think his skills are at best marginally better than David Carr or Sage Rosenfels, and he sure hasn't done anything to this point to prove otherwise. I can't for the life of me see how he was worth two 2nd round picks and a slight trade back in the 1st round this year. I don't care that we might have gotten him for less than his restricted free agent tender was for, I still don't see how he's worth it. In games that he's seen significant playing time (i.e. attempting 5 or more passes) the Falcons went 1-5 and were 0-2 in games that he started.
Going back to my last post (albeit over a week ago), there are very few QBs in this league that can win games for their team more or less on their own. Peyton Manning is the best overall QB in this league, Tom Brady probably has the best ability to lift the play of those around him and win games for his team. Donovan McNabb has shown that ability at a few times in the past. Outside of that, every QB needs a solid team around him to succeed. We have yet to have that here, and Matt Schaub isn't going to be that special QB. We have just deprived ourselves of a high 2nd round pick this year that could have been used to add another instant starter to our team, and we're out a 2nd round pick next year too. Additionally, we have completely taken ourselves out of the possiblity of drafting Adrian Peterson. At #8 there was an outside chance he could get to us if Cleveland decides to take a QB at #3 and no other team could trade up, but moving back to #10 puts another team in front of us that could well be looking at a RB (Atlanta), and two more teams in front of us that could accept a trade down offer from someone else. It leaves us waiting on whoever is left between Laron Landry, Amobi Okoye, and Leon Hall/Darrelle Revis, or maybe even Patrick Willis, and Atlanta is also on the market for every one of those positions as well.
I wouldn't have a problem with this trade at all if we were giving up something like a 4th round pick this year then a conditional pick next year, even if we swap 1sts this year as well. But with the way things went down, we deprive ourselves of an instant starter this year, another likely starter next year, and maybe harm ourselves in the 1st round a bit, and all just to bring in another mediocre QB that is at best a marginal improvement over our current guy. Maybe Matt Schaub will end up being a good QB and make this trade seem mildly worthwhile, but from what he's proven so far in the league that isn't the case, and we took at least two steps backward in attempt to take one step forward with this trade. The one positive about this trade is that it takes us out of the market for a QB in this draft, so we won't be forcing a Brady Quinn pick in the 1st round or a mid-round pick on another marginal QB. Other than that I still don't like this deal.
Also, for those people that were upset about Carr never having to compete for his starting job before, Rick Smith has already come out and said this is our guy, so we get rid of one underperforming QB that has never been truly challenged and give the job to a much less-proven guy and openly say he is our starter, so we still aren't having any kind of starting competition.
I have been a mild fan of David Carr for a while, I think he could have improved and done what we needed him to do, but I acknowledge he isn't anything special and we may indeed have need some kind of change. I would have been fine with this if we had given up a mid-round pick this year and a conditional pick next year in case he doesn't perform as well as hoped, and if we had made him compete with Sage for the starting job. Instead we give up two 2nd round picks and openly hand the reigns over to a 4th year player that has 2 career starts under his belt. To me this looks like a move made by a team that is suddenly desperate to make some kind of change and a rookie GM that is eager to make some kind of splash on things. New regime, same old results. Congrats, we've been hosed again. Here's hoping Schaub proves me wrong and this deal looks good for us in a couple years. I'm still a fan even if we do keep making bone-headed moves.
