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Blake Bortles
- Thread starter DocBar
- Start date
Agreed, great play by Bottles & Burns, but Bortles threw quiet a few ducks on that drive.
Every now and again he makes a throw that impresses me.
And some QB's have careers summed up by these two statements on a repeating loop.
toronto
Hall of Fame
I can see why Bortles was such a high pick but doesn't scream savior to me. Lot of warts in his game.
So, you're saying he is like Hoyer?
Old saying about it's not how you start but how you finish that matters comes to mind.
All four Jags wins this year were by game winning drives by Bortles, the most of any QB this season. He's got the clutch gene, but now just needs to work on control of his offense and understanding how to read defenses better.
And, imo, Bortles is still better than any of the QBs we've seen in a Texans uniform the past two seasons.
All four Jags wins this year were by game winning drives by Bortles, the most of any QB this season. He's got the clutch gene, but now just needs to work on control of his offense and understanding how to read defenses better.
And, imo, Bortles is still better than any of the QBs we've seen in a Texans uniform the past two seasons.
Mr teX
Hall of Fame
DB my man...c'mon..did you watch that game last night? They were all set to lose it with Bortles turning the ball over in his customary fashion until Rashad Greene ran a punt back that got them down to the 5 yd line on an excellent return .......so literally, there was no "drive" involved from Bortles. He threw a simple 5 yd out route that any of our qb's could've and have thrown all year..Really nothing special. Prior to that, they'd made it inside Tenn. red zone 3 times and came away with 3 fgs...with him once again taking inexcusable sacks to stall 2 of those drives.
Won't even talk about the Baltimore game b/c we all know that shouldn't have even been a win, much less any credit he gets for a game winning drive.
This dude is not special.....even his own fans are about ready to give up on him...
Marshall
Not pretty, but ALIVE!
No i in Bortles - Hmm?
Are game winning drives counted as getting facemasked with the clock expiring after falling on his keester a week ago and a 63 yard punt return into the red zone last night?
Y'all make good points, and to be honest, I didn't get to watch the entire game. I had it in the background while I was working, but happened to hear that stat.
And I'm certainly not implying that Bortles is all that, but merely that I have no doubt that he's better than Brian Hoyer and his patented "rainbow punt pass interception" at the end instead of any attempt at a game winning drive (I truly expected the defender to try to fair catch that interception in Indy).
I still give the Jags credit for trying to find their QB while our team picks through the perpetually mediocre-to-just-bad QB scrapheap.
The Jags will likely find out what they have in Bortles before the Texans even attempt to find a long term solution. Personally, I find that a timid and pathetic strategy for an NFL team, much less our team.
And I'm certainly not implying that Bortles is all that, but merely that I have no doubt that he's better than Brian Hoyer and his patented "rainbow punt pass interception" at the end instead of any attempt at a game winning drive (I truly expected the defender to try to fair catch that interception in Indy).
I still give the Jags credit for trying to find their QB while our team picks through the perpetually mediocre-to-just-bad QB scrapheap.
The Jags will likely find out what they have in Bortles before the Texans even attempt to find a long term solution. Personally, I find that a timid and pathetic strategy for an NFL team, much less our team.
Could not agree more.
Mr teX
Hall of Fame
I doubt baseball players care whether they Strike out, ground out or fly out when they're in hitting slumps...& getting called out 1 way isn't really anymore valiant than getting out another....all they see is that they're still out.. that's about how I feel in regards to this qb situation. My excitement/hope level isn't going to change much just b/c we keep taking chances & going out and drafting qbs....I just want a guy who can play well enough to get this team wins...however they come. If that guy turns out to be a stud, then that's a bonus.
So I don't give the Jags credit for anything...props go out the window when you're in the draft every couple of years looking for something that may not even be there...or worse, you miss that player b/c you were forcing the issue. The Titans, Browns, Raiders, Bills, Jets, Vikings, and at least 2-3 other teams have all elected to go about the qb situation in much the same way many want the texans to go about it this year & have kept their franchises in qb purgatory for in most instances a decade plus....Ask their fans how they feel about that & i'm sure the word pathetic will come up in that convo as well. The scary thing is, in that time frame we've pretty much had more or as much success as all of these teams over our entire existence with qb play over that time that most outside of Houston would say was terrible- to average..& we did that by picking up retreads and unproven guys...Essentially what i'm saying is it depends on which side of the fence you're sitting on. That good hope feeling fades when you look up and realize that your team has accomplished next to nothing & you've effectively been setting your team back 2-3 years at a time every time you pick the wrong guy (coaching changes often come with or right after these new qbs are drafted).
While I respect your perspective and recognize that it's just a different way to look at it, all I can say is that I have absolutely no hope for the Texans future when they perpetually trot out scrapheap QBs. Seriously, with QBs like Fitz, Hoyer, Mallett, Yates, you know this is a short term strategy of sacrificing seasons. NONE of those guys will ever be able to accomplish anything significant in this league.
Some of the teams that you mentioned just have bad management, and that is reflected in how they evaluate talent and the actual talent they acquire. The Texans are now part of that group. We are right there with the Browns, Jets, and Bills in that regard.
Other teams, though, are doing what the Texans need to do: TRY to find a young guy to develop. Titans, Raiders, Bucs, and Vikings have all used high picks the past couple of drafts and at least one, if not all, might have found QBs that they can work with over time. This is the strategy that at least gives fans hope for the future, even it it could end in failure. I'm very much of the perspective to lather, rinse, repeat every 4 years because the CBA now caps rookie contracts and you are not penalized in cap hell for trying to find a QB in the first round.
Feels like motivational poster time!
Mr teX
Hall of Fame
While I respect your perspective and recognize that it's just a different way to look at it, all I can say is that I have absolutely no hope for the Texans future when they perpetually trot out scrapheap QBs. Seriously, with QBs like Fitz, Hoyer, Mallett, Yates, you know this is a short term strategy of sacrificing seasons. NONE of those guys will ever be able to accomplish anything significant in this league.
Some of the teams that you mentioned just have bad management, and that is reflected in how they evaluate talent and the actual talent they acquire. The Texans are now part of that group. We are right there with the Browns, Jets, and Bills in that regard.
Other teams, though, are doing what the Texans need to do: TRY to find a young guy to develop. Titans, Raiders, Bucs, and Vikings have all used high picks the past couple of drafts and at least one, if not all, might have found QBs that they can work with over time. This is the strategy that at least gives fans hope for the future, even it it could end in failure. I'm very much of the perspective to lather, rinse, repeat every 4 years because the CBA now caps rookie contracts and you are not penalized in cap hell for trying to find a QB in the first round.
Feels like motivational poster time!
No worries man....i see your fear of failure poster & raise u.....I don't need to tell u who said that..
Speedy
Former Yeller Dweller
As I've said a thousand times it seems, it's hard to find that QB. The numbers, though still just 20-25%, indicate you find that QB in the 1st 3 rounds. The jury is still out on the Titans, Raiders and Vikings, but those guys look promising, and are better than anything the Texans have done the last 3 years.
You will NOT find that QB bringing in Fitzpatrick's and Hoyer's, so you HAVE to draft. And as I've said, there's only about a 20-25% chance of hitting on that the guy you do pick, but you HAVE to try. So yeah, credit to the Jags for trying because they wouldn't have been any better bringing in Hoyer, Fitzpatrick, McCown, whoever. And if Bortles doesn't work out, I don't doubt they'll TRY again.
The Texans should have been looking for someone to groom behind Schaub since 2011. That's 4 years now that the Texans have flat out refused to seriously address the QB position. You may think the Titans, Raiders and Vikings are in purgatory, but how has it worked out for the Texans the way they're doing it? At least the Titans, Raiders and Vikings have some promise, some hope. The Texans have none of that continuing to bring in the scrubs they do.
dream_team
Hall of Fame
So in 2011, we should have drafted Ponder instead of Watt in the 1st, to start grooming behind Schaub?
Mr teX
Hall of Fame
promise....... hope...that's all fan talk...Coaches don't think like that..they try to find guys who can best help them win games NOW & won't get them fired until they find that guy that they do want to commit to & they get the team how they want it. Yeah, they all want that stud, but what they want more is to be able to win now so that they can take their time and pick the guy that they feel can best run their system..b/c they understand that it takes a team to win it all not 1 guy. It's the prime reason all these coaches these days want to be GM and HC. Each of those franchises above took at least 7 years to get to where they are now...& truthfully they still are no closer to knowing whether or not they have the position settled...I'm sorry, i just don't view that as any more valiant than what we've been doing.
Also, i don't think you can say that the Texans under OB haven't tried to seriously address it. Mallet was brought here under much of the same circumstances as Schaub was with much more fan fare and potential..Would you / did you say that Kubiak didn't seriously try to address the position back then? Probably not..& we all know why...b/c it worked out for him & this franchise. The only difference between that move back in 07' and BoB/Rick bringing in Mallet in his 1st year here is that Kubiak's move worked out for him after his 2nd year and BoB's has no chance of working out b/c Mallet is a dumbass. You add in that BoB has drafted a qb with enough actual potential to maybe become a starter in this league vs. the scrubs Kubiak kept bringing in here with either next to no chance to become a starter or retread/washouts (Alex Brink, TJ Yates, Jeff Garcia, Jake Delhomme, Matt Lienart Case Keenum) and you can say that he has been as aggressive in trying to address the position as Kubiak was...
True, you are likely not going to find that qb if you keep doing what we're doing..........but you're not that much more likely to find that guy in the draft or by other means either. In fact, you're more likely to hurt your team's chances of winning anything in the long run by drafting a guy, letting him flounder for 2+ years only to discard him and start over with another guy; likely another HC as well. When we drafted Carr, saw that he wasn't going to cut it after like year 2, all people could talk about on here is we should've drafted Peppers..... and how he or some other guy was such a game changing talent that we missed on to take Carr..You know who Peppers' qb was for the Panthers that got them to a SB and host of other playoff appearances? Jake friggin Delhomme...a dude who wasn't even drafted.
This weekend will see the 7th starting QB since O'Brien became head coach. That is 7 starting QBs in 26 games.
I do not believe that any of those 7 QBs are players that should be considered seriously addressing the glaring hole at QB.
What I can tell you is that those 7 QBs represent failure and are nothing to base hope on with regards to winning a Super Bowl.
I do not believe that any of those 7 QBs are players that should be considered seriously addressing the glaring hole at QB.
What I can tell you is that those 7 QBs represent failure and are nothing to base hope on with regards to winning a Super Bowl.
Mr teX
Hall of Fame
So basically what you're saying is that you haven't considered us to have seriously addressed the qb position since we took Carr in the inagural draft then...ok...
No, I'm saying that O'Brien has not seriously addressed the QB situation since he was hired. I do not think any of his QBs were ever intended to be long term solutions, including Mallett.
I don't care if they draft, trade, or pick up a QB in FA. Drafting is the simplest way to get one, but if they make a trade like they did for Schaub and really commit to him, I'd be okay with that, as well.
Mallett is the only QB out of the 7 that had unknown potential. But, I hold O'Brien accountable for it because he had already worked with him in NE and it is obvious with the final outcome that the tiger can't change his stripes.
I'm respecting Kubiak more and more for knowing he wanted Schaub and committing to him after seeing O'Brien's act for the past couple of seasons. Say what you want about Schaub, but he's still the best QB in Texans history.
Marshall
Not pretty, but ALIVE!
A Tiger may not change his stripes, but a Cougar does lose his spots. Perhaps OB was hoping for a Cougar.
Speedy
Former Yeller Dweller
Nobody said it had to be a 1st rounder. Especially when you're drafting to groom. And in retrospect, what have the Texans done with Watt? You can argue 2 playoff berths but they had a top 10ish QB at the time. Watt also has a 2-14 season thrown in there.
And they, at the very least, had a shot at Osweiler, Wilson the next year. Just like they had a shot at Garraoplo, Carr and Bridgewater last year. Instead, they do nothing, have nothing when Schaub deteriorates, and still have nothing 4 years later.
And how's that working for O'Brien? If not for a fluke win against Cincy, and beating a Mettenberger led Titans, he was one of the favorites to be fired, or at least lose some of HIS staff. And when does he plan on getting that guy he wants to commit to? Year 3, 4, 5?
You've got to get the QB from somewhere. I would think the best odds, even though it's still a 1 in 4 shot, is the way you have to go. That's the best chance you have of keeping your job for a long time. You have a 20-25% success rate of finding that QB the first 3 rounds as opposed to a 3-7% chance of finding him later than the 3rd. And you damn sure aren't going to find him bringing in Fitzpatrick, Hoyer, McCown, Weeden, Cassel or whoever.
You HAVE to draft a QB high and keep doing it until you find him, or you will be any where from a 2 to 9 win team on a yearly basis instead of being a legitimate playoff contender year in and year out, to where it won't make a damn bit of difference drafting a Watt.
dream_team
Hall of Fame
Well you did say it had to be in the 1st 3 rounds. But if they did take Ponder over Watt, you'd be happy because "at least they're trying"?
Speedy
Former Yeller Dweller
Taking Ponder over Watt and failing is different than how it's gone down how? Watt is great, glad we have him, but the Texans are 37-36 with Watt.
Also, it's a little bit different because you would have been looking for a QB to groom, not take over right away. So yeah, Ponder over Watt wouldn't have been a good pick. But that doesn't mean abandon the idea of ever going after a replacement for Schaub, which they had a chance to do again the next year.
dream_team
Hall of Fame
The difference is it's not all on the QB. Yes, by far they are the most important piece of a team, but you can't win with just a good QB. Saints, Ravens, Chargers are all proving that now. Here's a hypothetical scenario...
In 2011, we take Ponder over Watt. Oops, he sucks.
In 2012, we take a Weeden or Tannehill over Mercilus. Oops, he sucks.
In 2013, we take Manuel or Geno over Hopkins. Oops, he sucks.
In 2014, we take Bortles... ok, maybe we got something here?
But look at our team. We have zero pass rushers and zero receivers. But hey, at least we have hope we may have a QB.
What I'm hoping is we have a FO that approaches things smarter than just drafting lottery tickets. I hope they know these QBs aren't worth taking so they get the BPA. Only time will tell, though.
infantrycak
Hall of Fame
Agreed thru here...
Would he have sucked under Kubiak?
What was that rule - wait, it's not all on the QB.
Etc.
Speedy
Former Yeller Dweller
But if you don't buy the lottery ticket you will never be the Patriots, Packers, Colts, Steelers.
And in 2012, what if we had taken Mercilus 1st and Osweiler or even Wilson 2nd? They wouldn't have needed to go after Weeden or Tannehill because they still had a good Schaub. But you do have to start planning for life after Schaub and drafting a Yates in the 5th round isn't getting that done.
4 years later, they're still looking for Schaub's replacement.
You've still got other picks to put your team together, but you've got to get that QB. JJ Watt, DeAndre Hopkins and Whitney Merciless are not making you playoff contenders YEAR IN AND YEAR OUT.
Of course you don't just draft a QB and say that's it. You've got other draft picks to put a TEAM together, but if you want to win consistently, you've got to find that QB. Bringing in the scrubs they have wont do it, drafting 4th, 5th and 6th rounders won't do it, and drafting all the Watt's and Hopkins' you can won't do it.
dream_team
Hall of Fame
I hear what you're saying. So why do you not consider Mallet or Savage lottery tickets?
Speedy
Former Yeller Dweller
Mallett is a good example of trying...sorta. Mallett was a 3rd rounder, sat behind a HOFer, that was a decent gamble to take considering they'd already passed on Carr, Bridgewater and Garropolo.
But the Texans played a big part in messing that up as much as Mallett failing, IMO. They bring him in last year, wait until mid-season to use him, he gets hurt of course so you can't help that. Then they re-sign him, a day later they bring in Hoyer, go until mid-August before you announce a starter, giving it to Hoyer, I mean, the way the Texans handled it was a clusterfuck from the get go. Not saying Mallett wasn't a swing and a miss, but still. It was handled about as bad as it could have been by the Texans.
Savage is a 4th rounder so the odds are not favorable. You can't rule him completely out, but you still need to go QB early this April just because the odds are stacked. He's a guy that played no ball for 2 years in college, and is now missing this year. Hard to beat those odds when you're not even playing practice football.
I wouldn't have a problem if the Texans went into next season with Savage and Cook, Goff or whoever is available to them early. I'd maybe even be OK with Hoyer to start the season just so you wouldn't have to throw those guys directly into the fire. It's still a crapshoot at best and you still might just be a 2 to 9 win team for 2016, but you're at least working on trying to get to that next level. Bringing Hoyer back or some other scrub and passing on QB AGAIN, isn't going to get you there in '16 or '17 or however long it takes 'til you get that QB. Even if you draft another Watt or Duane Brown instead.
Sure, you can have a season where everything falls into place, the ball bounces your way and make a run in a particular season with a Mark Sanchez, but I'm talking about being in it year in and year out. Gotta get that QB. Then use the rest of your picks, FA, etc, to build the team.
None of those teams drafted a QB first & built around them.
Tom Brady & Ben Roethlisberger were game managers on strong teams. Rodgers sat three years while the Packers built around a HOFer & the Colts said f'ck it after drafting Luck.
I personally think we should have traded up to get Bridgewater. Nine first rounders on defense, Arian Foster on offense... imagine if we'd have drafted Melvin Gordon like they Rumored... Clowney, Bridgewater, Gordon in the last two drafts... throw in McKinney as a future Cush replacement.
BUT I'm using hindsight.
& if this defense continues to play like it did Monday night, a prospect worthy of a first round pick would have the luxury of winning games while learning how to play in the NFL, like Brady did, like Roethlisberger did... like Romo & Rivers did.
I'm not imagining much ...
I hear what you're saying. I think OB handled the QB thing wrong, & I think he's more likely to screw up a young QB than not, especially of he doesn't pick him.
& I agree we should have drafted Mallett instead of Yates, Osweiler, Nassib, even Geno Smith. Even before Schaub got injured, those guys were steals where we could have got them.
But drafting a guy in the first, especially a top 15 pick, just because you're feeling lucky doesn't make any sense.
If we're talking about late 2nd & early 3Rd round picks, that's another argument.
Speedy
Former Yeller Dweller
Who said anything about drafting a QB because you're feeling lucky? 1) that doesn't make any sense and 2) even if it did, the Texans don't have that luxury. The Texans have to draft a QB because they NEED a QB.
We all claim that we saw the start of Schaub's downfall and that would have been the time to invest in an Osweiler or Wilson. I'm not saying make dumb moves that make no sense. Drafting Schaub's future replacement made sense. They didn't do it. Taking one of Carr, Bridgewater or Garrapolo made sense. They didn't do it. Taking a QB next April makes sense. Will they do it?
The Packers drafted Rodgers in the 1st round and yes he sat 3 years behind Favre, but when they drafted him, Favre was 15 years into his career and 36 years old. That was the time to be looking for his replacement. 2011-12 was the time to start looking for Schaub's replacement. The Saints take a 3rd round QB this year because it's time for them to start looking for Brees' replacement. The Steelers need to start considering finding Ben's replacement.
No, you don't draft a QB with a top 15 pick when you have a Rodgers or Brees or Ben in their primes. You use those picks when it's warranted to do so.
The Texans, they're still looking for Schaub's replacement and he hasn't even been on the roster for 2 years. The Texans don't have the luxury to pass on QBs high in the draft. They've got to make that plunge even if there's only a 20-25% chance they hit it, because Hoyer, Fitzpatrick, McCown, Weeden, Cassel, those guys aren't going to get it done for you.
And if a JJ Watt type of player is sitting there in the 1st when it's your pick, that's great and all, but he's not going to help you to be a consistent winner until you get a QB. Like I've said, the Texans are 37-36 with JJ Watt, 27-30 with Watt and Mercilus, 15-26 with Watt, Mercilus and Hopkins. NINE 1st round draft picks on defense and they're 4-5 this season. They've got to get a QB.
I was just going with that lottery ticket thing, which (I think) is why it doesn't make sense.
A coach wouldn't be a bad thing either.
What's the Jags record with Gabbert? What's their record with Bortles?
How bout them Titans with Vince? Locker? Mariota?
Browns with Quinn? Weeden? Manziel?
Vikings with Tavaris Jackson? Ponder? Bridgewater?
They've been buying lotto tickets, but we've had more real success than all of them, 2 play off wins. Sounds like we're actually getting traction while they're spinning their wheels, taking shot after shot. But yeah, we're running out of time.
PapaL
Loose Screw
This makes sense; especially given OB pouting after the Mallett situation and Yates, a Rick Smith guy, being brought back. Plus Keenum last year. Is this a situation where OB wants what he wants and if he can't have it then screw it he's going to show the world he can make do with dumpster fires?
Speedy
Former Yeller Dweller
No, it hasn't worked out for the Browns, Jags, Titans, because they keep missing, because it's not easy. But you can't stop trying because you need that QB and the draft has the highest probability (though still low) of you finding him. Maybe the Titans finally hit the jackpot with Mariota. Who knows? If they did it the Texans way, they miss out on Mariota and are still in purgatory with Mettenberger and Locker. Hell, maybe they would have tried to get Fitz back. I don't want to play that BS any more with the Hoyer's, Fitzpatrick's, Jason Campbell's, etc.
Sure, you can have a bad ass defense and happen to have everything fall into place in a particular season, maybe 2, and go to the AFC title game with a Buttfumble, but then you're back to 8-8, 6-10, 8-8 and 4-12 the next 4 years. Hey, you went to the AFC title game twice and that makes you better than Cleveland, but now you've stunk the joint up for the last 4 years.
I'm not talking about the Texans putting the pieces together to win in a particular season. I don't want them striving to be better than freaking Cleveland. I want to win the AFC South for 5, 7, 9 years in a row. They've got to have that top 10 QB to even have a chance at that. And the highest probability of you finding that QB is through the draft, and high in the draft at that.
Texecutioner
Hall of Fame
While I respect your perspective and recognize that it's just a different way to look at it, all I can say is that I have absolutely no hope for the Texans future when they perpetually trot out scrapheap QBs. Seriously, with QBs like Fitz, Hoyer, Mallett, Yates, you know this is a short term strategy of sacrificing seasons. NONE of those guys will ever be able to accomplish anything significant in this league.
Some of the teams that you mentioned just have bad management, and that is reflected in how they evaluate talent and the actual talent they acquire. The Texans are now part of that group. We are right there with the Browns, Jets, and Bills in that regard.
Other teams, though, are doing what the Texans need to do: TRY to find a young guy to develop. Titans, Raiders, Bucs, and Vikings have all used high picks the past couple of drafts and at least one, if not all, might have found QBs that they can work with over time. This is the strategy that at least gives fans hope for the future, even it it could end in failure. I'm very much of the perspective to lather, rinse, repeat every 4 years because the CBA now caps rookie contracts and you are not penalized in cap hell for trying to find a QB in the first round.
Feels like motivational poster time!
The worst part of any of this is that we are very unlikely to ever land that really great QB, because Rick Smith won't ever be that aggressive GM that will move heaven and earth to get that guy somehow. He won't use whatever draft picks, or packaged players to get what he wants with a relentless effort. The guy values draft picks like they're guaranteed gold. Teams like the Jets, the Eagles, and the Rams will all be out there looking for QB's next season and I think all of them will work a lot harder to get their guy than we will if Rick Smith is our GM. He has been here for ten years now, and he isn't all of sudden about to change.
Hervoyel
BUENO!
And you will most likely need a pack of wet wipes and a towel.
dream_team
Hall of Fame
What makes you think this of Rick? Just about every draft, he has traded extra picks to move up. Unfortunately, he's moving up to get the wrong guy, but still, he has shown the willingness to sacrifice picks to move up in the draft.
Mr teX
Hall of Fame
Not necessarily to the bolded...a team just has to have a dominant side of the ball...in any event, it usually involves the building of a roster over several years to do that...but a top 10 qb isn't a necessary to have a chance at that...see the 2000's Ravens and Steelers...this current iteration of the Seahawks and countless other teams over the years where the qb wasn't the main driving force.
The highest probability of finding any positional game changing talent is high in the draft...that's nothing new. Unlike those other positions however, the blind pursuit of a qb comes at a higher expense & you guys casually dismiss those ramifications as well as the process that forged all these great qbs of these franchises that you want to emulate as nothing. It's hard landing a stud at qb.....It's infinitely harder building championship rosters though & the one thing that has remained constant over the years is the best coached all around team is the team that usually wins and competes for championships every year...Not the team with a top 10 qb or the highest drafted qb...that was the case 50 years ago with Lombardi's Packers and its the case now with the Pats..A qb/HC is only as good as the roster around them. This more than anything is why you see so many of these teams flame out with their shiny new qb prospect and why right now today you've got talented guys like Stafford wasting thier careers away in Detroit...or a guy like Carson Palmer look like garbage for 3-4 years only to re-emerge later with a better roster around him as an elite guy.
infantrycak
Hall of Fame
Huh? The Ravens were horribly inconsistent until they drafted Flacco in 2008 and became a perennial playoff team. The Steelers got Big Ben in 2004. They had been to the playoffs in 2 of the proceeding 6 years. If you want a consistent playoff team you aren't going to do it on inconsistent QB play.
Mr teX
Hall of Fame
Prior to Flacco's arrival, they made the playoffs & won a SB in 4 of like 6 seasons....& the core of that team (Ray, Reed, Scott, Ogden) was already in place and established as very good. Flacco came and added stability, but was really only a caretaker early on...
It was the same thing with the Steelers who had offensive and defensive core guys largely already in place & had been in the playoffs multiple years prior to Ben's arrival. Their 1st SB win with him he was a caretaker while that defensive core shut down Peyton & co. on thier way to the SB.
Both of those teams were well established on the opposite side of the ball. Consistent qb play helped them go further yes, but not this top 10 established qb play he was talking about. I don't think anyone would've considered Big Ben top 10 when he won his 1st SB.... or Flacco top 10 at any point except the year they won the SB with him. Regardless, those teams were already set up for the stretch run when those 2 came aboard.
In the 8 seasons from the Ravens SB to Flacco's arrival they made the playoffs 4 times and one once with an all-time ridiculous defense.
This period included 10 & 11 loss seasons.
In the 7 seasons since drafting Flacco they've been to the playoffs 6 times, never losing more than 8.
One of these periods is consistent, and one ain't.
This period included 10 & 11 loss seasons.
In the 7 seasons since drafting Flacco they've been to the playoffs 6 times, never losing more than 8.
One of these periods is consistent, and one ain't.