Phil Sims on the big three QBs

Alex Smith was about as unqualified to go #1 overall as anyone I have seen. Time will tell if he amounts to MTA (more than Akili). But to choose him #1 overall, just "becuase you need a QB to build the franchise around" was silly.

 

3

 

Alex Smith was an example of how a need at QB, or at least a percieved need, drives up the value of a player. Quite frankly I didn't see either Rodgers or Smith as first round picks at all, much less #1 overall. But need hypes the player. Ain't his fault. Same thing happened to Harrington. He was rated second round, and all of the sudden he's top 3?

All three of these players have legitmate questions, particuarly Young and Cutler, but all are more worthy than Alex Smith.

 

I would always draft for impact players. Always. Hopefully, at least your top two or three picks can be immediate impact players. Then, go get your 27, 28, 29-year old QB through FA. Hell, you could even snag Brad Johnson. No need to sacrifice a whole year for a guy that may pan out.

Smith was never a can't miss prospect. Nor was Harrington, or Carr (although Carr #1 overall in 02 made some sense.)

Say what you will, but since Fox has arrived, each of his first-rouders have had a significant impact on the following season's success.

 

Carr at least had the big arm, speed and athleticism, won lifting a lesser talented team, in short was a first round talent, though he had vision and accuracy issues then, and took too many sacks even in college.

 

Even Thomas Davis?

 

Say what you will about him getting lost in coverage. He took his lumps early. But he was one of several key factors that led to both defensive onslaughts on Atlanta. I think it's obvious that he was the least productive of Foxy's four 1st rounders. But still, he still worked his way into a niche role by mid-season. Fox utilized him in the playoffs too, mostly in that joker role, sometimes coming off the edge. He racked up a few sacks, and made an immediate impact on ST.

I am talking about the total turds out there ( Wendell Bryant, Mike Williams, Byran Thomas)....Guys that did nothing. We have been fortunate to have scored four 1st rounders that have all made an impact in their first year, in varying degrees, of course.

BTW....I don't doubt for a second that Fox/Hurney had no frickin' clue what they would do with TD last April. They just knew they could use him, and they would figure out in what capacity later. I attribute his lack of production/PT more to his 'tweener class and the staff's inablilty to slot him correctly, than TD's lack of ablilty. This was not a case of a guy just flat out sucking. You can tell he belongs out there.

 

I was being kind in giving you an opportunity to admit you made a mistake there. Thomas Davis easily had far less impact than you'd expect from a first rounder, although that was largely because we didn't have huge needs. Moreover, I was ok with it, but it was wrong to say that all of them had "a significant impact" on the team as rookies.

 

Sorry, Cpt. Semantic. I will retract my original "significant" reference, and revise my statement to "impact" only.

But, honestly, they had no fucking clue what to do with the guy. He spends all summer ping-ponging from safety to linebacker and back again. Whenever you plug in a hard-hittin safety that may lack top-tier cover instincts (Davis), you're going to have to be patient. Obviously, Fox did not want to wait, and put in his older brother (McCree), who blew several assignments over the course of the year. I do understand why Fox made that move, but I think Fox would be the first to say that 2005 was going to be a beta year for TD. And it was.

I am not giving TD a free pass, but he did make an impact. And, clearly, we will disagree on the degree of his contributions. But I respect your input, per usual, even on the days that you serve as TBR's resident vigilante.

 

Davis made some plays when given the opportunity. Sacked Brady in the Pats game, forced a fumble, maybe two, shadowed Vick and helped overcome that monkey and sent a guy to the hospital. Did we get as much out of him as wed hoped? No, but he showed what he can do and hopefully when he settles in as a starter we see more of those plays on a consistent basis.