SteelZeal
08-23-2005, 04:06 PM
Rattay named '9ers starter over Alex Smith (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2141244)
Alex Smith was all but given the job, and somehow managed to lose it in two preseason games. That may seem a little harsh, but he must be nowhere near ready. I saw him in action briefly during an exhibition game, and although he was pretty horrible, his line was giving him about 1.5 seconds to throw each time he dropped back to pass.
Smith will see action soon enough, though. Rattay isn't the most durable guy, and behind that line....whoo.
Of course, it's way way too early to call Smith a bust or anything like that (I think he can be pretty good eventually), but it leads me to another point:
Picking a QB #1 is usually a losing proposition. There is always pressure to do so from fans and members of the organization who feel a young QB is needed for a fresh start. But a young QB normally takes years to get used to the NFL, and if he's picked #1, he's probably the highest-paid player on your team. And sometimes these QBs get thrown into the fire even if they're not ready, because really, are you gonna pay a guy $8 mil to ride the pine all year?
The model of long-term success in the NFL now is to pay the defense and your o-line (or find bargains). Of course, with sustained success, this becomes impossible; the QB and other skill players will get paid. Example: Manning's contract prevents the Colts from signing great defensive players, and it's hard to win a Super Bowl without a good defense. Tom Brady's new deal will be hurting the Pats cap-wise eventually, no matter how smart the FO is. It can't be avoided forever.
Just four QBs in NFL history drafted first overall have won the SB: Bradshaw, Plunkett, Elway, Aikman.
Alex Smith was all but given the job, and somehow managed to lose it in two preseason games. That may seem a little harsh, but he must be nowhere near ready. I saw him in action briefly during an exhibition game, and although he was pretty horrible, his line was giving him about 1.5 seconds to throw each time he dropped back to pass.
Smith will see action soon enough, though. Rattay isn't the most durable guy, and behind that line....whoo.
Of course, it's way way too early to call Smith a bust or anything like that (I think he can be pretty good eventually), but it leads me to another point:
Picking a QB #1 is usually a losing proposition. There is always pressure to do so from fans and members of the organization who feel a young QB is needed for a fresh start. But a young QB normally takes years to get used to the NFL, and if he's picked #1, he's probably the highest-paid player on your team. And sometimes these QBs get thrown into the fire even if they're not ready, because really, are you gonna pay a guy $8 mil to ride the pine all year?
The model of long-term success in the NFL now is to pay the defense and your o-line (or find bargains). Of course, with sustained success, this becomes impossible; the QB and other skill players will get paid. Example: Manning's contract prevents the Colts from signing great defensive players, and it's hard to win a Super Bowl without a good defense. Tom Brady's new deal will be hurting the Pats cap-wise eventually, no matter how smart the FO is. It can't be avoided forever.
Just four QBs in NFL history drafted first overall have won the SB: Bradshaw, Plunkett, Elway, Aikman.