Young QB Tim Boyle gives Packers a do-over for Taysom Hill

Sometimes teams get lucky, and they have someone in the wings that they didn't even know has that magical quality to step in and be the new "franchise QB."

Tom Brady is an example. I don't believe for a moment the Patriots didn't anticipate Drew Bledsoe returning and becoming their QB after he rehabbed his injury. What made that kind of unique is that Bredsoe wasn't all that good of a QB with the Pats, regardless of what people want to believe. His QB ratings with the Pats was under 80, and when it came to playoffs, he wasn't even close, at about 55. Belichek had a "caretaker QB" on the field, and was winning with defense more than offense. What Brady did was nearly unexpected. There was absolutely nothing that could predict the type of career he's had. His college work was decent, but nowhere near what anyone could say is spectacular. He was picked in the 6th round of the draft.

What Brady offered was someone who sat on the sidelines and learned the game, honing his skills, and developing his personal level of playing ability "within a system" that he was fit to run. I keep throwing that out in comments because you just couldn't use a Michael Vick in the Patriots system, and win games. He was a loose cannon on the field, and didn't have the patience and smarts to read what's "gonna happen" like Brady can.

It's what separates Brady and Rodgers from others in today's game. A little behind them in this skill would be Luck, Big Ben, Breez, and Rivers. You may add names, or subtract if you'd like, this is just my opinion. You could make a case for adding Ryan to this list, and possibly even Wilson, in my opinion, but they're a couple inches behind tier 2.

If the Packers pull the trigger next year, it will take two years on the bench, learning, and development, before the guy is even ready to think about getting real field time. In the third year, he would be ready to step in, if needed, and could develop the rest of the way in games. Before then? You're going to hurt a guy who isn't ready. Confidence is so darned much of the battle, and it can be shaken easily.

Next year is the perfect time to grab the next QB, if there's one out there, that could be considered the right person. It don't need to be in the first or second round, but it must be someone that has the specific attributes that allows him to be coached into being the right guy to step in, when he's needed. Way too often teams look at a guy out there and grab him, because he's good, and he ends up a square peg who can't fit into that round hole.

The key to the learning, is the teacher. Look at Wolf's tenure and who he picked for QBs and who those QBs learned from, coachingwise. Not sure this coaching staff can do that for a QB. I'm not convinced that MM is a QB guru and neither are his QB coaches.
 
Last edited:
The magical thing about guys like Brady and Arod is they can teach themsleves. Most can't.
 
To be fair to Bledsoe he was a four time pro bowler back when that actually meant something.

But he wasn't as good as Brady turned out to be. And as your resident Pat's fan who remembers that time I agree that everyone expected Bledsoe to return and continue making the Pats at least viable. Nobody, not even Belichik IMO, thought Brady would end up as a HOFer
 
The magical thing about guys like Brady and Arod is they can teach themsleves. Most can't.
Let's not get carried away, Arod has said on many occasions he learned his cadance and how to move a defense with his eyes from Favre. How ? Because he sat a few years and grew into the postion. Very very few QB are ready year 1 to start and play... both Favre and Arod were not. Draft a talented upper tier QB and let him grow into it. It works more than it fails.
 
Let's not get carried away, Arod has said on many occasions he learned his cadance and how to move a defense with his eyes from Favre.

yes, but he learned it on his own as cd said. favre refused to mentor rodgers and i'm not convinced he had great coaching.
 
The whole "replacing a franchise QB" is a complicated dance. Personally, I don't favor forcing the issue, because you can't predict when you'll actually need him. There is no way I'm trading both first round picks next year to move up for a QB. If one falls to me, I consider taking him. Either way, I do favor drafting QBs more frequently and earlier in the draft, especially at this point in ARs career.

The problem with trying to "control" how this happens is that you don't really have control. Maybe AR starts breaking down physically and you need his replacement sooner than expected. Maybe he gets a little smarter with taking risks and pulls a Brady (and is true to his word) and plays high level football into his 40's.

No matter which scenario happens I'd like to be more prepared than they have been. Take QBs when they are BPA on your board, don't ignore the position and constantly fill it with retreads, UDFAs, and late round picks. Keep bringing in guys and it seems more likely you will eventually find the guy you need rather than counting on that "one pick" to be the guy - since even QBs in the top half of Rd 1 bust at a fairly high rate. I would have drafted one this past year. I would certainly use a pick on one next year. Keep stocking the room so you are ready when it happens.

The scouts need to earn their money over the next few years. There are starting QBs taken every couple of years that come from late in Rd 1 through the middle rounds. Find them and draft them. Guys like Brady, Rodgers, Brees, Carr, Wilson, Garappolo, Cousins, Flacco, others? were all taken after the top-half of Rd 1. Draft one every year and you increase the odds that a guy like that will end up on the roster when the time comes to part ways with AR.
 
But if you're not planning on MM being around much longer do you wait and let the next HC decide the type of QB you will need?
 
But if you're not planning on MM being around much longer do you wait and let the next HC decide the type of QB you will need?

Good point If you draft a QB high next year that MM loves and wants to develop and say 2 years later MM is fired who is to say next HC will like this QB and say I will continue to make him the future or does that coach say he does not fit what I want to run and want my own QB or do you hamstring yourself into hiring a HC that will work with that QB and have his offense built to play to that QB strong points. We saw what happened with Alex Smith getting a new OC every year for 3-4 years and how that effected his growth early in his career.
 
I guess we've come full cycle to the question as to what it would take as a finish this year for McCarthy to lose his job? I'm not saying "keep his job" because I believe that's a given. It would take something pretty drastic for him to be ousted. The same would apply to 2019.

I think we're looking at being stuck with McCarthy as long as Rodgers plays, and he'll be gone with Rodgers.
 
I guess we've come full cycle to the question as to what it would take as a finish this year for McCarthy to lose his job? I'm not saying "keep his job" because I believe that's a given. It would take something pretty drastic for him to be ousted. The same would apply to 2019.

I think we're looking at being stuck with McCarthy as long as Rodgers plays, and he'll be gone with Rodgers.
Very simple.... he has to win. He can't lose again and get a long term deal. Win your in... lose he's out.
 
Back
Top