Best draft in years

[BirdsCommaAngry]

Judging a draft right away is a bold strategy. I mean, we could ace every pick and still have a bad draft just because of injuries.

 

[pittpnthrs]

We needed a backup QB.
We got one with upside and recent experience.
Which QB were we to pickup with the pick we spent?

Doesn't matter. Our experienced GM with access to more knowledge and resources chose Sam over whoever that would have been.
How easy must it be to cast him away and think some rookie would have eclipsed his role or potential production.
The QB crapshoot in the draft is never a sure thing.
We've seen Sam go toe to toe with the Eagles twice last year show guts the rest of the year. That's more than what can be guaranteed from those 3rd round and after rookies.

They weren't going to pickup any QB. I've said that 100 times now. I'm just saying he is not the QB of the future.

Yeah he played well a couple of times against the Eagles (still lost both of them) a team that lost to the Jets and had a total collapse during the season. That's all great, but Washington was still 4-13 so how good is Howell really?

Fans are doing the samething with Howell as they did with Lock and neither was or is the answer. Serviceable backups are all they are.

 

[Chukarhawk]

To start with Howell was a 5th round pick. There's a reason for that. Again, i'm not disagreeing with you that the Hawks shouldn't have concentrated on a QB this year, it's just I can't believe that people are claiming that Howell is the QBotF. He isn't.

you know that after just one season playing for a terrible team? Plenty of very successful QB's had rough first seasons.

 

[sutz]

Funny, but I don't hear a lot of people actually saying that Howell IS the QBOTF. I hear some people saying that he MIGHT BE the QBOTF, and it looks like JS is willing to take that look at him this season and go from there. The only people making definitive, declaritive statements about Howell are those claiming he is crap. Fine, you do you. The team is giving him a chance, so for now he's my team's backup QB and I support him.

 

[pittpnthrs]

you know that after just one season playing for a terrible team? Plenty of very successful QB's had rough first seasons.

I believe i've seen enough to form an opinion. A 42.4 QBR and as many picks as TD's and that's the guy some want to ride with?

 

[chris98251]

I believe i've seen enough to form an opinion. A 42.4 QBR and as many picks as TD's and that's the guy some want to ride with?

Just wonder if you would take Kurt Warner, Johnny Unitas, Dave Kreig, their first years in the league. There are others, but these three I know their history a lot better.

 

[SNDavidson]

Manning and Stafford were 1st round talent. Coaches and evaluators knew what they had in those two. Howell is more akin to Jameis Winston than Manning or Stafford.

Is your fear that JS thinks he has nailed qbotf with Howell, or what? What do you have against a young gamer type with nfl games under his belt, exactly?

 

[Torc]

Then he would have been a bust. Again, i've said Seattle wasn't in any position to search for their QBotF this draft, but it sure isn't going to be Howell. The guy has played in the league already and has thrown as many int's as td's. Great QB's don't do that. He's not the QB that's going to take Seattle to the next level.

Seattle is going to have to figure out how to get in position to draft their QB and I don't know how that's going to work out, but it needs to be in the next couple years.

Actually, some great QBs DO throw as many (or more) INTs than TDs their rookie years.

Payton Manning threw 26 TDs and 28 Ints his first year.
Josh Allen threw 10 TDs and 12 Ints his first year.
Jared Goff's first year: 5 TD 7 Int
Matthew Stafford: 13 TD 20 Int
Heck, Andrew Luck was 23/18. Not quite equal but not stellar either.

Yeah, I think I'm gonna give Howell a shot at least. I'm not saying that he's any of the above......but neither were those players when they started.

 

[RiverDog]

I believe i've seen enough to form an opinion. A 42.4 QBR and as many picks as TD's and that's the guy some want to ride with?

We certainly can't ignore or rationalize Howell's performance last year as simply being in a bad situation. But if JS sees enough potential in him that he wants him in that QB room, then I'm willing to 'ride' with him at least as our backup and until he shows us that JS's confidence is unfounded.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Solid draft again, imo. Took care of needs.

 

[pittpnthrs]

Just wonder if you would take Kurt Warner, Johnny Unitas, Dave Kreig, their first years in the league. There are others, but these three I know their history a lot better.

Warner was an anomaly, Unitas played in a time when passing wasn't prevalent like today (pass), and Kreig was never anything more than an average QB. So you got me with Warner (does anybody truly think Howell has a chance at that career). Lets revisit this thread in 5 years and talk about this.

 

[pittpnthrs]

Is your fear that JS thinks he has nailed qbotf with Howell, or what? What do you have against a young gamer type with nfl games under his belt, exactly?

Yeah its a fear. I don't want my team being stuck with another Geno Smith that can't win a post season game. Sorry, but I want better.

 

[pittpnthrs]

Actually, some great QBs DO throw as many (or more) INTs than TDs their rookie years.

Payton Manning threw 26 TDs and 28 Ints his first year.
Josh Allen threw 10 TDs and 12 Ints his first year.
Jared Goff's first year: 5 TD 7 Int
Matthew Stafford: 13 TD 20 Int
Heck, Andrew Luck was 23/18. Not quite equal but not stellar either.

Yeah, I think I'm gonna give Howell a shot at least. I'm not saying that he's any of the above......but neither were those players when they started.

Lol. Those QB's were all 1st round picks. They all had much more talent and potential than Howell.

Sure, give Howell his shot and let the team waste another 2 to 3 years before realizing they should have drafted a QB years ago.

 

[pittpnthrs]

We certainly can't ignore or rationalize Howell's performance last year as simply being in a bad situation. But if JS sees enough potential in him that he wants him in that QB room, then I'm willing to 'ride' with him at least as our backup and until he shows us that JS's confidence is unfounded.

I trust JS's eye for QB talent, but I believe his raving of Howell is nothing more than a coverup for not grabbing a QBotF years ago when it was obvious they should have. He knows he screwed up.

Honestly, if Howell was that good, he'd be starting over Smith and Washington wouldn't have given him up for a bag of marbles.

 

[RiverDog]

I trust JS's eye for QB talent, but I believe his raving of Howell is nothing more than a coverup for not grabbing a QBotF years ago when it was obvious they should have. He knows he screwed up.

Honestly, if Howell was that good, he'd be starting over Smith and Washington wouldn't have given him up for a bag of marbles.

I disagree with your premise that it was obvious that we should have grabbed a QB years ago. Russell Wilson was under contract and his future failings/personality change, et al, was not apparent at that time. You're employing 20/20 hindsight.

Secondly, even if I agreed with your premise, that was years ago and I doubt that hit was a motivation for JS to trade for Howell in order to "cover up" an oversight from that long ago. Who's he covering up from? Jody? Seems pretty far fetched to me.

 

[pittpnthrs]

I disagree with your premise that it was obvious that we should have grabbed a QB years ago. Russell Wilson was under contract and his future failings/personality change, et al, was not apparent at that time. You're employing 20/20 hindsight.

Secondly, even if I agreed with your premise, that was years ago and I doubt that hit was a motivation for JS to trade for Howell in order to "cover up" an oversight from that long ago. Who's he covering up from? Jody? Seems pretty far fetched to me.

The issue with the time Russ was here was there was nobody waiting in the wings to learn and take over. There was no plan for the future put in place. With not addressing that need, the Hawks find themselves in their current situation which is a perennial backup QB with zero post season success starting and numerous experiments and cast offs waiting behind him.

He's covering up from everybody because of his ego. He isn't going to admit he made a mistake. The only motivation he had with Howell was that they needed a backup QB, he was cheap, and he buys him another couple of years while he tries to fill holes from the other mistakes made from previous years, trades, and drafts.

It's not all on JS though. I feel Pete made a lot of the decisions too. Hopefully Macdonald has and will curtail the homerun signings and the habit of being cute.

 

[chris98251]

Warner was an anomaly, Unitas played in a time when passing wasn't prevalent like today (pass), and Kreig was never anything more than an average QB. So you got me with Warner (does anybody truly think Howell has a chance at that career). Lets revisit this thread in 5 years and talk about this.

Unitas was the first real passer in the league, sure times were different but the point is he was cut 4 times before he stuck on a team.

 

[chris98251]

Lol. Those QB's were all 1st round picks. They all had much more talent and potential than Howell.

Sure, give Howell his shot and let the team waste another 2 to 3 years before realizing they should have drafted a QB years ago.

Howell was projected to be a high first rounder before his last year in school, his team was gutted with graduation and players leaving so struggled with guys learning how to play his Achilles heal trying to do too much and force things.

 

[RiverDog]

The issue with the time Russ was here was there was nobody waiting in the wings to learn and take over. There was no plan for the future put in place. With not addressing that need, the Hawks find themselves in their current situation which is a perennial backup QB with zero post season success starting and numerous experiments and cast offs waiting behind him.

He's covering up from everybody because of his ego. He isn't going to admit he made a mistake. The only motivation he had with Howell was that they needed a backup QB, he was cheap, and he buys him another couple of years while he tries to fill holes from the other mistakes made from previous years, trades, and drafts.

It's not all on JS though. I feel Pete made a lot of the decisions too. Hopefully Macdonald has and will curtail the homerun signings and the habit of being cute.

Russell Wilson didn't even turn 30 until 2018, and he was injury free not having missed a single start up until 2021, so there was no telling how many years he'd play. It would have been foolish to waste a high draft pick on a quarterback that might not be needed for 5-7 years. The Packers are the only team that I know of who had franchise quarterbacks in place when they burned a top draft choice on a QB first when they drafted Aaron Rodgers when Bret Favre was 35 at the time and again when they drafted Jordan Love when Rodgers was 36.

Sorry, man, I'm not buying it. You're grasping for straws.

 

[pittpnthrs]

Russell Wilson didn't even turn 30 until 2018, and he was injury free not having missed a single start up until 2021, so there was no telling how many years he'd play. It would have been foolish to waste a high draft pick on a quarterback that might not be needed for 5-7 years. The Packers are the only team that I know of who had franchise quarterbacks in place when they burned a top draft choice on a QB first when they drafted Aaron Rodgers when Bret Favre was 35 at the time and again when they drafted Jordan Love when Rodgers was 36.

Sorry, man, I'm not buying it. You're grasping for straws.

Grasping at straws? Speaking of the Packers, seemed to work out pretty well for them didn't it?

Come on man. Even you can admit that some kind of QBotF plan needed addressed. Wilson wasn't going to play forever and somebody should have been sitting behind him learning the ropes (not some 30 year old cast off journeyman either). I also honestly believe that Pete wasn't the least bit worried about it because he was trying whatever he could for one more run before his borrowed time was up.

It doesn't matter because Macdonald is here now. He knows the deal. Once the trenches and few other holes are filled and confidently fixed, he'll go after somebody soon enough. It'll be a couple of years, but it will happen. The two current QB's will never be Super Bowl worthy and he knows that.