Ben no longer an elite QB ?

A healthy Bell, some Tackles than can actually outpower a defender and open running lanes, a decent secondary and we can make a SB run.

Oh and a darn backup RB that can keep leveons legs fresh.

We need to build around leveon now, he is the future imo.

 

too bad the invested money in gilbert and c.allen ..

 

ouch, but true, not so sure about Pennington.

 

-Stafford a 85.7 QB rating a Team can win games with that .

Bens QB rating is better than these guys , but he also had some years that were worse than the entire list . His QB rating average is a 93. 9 not bad , but with no playoff wins in 4 seasons is he worth 100 Million ? If we could fix the entire Team by not signing Ben and draft a 85. 0 or so type QB of the future we could still win as many games if not more and long term might create a dominate Team again. Just food for thought .

 

1 simple Question. What if we pay Ben the 100 million and we never win another playoff game with him will the signing still be worth it ? I know my answer and the recent information is leading towards he can't .

All keep saying well if you think 8-8 is bad wait until Ben is gone . Well what difference does the # of wins really count if you don't reach the goal ? One could argue 8-8 is actually worse than 4-12 for a few seasons . At least you get to take a stab at some higher talent in the draft and you have the money to get the players that you need in FA .

 

However there is a kid named Russell Wilson and he has a shot at another one . The new Rookie caps have made it easier to build a young Team you can try like 4 or 5 different guys for the price of 1 six years ago .

The bottom line is a Team needs some money to get real FA'S to fill your Team we don't even have true starters at 5 or 6 spots , that's just crazy.

 

Of the worst qbs that have won it since Dilfer I'd say it would be Brad Johnson, Eli Manning, and then Joe Flacco. Without those guys though the winners have all been really good quarterbacks like Brady, Brees, peyton, Ben, and Rodgers. I think Wilson is a good qb as well. Peyton has lost more Super Bowls than he has won. Ben and Brady have won more Super Bowls than they have lost. Rodgers and Brees have only managed to go to one.

 

Russell Wilson is lightyears better than Trent Dilfer. He is also better than Romo, Flacco, and Newton and those guys are all still in the playoffs.

 

I agree to a certain extent Blast. I mean when the Ravens gave Flacco that huge payday it was what two years ago? The way they structure deals it is never in the first few years were you feel the crunch it is in the middle to last where money gets tight, just like with Ben's deal. It didn't hurt the first few years but you start adding up big contracts on top of it and it does hurt what you can do. One thing I will give the Ravens credit for and there are a lot of teams in the same boat is that they don't overpay middle of the road talent or become attached to players. It seems like they have replacements scouted a few years in advance and when you have an Ogden with declining skills you already have Oher waiting, Oher gets a few years and probowls on him and you have the next guy waiting. In order to keep using the tried and true formula of building through the draft the Steeelers are going to have it hit dead on target more so in the new age of the salary cap than they have in the past.

 

You realize that Stafford was a #1 overall pick, right? Unless something goes horribly wrong, we will never be in position to draft that type of prospect ... and he's a good step down from Ben ... and he earns more.

 

Wilson is NOT better than Romo or Flacco ... Newton is debatable.

 

Wilson and Kaepernick walked into jobs with stacked teams. We don't have a stacked team, so a young above average QB wouldn't fare as well here. And Wilson will soon sign a huge new contract ... then what? Trade him?

And you don't seem to consider all the teams with cheap QBs who suck anyway.

 

I am not saying I would trade Ben . I am saying it is smart to consider it . As you stated we have a Team full of holes , my question is how do we fill those holes without money ?

I am suggesting that maybe the days of bargain basement FA shopping should be over . So it is not crazy to think about the future and what may give us more bites at the apple to rebuild this Team .

If we go with Ben all our eggs are firmly in that basket , so we need to make sure that is the best overall move for now and long term .

Not comparing Ben to Wallace but contract wise and cap wise imagine the state of this Team had we signed Wallace . If Ben doesn't win it all then the decision to sign him will look even worse .

Do you think Ben can carry this Team ? When you sign him that is really the only question you have to answer . His contract will keep us from getting help at other positions and those are just the cold hard facts .It aint pretty . It is what it is ....

 

The model is all but broke . With the shorter Rookie contacts there will be better FA'S hitting the market each season, we will have to learn to play that market or fade into oblivion.

You say finish working on the Defense . Let's look we need a FS a SS 2 starting CB'S and 2 OLB'S . So even if we extend Ben by the time we get that fixed he will be on his last leg . Ben has took to many big hits in his career his style has cut his career short. 3 or 4 more seasons for Ben at a high level that's my prediction. What if it is only 1 or 2 ?

 

That's not the only question you have to answer. Again, even mid-tier QBs get franchise QB money, so unless you are prepared to commit to a continual cycle of replacing your starting QB every 4 or 5 years with a younger, cheaper model ... you are going to have to either pay someone. You can't outrun rising QB salaries for long.

And for the record, I think it would be wise to let Ben play out his current contract and then evaluate whether or not to re-sign him, franchise him, or let him walk.

 

Wilson is a much more accomplished qb than Romo. He is a more complete player than both of those guys I think.

 

That is fair enough. But if you create cap space you can be in play for FA QB'S that hit the market and you would be making a decision on whether to pay the 25 or 26 year old QB as compared to the 32 year old one .

If a Team really wanted Ben they would have to pay up , I am not saying to just consider giving him away . I would want fair market value to even have the discussion. A starting CB of high caliber and a 1st. round pick would get me pretty excited though .

To speculate if that happened could Grad lead us as a game manager ? Could we use 1 of our 2 first round picks on a great #2 punch for Bell ? What if we get another CB and a ball hawk at FS and then get Bell a bu in round #2 .

 

You are correct Ben did play a lot smarter this year and I am glad for his sake. But most of the teams if not all that are left have some true FA signings. I don't think you can get by with no impact FA'S . I know we build though the draft but we are not hitting like we used to , a back up plan is not a bad approach that's all I am saying . We went into a Football game last week without one and we see how that worked.

 

Oh and to the defense rounding into shape unless we draft CB,FS,CB, and SS and they all hit and start this D will get picked apart again .

Lots of great Rookie WR'S going into year #2 and another crop of good WR'S coming we are way behind the curve as Teams will be adding more weapons and we can't cover the ones they already have , we will need a lot of work to compete for a championship Flacco torched us with a couple of good WR'S imagine the horror show against Denver or GB teams of that stature.

 

Wilson doesn't get the credit he deserves much like Ben didn't in his early years because when you think Seattle you think about their defense. But he does deserve credit because the guy is a playmaker. The guy really impresses me with the way he seems to have a sixth sense on the appropriate times to run vs. pass - and when he runs it is always in a smart way, the guy doesn't take hits. I think Wilson is going to surprise some people and in 3-4 more years we will be putting him in with the upper echelon of QBs.

 

I don't really underestimate him I think he is a good young QB being asked to manage the game and make smart timely plays . He passed for like 3000 yards or so and Ben was close to 5 k . Exactly my point you don't need a gun slinger 5 k QB to win big games .A solid Team and a smart QB is greater than a Great QB with no Team around them ...