Building success starts with a franchise QB

[CrunchTime]

The Dolphins need help in a lot of positions, but it is becoming increasingly clear in today's NFL that the franchise quarterback is key, and when you have a chance to get one, you'd better do it.

"They're hard to come by," said Bill Polian, president of the Indianapolis Colts, a team that has no quarterback problem. "If you don't have a good one who can lead you from behind, who can win games in the fourth quarter, then you have to have an absolutely dominant defense and you must have a dominant running game and you must have a dominant kicking game. It's that simple. That's the formula if you don't have the quarterback.

NFL scouts believe Leinart has an edge on Cal's Aaron Rodgers as the best quarterback likely to be in the draft; both are juniors and can't declare their draft eligibility until after bowl games. Scouts say Leinart is more instinctive; Rodgers appears somewhat mechanical at times. The differences, however, are small, and opinions could -- and probably will -- change many times between now and April.

There is also a second tier of draft-eligible quarterbacks to be studied, including Dan Orlovsky (Connecticut), Andrew Walter (Arizona State), Kyle Orton (Purdue), Charlie Frye (Akron) and possibly Alex Smith (Utah).

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/a/2004/12/01/SPG29A4EAR1.DTL

The question is.Do you believe that it is necesary to have a franchise QB to succeed in the NFL and do you believe the Dolphins should address that need in the upcoming Draft and to what extent?.Or do you believe that we already have a franchise QB in AJ Feeley.?

 

[arsenal]

lets look at past superbowl winners...
new england, has a good qb but they didn't build around him, he was a 6th round pick
TB - franshise qb? umm no
baltimore - his name was dilfer... nuff said
st. louis - did they build around warner? nope

those are the most recent winners where it seems you DONT need that franchise qb, if you look at older winners it did seem that way, such as denver with elway, farve and the packers, youngs 49ers, aikman dallas, etc...

but nowadays i really dont feel you need that franchise guy to win...

 

[NJFINSFAN1]

We have more problems then QB, draft a QB in the 3rd or 4th but fix the Oline and Dts first!

 

[finsnchips]

the oppotunity to draft a franchise QB doesn't come around often.

I believe that we have to take tht gamble, altho i agree we have needs in other positions.

 

[finsnchips]

BTW arsenal, are you an arsenal fan?

 

[arsenal]

naa im from the us and not into soccer, its a stage name...

 

[finsnchips]

Thts kool, I hate arsenal, the club that is...

 

[PhinSoldia]

Give AJ one more year, if he doesnt pan out then you go QB with the first round pick in 2006, Orton will be gone by time we pick so and Orvlosky MIGHT be around but i highly doubt it

 

[Justasportsfan]

IN the fins case however, it's finding a great GM first, then he finds a good HC and so on ........

It's easy for Pioli to say that because he's a great GM who got a great HC and assembled a great coaching staff that built a great system.

 

[PhinBeck]

Well nothing to say Aj wont develop into a franchise qb, nothing says he will. Being drafted in the first round doesnt automatically make you a franchise qb. There are numerous instances were qbs drafted as such were busts, and qbs drafted that had no expectations that became Franchise qbs. Brady, Montana, even Favre was originally a 2nd rd pick. There are more.

The frustration of teh fans is normal and expected, we are tired of hearing we are one player away, we are close only to have to hearit all over again the next offseason, and now we are 2-9. The fear that AJ is not the answer because he wasnt a high rd draft pick with high expectations and has little experience is natural, It is also natural to fear that we will waste 2005 starting AJ only to find out he cant play, the fear that we will waste another year and thus we have to wait an additional year to contend than we would had we cut cords a year earlier.

My answer is this, there is as much a possibility or at least a real possibility, that if we let Feeley go and draft a qb that the rookie qb fails and AJ succeeds elsewhere, then what would be the response? ALA many here with Griese. I am not sold on Griese yet by the way, how much you wanna bet Simms is the starter next year and not Griese? But Griese is also responsible for the turnaround as his attitude has changed this year, an article I read stated that Griese mind set is diff, now he can forget the bad plays and go out and play whereas before he would go in the tank.

How is this relevant to the situation now? You dont know what the future holds and you cannot make rash decisions. That is why I like what Rick did when he got Feeley, he spent time putting together his list and evaluated all known possibilities, he then ranked them and pursued on that basis, he also had a value associated with each. He didnt rush into it. With Griese, he showed the gun shy side not the side that moved on after a bad play. With what he did in Denver added to what he did here, we couldnt afford his cap hit in 04 and he showed nothing that said things would change had we kept him to justify the cap hit. But it goes the other way as well, you base the decisions based on the evidence you have, not hope that you are right. That is why these next five games in conjunction with the previous 4+ games are crucial for determing if we go with AJ next year, bring in comp for him or flat out replace him (wont happen).

You cant panic and make change and replace AJ because your afraid of what could happen down the road, there is nothing to say that whoever you got to replace him was gonna do better. You make the change when the odds are in your favor and you are fairly sure that you know what you have and what you are getting is better or has much more potential and cant be worse.

 

[chirkware]

I don't think a "franchise" quarterback is essential. Of course the guy at Indy will say that...he's got my favorite former UT VOL! :)

Indy is a lot like Miami was with Marino...Good team, but not good enough to win it all...too one sided.


I don't think Feeley is or will be a "franchise" quarterback, and that is fine with me. The term franchise quarterback to me means a guy that the team is built around. So then what happens if he gets hurt? You are done (ie, Atlanta 2003). We had a "franchise" running back (in that we sold the farm to get him) and look where we are now that he's gone (and yes I believe we were in BIG trouble anyway, but I digress).

That said, two solid QB's are needed by every team because, as we all know, the philosophy of opponents will always be "the other teams quarterback must go down, and he must go down hard" (not that I condone that, but it is fact). The QB's don't have to dominate, but they do have to be capable of efficiently running a GOOD offensive SYSTEM. Feeley hopefully is going to be one of those guys for us (we'll see), but we need to get a solid #2 to back him up. San Fransisco in the late 1980's had one of the most solid QB cores I could imagine. Yes, Montana was a franchibe QB, but they had TWO solid backups..future 49er franchise QB Steve Young, and their 3rd stringer, Steve Bono, a guy who I believe would have started on many teams (hmm 3rd string on one team to starter on another...sounds familiar, ).

When we had our perfect season, Griese was down most of the year, and our backup Earl Morrell (38 at the time, btw) was able to step in and Shula's GOOD SYSTEM kept going. Maybe Griese was considered a "franchise" QB, but we had enough balance to go it without him.

I believe we need balance more than one or two dominating players (unlike the 1980's 49ers, we have a salary cap). We need LEADERS, not just one guy doing everything. That said, I'd not complain if Manning was ours. (And yes, I know, that won't happen.)


One question I have: Who are the "franchise" quarterbacks in the NFL now?
I'd say Peyton Manning, Vick (at least the way Atlanta uses him), Farve (less so than in the past), McNabb (now that he is paired with T.O.). Who am I forgetting?

 

[arsenal]

id say culpepper also, and maybe some of thse young guys in david carr, leftwich, pennington... i really dont know

 

[Stitches]

We can get a franchise QB after the first round, we don't need Leinhart or Rodgers. Trade down to fill other needs first. Then hopefully Frye will be there when we pick later in day one. Then we draft him, let him back Feeley up next season, and he'd be poised to start in 2006. That would be great. Or a 6th for Adrian Mcphereson isn't looking that bad. But I say Frye in '05.

 

[PhinBeck]

I say Feeley could develop into a franchise qb, so long as he can get the time and the support around him. He needs another year when we upgrade the line at LT and C and stabilize and upgrade the running backs.

But we need 2 qbs I agree. Frye or Orlovsky would be great. If they fall to the third, Orlovsky would be my choice.

 

[CrunchTime]

I dont know if Feeley is the answer but to give him the benefit of the doubt I would try to get one of those second tier QB who could turn out to be as good or better than the top two.Charlie Frye or Orlovsky have the tools.

We will need a QB anyway to back up Feeley next year.I voted item No.2.