The way teams like the Raiders and Niners dug themselves into holes, 4 and 6 years ago, was a common mistake. They stunk, to begin. So, they went with the obvious solution: Draft a franchise QB. But I don’t think that’s the way to do it. There will be more franchise QBs down the road, so just wait. Build a good team first. With a good, or even decent team, the fans are okay with the future superstar sitting on the bench as he learns the playbook at his own pace. Draft some good wide receivers, so that when your quarterback is ready, he has some dependable, experienced wideouts to throw to. Also, build a good defense so that he doesn’t have pressure to put up monster numbers. The titans are executing this perfectly. They have Jake Locker, the 8th overall pick this year, playing behind a solid veteran, Matt Hasselback. Aaron Rodgers is now the best QB in the nation after learning behind Brett Favre. I already mentioned this in the blog post about Ponder, but Chris Johnson can also help out Locker. When he is ready to take the reins, two or three years down the road, he’ll already have the ingredients for a great team, and that is a recipe for sucess. Already, this year, yesterday, when Hasselback sprained his elbow, Locker came in and was sucessful. Even with Vince Young, the 3rd overall pick in 2006, a rookie Pro Bowler, is now a backup in Philedalphia. He got pushed into a starting role (Because Billy Volek was definatley not the answer), and was reasonably sucessful, but down the road, with the Titans lack of star power, they flopped. Now, they’re getting it right on the second try.
Pigskin and Pine Tar 