Solving the Backup QB Issue For the Future

plasticman said:

It seems like every other season the Cowboys had to depend on winning games without their starter. They soon recognized this and it forced them to pay very good cap money. Then, they hoped the player never got the opportunity to earn it.

It's very rare to find a backup with the potential to be a starter in the league. When one is available, they become expensive.

The Cowboys have tried two different strategies. One is to overpay for a veteran with starting experience. The other is to rely on the drafting in the 3rd day and rookie free agents. Unfortunately, the only rookie QB's that can make it are the ones that never have to play. When it becomes necessary we soon discover why they were rookie free agents and 3rd day picks.

There are exceptions, of course, but they are just that...exceptions. It is not a "high yield" strategy for backup QB's

However, a team that will commit to drafting QB's in the 1st to 3rd rounds every three years, more or less, they will have better talent and potential to work with from a statistical probability standpoint. There are many other benefits as well.

First, there is actual competition. Most players, including quarterbacks will admit to putting in extra effort if there is a perception that the backup is catching up to his skill set.

Secondly and, just as important, is the cost. Comparatively, the team now has the potential talent without the cap hit. That is even more important if your starter is one of the highest paid.

Third, there is always the potential for trade. if your backup had an opportunity to showcase his potential and another team is interested, there may be incredible value to the team.

Fourth, he will be drafted based on the team's system and he will learn the team's system. Veterans do not offer the flexibility of choosing one that fits the system. If the veteran QB is ever needed, the system has to change to fit his abilities of lack thereof.

If a QB is drafted in the 1st to 3rd round every 3rd season then you always have a rookie at the same time your previous backup is in his contract year.

When you think of some of the 1st to 3rd picks the Cowboys have wasted in the past, would this really effect the overall talent acquisition that much?

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plasticman said:

It seems like every other season the Cowboys had to depend on winning games without their starter. They soon recognized this and it forced them to pay very good cap money. Then, they hoped the player never got the opportunity to earn it.

It's very rare to find a backup with the potential to be a starter in the league. When one is available, they become expensive.

The Cowboys have tried two different strategies. One is to overpay for a veteran with starting experience. The other is to rely on the drafting in the 3rd day and rookie free agents. Unfortunately, the only rookie QB's that can make it are the ones that never have to play. When it becomes necessary we soon discover why they were rookie free agents and 3rd day picks.

There are exceptions, of course, but they are just that...exceptions. It is not a "high yield" strategy for backup QB's

However, a team that will commit to drafting QB's in the 1st to 3rd rounds every three years, more or less, they will have better talent and potential to work with from a statistical probability standpoint. There are many other benefits as well.

First, there is actual competition. Most players, including quarterbacks will admit to putting in extra effort if there is a perception that the backup is catching up to his skill set.

Secondly and, just as important, is the cost. Comparatively, the team now has the potential talent without the cap hit. That is even more important if your starter is one of the highest paid.

Third, there is always the potential for trade. if your backup had an opportunity to showcase his potential and another team is interested, there may be incredible value to the team.

Fourth, he will be drafted based on the team's system and he will learn the team's system. Veterans do not offer the flexibility of choosing one that fits the system. If the veteran QB is ever needed, the system has to change to fit his abilities of lack thereof.

If a QB is drafted in the 1st to 3rd round every 3rd season then you always have a rookie at the same time your previous backup is in his contract year.

When you think of some of the 1st to 3rd picks the Cowboys have wasted in the past, would this really effect the overall talent acquisition that much?

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TwistedL0g1k said:

Good OP plasticman. Too bad management fails to understand this logic.

The team should use a mid-round pick, every few years, to draft and develop a quality backup QB. (for all the good reasons listed above)

Bring in a young player that actually has real potential.

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blueblood70 said:

16 teams barely have serviceable starter and you want teams to FIND quality backups out of the 90+ on rosters already?

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blueblood70 said:

16 teams barely have serviceable starter and you want teams to FIND quality backups out of the 90+ on roisters already?

te top 16 tams with good to great qbs have backups that appear to have play drop off cliff yet the other bottom 16 you cant hardly tell the difference, can you tell me why?

i can tell you there starters were that much better so what left for the top 16 who need backup that wont have steep drop off hard to find, period..

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garyo1954 said:

In McCarthy's 13-year run with the Packers, they selected five quarterbacks: Ingle Martin (fifth round, 2006), Brian Brohm (second round, 2008), Matt Flynn (seventh round, 2008), B.J. Coleman (seventh round, 2012) and Brett Hundley (fifth round, 2015). Flynn won games for an injured Aaron Rodgers and earned a big free-agent contract from the Seattle Seahawks. Hundley was traded to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick in 2018.

"You can see the value not only it has for your football team and the starter," McCarthy said, "but also the value it can bring to your football team as younger quarterbacks move on."

Since Jones took over the Cowboys in 1989, the Cowboys have drafted six quarterbacks: Troy Aikman, who went No. 1 overall that first year, followed by Bill Musgrave (fourth round, 1991), Quincy Carter (second round, 2001), Stephen McGee (fourth round, 2009), Prescott (fourth round, 2016) and Mike White (fifth round, 2018). Counting Steve Walsh in the supplemental draft it comes to 7.

So in 13 years Big Mac drafted 5 QBs. In 32 years Goofy and friends have drafted 7.

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TwistedL0g1k said:

Huh?

This discussion is about using an occasional mid-round pick on the position, NOT finding one "out of the 90+ on rosters already".

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blueblood70 said:

again , read SLOWLY,

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blueblood70 said:

are you that gullible and stubborn or maybe it Naïve to think if its simple enough to grab a qb in the 3rd or 4th round and hit on them as they are or will be better then Rush, gilbert, or Nooch or let alone the 60 already in the league backups

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TwistedL0g1k said:

LOL. Reading slowly won't improve the spelling & grammar of your posts!



No. What many of us are saying is you generally get what you "pay" for, in terms of draft capital. On average, a 3rd or 4th round QB will be better than a 7th rounder or UDFA. Obviously there are exceptions, and you are correct that QB's are high risk draft prospects.

Dallas should devote a little bit more resources to the backup QB position. While there is no guarantee that a single 3rd or 4th round pick will be better than the current backups, over time, this strategy will improve the backup position. The current group is awful. The lack of resources allocated is readily apparent.

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