Finley was awful at QB and so was Allen...

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(12-01-2020, 02:14 PM)TheFan Wrote: I think you're remembering some of these players early careers wrong. 

Drew Brees basically sat his entire rookie year behind Doug Flutie who continued on the team for another 3 years. Veteran QB presence. 

Phillip Rivers basically sat his entire first 2 years behind Drew Brees learning. Veteran QB presence (he was actually in year 4-5 while there with Rivers not 2-3). They then traded for another Veteran QB Billy Volcker who backed Rivers up for 6 years.

Big Ben had either Tommy Maddox and/or Charlie Batch there during his first 8 years in the league. Veteran QB presence.

Patrick Mahomes basically didn't play at all his rookie year sitting behind Alex Smith not to mention he has one of the best coaches (especially offensive minded coaches) in NFL history. Plus they picked up Matt Moore after trading Alex Smith. Veteran QB presence. 

There's a reason good teams don't back up their rookie QBs with other rookies.

Brees, yes; I forgot about Flutie.

Rivers though, didn't sit behind a seasoned Drew Brees like we know today; Brees was still learning himself and hadn't established himself as the elite QB he became (though he wasn't far off).

I wouldn't call that a veteran presence though.

And Maddox/Batch don't count; I mean, if we want ANY veteran in there, then sure, but both guys were proven mediocre-to-shitty QBs in the league; Ben himself didn't come into his own until his 4th year (2007) and even then, his 2008 was pretty mediocre. Burrow is already past where Ben was, at this point in their careers.

If we want a veteran, we want someone who can step in and play well, not Bruce Gradkowski or Josh Johnson.

I highly doubt Moore taught Mahomes anything; Mahomes is light years ahead of Moore could ever hope to be and he has a coaching staff that is significantly more-effective than Matt Moore would ever be.

This is what I mean; QBs like Mahomes, Burrow, Wilson, stats or otherwise, are simply on a different level from a mental and football standpoint. I can see Tua, Herbert, Fields needing vets to help teach them nuances and the like, but Burrow doesn't need that. Mahomes doesn't need that. Wilson CLEARLY didn't need that and still doesn't.

As to the bold:

Russell Wilson: Matt Flynn
Murray: Brett Hundley
Flacco: Troy Smith
Mark Sanchez: Kellen Clemens, Erik Ainge, Kevin O'Connell

Aren't a whole lot of examples, but good teams have surrounded their rookies with rookies/inexperienced guys.

I hear you loud and clear and if Andy were a rookie, for example, I'd agree; someone like that needed a mentor/someone who knew the offense (though both were shit and both couldn't do anything if inserted into a game). But Burrow doesn't need a veteran around or anything of that nature; the guy is more mature than 75% of this board and 95% of this board is older than him lol. I mean, the guy doesn't even need a wristband with the plays on it; if that doesn't show how far ahead he is in terms of maturity, poise and command of the team/offense, then I'm not sure what does.

Thus, let's get someone in who is young, can help the team develop and be a backup for a long time, spelling when necessary and doing well when they do spell Joe, like the Cowboys did in the early 90s with Aikman and the Patriots did in the early 2000s under Brady.

Joe isn't a rookie anymore.