08-27-2015, 04:38 PM
(08-27-2015, 04:09 PM)djs7685 Wrote: After 2013 would have been a tough time to replace Andy, but I don't think it would have killed anyone if we just took the gamble, didn't give him an extension, drafted Bridgewater, and then see what happens from there. I can completely understand why things happened the way they did though, most teams absolutely do extend their current QB and call it a day, I get that. Zerker just mentioned that if there was a year where we could have had a legitimate replacement, it would have likely been last offseason. You usually don't see top QBs in free agency and you usually don't see top prospects outside of the top 10 in the draft.
Not even a slam against Andy, but Teddy looked like a great prospect, and despite a couple of high volume stats, let's not pretend that Andy looked like a top QB after 2013. He still looked pretty average in a lot of games and wasn't considered a top guy by anyone outside of a couple nutbags on the old board.
But you have to consider the cost. We can't use a first round pick on a spot where we seem to have a young established starter.
After the 2013 season Dalton was clearly in the "safe starter" category. He was still considered inconsistent, but he had shown a high ceiling with a lot of good games. From '11 through '13 Dalton was top 10 in number of games with a 100 passer rating, and he had won the Offensive Player of the Month in October 2013. He didn't have to elevate his skill level. He just had to elevate his consistency.
But what made him even a safer bet was the fact that he was getting better each year and winning more games against good teams.
Then came 2014.......
