2011 NFL Draft

No convincing is necessary, it is a QB driven league.

No convincing is necessary, it is a QB driven league.

The NFL is really selling that and everyone is swallowing it whole.
Out of the current Qb's in the NFL, the one with the most Superbowl rings is a 7th round pick that was a projected career backup. Not the savior franchise QB picked first overall in his draft. It is misguided to think you have draft a QB in the top of the draft to be good.

No team will win a superbowl without a well rounded team. You also have to have a good defense and offense. Don't forget a decent offensive line and changing the rules to protect your savior and to try increase the value of QB's.
If you have a major deficiency at any one or two position groups, you can have Peyton Manning and Brady on the your team and you will get beat by the well rounded teams. Which is why Peyton Manning only has one ring and Brady has three.

Of course you need a good team to go along with your QB, that goes without saying, but teams that lack franchise QBs are typically the ones that are drafting in the top 10 each year.

The Brady example is a poor one as he is clearly the exception to the rule. Generally, top QBs are 1st round picks. I believe 26 of the 32 starting QBs in the league last year were 1st rounders. You generally don't find your franchise guy in later rounds.

Q. How many first round draft pick quarterbacks have won the Super Bowl?

As of the 2010 season:
1. Joe Namath - Super Bowl III
2. Bob Griese - Super Bowl VII and VIII
3. Terry Bradshaw - Super Bowls IX, X, XII, and XIII
4. Jim Plunkett - Super Bowls XV and XVIII
5. Jim McMahon - Super Bowl XX
6. Phil Simms - Super Bowl XXI
7. Doug Williams - Super Bowl XXII
8. Troy Aikman - Super Bowls XXVII, XXVIII, and XXX
9. Steve Young - Super Bowl XXIX
10. John Elway - Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII
11. Trent Dilfer - Super Bowl XXXV
12. Ben Roethlisberger - Super Bowl XL and XLIII
13. Peyton Manning - Super Bowl XLI
14. Eli Manning - Super Bowl XLII
15. Aaron Rodgers - Super Bowl XLV

24 of the 45 Super Bowls won by first round

I think that about sums it up Drew54. You need to have THE GUY at QB to win and not often is that guy found in later rounds (Tom Brady is an anomaly).

The rebuttle:

Through Super Bowl XLV, 13 starting quarterbacks that were not drafted in the 1st round have won 20 Super Bowls ... one of those QBs went undrafted.

1) Kurt Warner - St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV - undrafted.
2) Bart Starr - Green Bay Packers in Super Bowls I & II - 17th round selection of the Packers in 1956.
3) Roger Staubach - Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowls VI & XII - 10th round selection of the Cowboys in 1964. Staubach would probably have been a first round selection but, because he attended the Naval Academy, had a military commitment to serve before he could play in the NFL. He joined the Cowboys in 1969.
4) John Unitas - Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl V - 9th round selection of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1955.
5) Brad Johnson - Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII - 9th round selection of the Minnesota Vikings in 1992.
6) Tom Brady - New England Patriots in Super Bowls XXXVI, XXXVIII, & XXXIX - 6th round selection of the Patriots in 2000.
7) Mark Rypien - Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XXVI - 6th round selection of the Redskins in 1986.
8) Joe Theismann - Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVII - 4th round selection of the Miami Dolphins in 1971.
9) Jeff Hostetler - New York Giants in Super Bowl XXV - 3rd round selection of the Giants in 1984.
10) Joe Montana - San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowls XVI, XIX, XXIII, & XXIV - 3rd round selection of the 49ers in 1979.
11) Ken Stabler - Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XI - 2nd round selection of the Raiders in 1968.
12) Brett Favre - Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXI - 2nd round selection of the Atlanta Falcons in 1991.
13) Drew Brees - New Orleans Saints in Super Bowl XLIV - 2nd round selection of the San Diego Chargers in 2001.

Man, 17th round! That's crazy

Of course you need a good team to go along with your QB, that goes without saying, but teams that lack franchise QBs are typically the ones that are drafting in the top 10 each year.

The Brady example is a poor one as he is clearly the exception to the rule. Generally, top QBs are 1st round picks. I believe 26 of the 32 starting QBs in the league last year were 1st rounders. You generally don't find your franchise guy in later rounds.

Take a look a the team stats, the worst teams also rank at the bottom (team stats) as the worst overall defense and give up the most sacks. By contrast look at the ranking of the best in passing yards, #6) Dallas #7) Denver #8) Washington all terrible teams. Adding a franchise QB to these teams that have miserable defense and have problems protecting their Qb will just get their new Franchise QB killed. I know you know this. All I am saying others are misguided to think a weak team will be a playoff team if they just get a franchise Qb. It is not all just the Qb's fault. That's like trying blame McNabb for all of our problems last year. Oh wait some here did do that. Ha!

On your second point, there is a big difference spending a top 1-5 or even 1-10 pick on percieved "Franchise QB" as opposed to picking one at the bottom first or top of second. We are talking the difference MILLIONS of dollars of guaranteed money and increased expectation. There is a big difference between the the top pick and the 32nd pick. Can't group them all as one.

The rebuttle:

Through Super Bowl XLV, 13 starting quarterbacks that were not drafted in the 1st round have won 20 Super Bowls ... one of those QBs went undrafted.

1) Kurt Warner - St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV - undrafted.
2) Bart Starr - Green Bay Packers in Super Bowls I & II - 17th round selection of the Packers in 1956.
3) Roger Staubach - Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowls VI & XII - 10th round selection of the Cowboys in 1964. Staubach would probably have been a first round selection but, because he attended the Naval Academy, had a military commitment to serve before he could play in the NFL. He joined the Cowboys in 1969.
4) John Unitas - Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl V - 9th round selection of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1955.
5) Brad Johnson - Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII - 9th round selection of the Minnesota Vikings in 1992.
6) Tom Brady - New England Patriots in Super Bowls XXXVI, XXXVIII, & XXXIX - 6th round selection of the Patriots in 2000.
7) Mark Rypien - Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XXVI - 6th round selection of the Redskins in 1986.
8) Joe Theismann - Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVII - 4th round selection of the Miami Dolphins in 1971.
9) Jeff Hostetler - New York Giants in Super Bowl XXV - 3rd round selection of the Giants in 1984.
10) Joe Montana - San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowls XVI, XIX, XXIII, & XXIV - 3rd round selection of the 49ers in 1979.
11) Ken Stabler - Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XI - 2nd round selection of the Raiders in 1968.
12) Brett Favre - Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXI - 2nd round selection of the Atlanta Falcons in 1991.
13) Drew Brees - New Orleans Saints in Super Bowl XLIV - 2nd round selection of the San Diego Chargers in 2001.

The lions share of these victories came in a different era (aside from Brady and Brees: who would be a late first rounder this year). The recent rule changes on how DB's can play WR's also lends to this NFL era being more of a QB league.

Man, 17th round! That's crazy

Mel Kiper Sr. called the Unitas pick by telegraph.