2017 ranking of NFC South quarterbacks (1 Viewer)

RJ in Lafayette

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Going forward, our quarterback situation compared to that of the other teams in the NFC South is at best troubling. The NFC South next season will likely be the only division in football where every team has a current or future top-tier quarterback. But the scary part, of course, is that Drew will be 38 going on 39, Ryan 32, Newton 28 and Winston 23. And replacing Drew will be a huge challenge because there are drafts that don't produce a single really good quarterback, and because, as evidenced by where Newton, Winston and Ryan were picked, it is hard to find a top quarterback after the first few picks.

But it comes the provocative question: Where will the 2017 previews rank Drew among the NFC South quarterbacks. I suspect many will have him second behind Ryan and a good number third behind Ryan and Newton. And in 2018 if Drew returns? That goes to the opening comments.
 
There are two ways to go about this. Since Brees's contract is ending after next season, the front office has to look at contracts of quarterbacks on current rosters to determine if any promising ones will be available as free agents in 2018. If not, they need to look to the draft. If there are no good prospects there, then a stopgap needs to be found. The skill positions are in place with a good running back and excellent wide receivers, so there would be no excuse for the next QB that weapons were lacking.

It is quite possible that Brees can play a few more years at a high level.. That said, the time is now to figure out what happens post-Brees. I assume that Grayson is not in the future plans, but I also think that he was not a wasted pick. They had to make that determination.

It comes down to quarterbacks available in the draft and their value relative to where the Saints are picking. If someone outstanding is there, then it is time to go all out. If not, consider the alternatives of free agency. In the short term, there is no compelling reason not to just stick with Brees next year.
 
I see no choice but to stick with Drew in 2017. And Drew can perhaps play at a high level in 2018. But come 2019, he will be 40 turning 41 in January 2020.

Go back and look at today's starting quarterbacks, and see how they entered the league. An inordinate number were the first pick in the draft: Palmer, Manning, Stafford, Newton, Luck, Winston. Notice I do not name Smith, Bradford and Goff. And then there were the other high first round picks: Rivers, Roethlisberger, Flacco, Marriotta and Wentz.

Try to find a good quarterback who wasn't a top 38 or so pick. Brady was a six in 2000, Romo was a free agent in 2003, Wilson was a three in 2012, and Prescott was a four in 2016. That may be the list. And if we go back 15 years, perhaps 225 quarterbacks were drafted in that time period. The odds of hitting on a quarterback after the first few picks in the draft are not high, and the odds of finding one after the very top of the second round are really small.

In the 2017 draft, there are several teams drafting ahead of us that need a quarterback, and there probably is not a quarterback in this draft who will be graded as high as Wentz and Goff last year.

We can get away one more year not talking about our next quarterback. But we are quickly reaching the point where we will need to do whatever it takes to pick our quarterback of the future. And again, we will be playing in what is now the best quarterback division in the league.
 
Is Grayson not coming along? Honest question as I haven't really heard anything. As I'm typing this, I think I just answered my own question...
 
Is Grayson not coming along? Honest question as I haven't really heard anything. As I'm typing this, I think I just answered my own question...

Interesting timing that you asked that.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Saints QB Garrett Grayson training at Florida Gators facility,hopes former coach Jim McElwain can help revive career <a href="https://t.co/dLBM2qZOHl">https://t.co/dLBM2qZOHl</a></p>&mdash; Mike Triplett (@MikeTriplett) <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeTriplett/status/823534663146807296">January 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
I'm sure the asking price will be downright stupid but the pats have two trade-able qb's right now. The problem is, they almost certainly had success due to the system.

Also, if we went all in on one of the two we'd pretty much be giving up on this year and planning for the future and be in full rebuild at that point considering what it would take to get either of the two.
 
I say stick with Drew until Drew decides to retire, or is forced to retire due to injury. He's got a number of years left. Look at Brady (who is older) and still going strong.

The league has changed. In particular the rules have changed to protect QB's. QB's are lasting longer overall.

But if we -must- pull the trigger now, (which again I don't agree with), then the QB I like is Davis Webb from CAL, in the 3rd.
 
It's not a happy thing to think about, but I don't see any way possible that we will replace Brees and keep on rolling on offense when that day finally comes. 2017 is it. If we don't build a contender this year, it's hard to see Brees wanting to play 2018. Maybe I read too much into his comment after the season where he basically said "can't keep doing this... always saying next season".

The worst we'll be with Brees next season is around .500. That puts us drafting in the teens again. Like was said above, you don't get a Luck, Mariota, Wentz, Newton, etc.. with the 16th pick in the draft. This year would be a year where you could grab one of the top QBs at that point in the first round. And I don't want to go QB this year when we are a few players from getting our defense out of the cellar. And we HAVE to do that with our first couple picks this year, because like I said... I think it's this year or bust.

The best we can hope for IMO is to make a run in 2017 and hope we have the defense, OL, and WRs in place to give a free agent QB something to work with until we find a franchise QB. As for a free agent QB, go Arizona's route and find a Palmer. That strategy seems as much a stretch as finding a mid-round guy that works out.
 
I can easily see a rough season after Brees a la the "suck for Luck" campaign whether intentional or not. Let's hope there's a good college prospect to draft high. I really hope we don't dabble in free agency and have too many years of mediocre to bad football.
 
Interesting timing that you asked that.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Saints QB Garrett Grayson training at Florida Gators facility,hopes former coach Jim McElwain can help revive career <a href="https://t.co/dLBM2qZOHl">https://t.co/dLBM2qZOHl</a></p>— Mike Triplett (@MikeTriplett) <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeTriplett/status/823534663146807296">January 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Grayson said his biggest struggle has been mastering the offense to the point where he doesn’t have to think as much on the field.

Grayson admitted that it took him a while in his first summer in 2015 to start reciting the lengthy play calls with confidence. Last year, Grayson said it was often a matter of technical issues -- like the difference between 2-yard and 4-yard splits.

Saints coach Sean Payton said quarterbacks coach Joe Lombardi spent extra time with Grayson during the season and agreed that this next summer will typically be “an important 'here we go' offseason for a third-year quarterback.

McElwain said they will spend time figuring out "what are the things we need to polish and what are the things that are kind of broken."

As much as anything, Grayson also hopes to get back into his comfort zone while working with McElwain, who arrived at Colorado State before Grayson’s junior year and helped bring out the best in him over the next two seasons.

"My message to him was, you know what, 'This is good. You’re kind of getting back to your roots a little bit,'" McElwain said. "He is really driven. He’s a little bit of a quiet guy, and yet he is truly driven. And I know he has the skill set and talents. It’s a matter of trying to bring those out and figuring out the flaws that we need to get better at.

This sounds promising for the kid. At least he's putting in the extra time and effort to be successful and not just trying the same things he did his first two years to get him to this point. We'll see if it pays off in camp/pre-season.
 
For one, Brees is still better than Ryan, Newton, or Winston, so if you are simply looking into next year, then the Saints still sit at the top of the QB rankings for the NFC South.

When looking at the position group as a whole, the Saints have the most capable backup in place AND a possible future candidate, so in the possibility of a minor QB injury, they seem the most insulated from having a playoff season derailed by their starter missing 3 games. It might drop the Saints from the division win down to a wild card, but I still believe they could make the playoffs where all bets would be off.

Long term, it's much more murky. All three other teams seem to be much more set at QB for at least the next 4-5 years, whereas the Saints look more like 2 years. Grayson may or may not be the future. Either way, you do your due diligence and project who will be available in free agency and the draft a couple of years down the road.

I don't think anyone has any real concrete idea how the next 2 years will unfold. Will there me a really solid team around Brees that allows for multiple deep playoff runs, a quick and tidy retirement, and the opportunity for someone to slide right in on a very good team? Or will all the best laid plans fall flat, leading to some bad teams and a hanging-on-aged QB with too big a cap number and by the time the Saints are truly done, it's not so much a "Suck for Luck" situation as it's just a "suck" situation.

For better or for worse, this off season holds a ton of keys for the near future AND extended future of our beloved franchise, IMHO.

(Luckily, it looks like they hit home runs last off season, or this off season would almost be over before it even got started)
 
I can easily see a rough season after Brees a la the "suck for Luck" campaign whether intentional or not.

Obviously I don't want this to happen but I'm preparing myself for this eventuality. I don't even like to think about how many games this team would win without him. If we're winning 7 with him then I don't know. We might be looking at a 2 or 3 win team without him.

You can win some games without a great QB with a great ground game and/or a great defense. We have neither. No QB, no run game, and no defense. That's a recipe for a "Suck For Luck" campaign. Lets just hope there is a Luck to suck for.
 
NFC South QBs, ranked:

1. Drew Brees
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4. (tie) garbage, garbage, and garbage
 

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