You know? At some times, I'd wish there wasn't a salary cap, the Cowboys would pick up Rodgers, and he'd lead them to the SB. At least that'll make him a great QB. Everyone calls it the ultimate team sport, but if you're a QB, you can only become great by winning games. Tell that to Mr. Marino. I think he did enough to help his team out, alright. Or see how ridiculous that would sound for other position. That'd make James Lofton a very average WR for most of his career.
And why would it be so ridiculous to think that Alex Smith could be better than he is now? And that Rodgers might've been somewhat of a bust had he been picked by the 49ers?
The Manning - Leaf argument makes no sense, as Leaf just never had the physical tools or the mindset to be an NFL player. Alex Smith has. You'd think that he would be a little better, had he been able to sit for 3 years, being groomed by McCarthy and then get into an offense that actually has some receivers.
Just look at Smith playing now. He's showing flashes of what they expected him to do, now he has some kind of offensive weapons. Still, he's not great, but you ought to wonder what could've been.
And then Rodgers, a California QB. I just think that he wasn't ready for the NFL when he came in. If you throw a kid like that in there, you're taking a big gamble. The gamble that the 49ers did take and the Packers didn't.
There are barely any rookie QBs who come into the league and light it up. It takes some mental toughness to bouce back after having a horrible rookie year. Yes, it worked for Peyton Manning and.... Joe Flacco, but doing it the other way around worked just as good Phillip Rivers, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Carson Palmer, Tom Brady etc. etc. I think that there's something to be said about bringing up some patience with your new QB.
"Rockmolder" wrote:
You can't be a great QB until you sustain it or at least win a playoff game. Everyone will have a different opinion of a great QB or what makes one great, but Rodgers is going on an impressive run right now. It'll mean nothing if he regresses. I don't think it'll happen, but I'm also not Miss Cleo, so I don't know what the future could hold for him either. Right now, he is very good and a playoff win makes him great. Playoffs matter and they matter for every player really. It's premature to label him great. Tony Romo had an outstanding 2007 season, but they loss in the playoffs. I wouldn't label him great either. To me, he's good.
Alex Smith just doesn't have it IMO and neither did Ryan Leaf. Leaf, for the record, had the physical tools to play in the NFL. He had a strong arm and was accurate. He lead Washington State to the Rose Bowl and was the No. 1 player in the draft according to some scouts. Not to mention, he had amazing size at 6-5 and 240, and really could make every throw. He was at the time, a special prospect according to many. Now Smith's mental makeup is no where near as bad as Leafs, but Smith's skills were greatly exaggerated (as were Leaf's) due to the lack of competition he played against at Utah and the system he played in. His system pretty much made the player. Chris Leak won a national title playing in that same system afterall.
Smith is definitely having his best season, but his season is by no means good. He's thrown two more TDs than INTs and he's won one game as a starter this year. His two best performances were when his team was trailing and defenses backed off of him or in Houston's case, didn't prepare for him. I think if you're using Smith's play this year as an arguement to justify he'd be a better player than Rodgers had the roles been reversed, then yes that is ridiculous.
If you're saying he'd be a better player than he is right now had he had an easier run, then yes he would, but had Ryan Leaf had great players around him and the necessary veteran leadership on the same side of the ball as him, he may of turned out a tad better too. Doesn't mean he's not a bust though and the same is and should be said about Smith. Leaf, of course is a much bigger bust than Smith, but that's why it's an example as they are different players.
Troy Aikman had a terrible rookie season, but rebounded just fine. He had a nice career. Peyton Manning won three games and threw a ton of picks his rookie year and now he's as hard to pick off as any QB in the league. Drew Brees was awful until the Chargers actually drafted Phillip Rivers. Then, Brees actually exploded making it difficult for San Diego to put Rivers on the field.
QBs have had it as bad or worst than Smith and have turned out just fine. Sometimes you have it and sometimes you don't. Smith doesn't have it and Rodgers does. In the end, that's the difference.