Open Rants by Brownsfan93

Qbs Ruined by the teams that drafted them

There are many qb’s with high expectations and skillsets drafted in a given year, many by bad teams and many by teams that don’t know how to manage bringing their qbs into the NFL.  In this article I will look at several through the years.

Tim Couch, 1999 Cleveland Browns (#1 Overall)

The “New” Cleveland Browns started off with the #1 pick in the draft as is given to expansion teams unless there are 2 at a time.  Couch was probably the consensus #1 that year and the Browns would oblige.  The original plan was for him to sit the entire year as a backup to Ty Detmer, this plan quickly went out the window and Couch was playing by the second half of the FIRST GAME of the expansion Browns.  This was a major mistake as he would take on over 50 sacks his first season behind an expansion teams offensive line.  He played through that first season without major injury, but the injuries would soon pile up over the years and he never lived up to his draft status.  The smart thing here would have been to keep him on the bench for at least that first year as expansion teams are about the worst teams to play on and aren’t going to contend for anything in their first season.  The Browns should have found someone better than Ty Detmer to be the veteran bridge qb though, and they quickly realized he wasn’t going to cut it. Couch would be off the Browns after 5 seasons and never play another meaningful down in the NFL.

David Carr, 2002 Houston Texans (#1 Overall)

Same story as above, expansion team starts rookie qb, Carr took an NFL record 72 sacks that rookie season, a record that still stands to this day, or maybe until Joe Burrow Breaks it this year.  Carr is another example of a qb that shouldn’t have played his rookie season, he may have not ultimately been a decent qb anyway but subjecting him to so much wear and tear his first few years certainly didn’t help and resulted in him being one of the biggest busts in history.

Matthew Stafford, 2009 Detroit Lions (#1 Overall)

The Lions were coming off an 0-16 year yet they decided to go with Matt Stafford immediately as their starter, this Lions team wasn’t like the 2018 Browns who actually had a somewhat built roster when they started Baker Mayfield, the 09 Lions had almost nothing and Stafford took a beating his first two years in the league.  He’s a decent qb to this day but probably will never live up to his draft status, partly because of the early injuries and hits he took.  11 Years in and not a single playoff win shows what can happen when a team gets a decent qb but still can’t draft worth a damn.  Stafford would probably have been better served if he sat out at least half of his rookie season, even if he was the best option at qb that year.

Sam Bradford, 2010 St Louis Rams (#1 Overall)

To be fair Bradford seemed to get injured no matter where he played, but he probably would have benefited from not playing immediately, the Rams fielded some terrible teams from the late 2000’s to the early 2010’s so they never fielded a good team around him and the injuries put him in bust territory for sure.

Carson Wentz, 2016 Philadelphia Eagles (#2 Overall)

This one is an incomplete because he is still playing, but it would appear that the injuries and lack of line the Eagles can put around Wentz is taking its toll, he’s already had almost more ints than he had in entire seasons after 3 games.  Something is clearly wrong with him and he may never be the same.  He can still definitely turn it around but it’s not looking good, especially with Jalen Hurts waiting in the wings.

Qb being ruined

Joe Burrow, 2020 Cincinnati Bengals #1 Overall

How things have changed from the past.  When Carson Palmer was drafted #1 in 2003 the Bengals didn’t let him play a down his rookie year.  Joe Burrow looks like he will be a good qb in this league, but the beating he is taking right now is ridiculous and unfair.  If the Bengals knew what was good for them they wouldn’t have played him right away behind this atrocious offensive line, he is currently on pace to break David Carr’s sack record, if he lasts that long… 

Source: Wikipedia, Google Stats

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