Originally posted by 5_Golden_Rings:
Originally posted by 49ers81:
I see that the latest trend in the endless parade of Jimmy bashing that goes on in here is, "Oh, we don't really hate Jimmy, we just want an ELITE QB". Yeah, fine. Who doesn't, but the reality of that situation is that playing QB in the NFL is one of the hardest things there is in sports. I mean, just think about it, there are something like 350 million people in this country and in any given year it is still impossible to find 32 guys who can play that position at an elite level. For the past two decades there have been only a handful of guys who you could truly call elite. Guys that will almost certainly be consensus first ballot Hall of Fame candidates. Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Roethlisberger, Russell Wilson, Rodgers and Mahomes, if he stays healthy and adds a few more years to his stat sheet. I might throw Kurt Warner in there as well just because he was such a warrior playing in Martz's offense which essentially required him to get killed 20 times a game while he hung in and delivered those down field strikes. After that it seems to me that you get into an area of personal preference and debate. Philip Rivers? Maybe. Matt Ryan? Maybe. They are a couple of guys who have put up good numbers but have they really been guys who have changed the game in any way or changed our perception of how the position can be played. Not to my mind but others may see it differently.
So given that finding a truly elite QB is largely a matter of luck and good timing setting that as the bar for what is an "acceptable" level of play for a QB seems pretty childish. Kind of on the level of "Oh, I want a pony!!" In the real world what you want is a guy who UNDERSTANDS how the position is played and has enough of a skill set that he can get the job done on the field in a fairly consistent manner. Someone who can execute the game plan the way it's drawn up and who has the respect of his teammates. With a guy like that, a competent Front office and a good coach with a decent scheme you will always have a chance to be in hunt if you can build a team around them with enough skill players at other key positions who aren't always quite so difficult to find. There are a lot of elements that go into having a successful franchise in this league it isn't always just about having an elite QB, though obviously that doesn't hurt.
Of course, the new wrinkle this year is that the team traded up for a a guy who some posters are already convinced, just convinced, is going to be the next Patrick Mahomes, but without the benefit of, you know, having actually seen him take more than what, six, seven snaps in the NFL. They just know in their bones that it is true and damn that Jimmy for making them wait for their dreams to be realized. Lance may end up being terrific, I hope he is, but at the moment he simply isn't the guy I want behind center on what looks like could be a potential Super Bowl caliber roster. (at least until it lost it's best CB and all of its Rb's) He just doesn't have the experience. He may have won in Detroit but my bet is he would have lost in Philly they way that game ended up going. So instead of being 2-0 we would be 1-1 with a Conference loss hanging over our heads. No thanks. Obviously it's impossible to know what the outcome would have been with Lance behind center but I think I would prefer to have the soldier with experience in that kind of fight rather than the raw recruit. Now it's on to Green Bay. Go Niners!
I'm not convinced he'll be the next Mahomes. Mahomes is once every 10 years, tops. I AM convinced he'll be top 12, top 10, in a couple years.
As for the argument to start Lance right now (not my argument, mind you; Jimmy should start until Jimmy really s**ts the bed, because there's no going back when you bench him), it's NOT that Lance is better right now. It's that with 12 games experience he'll be better. The hope for this crowd is that the team hangs on when he struggles early on, because come playoff time — if the 49ers make it — a Trey Lance with a season of experience is better than Jimmy, and so the team's Super Bowl chances would be greater.
Do I personally believe that's true? I think it's possible he'd be better by then, maybe greater than 50% chance, but by then it's also a good possibility the playoffs may not be a realistic hope.
In 12 games JG will still be better. Stop dreaming. Its the morning now
