The real reason we need Luck...

[Brooklyn Bully]

Your team will never be GREAT (Colts, Pats, Steelers) without a franchise QB. Sure you can win the big game with an average joe, or maybe make the playoffs here and there with a good QB. But if you wan't to be at the top for years to come, you need the best leading you.

Draft Luck, keep Jimmy, sign a cheap vet to mentor the two and be the #3. Jimmy starts 2011. If he is lights out, well hell...you can trade Luck in 2012. If Jimmy continues his average ways, start the vet until Luck is ready to give it a go. It may mean another season of no playoffs, but if it means a top tier qb, it's worth it. Don't count on your defense, RBs, or WRs to give you wins. Count on your QB giving you wins. We can build just fine in the other departments. It's time we have a great QB...for the first time ever.

[Jangler]

When was Tom Brady drafted?

[Brooklyn Bully]

When was Tom Brady drafted?

To those who want Green with the top pick, when was Wes Welker drafted? Terrell Owens? Marques Colston? Chris Carter?

I love things you can point out!

[rayzor]

When was Tom Brady drafted?

franchise QBs can ALWAYS be found in the 6th round. lol

[Cyberjag]

Everything hinges on the new Coach, will he be an offensive minded Coach that knows how to develop a QB, or a defensive Coach that needs an NFL ready QB. So we can talk about this QB and that QB all day and for the next 5 months, but the Coach is the bigger question right now.

The GM drafts, not the Head Coach. And if Luck is there, his value is high enough that he'll be taken regardless of how Hurney feels about Clausen.

What makes you so sure Luck would even come here? Unless Big Cat cleans house (of course BEFORE the draft) and brings in a proven HC and OC top prospects are going to steer clear of this mess.

Not necessarily. The two prospects who did this were trying to avoid places where the team was just a loser on several levels (the Colts when Elway refused to play there) or where the family had a personal beef (the Chargers when Manning insisted on a trade). And that's it.

When was Tom Brady drafted?

Ahead of Warner and Romo. Do you feel like we should continue to try and get a quarterback through taking our chances on them in the late rounds or getting UDFAs?

For every Brad Johnson and Trent Dilfer, there is a Troy Aikman, John Elway, Brett Favre, Kurt Warner, Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, and Drew Brees.

Yep, those are all the QBs who have won Super Bowls since the Panthers have been a team. I'd much rather have a great team led by a great QB who can year after year give you wins, rather than a one-year wonder like the Bucs and Ravens were.

We are fine at WR for 2011, we are fine at RB for 2011 (even if we trade one and get a nice pick), we are fine at LB for 2011, we are fine in the secondary for 2011 (few units are A+ perfect), and we are fine at TE in 2011 (for how we use them).

We're not fine at O-Line, D-Line, QB, and maybe FB for 2011. Some of that can be solved in FA if the FO decides to spend money. Some of that can hopefully be solved in the draft. But the most important key to a great team, who isn't a one-year wonder (lightning in a bottle) like the Ravens, Bucs, and hell even us in 03, is a QB.

Take the risk. Draft Luck.

I disagree about the line and fullback. Our line played great in 2008 and pretty good in 2009. They need a solid Right Guard, that's all, and they may not even need that if Otah gets healthy. The fullback need really depends on our next offensive scheme. Other than that, I think your post is spot on.

[Jangler]

So Fox never had any input it draft picks? And the next coach won't either? Seems like everybody just like to point out the opposite just to say it.

No but to keep saying any of these QBs everybody is slurping on will do anything is wishful thinking. And a QB WR or even a RB can be found anywhere. With our track record on QBs and WRs, I sure wouldn't trust them if they have Luck, Locker or any other QB high on their board.

Then we call that QB a bust after 4 games, good times to come...YAY!

[Fox007]

Brady is a great QB obviously but I also feel like he was made because of that system. NE has had one of the best coaching staffs in the history of the NFL.

If we had drafted Brady does anyone truly believe he would be what he is today?

They can insert people in and out as they wish with what appears to be little to no drop off no matter who they lose.

Even when Brady was down they played well and had a winning record.(yes i know they missed the playoffs but it is the AFC after all)

More than anything, this team has been hurt by pre-historic coaching and coaching philosophies.

[Snake]

If we have the #1 overall either take Luck or trade down. You should be able to get a massive package of picks in a trade down this year so passing that up for a CB or WR is a huge mistake IMO. You could conceivably trade down to the 4th-10th overall range, get a future 1st and 3rd/4th in the process, and still land AJ Green.

Also, in response to listing all these QBs, there are teams with great QBs that haven't won sh*t. You need a legit QB, true, but you also need to build a solid team around him.

I know the typical response from fans is to think "hey plug in this one guy and we're great again" but this team has some serious holes that a rookie QB isn't going to fix. And of course we're short on draft picks yet again (thanks Hurney).

It really depends on how you think Clausen is going to turn out. IMO he had one of the best OC in the NFL coaching him in collage and I dont think he will progress much. I guess we will see at the end of the year.

Still the fact is one great QB can hide some other minor holes in your team. Just ask the Rams.

[Snake]

Brady is a great QB obviously but I also feel like he was made because of that system. NE has had one of the best coaching staffs in the history of the NFL.

If we had drafted Brady does anyone truly believe he would be what he is today?

They can insert people in and out as they wish with what appears to be little to no drop off no matter who they lose.

Even when Brady was down they played well and had a winning record.(yes i know they missed the playoffs but it is the AFC after all)

More than anything, this team has been hurt by pre-historic coaching and coaching philosophies.

They have good coaching no doubt but there were drop offs in offense and defense with the pats in years past. Really I guess you have to ask the question if they didnt tape other teams would they have won as many SBs. They have yet to prove they can without taping.

[Jangler]

Yeah, I believe Brady got lucky. But does anybody really trust Hurney or the scouting team to get the right QB? Especially one year after being so excited about Clausen falling to us.

[Fox007]

They have good coaching no doubt but there were drop offs in offense and defense with the pats in years past. Really I guess you have to ask the question if they didnt tape other teams would they have won as many SBs. They have yet to prove they can without taping.

Honestly I don't think they would have even beat us without taping.

And really the Patriots shouldn't have even beat the Raiders in "that" game, since that was clearly a fuging fumble.

Yeah, I believe Brady got lucky. But does anybody really trust Hurney or the scouting team to get the right QB? Especially one year after being so excited about Clausen falling to us.

I can say that I do not fully trust Hurney and company to get the right anything, outside of sure RB picks, sure OL picks, and sure LB picks.

Especially with his current super fail trades.

[Cyberjag]

So Fox never had any input it draft picks? And the next coach won't either? Seems like everybody just like to point out the opposite just to say it.

No but to keep saying any of these QBs everybody is slurping on will do anything is wishful thinking. And a QB WR or even a RB can be found anywhere. With our track record on QBs and WRs, I sure wouldn't trust them if they have Luck, Locker or any other QB high on their board.

Then we call that QB a bust after 4 games, good times to come...YAY!

Of course Fox had input, but so did the entire scouting department. The guy who fills out the draft card is Marty Hurney. He assembles the roster, not Fox (have you been listening to Mr. Say-nothing talk about personnel decisions this year?).

And obviously a quarterback can be found anywhere. But look at the odds--of the top ten quarterbacks in the league this year, 7 were drafted in the first round. In the last 10 years, there have been 27 quarterbacks taken in the first round--16 are currently starting. Contrast that with the 105 quarterbacks taken in the later rounds--10 of them are currently starting. So you have a greater than 50% chance of success for a high draft pick QB, versus less than 10% by trusting luck.

Finally, two months from now we'll have NO track record. Unless you think Fox is actually returning, or that the next head coach will keep Davidson and Sherer on his staff. And if you believe that, well...

[Yaboychris28]

I say we draft luck and hire harbaugh as our new head coach. trade clausen for a 4th

[Cyberjag]

If Clausen starts next year and plays well, we'll get a ton more than a 4th for him.