Harbaugh / Luck Question #2

[rayzor]

Would you pass on Peyton Manning because you had Chad Henne?

Clausen still has the potential to be good, though he's got a better shot with a WCO team than with a team that runs a conventional offense.

But even Clausen at his potential best isn't equal to what Luck could be.

That's why they can't pass him up if they have the chance.

watching peyton play at Tenn i knew that he was going to be one of the best QBs ever. i saw leaf play and thought he was ok, but peyton's intelligence was incredibly plain to see. it was obvious that he was the total package and i have never seen a QB that i have been this sure of until now.

the chad henne over peyton question...i kind of view the situation a little more like the cardinals in '97.

in '97 it was obvious that they needed a QB. they drafted jake plummer in the 2nd round. he started quite a few games that year and wound up throwing 15 TDs and 15 INTs. he only won 3 games that year and the cards finished with 4 wins total and 2nd pick in the draft the next year. if they had gotten first pick overall....would they have drafted peyton? would they have been better off if they did? i'm thinking it's safe to assume they would have been better off if they had. plummer did ok, but he was nowhere near the talent that manning was/is. plummer > clausen in his rookie year. i actually see them as having similar production (though clausen might last a little longer in the league). still, no way would i pass on luck.

My perspective on Luck is that so many people on here are saying that he is too good to pass up... That may be true

However, let's not forget that he has never played a snap in the NFL so can really determine how good he can be based off of college stats?

I am not saying that we should pass up on Luck, I am just saying that people need to be careful what they wish for.

for me it has little to do with the stats, although they are impressive. it has to do with his poise, intelligence, accuracy, mental toughness, decision making, leadership skills...the whole package.

Clausen could absolutely light it up in the remaining games, and most fans would be pissed because we missed out on our next franchise quarterback in the draft.

meh, i would feel fine with clausen lighting it up. i still think that luck is a better prospect than clausen, but i would feel better about clausen leading the team going down the road (though i felt that way about moore last year as well). at the very least it would mean that clausen had more trade value, but it would also likely mean that we weren't in last place anymore so the whole luck discussion would be moot.

How many snaps had Clausen taken in the NFL before he was drafted?

People said plenty of positive things about Clausen last year , but no one talked about him the way they're talking about Luck. There was debate as to whether he was even the best QB prospect in his class. People are talking about Luck being the best QB prospect in over a decade, and no one else in this year's class is even close.

If you have even half a brain, there is no way you pass on that.

agreed totally. that luck is the best prospect in this class and one of the best QBs in recent history to come out of college isn't really a matter of debate for most people who have a bias against the PAC10. even with pac10 biases, most recognize the talent that is there and have little problem considering him at the very least the best QB of this class and, most likely the best player overall of this class.

i have never seen this much confidence in one pick. even with peyton there was some discussion about who would be better, leaf or manning. like i said, i was on the peyton wagon but many people thought that it was 50/50. peyton had all the intangibles and leaf had the build and the cannon arm.

in this case, there is no equal.

[Squirrel]

Never seen him play if he is like Brafford sure. But if not let him sit. With that said I would rather trade down and get extra picks.

[Raskle]

Payton Manning was supposed to be pretty good too.

See? I can play that game too... Lemme guess, you'd have been pissed had we had a chance and drafted Marino, Elway, or any of the other 83 QBs too, right?

Not saying Luck will be close to those guys, but he has the potential to be according to many well-respected sources around the lague and sports writers.

That's enough for me to hope we draft the kid... he's too good to not at least try and see if he can be a special player. Also, I've said plenty of times I'd like us to keep Pickles around to see if he can develop as well, while signing a Vet QB to come in and mentor the young guys. Overall, that would be a perfect situation to me. Other holes, such as OL, DL, and DBs can be filled with decent, cheap FAs imo, and we're back in business with a HELL of a good Offense next year. I'd be stoked like a mofo then.

[Cavscout]

Or there's just no football next year.

There will NOT be a lockout...the players have already voted to decertify their union in case there is no CBA...preventing the owners from locking out the players

Also Luck will probably leave Stanford for a multitude of reasons like:

1-Money

2-His dad's NFL career was a failure so he has something to prove

3-His o-line is losing 3 starters and their best blocking TE

4-Harbaugh is most likely leaving

5-He saw Lockers draft stock fall after staying in school

[Ohio]

Everyone who is using Clausen is just proving my point. Yes Clausen was everything Luck was coming out of college, and according to you guys, he sucks. So why would we want another one?

[Mr. Scot]

Everyone who is using Clausen is just proving my point. Yes Clausen was everything Luck was coming out of college, and according to you guys, he sucks. So why would we want another one?

If you think people said the same things about Clausen that they're saying about Luck, I seriously doubt you read the scouting reports on either of them.

Luck has scouts drooling in a way they haven't since Peyton.

[Catalyst]

I agree that Clausen has been given the short end of the stick with Fox/Davidson this year. He is better than we've seen, but he's no more a sure bet than Luck at this point. It'd essentially be like both of them being rookies in '11 since this year was a complete waste with Fox/Davidson running the offense.A

And that said, if Clausen had waited until this year to come out Luck would still be a MUCH better prospect and it wouldn't even be close. It's all relative; there hasn't been a QB prospect like Luck in so long we're comparing his scouting reports to the likes of Mark Sanchez, Matt Leinart, Jay Cutler, Sam Bradford, and other recent 1st round QB's.

The truth is he's light years beyond them all. He's as close to a 'can't miss' prospect you're ever going to find at the QB position. He's to QB's what Suh was to DT's or Calvin Johnson was to WR's. A player who has such an impressive skillset that it's extremely hard to imagine himm failing in the NFL.

But AGAIN, this has nothing - NOTHING - to do with Jimmy Clausen. Andrew Luck is on a different level as a prospect than any QB in recent memory. We don't KNOW for sure with Clausen, and as long as there is any level of uncertainty we can't pass on Luck.

Imagine how awful it would feel to pass on Luck and then watch him go to the 49ers or Cardinals and become the next elite QB and for Clausen to be a bust. Now flip that scenario and imagine drafting Luck and - worst case scenario - he's a bust and we still have Clausen as a fallback option.

Two options are better than one and Luck is well worth taking a risk on. I really believe he could be the next decade's Peyton Manning. Truly do. And I'm sorry, but no team that wants to win would pass on even the possibility to land that kind of player.

[KatsAzz]

In my opinion we should draft Luck,trade Clausen,bring in a vet to play until Luck is ready and meanwhile let Pike continue to develop as the 3rd QB.