The "Big 4"

So according to all the experts (and perhaps even myself), there are 4 legit quarterbacks available this off-season. They are: Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Peyton Manning and Matty Flynn.  These are the players that are believed to be the difference makers, and that any team making a move for them, has an opportunity to compete for a Super Bowl.

I don't really believe this.  So after today, it is known that Peyton will lead the Broncos charge next season, Matty Flynn will run the west coast offense in Seattle, Andrew Luck will start the Indy rebuild, and Mr.Griffin will be running things in D.C.  For the next five years, legitimately, I believe only the Denver Broncos have a shot at the super bowl.  Even Peyton Manning only went 3-13 in his rookie season.  That being said, I completely understand why every team made the moves that they did.  Denver really is almost there.  They play in a division in which they can win 10-11 games per season with Peyton, similar to the Colts when the Texans and Jaguars weren't competing annually in the AFC South.  The Chiefs, Raiders and Chargers are all decent, but none of those organizations have the stability or the coaching to win double digit games year after year.

The Seattle Seahawks strike me as a team that could pull one Super Bowl run from this group a la Mike Holmgren/Matt Hassleback, but this means they will have to beat Rodgers, Brees and Eli along the way.  Or at least one of the 3.  Ask Matt Ryan how easy that is... Yet, I do like the direction they are going.  Pete Carroll got rid of all the salary hungry players, and replaced them with guys that just enjoy playing football games.  Now I'm interested to see which category Marshawn Lynch falls into, after getting that nice deal.  For the most part though, they can be good.  Just not scary great.

The Indianapolis Colts have been one of the top 5 most stable organizations for a long time.  Year in and year out, we knew that they were going to be in the playoffs.  That's impressive, considering that 40% of the teams do on a yearly basis.  Now they decided to fire the General Manager, the coaches (mostly), and cut many of the players from that great run.  I like Andrew Luck.  He is probably the best college prospect that I have ever seen.  He can run an offense on his own, his decision-making is NFL ready, he has a great knack for avoiding the pass rush just like some other Stanford alum, and on top of that... NFL size and arm.  It's like JaMarcus Russell, Tom Brady and Joe Montana had a love baby, but only the best parts. So now Indy has one piece. They need to fill the rest of the roster with talent, but it seems like they have a pretty good idea of which direction that they will be heading.  But will it create even similar long-term success?  The jury is still out on that one.

Lastly, the Washington Redskins traded away 3(!) first round picks and a couple of other selections, for the opportunity to draft Robert Griffin III if they so choose.  I know they wouldn't fork all of that over for Justin Blackmon and Matt Kalil, so it's pretty much done.  And I love III.  I think he is the prototypical NFL quarterback in today's NFL.  Get the ball to your receiver.  Watch out for blitzes.  Escape when necessary. But win with your arm.  Meets all those requirements and does it uncannily well.  Unfortunately, they traded away many an asset, and might have problems struggling to fill whatever future holes show up in their team.  They play in what arguably is the best division in the NFL, if not the most consistent.  Outside of the Redskins, these teams rarely lose more than 10 games.  I haven't seen Dallas draft in the top 5 since Troy Aikman, but feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.  Giants after Eli; same.  Philly is the NFC's Indy.  So we will see.  I like all 4, but at the end of the day, I like Tom, Eli, Drew, Aaron and Ben, and their teams just a little bit more.

P.S.  Watch out for Cam and his Panthers, and Andy and his Bengals.