@the-gipper said:

Brady:  Michigan...... GOAT?

Brees:  Purdue

Russell Wilson:  from Ohio/  Wisconsin

All Super Bowl winners that are active

Kirk Cousins:  Michigan St.  (only now the highest paid player in the NFL)....... this one still cracks me up!

Len Dawson   Purdue/Alliance..... I remember Lenny Dawson the Alliance Aviator when I was a kid!

Roger Staubach....from Cincinnati

Bob Griese...Purdue/Evansville Ind.

Kurt Warner...from  Iowa  (Northern Iowa U)....... I remember him in that darn Unidome!

And that doesn't even include the  Western Pa  crowd...that is within spitting distance of being "Midwest":   Marino, Montana, Kelly, Namath, Unitas....... whoa, what a bunch.

And other decent QBs  that either went to college in the Midwest...or were from the Midwest

Oh yes the Midwest quarterbacks the overlooked, underrated and the smurfs.

@tour2ma said:

Miss does not equal bust... or as h put it "mega-bust".

No....true.....I guess we could have broken it down to like 10 different categories....but I did not decide to do that.

When you trade up to take a QB #3 overall, you ain't looking for "OK".

Perhaps....but you may be looking for a guy that can  control the game....not make turnovers....and make plays....and WIN!  So...Bortles seems to be doing that now.    You know...he is just now 25 years old.   Turns 26 in April.  Still plenty, plenty of time for him to prove....or disprove himself.

When you trade up to take a QB #3 overall, you ain't looking for "OK".

@hoorta said:

To the wimps that say- gotta take Saquon since he's more of a "Sure thing".  Since 2003 only one mega-bust- Jamarcus, and close on his heels Vince Young. Other than that, the track record has been pretty good.  Sanchez and Bortels not quite so bad under performing relative to their draft status, Bradford and Griffin injury busts- it happens at every position. I got a bust rate of around 30% since Carson Palmer. Scouting and metrics apparently vastly improved over the last 15 years. And we've hashed it out a bunch of times, the farther down you draft a QB, the higher the odds he's going to bust. LOL, the Browns have the market cornered on #22 QB busts. Who knows? Maybe a sober Johnny can turn it around, I'm not counting on it though

PS, RE: Bortels- you don't guarantee a guy $26 million if you think he's a bust.  

Then there is the Tim Couch/David Carr other factor:    They were  high picks  (#1s)....that went to play for a "paper" team.   I.e....and expansion or expansion type team, where the ONLY guys on those teams were the dregs that the league allowed the team to pick in  their expansion drafts.  

We have always said:  what if these guys had gone to more established teams....instead of paper teams, with paper thin offensive lines.

I suppose you could put those two into another "subset".

Fair to say?

@mjp28 said:

Upon closer inspection:

Top 5 QBs drafted overall, hits and misses

All those quarterbacks mostly from the South and West and not ONE BIG TEN quarterback in the bunch......just an observation. Top picked quarterbacks must not go with the Midwest style of football. 

Interesting.     Did not notice that.  

But...whether or not "Top Pick" QBs go with Midwest Football.......NFL football surely goes with Midwest football:

Brady:  Michigan

Brees:  Purdue

Ben R:  Miami, Oh

Russell Wilson:  from Ohio/  Wisconsin

All Super Bowl winners that are active

Kirk Cousins:  Michigan St.  (only now the highest paid player in the NFL)

Carson Wentz:   North Dakota St.     I think you can classify that as "Midwest". 

Plus a few others...that are retired:

Len Dawson   Purdue/Alliance

Roger Staubach....from Cincinnati

Bob Griese...Purdue/Evansville Ind.

Kurt Warner...from  Iowa  (Northern Iowa U)

And that doesn't even include the  Western Pa  crowd...that is within spitting distance of being "Midwest":   Marino, Montana, Kelly, Namath, Unitas

And other decent QBs  that either went to college in the Midwest...or were from the Midwest

@tour2ma said:

Disagree on:

• Bradford and Griffin... missing primarily due to injury is a special subset. Especially so in the case of Bradford who clearly had the talent to succeed. RG3? Since his "talent" required him to play a style that increased his injury potential...
• Too soon on Bortles? He has 4 seasons under his belt. He's a miss.

To the wimps that say- gotta take Saquon since he's more of a "Sure thing".  Since 2003 only one mega-bust- Jamarcus, and close on his heels Vince Young. Other than that, the track record has been pretty good.  Sanchez and Bortels not quite so bad under performing relative to their draft status, Bradford and Griffin injury busts- it happens at every position. I got a bust rate of around 30% since Carson Palmer. Scouting and metrics apparently vastly improved over the last 15 years. And we've hashed it out a bunch of times, the farther down you draft a QB, the higher the odds he's going to bust. LOL, the Browns have the market cornered on #22 QB busts. Who knows? Maybe a sober Johnny can turn it around, I'm not counting on it though

PS, RE: Bortels- you don't guarantee a guy $26 million if you think he's a bust.  

@the-gipper said:

Buckeyes not a factor in this thread. Not sure why you bring them up.  See the post in the USC QB thread.

Upon closer inspection:

Top 5 QBs drafted overall, hits and misses

All those quarterbacks mostly from the South and West and not ONE BIG TEN quarterback in the bunch......just an observation. Top picked quarterbacks must not go with the Midwest style of football. 

@mjp28 said:

Geographically pretty well scattered all over the place but not one from The OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY. 

But then again the Buckeyes strengths since Tressel has been defense, running game and special teams.  With all of the attention this year on this crop of ok quarterbacks it just reinforces  the fact that QBs are long shots to be franchise  players, maybe because the BROWNS have so desperately needed one for so long.

Buckeyes not a factor in this thread. Not sure why you bring them up.  See the post in the USC QB thread.

@tour2ma said:

Disagree on:

• Bradford and Griffin... missing primarily due to injury is a special subset. Especially so in the case of Bradford who clearly had the talent to succeed. RG3? Since his "talent" required him to play a style that increased his injury potential...
• Too soon on Bortles? He has 4 seasons under his belt. He's a miss.

Missing due to injury may be a subset....but it is still a Miss.    If I had gone back one year earlier to 1999, then we would have had Tim Couch on the list. And most people would call him a miss....and probably be right.  But to me he would belong in the  "injury" subset.  But since I only put either "Hit" or "Miss"  as eligible categories....he too would be a miss.  Though...yes....it can be a qualifier.

On Bortles....I don't know....he played quite well this year.  Not spectacular....steady.  Got his team into an AFC title game they should have won.  The Jags seem to have decided that he is their future (for now).   He could become a solid, steady "game manager" QB....if not a Superstar type. 

But then again the Buckeyes strengths since Tressel has been defense, running game and special teams.  With all of the attention this year on this crop of ok quarterbacks it just reinforces  the fact that QBs are long shots to be franchise  players, maybe because the BROWNS have so desperately needed one for so long.

• Bradford and Griffin... missing primarily due to injury is a special subset. Especially so in the case of Bradford who clearly had the talent to succeed. RG3? Since his "talent" required him to play a style that increased his injury potential...
• Too soon on Bortles? He has 4 seasons under his belt. He's a miss.

Hits:

Vick  (despite his off field issues),   Palmer, Rivers, Eli,  Smith, Ryan, Stafford, Newton, Luck

Misses:

Harrington, Carr, Young, Russell, Sanchez, Bradford, Griffin, 

Too Soon

Bortles, Mariota, Winston, Wentz, Goff, Trubisky

Areas of argument:

A. Sanchez took his team to two AFC title games his first two years....should he be given credit...or still...since he has done nothing since

B. Smith....seemed mediocre for a long time...but got his act together

C.  Bradford....see Smith....so far very mediocre....but could he get his act together (and stay healthy?)

D. Luck....I give him a hit....but his overall career will be a disappointment if he cannot come back to form.

E. Griffin....great for one year...then nothing.  Now can't even get a job.

F. Bortles....he was coming off pretty mediocre for a while....but seems to be getting it together....so it is a wait and see situation....which is why I put him on the too soon category

G. The Young ones:  With Mariota, Winston, Wentz, Goff, Trubisky.....some are looking good...some are looking so-so.  Ergo, too soon to tel.

H.   Of course...the big question for all of us will be:  which of the  Hit or Miss category will our new guy fall into eventually.  Not a good track record for us to be optimistic.