FOLLOWING THE LEADERS
The first was the Seattle Seahawks. In 2012, the third year under head coach Pete Carroll and GM John Schneider, they acquired two quarterbacks. In free agency they signed former Green Bay Packers backup Matt Flynn to a considerable deal. Then in the draft they took Bruce Irvin and Bobby Wanger in the first and second rounds before nabbing a young man named Russell Wilson in the third. After a competition in training camp and preseason, a clear winner was declared.
Wilson helped the Seahawks to the playoffs that year and the Super Bowl the next two. Irvin was a key pass rusher and Wagner a Pro Bowl linebacker.
Then just two years later another team enacted a similar policy. They traded their sixth round pick to the Houston Texans in exchange for veteran quarterback Matt Schaub. The hope was he’d be their temporary starter until they could bring a rookie along. Instead of going QB in the first round though, they instead went with pass rusher Khalil Mack. Then in the second they secured the talented but raw Derek Carr.
Within a short period Carr was a Pro Bowl quarterback and got the Raiders to their first playoff appearance in 14 years by 2016. Mack is one of the best pass rushers in football.
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That is what Pace is talking about in terms of value. In a QB class that is considered light on proven products, the odds are good a really talented one might fall to Day Two. A smart plan would be to have a veteran on the roster who can keep the offense on schedule until that kid is properly prepared. Some can do it faster than others.
Of course this is far from a fool-proof idea, but it’s one that has delivered success in the past. If Pace feels he can pull it off, he has every right to try. This is his show. He must be allowed to do it his way.
