If we start winning now, will you want to watch more or less?

So having Elway would not have been a bad thing.

 

9-7!!!!!

 

plus we still have Henne!!!

 

Everyone is so hung up on Andrew Luck coming into the league next year that the blatantly obvious is being overlooked.

The Class of 2012 reminds me ALOT of the infamous Class of 83, where 6 quarterbacks were drafted (in order of draft), John Elway, Todd Blackledge, Jim Kelly, Tony Eason, Ken O'Brien and lastly Dan Marino. Of those 6 quarterbacks taken, 4 went to the Super Bowl, the first being the last one drafted, Dan Marino...Eason was next, followed by two straight by Elway...then Elway again in 89, then four straight appearances by Jim Kelly from 90-93, concluding with Elway's last two years in the league as Super Bowl Bowl Champions. Blackledge, despite winning the NCAA Championship the previous year at Penn State was never able to adjust reading the defenses of the NFL and despire being drafted 2nd, he is considered one of Kansas City's biggest drafts busts in franchise history. Ken O'Brien, despite having a successful career was doomed playing with the disfunctional Jets.

So, the point of the trip down memory lane...

The last quarterback drafted in the 1983 class was the first to go to the Super Bowl (1984)
The 4th quarterback drafted in the 1983 class was the next to go to the Super Bowl (1985)
The 1st quarterback drafted in the 1983 class didn't go to the Super Bowl until 1987...and didn't actually WIN a Super Bowl until 1998, some 15 years after being drafted.

So is "first" necessarily "best"?

Fast forward to 2012. One thing we have today that wasn't around when the Class of 1983 came out is instant media. Today we sit and armchair every facet of the game and we have more voiced and viewed opinions than we did in 1983, but here are my questions concerning the pending class of 2012.

Which one of these quarterbacks is going to be the next John Elway?
Which one of these quarterbacks is going to be the next Todd Blackledge?
Which one of these quarterbacks is going to be the next Jim Kelly?
Which one of these quarterbacks is going to be the next Tony Eason?
Which one of these quarterbacks is going to be the next Ken O'Brien?
Which one of these quarterbacks is going to be the next Dan Marino?

The thing that was great about the Class of 83 is it's arguably the greatest class of quarterbacks to ever enter the NFL in a single season. Only one of those quarterbacks failed to live up to expectations and all together, that class acccounts for 11 Super Bowl appearances...and only one of them was drafted 1st.

I suspect the Class of 2012 wil mirror the Class of 83 and seeing how there was only one flop in that class, can anyone here truly believe that if the Dolphins do not draft Andrew Luck, we're doomed? There's ALOT of talent coming out in this year's draft.

As long as we don't draft "Todd Blackledge", I think we'll be alright with which ever QB we draft.

 

Interesting points, I do think this is a very talented class so really if we are picking after #1 we can still land a legit franchise Qb. I know everyone, including me, wants Luck but this class has a lot of potential and really it will be years from now until we figure out who the best Qb of this class was. Maybe we can put some "Luck took cocaine" rumors out there lol.

 

First off I think this is a great post and I agree with a lot of it. I am going to challenge you on one key point though

Point: Overstating the negative impact of a 0 - 16 (what ever record you want to insert) season.

The vast majority of the player on the roster today will most likely be gone in a couple of years due to the new coaching staff. My estimation is that roughly 8% of the roster today is remaining from the Cam/Saban era. That is 92% turn over in 4 season. The same will be true of the next staff. So you are correct we can't replace the entire roster in one season and that will have some affect on next year, but as the years progress it will mostly disappear.

Also losing and quitting will not be the norm on this team because the coaching staff is going to change next season. Every new coach that comes talks about "changing the culture" of the losing team they are taking over. It is obviously possible because you see "dead" programs/franchise be reborn under a quality coach. That is why the hiring of the head coach is the single most important decision next year. It is much more important than were we draft. For an example of an 0 - 16 team turning it around see the Detroit Lions.

Also Andrew Luck is the perfect lightening rod at this moment in time for Dolphins fans. He represents all the things the franchise has lacked since Dan's retirement. So I think the vast majority of this suck for Luck thing is more based on the franchises failure to attain a franchise QB than about Luck himself.

I guess I am not technically on the SFL bandwagon because I don't feel as if our only hope of being a competitive franchise is Andrew Luck. But to be honest, inside, I want a high draft pick so that the new coach can get "his guy" at QB w/o having to trade away future draft picks and thus extending the time it takes to rebuild the franchise.