Tim Tindale

Corey Mac is a warrior.

Context. Perspective. We have a winner. Most refreshing thing I've ever read on this board. I thought I was the only one who felt this way...

I smell a Luck aka Chuck Norris joke coming on... Andrew Luck can kill two stones with one bird. I couldn't resist.

Just a few observations after reading numerous "we need a franchise qb" posts/threads: a) People reference Brees and Brady as poster children for why we should be taking a QB in the Top 5. Brees was "too short" and slipped into the second round the year he was drafted and Brady was a 6th. The number of "franchise qb's" in the league that were top 5 picks isn't an incredibly long list. The process of grading out quarterback talent is inconsistent at best. b) The notion that teams can't make the playoffs or can't win a Super Bowl without a "top tier" QB is just wrong. I think Marino was one of the top QB's of all-time and never won one. Elway didn't win one until he had Terrell Davis and decent defense. It takes a balanced roster. One guy doesn't win anything in the NFL and there have been plenty of teams that have made playoff runs without a upper echelon QB. I actually think it's harder to find teams that have gone deep into the playoffs that do not have strong defensive lines and offensive lines. Fitz can be a playoff quarterback, but not with a team that gives up 175 yards/game on the ground. About 8 weeks ago, we were talking about how much of an embarrassment the OL was. Now Fitz rarely gets sacked and the passing game has actually opened up the running game a bit. I think he's elevated the play of an under-talented line, which is saying something about how strong of a year he is actually having. The offensive line angst on this board has virtually disappeared, despite a revolving door at one of the tackle positions. c) What constitutes a franchise qb? Honestly, I'd observe that nearly every other team has found their franchise QB, but the Bills. Or at least, that's what many seem to imply. I mean there are so many consistently solid-to-above average teams in the NFL now. Let's say 15 or so. I mean, Packers, Vikes, Chargers, Colts, Jets, Pats, Steelers, Ravens, Giants, Eagles, Saints, Falcons. There is another group that we'd probably classify as "always a threat/typically in the mix" such as the Cowboys, Bengals (won the AFC North last year), Dolphins, etc. How many of these teams have franchise qb's, because that's a significant amount of teams. Furthermore, how many of these teams could we swap out their starter for Fitz and they'd still be playoff-type teams? I'd argue that it's quite a few. Not all of them, but a lot. The point of all of this. One player, even the QB, doesn't make a playoff team. Yes, a Brady and Manning are a one-in-a-generation guys and can obviously carry you quite far. History would say that the odds of landing that guy are remote, even with a top five pick. I think you find a solid qb, you build around him with strong offensive lines and defensive lines and you have team that can contend every year. Fitz is showing that he can be that solid qb. If not, you can pick up a solid qb off of free agency after you've put the other pieces in place. No way we ever contend with the defense we have, especially given the run defense.

I think great ones throw picks at inopportune times quite frequently; perhaps you saw my horrible INT against the Saints in the NFC Championship game last year. You could write a novel about all of the inopportune picks I've thrown in my career yet some say that I'm the greatest QB ever. To win the big reward, you have to take the big risk... and I still have a ring Signed, Brett Favre

Didn't Carson Palmer carve up the Steeler D three weeks ago? The Bengals should have won that game. The Steeler D also got worked by the Patriots. Even the Miami offense had a good game against them a few weeks back. The Steelers are hardly a team worth being terrified of. Our fans are quickly turning into Philadelphia fans - good is bad, bad is bad, ok is bad. Bunch of chicken littles.

Tim Couch, Matthew Stafford, Akili Smith

All you haters... taking two AFC playoff teams the distance on the road. This team is turning the corner. It's ok to cheer and feel good about it. Sundays are starting to get fun again.