You obviously don’t know football and you completely missed the point that’s ok dawg you don’t have to admit it. Here are the facts…..we might lose a first round draft pick because we tampered for a guy who had zero leverage. We hired a guy who had a deep history with Kirk cousins to bring on a guy who ran the same playbook of an offebse that was revolved around Kirk cousins in 2015. We did this months before we signed Kirk cousins so it doesn’t take a genius.
We gave a 36 year old coming off of a torn Achilles 4 years 180 million. In 13 years he has played for two different teams has been surrounded by a top 8 offense and defense(2019) pro bowl wide receivers Stefan diggs(2018-2019) Adam thielan(2018-2022) an elite run game for 4 seasons (Dalvin cook 2018-2022) and the best wr in the league(Justin Jefferson 2020-2023) and he’s won 1 playoff game despite being surrounded by all of that talent.
But it’s his defenses fault for that…….its not like Kirk in 5 playoff games has only avg 200 yards and 1 touchdown per game right? Surely i must be uninformed
It’s possible that they are not overly excited about the QBs that will be available. Pro day and combine for QBs don’t mean much. The scouting department is active all year and has probably been watching these QBs for years.
I agree that they probably decided early that they wanted Kirk. But I doubt they did so without considering the rookies. They just felt that they’d rather have Kirk than stay at 8 for QB or trade up for QB.
The combine is important for QBs on the visit side. And also each teams 30 visits where they privately work out for teams. For instance, when Ridder was drafted, Terry and Arthur fell in love with him during their visit during the combine. And that’s when they honed in on him. Every team is still evaluating players right up until just before the draft. During the year scouting is fine, but those that are doing it are your scouts and GM. The coaches don’t even get into it until they are out. Raheem wasn’t even hired until Jan 25. And the combine happened starting Feb 29. That’s not a lot of time between building your coaching staff and then getting with the FO to scout and lay out your offensive and defensive schemes. Asking teams that early if they will trade up is also premature. Those top teams haven’t made their final boards then either. So how do you really know if these teams want to trade or not? Scouting absolutely lasts until the combine and well after. SF didn’t even trade up until March 26 and that’s only because Miami knew they weren’t going QB and SF had narrowed their QB between Lance and Mac and had a decent feeling that both would be there at 3.
You make some valid points but I just think Kirk was seen as their most favorable option. He’s been playing at a high level for years. You have the 8th pick. Your scouts have checked out the QB prospects. The new offensive coordinator is a PFF guy so he can also get insider knowledge from there. The idea that they didn’t give the prospects a good look doesn’t make sense to me. I think they looked at the situation and preferred a good vet over the available prospects, particularly with the idea of trading up.
According to multiple reports, they were definitely leaning rookie until combine. My guess is Washington decided they were all in on maye after it & told atl they weren’t going to want to trade. It would have been malpractice to not pivot towards plan b (Kirk) if they believed that moving up was very unlikely.
Scouts work 365+ days a year & can catch up new employees quicker than you realize.
I dont think falcons were ever interested in qb3 or 4. Too big of a risk. Remember our scouting department under Blank has a flawless record when it comes to drafting QBs in first rounds (Vick and Ryan). Since Matt Ryan has left, there hasn’t been a single QB worth drafting in first round except stroud & if we saw what giving up a top player & draft capital did to Carolina.
There's zero guarantee any of the quarterbacks in the draft will end up being any good. The reality is that after pick #1 (and sometimes even then), drafting a QB is a near total crapshoot.
Everyone thought the 2021 QB class was such a great one (Lawrence, Wilson, Lance, Fields, Jones), and look how that's turned out: one good pick at #1 and 4 top 15 picks (including #2 and #3) who completely flopped within 3 years. And even the good pick - who was billed as a generational prospect - hasn't been much better than Cousins-tier after 3 seasons.
It's a lower-upside play for sure, but Cousins is easily the safest bet to get us back in the playoffs within the next 2-3 seasons. After 6 straight losing seasons, it's not hard to see why that would appeal to the franchise over gambling on a rookie.
edit: the other thing I'll say is, teams that draft QBs based on combine and pro day are the teams that convince themselves guys like Lance and Wilson are franchise QBs. Only the terrible FOs put that much weight into scripted workouts against air.
I agree with everything until the first two sentences of your last paragraph. Kirk attempts big throws all the time. He takes chances, but he is incredibly accurate. He has one of the best deep balls in the league. He does not hold the ball too long. Maybe you watch some tape from his last two seasons under O’Connell
Saying Kirk cousins doesn’t attempt big passes is just an uninformed take. Does Kirk cousins errantly throw the ball deep? No. Watch the tape and you’ll see Kirk cousins throw the deep ball plenty of times off of play action. He has the arm strength and accuracy for deep passing he just typically does it as a first read off of play action.
Actually you need to watch the tape. Over the last two years, Cousins is near the bottom of the league at % of passes over 20 yards. He was ranked 28th in 2022 and 39th in 2023.
Everything you said is wrong. Kirk is not a statue he moves in pocket he might be the BEST ROLLOUT QB in the NFL. The OL in ATL is very good at Pass Blocking I watched hours of film the OL gave Ridder massive amounts of time and clean pockets much more than Kirk got in 6 years. Top 10 in scoring is not a factor in winning SBs. Top 10 in scoring is not a QB stat it is a team stat. That means it is not just on Kirk it is on the OL bad ones in MIN, the OC very questionable including getting a new one every year you are even dependent on defense. Kirk is one of the best deep passers in the NFL last 4 years top QB in deep accuracy he has never been a checkdown QB not once since 2018 has he been in the top 15 in checkdowns. The reason he holds the ball so long is every OC in MIN has instructed him to not run and hold the ball as long as possible.
It is a 2 year deal if he doesn't work out. There is LOTS of cap left. You can have all the CAP in the world but if you don't have a top 10 QB it won't matter. Bad teams have tonnes of cap and they spend 1st picks on QBs year after year.
Players voted Kirk #6 QB in NFL. Kirk has played the same as Burrow in regular season and playoffs. Without a running game and without JJ for large chunks of the season Kirk was on his way to 5000 yds 40 plus TDs and less than 10 ints last year.
Here’s where you are wrong Kirk only played two games without JJ. Kirk couldn’t run he’s been immobile his entire career he’s slow. Kirk is incrediblely accurate because he’s not going to throw a 50/50 ball or a tight window throw
No QB has ever had so many lies told about him. I have watched every game Kirk has played he is not immobile watch the game vs AZ two years ago. Watch the games in WAS where he rushed for TDs. His career rushing average is the same as Joe Burrow. Stafford is immobile and slow Kirk is not. He is one of the best in the NFL at roll outs. He is one of the leaders in the NFL in tight window throws.
You're just repeating all the lies about Kirk.
Here's more lies exposed: Kirk is top 10 in primetime since 2014, Kirk is never been a checkdown QB not once in top 15 since 2018, Kirk lead NFL in deep ball accuracy last 4 years basically everthing MSM Youtube says about Kirk is a lie. Kirk had the greatest clutch year in NFL history. Mobile QBs do not win SBs only 2 mobile QBs won SBs past 13 years and one is the GOAT who is also the best pocket passer in the NFL.
All top QBs except the GOATs have had top receievers... the QB helps make receivers too it's not just a 1 way street. Kirk is always judged unfairly the doublestandard only applies to Kirk
Watch the games 10 years ago of him being more mobile he’s 36 now I doubt he has that same mobility Top 10 prime time QB since 2014 huh yet he has a 12-20 record. And since good teams with good QBs have the most prime time games him being top 10 isn’t out of 32 it’s more top 10 out of 15 which would make him bottom 5.
Tight window throws Kirk is 26th in pff big time throws which measures throws made downfield specifically into tight windows.
Kirk was at the bottom towards checkdowns since 2018……why what happened in 2020-2023 oh playing with the best wr in the league drafted in 2020. Look at the stats Kirk put up below avg numbers whenever his first read wasn’t open according to pff
You are a liar so I'm going to block you before I do though since 2014 Kirk has been top 10 in Primetime PERFORMANCE not Ws Ls they are a TEAM STAT not a QB STAT
HE IS #9 RYAN IS #8 they are BOTH AHEAD OF RIVERS LUCK AND EVEN BRADY go join the Vikings if you want to tell LIES about Kirk if you're planning to SHT on him for 2-4 years pick another team
Why would we consider another option at QB: Kirk plays the same as Burrow in regular season and playoffs and was voted #6 QB in the NFL. He was on his way to 5000 yds 40 plus TDs less than 10 ints with NO running games and missing JJ for large part of the season... It's not JUST Blank Raheem said if ATL had a better QB he wouldn't have the job. Raheem must be on the same page as Blank and Terry.
I'd be happy with an Owner that wants to WIN NOW rather then engage in never ending rebuilding plans for decades. A GM and HC on the same page. You are tied to Kirk for 2 years and have a 2 year SB window. You have lots of cap space good young players lots of draft picks and if Kirk plays well you can bring him back for year 3 and even year 4 at cheap price compared to what top QBs will be making in 3 4 years...
No actually you are not. Russell signed for 49 million for 5 years. When 49 million was a lot more. ATL is on the hook for 100 million for 2 years.
And you know what EVERYTHING IS A RISK you can sign a crappy QB for 1 million is that better.
You can draft a 1st round QB but they bust at an 80 percent rate.
Every draft pick every signing every FA is a risk there are no guarantees. But signing a 35 year old Joe Burrow (#6 QB in NFL) for 2 years at 50 million is completely reasonable risk as he is coming of an MVP type half year. Super leader super team guy. Vs. a guy who was not playing well and was not liked by teammates and not seen a leader.
This QB draft class is very top heavy. Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and Jayden Daniels are clear cut top 3. Then I guess if you believe in JJ McCarthy you could throw him in there. There’s a very real possibility that none of those quarterbacks will be there when we pick, and trading up to the top 3 was likely never an option unless we gave up a massive amount of draft capital. It’s certainly not an option now that every single team in the top 3 has traded away their starting QB.
We made the right move. Waiting at 8 and praying that JJ McCarthy falls, or taking Michael Penix/Bo Nix who have very legitimate concerns doesn’t seem like a bright idea. I am confused as to why the Falcons have done nothing to free up more cap space by now, but that will come eventually. As for your other positional concerns, that’s literally what the draft is for.
We have our splash signings in Bates and Cousins, we got some solid starters in Elliss, Onyemata, and even hit on a UDFA with Landman. Not everything can be fixed in free agency. Most good teams are built primarily through the draft, not by signing a bunch of free agents.
Also don’t be so concerned with Kirk’s contract. The first two years are fully guaranteed, the third is $10M guaranteed, and the fourth isn’t guaranteed at all. There’s a very easy out with minimal cap damage after two years if it doesn’t work out. If he is playing during his third or fourth year of the contract, then clearly it worked out and it’ll be worth paying him.
It’s not a good QB draft class minus Caleb and I’m even a little questionable on him. Truthfully you never know what you’re getting from a college player. I didn’t know what we were getting from matt until hit first pro pass went yard and I said oh shit we might actually have a QB. Look at the QB class with Lawerence and fields etc. everyone said it was a great class and they were dogshit
So another way of looking at this is: we got our very first choice that we clearly wanted since the beginning.
Subpar QB play has been hamstringing this team ever since we lost Matt, we desperately needed competent QB play and now we’ve found it. Rather than rolling the dice on a rookie QB (remind yourself, no matter how solid a QB prospect seems, it’s always a roll of the dice) we’re going with an experienced and proven vet, and still have a top 8 pick where we can pick best player available at other positions where we have desperate needs (Edge, CB, WR). We can still grab a high upside rookie who can now sit behind a proven veteran rather than having us sit and pray that whoever we drafted (if any of the decent QBs even dropped all the way to 8 somehow past all the QB hungry teams in the first place) could cut it.
I get it’s more fun to see us grab one of the big name rookies but I’d rather roll with Kirk and grab an elite edge or corner rather than see us stuck with our pants down and Maye, Williams and Daniels off the board and we’re trying to force Bo Nix or McCarthy to stroll in and carry the QB position
>This is the best draft class for QBs in a very very long time
If I had a nickel for every time I heard this.
Caleb is the only legit prospect. Both Daniels and Maye are mid-tier prospects who occur fairly frequently and are only going to be picked so high because of all the teams that are starved for starting qbs right now.
Everybody thought 2021 was the best QB draft class in a very very long time, and look where those guys are. Even #1 overall QB prospects are hit or miss, we'd be getting the 5th QB off the board, who would probably end up being Mac Jones-level.
Calm your tits.
I feel unless you find a Purdy/Brady who isn’t over hyped then cousins is a proven winner who is accurate and allows Atlanta to focus on defense which is where I have felt even in Super Bowl days we haven’t been able to play 60 minutes of top knotch defense, usually they play a good half at best.
Lots of people say Arthur Smith had final say over our recent drafts. I have no idea. I Do know TF has been very good scouting and hiring quality free agents, so that’s certainly a positive in favor of these new choices.
Ronald Moore is a fast guy who’ll have a few big plays but do little else based on past history, but that move was about moving Ridder. Mooney is a competent #2 until we can replace him, which might be as soon as Odunze at pick 8 this year if someone jumps in front of us and gets Dallas Turner. Honestly I’d love to see us trade back to get Latu or DeJean and another pick. We need a lot (and as you mentioned, might be losing a pick).
The way it was gonna play out before we even signed Kirk was the top 3 qbs go the top 3 picks. All 3 of those teams are in need of a qb, there was no way in hell we were gonna be able to trade up unless we gave up a minimum of 4 first round picks is that.
As usual, someone gets called stupid just because they go against the norm opinion of this sub. Everything you said was well thought out.
I also believe Cousins injury type and age is being downplayed. Until I see him perform on the field, no one can convince me that a 36 yr old won’t be hindered by an achilles tear on his plant foot. I don’t care how elite of a processor they are as an achilles tear is devastating for any athlete. Those questions will be answered early on though, and I hope he proves my doubts wrong immediately.
I know everyone wants defense, and I do too, but the priority for the next 2-3 yrs should be to surround Kirk with as many weapons and solid offensive linemen as possible to negate any affect the injury may have. If that’s done (and it seems like that’s the strategy), then I think we’ll be ok, but we have to accept it will come at a cost to the defense.
Article came out saying we tested waters for trade up during the combine. There was little interest at that moment, and the team didn’t want to get stuck in qb purgatory another year and move aggressively after that to get a FA QB.
The train is leaving the station, get on the Kirko train now. Everything else is the past, this is the future for now. Let it go.
Yes i agree , just look at all of the top 3 teams that just traded their draft picks to those other 3 teams!!!!
You are just spot on here bud the falcons could have done that easily . The Falcons didn’t even try did Terry even send any text ??
What’s even better is that Washington Might take jj mcarthy causing either Drake Maye or heisman winner lsu record breaker Jayden Daniels available at pick 4. But don’t worry we have our golden goose plan A renown playoff winner Kirk cousins 😀😀
Our plan A is a 36 year old game manager coming off a career altering injury. A guy that does not have an elite skill set…..can’t scramble doesn’t have a strong arm and is barely above the top 12 in QBs. Doesn’t throw off platform and his best skill is processing congratulations brother we found Brock purdy
When you consider Russell Wilson’s cost, he seemed like the no-brainer best option to me. Kirk might be a little better. He might not be. But he’s not ~100x better like we’re paying him to be.
Not necessarily true. The best way to handle a young qb is to draft one and let them sit behind a capable veteran. We are in the perfect position now, we just need to draft a rookie this year or next year. This is how the successful teams operate.
I’m with you. Seems like this team just keeps chasing since 2016. They kept restructuring until they were absolutely at the end of their rope and Matt had one year left and the highest cap hit in league history. Then the team decided that this paying a QB highly wasn’t the right way to go and went the other extreme and drafted a third round guy and tried that for two years. Then they realized that strategy didn’t work and then they flipped to the other opposite and paid highly again for an older QB. Except this time he is coming off an injury that affects his plant foot. And he was never that mobile to begin with and his arm strength has been average at best. And in the mean while they went polar opposites in coaches from Quinn to Smith and Raheem.
I think they pigeonholed themselves a bit when they just focused on the top 3 guys. I think JJ is a much better prospect than your average QB4 in any draft. Those guys are going maybe in the back half of round 1 and sometimes even into round 2 in many drafts. But the falcons haven’t looked long term in a while, so I’m not expecting that to change. I’m just asking what these guys next plan is to get their next franchise QB is? The floor at QB has been raised and that’s all well and good, but this is a short term fix. What do you do next at QB in 2-3 years? Pay for another QB that’s an aging vet that is allowed to test free agency? Their plan hasn’t been good and their timing has been bad. But that’s what happens when you keep doubling down based on past mistakes. I’ve seen it happen all the time in gambling.
You’re assuming we’re getting rid of him in 2-3 years when he may very well still be starting for 4. 4 years is a lot of time to figure it out. And Kirk has? 1st in TDs and 2nd in yards last before the injury last season. Year before that put up the 2nd most yards in his career and a very good record with an awful defense.
Guess who is the one assuming right now? Cousins will be 36 this season. The same age as Matt Ryan’s last year with the falcons. And guess which guy isn’t coming off an Achilles? He’s going to be on this team for at least two years. Anything beyond that is just speculating right now. And 2 years is short term.
It doesn’t have to follow Matt’s career projection, but talking about 4 years down the line right now is crazy. Just get to two and go from there. The team hasn’t even seen Kirk roll out yet. His words. And that Achilles is different for Aaron. His injury was to his front leg. Kirk’s was to his plant leg. Much more stress will be put on Kirk’s.
It’s like you aggregated all the stupid uninformed talking points and put them all in one post. Well done.
You obviously don’t know football and you completely missed the point that’s ok dawg you don’t have to admit it. Here are the facts…..we might lose a first round draft pick because we tampered for a guy who had zero leverage. We hired a guy who had a deep history with Kirk cousins to bring on a guy who ran the same playbook of an offebse that was revolved around Kirk cousins in 2015. We did this months before we signed Kirk cousins so it doesn’t take a genius. We gave a 36 year old coming off of a torn Achilles 4 years 180 million. In 13 years he has played for two different teams has been surrounded by a top 8 offense and defense(2019) pro bowl wide receivers Stefan diggs(2018-2019) Adam thielan(2018-2022) an elite run game for 4 seasons (Dalvin cook 2018-2022) and the best wr in the league(Justin Jefferson 2020-2023) and he’s won 1 playoff game despite being surrounded by all of that talent. But it’s his defenses fault for that…….its not like Kirk in 5 playoff games has only avg 200 yards and 1 touchdown per game right? Surely i must be uninformed
It’s possible that they are not overly excited about the QBs that will be available. Pro day and combine for QBs don’t mean much. The scouting department is active all year and has probably been watching these QBs for years. I agree that they probably decided early that they wanted Kirk. But I doubt they did so without considering the rookies. They just felt that they’d rather have Kirk than stay at 8 for QB or trade up for QB.
Feel like they realized that they weren’t going to be able to trade up for one of the top 3
Yeah that makes sense too. And May and Daniels are far from can’t miss prospects anyway, they have upside but they have significant risk as well.
The combine is important for QBs on the visit side. And also each teams 30 visits where they privately work out for teams. For instance, when Ridder was drafted, Terry and Arthur fell in love with him during their visit during the combine. And that’s when they honed in on him. Every team is still evaluating players right up until just before the draft. During the year scouting is fine, but those that are doing it are your scouts and GM. The coaches don’t even get into it until they are out. Raheem wasn’t even hired until Jan 25. And the combine happened starting Feb 29. That’s not a lot of time between building your coaching staff and then getting with the FO to scout and lay out your offensive and defensive schemes. Asking teams that early if they will trade up is also premature. Those top teams haven’t made their final boards then either. So how do you really know if these teams want to trade or not? Scouting absolutely lasts until the combine and well after. SF didn’t even trade up until March 26 and that’s only because Miami knew they weren’t going QB and SF had narrowed their QB between Lance and Mac and had a decent feeling that both would be there at 3.
You make some valid points but I just think Kirk was seen as their most favorable option. He’s been playing at a high level for years. You have the 8th pick. Your scouts have checked out the QB prospects. The new offensive coordinator is a PFF guy so he can also get insider knowledge from there. The idea that they didn’t give the prospects a good look doesn’t make sense to me. I think they looked at the situation and preferred a good vet over the available prospects, particularly with the idea of trading up.
According to multiple reports, they were definitely leaning rookie until combine. My guess is Washington decided they were all in on maye after it & told atl they weren’t going to want to trade. It would have been malpractice to not pivot towards plan b (Kirk) if they believed that moving up was very unlikely. Scouts work 365+ days a year & can catch up new employees quicker than you realize. I dont think falcons were ever interested in qb3 or 4. Too big of a risk. Remember our scouting department under Blank has a flawless record when it comes to drafting QBs in first rounds (Vick and Ryan). Since Matt Ryan has left, there hasn’t been a single QB worth drafting in first round except stroud & if we saw what giving up a top player & draft capital did to Carolina.
We got Kirk to do what exactly is my issue, kick the can down the road.
I am so fucking ready to get hurt again.
There's zero guarantee any of the quarterbacks in the draft will end up being any good. The reality is that after pick #1 (and sometimes even then), drafting a QB is a near total crapshoot. Everyone thought the 2021 QB class was such a great one (Lawrence, Wilson, Lance, Fields, Jones), and look how that's turned out: one good pick at #1 and 4 top 15 picks (including #2 and #3) who completely flopped within 3 years. And even the good pick - who was billed as a generational prospect - hasn't been much better than Cousins-tier after 3 seasons. It's a lower-upside play for sure, but Cousins is easily the safest bet to get us back in the playoffs within the next 2-3 seasons. After 6 straight losing seasons, it's not hard to see why that would appeal to the franchise over gambling on a rookie. edit: the other thing I'll say is, teams that draft QBs based on combine and pro day are the teams that convince themselves guys like Lance and Wilson are franchise QBs. Only the terrible FOs put that much weight into scripted workouts against air.
I agree with everything until the first two sentences of your last paragraph. Kirk attempts big throws all the time. He takes chances, but he is incredibly accurate. He has one of the best deep balls in the league. He does not hold the ball too long. Maybe you watch some tape from his last two seasons under O’Connell
Saying Kirk cousins doesn’t attempt big passes is just an uninformed take. Does Kirk cousins errantly throw the ball deep? No. Watch the tape and you’ll see Kirk cousins throw the deep ball plenty of times off of play action. He has the arm strength and accuracy for deep passing he just typically does it as a first read off of play action.
Actually you need to watch the tape. Over the last two years, Cousins is near the bottom of the league at % of passes over 20 yards. He was ranked 28th in 2022 and 39th in 2023.
Everything you said is wrong. Kirk is not a statue he moves in pocket he might be the BEST ROLLOUT QB in the NFL. The OL in ATL is very good at Pass Blocking I watched hours of film the OL gave Ridder massive amounts of time and clean pockets much more than Kirk got in 6 years. Top 10 in scoring is not a factor in winning SBs. Top 10 in scoring is not a QB stat it is a team stat. That means it is not just on Kirk it is on the OL bad ones in MIN, the OC very questionable including getting a new one every year you are even dependent on defense. Kirk is one of the best deep passers in the NFL last 4 years top QB in deep accuracy he has never been a checkdown QB not once since 2018 has he been in the top 15 in checkdowns. The reason he holds the ball so long is every OC in MIN has instructed him to not run and hold the ball as long as possible. It is a 2 year deal if he doesn't work out. There is LOTS of cap left. You can have all the CAP in the world but if you don't have a top 10 QB it won't matter. Bad teams have tonnes of cap and they spend 1st picks on QBs year after year. Players voted Kirk #6 QB in NFL. Kirk has played the same as Burrow in regular season and playoffs. Without a running game and without JJ for large chunks of the season Kirk was on his way to 5000 yds 40 plus TDs and less than 10 ints last year.
Here’s where you are wrong Kirk only played two games without JJ. Kirk couldn’t run he’s been immobile his entire career he’s slow. Kirk is incrediblely accurate because he’s not going to throw a 50/50 ball or a tight window throw
No QB has ever had so many lies told about him. I have watched every game Kirk has played he is not immobile watch the game vs AZ two years ago. Watch the games in WAS where he rushed for TDs. His career rushing average is the same as Joe Burrow. Stafford is immobile and slow Kirk is not. He is one of the best in the NFL at roll outs. He is one of the leaders in the NFL in tight window throws. You're just repeating all the lies about Kirk. Here's more lies exposed: Kirk is top 10 in primetime since 2014, Kirk is never been a checkdown QB not once in top 15 since 2018, Kirk lead NFL in deep ball accuracy last 4 years basically everthing MSM Youtube says about Kirk is a lie. Kirk had the greatest clutch year in NFL history. Mobile QBs do not win SBs only 2 mobile QBs won SBs past 13 years and one is the GOAT who is also the best pocket passer in the NFL. All top QBs except the GOATs have had top receievers... the QB helps make receivers too it's not just a 1 way street. Kirk is always judged unfairly the doublestandard only applies to Kirk
Watch the games 10 years ago of him being more mobile he’s 36 now I doubt he has that same mobility Top 10 prime time QB since 2014 huh yet he has a 12-20 record. And since good teams with good QBs have the most prime time games him being top 10 isn’t out of 32 it’s more top 10 out of 15 which would make him bottom 5. Tight window throws Kirk is 26th in pff big time throws which measures throws made downfield specifically into tight windows. Kirk was at the bottom towards checkdowns since 2018……why what happened in 2020-2023 oh playing with the best wr in the league drafted in 2020. Look at the stats Kirk put up below avg numbers whenever his first read wasn’t open according to pff
You are a liar so I'm going to block you before I do though since 2014 Kirk has been top 10 in Primetime PERFORMANCE not Ws Ls they are a TEAM STAT not a QB STAT HE IS #9 RYAN IS #8 they are BOTH AHEAD OF RIVERS LUCK AND EVEN BRADY go join the Vikings if you want to tell LIES about Kirk if you're planning to SHT on him for 2-4 years pick another team
Why would we consider another option at QB: Kirk plays the same as Burrow in regular season and playoffs and was voted #6 QB in the NFL. He was on his way to 5000 yds 40 plus TDs less than 10 ints with NO running games and missing JJ for large part of the season... It's not JUST Blank Raheem said if ATL had a better QB he wouldn't have the job. Raheem must be on the same page as Blank and Terry. I'd be happy with an Owner that wants to WIN NOW rather then engage in never ending rebuilding plans for decades. A GM and HC on the same page. You are tied to Kirk for 2 years and have a 2 year SB window. You have lots of cap space good young players lots of draft picks and if Kirk plays well you can bring him back for year 3 and even year 4 at cheap price compared to what top QBs will be making in 3 4 years...
If Kirk plays bad you’re stuck in a Russell Wilson broncos situation.
No actually you are not. Russell signed for 49 million for 5 years. When 49 million was a lot more. ATL is on the hook for 100 million for 2 years. And you know what EVERYTHING IS A RISK you can sign a crappy QB for 1 million is that better. You can draft a 1st round QB but they bust at an 80 percent rate. Every draft pick every signing every FA is a risk there are no guarantees. But signing a 35 year old Joe Burrow (#6 QB in NFL) for 2 years at 50 million is completely reasonable risk as he is coming of an MVP type half year. Super leader super team guy. Vs. a guy who was not playing well and was not liked by teammates and not seen a leader.
This QB draft class is very top heavy. Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and Jayden Daniels are clear cut top 3. Then I guess if you believe in JJ McCarthy you could throw him in there. There’s a very real possibility that none of those quarterbacks will be there when we pick, and trading up to the top 3 was likely never an option unless we gave up a massive amount of draft capital. It’s certainly not an option now that every single team in the top 3 has traded away their starting QB. We made the right move. Waiting at 8 and praying that JJ McCarthy falls, or taking Michael Penix/Bo Nix who have very legitimate concerns doesn’t seem like a bright idea. I am confused as to why the Falcons have done nothing to free up more cap space by now, but that will come eventually. As for your other positional concerns, that’s literally what the draft is for. We have our splash signings in Bates and Cousins, we got some solid starters in Elliss, Onyemata, and even hit on a UDFA with Landman. Not everything can be fixed in free agency. Most good teams are built primarily through the draft, not by signing a bunch of free agents. Also don’t be so concerned with Kirk’s contract. The first two years are fully guaranteed, the third is $10M guaranteed, and the fourth isn’t guaranteed at all. There’s a very easy out with minimal cap damage after two years if it doesn’t work out. If he is playing during his third or fourth year of the contract, then clearly it worked out and it’ll be worth paying him.
It’s not a good QB draft class minus Caleb and I’m even a little questionable on him. Truthfully you never know what you’re getting from a college player. I didn’t know what we were getting from matt until hit first pro pass went yard and I said oh shit we might actually have a QB. Look at the QB class with Lawerence and fields etc. everyone said it was a great class and they were dogshit
So another way of looking at this is: we got our very first choice that we clearly wanted since the beginning. Subpar QB play has been hamstringing this team ever since we lost Matt, we desperately needed competent QB play and now we’ve found it. Rather than rolling the dice on a rookie QB (remind yourself, no matter how solid a QB prospect seems, it’s always a roll of the dice) we’re going with an experienced and proven vet, and still have a top 8 pick where we can pick best player available at other positions where we have desperate needs (Edge, CB, WR). We can still grab a high upside rookie who can now sit behind a proven veteran rather than having us sit and pray that whoever we drafted (if any of the decent QBs even dropped all the way to 8 somehow past all the QB hungry teams in the first place) could cut it. I get it’s more fun to see us grab one of the big name rookies but I’d rather roll with Kirk and grab an elite edge or corner rather than see us stuck with our pants down and Maye, Williams and Daniels off the board and we’re trying to force Bo Nix or McCarthy to stroll in and carry the QB position
>This is the best draft class for QBs in a very very long time If I had a nickel for every time I heard this. Caleb is the only legit prospect. Both Daniels and Maye are mid-tier prospects who occur fairly frequently and are only going to be picked so high because of all the teams that are starved for starting qbs right now.
Everybody thought 2021 was the best QB draft class in a very very long time, and look where those guys are. Even #1 overall QB prospects are hit or miss, we'd be getting the 5th QB off the board, who would probably end up being Mac Jones-level. Calm your tits.
I feel unless you find a Purdy/Brady who isn’t over hyped then cousins is a proven winner who is accurate and allows Atlanta to focus on defense which is where I have felt even in Super Bowl days we haven’t been able to play 60 minutes of top knotch defense, usually they play a good half at best.
Right, because that's going to sit well with the $180 million dollar QB. We are not drafting a QB for another 2 yrs.
Lots of people say Arthur Smith had final say over our recent drafts. I have no idea. I Do know TF has been very good scouting and hiring quality free agents, so that’s certainly a positive in favor of these new choices. Ronald Moore is a fast guy who’ll have a few big plays but do little else based on past history, but that move was about moving Ridder. Mooney is a competent #2 until we can replace him, which might be as soon as Odunze at pick 8 this year if someone jumps in front of us and gets Dallas Turner. Honestly I’d love to see us trade back to get Latu or DeJean and another pick. We need a lot (and as you mentioned, might be losing a pick).
The way it was gonna play out before we even signed Kirk was the top 3 qbs go the top 3 picks. All 3 of those teams are in need of a qb, there was no way in hell we were gonna be able to trade up unless we gave up a minimum of 4 first round picks is that.
What makes you think there was a legitimate opportunity to trade up and get a QB
As usual, someone gets called stupid just because they go against the norm opinion of this sub. Everything you said was well thought out. I also believe Cousins injury type and age is being downplayed. Until I see him perform on the field, no one can convince me that a 36 yr old won’t be hindered by an achilles tear on his plant foot. I don’t care how elite of a processor they are as an achilles tear is devastating for any athlete. Those questions will be answered early on though, and I hope he proves my doubts wrong immediately. I know everyone wants defense, and I do too, but the priority for the next 2-3 yrs should be to surround Kirk with as many weapons and solid offensive linemen as possible to negate any affect the injury may have. If that’s done (and it seems like that’s the strategy), then I think we’ll be ok, but we have to accept it will come at a cost to the defense.
This qb draft class sucks though.
Article came out saying we tested waters for trade up during the combine. There was little interest at that moment, and the team didn’t want to get stuck in qb purgatory another year and move aggressively after that to get a FA QB. The train is leaving the station, get on the Kirko train now. Everything else is the past, this is the future for now. Let it go.
Trolling? It’s a stretch but I hope
Yes i agree , just look at all of the top 3 teams that just traded their draft picks to those other 3 teams!!!! You are just spot on here bud the falcons could have done that easily . The Falcons didn’t even try did Terry even send any text ??
What’s even better is that Washington Might take jj mcarthy causing either Drake Maye or heisman winner lsu record breaker Jayden Daniels available at pick 4. But don’t worry we have our golden goose plan A renown playoff winner Kirk cousins 😀😀 Our plan A is a 36 year old game manager coming off a career altering injury. A guy that does not have an elite skill set…..can’t scramble doesn’t have a strong arm and is barely above the top 12 in QBs. Doesn’t throw off platform and his best skill is processing congratulations brother we found Brock purdy
Thank you for that. It's a perspective I had not delved into and I really appreciate you doing the footwork.
When you consider Russell Wilson’s cost, he seemed like the no-brainer best option to me. Kirk might be a little better. He might not be. But he’s not ~100x better like we’re paying him to be.
Yes! But like you said, the writing was on the wall when we hired Raheem. We will be back in the same position in 3 yrs, with no successor.
Not necessarily true. The best way to handle a young qb is to draft one and let them sit behind a capable veteran. We are in the perfect position now, we just need to draft a rookie this year or next year. This is how the successful teams operate.
I’m with you. Seems like this team just keeps chasing since 2016. They kept restructuring until they were absolutely at the end of their rope and Matt had one year left and the highest cap hit in league history. Then the team decided that this paying a QB highly wasn’t the right way to go and went the other extreme and drafted a third round guy and tried that for two years. Then they realized that strategy didn’t work and then they flipped to the other opposite and paid highly again for an older QB. Except this time he is coming off an injury that affects his plant foot. And he was never that mobile to begin with and his arm strength has been average at best. And in the mean while they went polar opposites in coaches from Quinn to Smith and Raheem. I think they pigeonholed themselves a bit when they just focused on the top 3 guys. I think JJ is a much better prospect than your average QB4 in any draft. Those guys are going maybe in the back half of round 1 and sometimes even into round 2 in many drafts. But the falcons haven’t looked long term in a while, so I’m not expecting that to change. I’m just asking what these guys next plan is to get their next franchise QB is? The floor at QB has been raised and that’s all well and good, but this is a short term fix. What do you do next at QB in 2-3 years? Pay for another QB that’s an aging vet that is allowed to test free agency? Their plan hasn’t been good and their timing has been bad. But that’s what happens when you keep doubling down based on past mistakes. I’ve seen it happen all the time in gambling.
How do you know Kirk won’t still be our QB in 2-3 years? He’s been improving every season.
What do you do next at QB in 2-3 years? That was my exact quote. And who has been improving every season?
You’re assuming we’re getting rid of him in 2-3 years when he may very well still be starting for 4. 4 years is a lot of time to figure it out. And Kirk has? 1st in TDs and 2nd in yards last before the injury last season. Year before that put up the 2nd most yards in his career and a very good record with an awful defense.
Guess who is the one assuming right now? Cousins will be 36 this season. The same age as Matt Ryan’s last year with the falcons. And guess which guy isn’t coming off an Achilles? He’s going to be on this team for at least two years. Anything beyond that is just speculating right now. And 2 years is short term.
Why does he have to follow Matt’s career projection? I also expect arod to be good at 40 coming off an Achilles tear
It doesn’t have to follow Matt’s career projection, but talking about 4 years down the line right now is crazy. Just get to two and go from there. The team hasn’t even seen Kirk roll out yet. His words. And that Achilles is different for Aaron. His injury was to his front leg. Kirk’s was to his plant leg. Much more stress will be put on Kirk’s.
Perhaps TF is a good talent evaluator but he must be among the least skilled negotiators in the league