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Originally Posted by
NodakPaul
You are right, there are others who are being evaluated. So to be fair to them, don't you think they would like to have the player on the field who gives them the best chance to perform and win?
Yes. And at this point I am not convinced that Ponder is going to be that guy. I am also not convinced Webb is or hyphen man for that matter. What I do know is you will never really know if you keep doing the same thing and not trying something different if it isn't working.
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If you think that player is Webb, then I can understand you wanting to put him in. I disagree, but understand.
I don't know if he is. I am not at practice every day to see what he has been doing or how his progress has improved, but being that they have Webb on the roster as the number 2 guy and didn't look to bring in anyone better then I will take the coaches action as an indication he can do what they need them to if asked. If you don't feel he can come in and run the offense then maybe you should question their judgement.
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If you just want to put someone else in to see what happens... well then I disagree completely. You are screwing with people's careers then just to see what happens. Harvin is nearing the end of his contract, remember? I would like him to come back...
Just to see what happens? That is ridiculous. They have a guy as a backup that they have determined is capable of running the offense if Ponder goes down. If he can do that then he is capable enough to put out there to see if he can improve the production.
I am sure harvin is shaking in his boots to think the coaches might replace a QB that had less than 70 yards passing in 2 games this year.
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You listed two possible outcomes from putting Webb in - everything stays the same or things get better. What about the third possibility - things get worse. And no smart ass comments about how things can't get worse because we all know that they can.
Yeah, I suppose we could have a game with 40 yards passing and not 46.
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Look at Cambell's play when he came in for Cutler. Things can get a LOT worse. What message are you sending to the team then? "Hey guys - I really don't give a shit about you or your careers, I just want to see what happens with a different QB... maybe we'll win, maybe we won't..." That is a great way to lose your locker room.
Let me point out that at this point Ponder is no Cutler. Maybe pick a better comparison. Look at what happened in SF when they went from Smith to Kaepernick.
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You and I only have games to evaluate Webb and how he interacts with the other players. The coaches also have practices. Before they do anything like swapping starting QBs "just to see what happens" they will start installing Webb in with more of the starter packages. Honestly, I would be surprised if they haven't already. They can use that additional time to evaluate him and how he works with the other players without risking the season or other players futures. If they haven't seen anything that would make them comfortable with making the switch, why on earth would they do it anyway?
Hopefully they see enough in Webb to be confident he can run the offense if Ponder is injured. If not, maybe they should have gotten someone other than Webb as the backup. Or are you saying they are so incompetent that they could see webb every day in practice and miss the fact that he might not be good enough to play at this level?
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Finally, we need to keep in mind that we aren't out of the playoff picture yet. Yes, it is a long shot, but while we are still in the hunt (and right now we are solidly in the hunt) we need to do everything possible to win. Swapping out your starting QB just to see what happens is a sign of desperation, and NOT something you do until you are eliminated from the playoffs. Putting in Webb now would be giving up on the season.
Well, sub 50 yard passing games by the QB are going to do nothing for us in the playoffs anyway.
And it isn't just to see what happens. It is to see if changing one player changes the dynamics of the team in a positive way. If it does great, if it doesn't then you know next year you also need to find another backup QB.
