But why does that matter? He's a young QB who they were able to build a team around. People said the same thing about Big Ben, and he won 2 SBs with that system, while before that they were perennial playoff disappointments. Russell Wilson is a 3rd Rounder with a SB victory. He's the latest revelation that you don't need a QB drafted in the top ten or even ranked as the top guy coming out in order to win in the league, or even by your very own statement, that you don't need a franchise QB to win. I'd love to hear for the clamor of building a solid defense through the draft, build a solid OL through the draft and building all the other pieces through the draft, developing our picks and having actual competitions that improve our quality at these positions so that we can become the new Ravens, or the new Steelers or the new Seahawks, or the new 49ers, all of whom have been to and won SBs in the last 10 years.
Unfortunately, and this goes to my first point, fans and the media cry for that franchise QB and make claims like "this is now a passing league" and "you can't run the ball 30 times a game and still win" and get mad when we make decisions based on that philosophy.
If you have an elite defense (solid won't cut it) and a great running game, you can make due with a solid game manager at QB and win in this "passing league". Both Wilson in Seattle and Big Ben in Pittsburgh benefited from elite defensive units and powerful running games. Neither were asked to shoulder the load of an elite franchise QB in the mold of Brady, Manning, Rogers or Brees. Consider some of the horrible offensive lines those 4 have been asked to play behind and the seriously suspect defenses they have had to make up for.
I am life long Skins fan so I am cool with the game manager concept. Truly, the last franchise QB we had in DC was Sonny. Joey T came close and maybe without that horrific injury he would have made the leap but the truth is Gibbs won 3 Super Bowl's without a franchise QB. I'd love to see that again, honestly.
I think Kirk could actually be that kind of a QB too. I just don't think Gruden is coach enough to make it happen. He is too tied to the pass and not enough to the run, and I'm not sure he has good enough instincts in his Asst Coaching hires to ever have an elite D because I doubt he will ever find a great coordinator for that side of the ball. People say Gibbs was a Great Coach. Somedays I think what set Gibbs apart was knowing what he didn't know or didn't have time to be involved with (ie - the defense) and being willing to alter his scheme to best suit his players talents. He is the only coach in my life time who was not so tied to "his system" that he was unwilling to modify to fit what his guys did best. So far, I don't see that willingness in Gruden.