Business is Business as far as the trade goes.
What consultants at the QB "leading the team" to playoff victory, and "playing well" in a playoff loss? Everyone's definition of these is goimg to be different. As I am not in the W/L as a stat camp, and think just doing your job or not shitting don't really deserve an ata boy, perhaps mine are more harsh.
2020 Browns win over PIT gets said as Baker lead the Browns to victory by sum. I struggle with thsi description considering:
- first play botched snap by PIT, TD CLE.
- next series INT D gives the offense the ball on PIT side of the field. Offense converts for TD, Baker didn't his job.
- 3 and out next series, CLE runs all over PIT for another TD.
- next series INT, D gives O the ball inside PIT 30. Chubb and Hunt get them a TD in 3 places.
- PIT gets on the board, the O answers with a TD drive involving run and pass. Everyone just did their job.
- TD PIT, 3 and out, TD PIT, 3 and out.
- offense answers with a TD drive, everyone does their job, and Chubb does Chubb things on a short pass to take it to the house.
- PIT TD, CLE long drive for a FG.
- D with another INT.
When you revisit that game, the D, Chubb, and Hunt did far more "leading the team" team to that victory than Baker did. Unless it's credit for not F'in up.
Then there is the KC game. I am in the camp of you don't get extra credit for digging yourself out of your own holes (QB or a unit)..
- offense as a whole not playing well the first 2 quarters. D is playing meh. 19-3 at the half and CLE gets the ball first.
- first drive of 2nd half pick. Fortunately D held and Butker missed what feels like the last FG he has missed.
- Next drive two big runs by Chubb, short passes turned in to YAC, TD Browns offense. Did their job.
- long drive by KC, held to a FG.
- long time consuming drive by CLE of runs and short passes to get a TD. 22-17 KC.
- KC driving, Patty knocked out and Henne in, INT CLE D. Ball at CLE 20 with 8 minutes left.
- O struggles to get even 10 yards and has to punt. Never see the ball again, game.
The O as a whole didnt play well and dug themselves a hole they couldn't recover from (credit to KC D as well). Having a decent completion % for low YPA, TD and a INT (at one of the points of the game you dont want to) is not "playing well" in a loss in my eyes.
To TB, which l think we can all agree plays in what is currently the worst division in the NFL.
2023 playoff against the flailing Eagles who had lost 5 of 6 (and 2 straight) going in.
- TB offense moves the ball on multiple drives and gets up 16-3.
- PHI scores a TD with a little over 2 minutes left before half, missed 2pt conversion, now trailing 16-9 and will get the ball to start the second half.
- Baker scatter shot, O still gets to TB 45, Baker sacked on a 3rd and 10. PHi can't do anything, half ends.
- neither team can do much of anything offensively for most of the 3rd until Hurts gets called for intentional grounding for a safety. 18-9 TB.
- series after free kick big play between Baker and Palmer for a TD (some bad D in there too). Pretty much game as PHI turns over on downs on their side of the field and TB O scores again.
That game was more about PHI continued collapse than some great play by Baker or TB as a whole.
Next week against DET
- First TB possession after the D made DET go 3 and out, Baker takes a sack and then throws a pick giving DET the ball on TB side of the 50. DET gets held to a FG.
- a lot of blah play until Baker makes plays on TB last drive before the half, ties up.the score at 10.
- traded TDs, then TD gets two unanswered TD
- TB scores, down a a TD but D can't get the ball back with enough time to do anything.
Baker played well. DET played better on both sides of the ball.
2024 playoffs
- TB up 17-13, early 4th quarter Baker fumbles/bad snap at own 15. WAS turns in to a TD 20-17 WAS.
- long time and distance drive mixed of running/passing TB gets a FG. Game tied
- WAS runs out the clock for a game winning FG.
These to me are the base level expectations for performance of any NFL starting QB. Meeting expectations is required for a team to be successful, yes. But unless we are time traveling back to the rules and play of the game in the 2000's, or hoping for the one year where stars align so that a D and running game with some timely passing gets you a SB, that bare minimum on a decent team gets you .500 ish and WC birth participation trophy. If that's the goal Baker, Wilson, Tua, Trevor, Dak, Darnold, Winston, Carr, and a bunch other can get you that. Keep Baker and at best CLE is what PIT has been for the last 6+ years. Or what TB is now, sans playing in a division where somewhere between 8-9 to 10-7 will win the division.
All of this is why from a NFL teams perspective you dont want to pay every QB who is simply good enough to play the position as needed for NFL starter like they are top 5 (note i am all for players trying to get as much as they can). Also why W/L as a stat for a QB is silly. Who you play, when you play, and what actually happens through the course of a game determines the W/L, and there is only a handful of QBs who play on a level week to week, especially in critical situations who truly impact that team stat. That is again assuming that simply doing your job/not shit the bed is the mendoza line for getting credit.
