The funny thing is that neither Chicago or Minnesota will be
interested in Cassel. They are trying to swim against the tide to
prove that you can win championships with lousy quarterbacks
I agree with you. They MUST know their QB's stink but don't do anything.
I dunno. I think teams keep mediocre or less than star quality QB's for a variety of reasons.
In this case, I think it's really unfair to say that Jackson is a "lousy" QB. He isn't. He's a limited QB who's not likely ever to take a team all the way. Rex Grossman even somehow managed to stumble into a Super Bowl, though I don't think that Orton is a long term solution to anything but insomnia.
I think teams stick with these guys because they know they're at least competitive at a Divsional level with them over Center. Going 10--6 and winning a division, even an NFC division haunted by the Lions, is "competitive" by that definition. The Bears went 9--7 (in the same division), were in the Playoff hunt until Week 17 and made it to an SB two years ago.
Many of these ownerships think that "hope springs eternal" and would argue that Gibbs won a SB with Mark Rypien, that Billick won one with Trent Dilfer and that other less than star QB's have gone to SB's (the aformentioned Grossman, Vince Ferragamo and David Woodley, to name three).
But, these teams are stymied from going any further by a whole rash of things; perhaps by a lack of "other pieces" on the field or by weak Coordinators or HC's or by an unwillingness to invest in the front office and on the field or by a lack of understanding of the game (read Woody Johnson) or by owners distracted by business or personal affairs outside of football (read the Chiefs and the illness and death of Lamar Hunt, preoccupying the family for several years) or even by sheer timidity and a lack of imagination. As someone who has followed the Pats for many years, I can say that we have been characterized by one or more of the above at different times, pre-Bob Kraft.
Bottom line: not every Franchise in the NFL, no matter what they might say in their Press Releases or Year Books, is committed to excellence year in and year out on the Field. Many are committed to fielding a team that looks competitive in their divisions, puts fannies in seats and sells beer and cars on TV on 16 Sunday Afternoons.
The Great NFL Franchises, among which the Patriots under the Krafts are now clearly numbered, are committed to excellence and being competitive for a shot at the SB every year. But, let's face it, that's a small club. And even members of that club have long periods of drought between SB runs (Steelers, Niners, Boys, to name just three). The Steelers couldn't find the right QB for years, though they had the right coach. The Niners suffered from abysmal management.
