The People vs. Schlereth and Evans: A verdict is in

Defendants, Michael “PorkChop” Evans and Mark “Stink” Schlereth, stand accused of crimes against Broncos Country for their reckless advocacy of “The Red Rifle” Andy Dalton as the Broncos top free agent target. Broncos Country also alleges that Mr. Schlereth’s “It’s the roster, stupid” theory poses a danger to the Country, as it could leave the team mired in futility for years to come.

The Court, being fully apprised on this matter makes the following findings and issues the corresponding ORDER:

The Court takes notice that Mr. Evans and Mr. Schlereth have, in fact, listed Andy Dalton as the No. 1 priority on the “Fan’s Free Agent Frenzy Board.” The following facts are not in not in dispute. Mr. Dalton had a losing record last season as the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys play in the NFC East, which graded out as the weakest division in the NFL last season. Had Mr. Dalton been able to win even one more game than he lost, the Cowboys would have qualified for the NFL playoffs. Dalton threw eight interceptions in nine starts. Dalton will turn 34 years old during the 2021 season.

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OPINION

At one point in his career, Mr. Dalton was regarded as a quality starter. That time has passed. Dalton is now what is know as “journeyman quarterback.” He may indeed offer some value to the Broncos a quality backup or even a stopgap starter in the event Drew Lock struggles. But the Defendants’ position that Dalton should be the team’s No. 1 priority demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of the way the market values a declining commodity like Dalton and the importance of allocating resources wisely.

Dalton will likely be available at a considerable discount. The Court views assigning a priority grade to Dalton as a fool’s errand.

Similarly, Mr. Schlereth’s “It’s the roster, stupid” theory, which espouses building a front line roster first and worrying about a quarterback later, is unsupported, but a mountain of data, which shows the vast majority of championship teams do have Hall of Fame quarterback, or at the very least, elite level quarterback play during the championship season.

Mr. Schlereth was fortunate enough to win three Super Bowls playing on very talented, balanced teams, although the Court notes two of those teams were led by a Hall of Fame quarterback. So while it’s understandable where his bias originates, Mr. Schlereth’s theory requires a team to build on the exception, not the rule so to speak.

Outside of a handful of exceptions, nearly all modern era NFL champions have elite level quarterback play. Advocating that the Broncos can build with no sense of urgency in addressing the quarterback is irresponsible. It is the exact same approach that has landed the team in its current predicament – the worst stretch in the team’s NFL franchise history. Advocating for Andy Dalton is no less reckless.

The Court finds Defendants Schlereth and Evans GUILTY of Crimes against Broncos County. Defendants are sentenced to listen to 40 hours of the audio book, “DMAC on Quarterbacks” to be served consecutively.

So Ordered,

Daniel T. Jacobs
Judge