Where do we go from here?

This is exactly what I was hoping to avoid... the ultimate dillemma.  Three weeks ago the Hawks were coming off that win over the Giants and suddenly it was easy to envision a playoff run, or at the very least a .500 season where we felt like we had a chance to win every game.  But ohhhhh what a difference a few weeks makes.  Now it's hard to imagine finishing anything more than 5-11.  Which puts us right in that brutally undesirable middle ground where you have a high draft choice, but perhaps not high enough to get one of the elite quarterback prospects available in 2012. 

Here is what I fear the most...... I want Matt Barkley.   I mean, I REALLY want Matt Barkley.  I've written at length here about Matt Flynn and Ryan Tanneyhill, and those would be fine fallback options (and certainly better options than going with Tavarius Jackson long-term) but Barkley is a guy that I have become increasingly sure is a big-time franchise QB.  But he's not going to get out of the top 5, and 5-11ish isn't going to get you in the top 5. 

Here's my biggest fear:

Indianapolis finishes 0-16 and gets the first pick in the draft.
Miami gets the second pick. 

In that scenario, no doubt that Indy takes Andrew Luck.  Forget about whether Peyton Manning's neck is healed or not, the Colts won't pass on Luck even if Manning is healthy.  They will take him and groom him, despite the fact such riches should be OUTLAWED by not only the NFL but the federal government itself. 

Then... Miami is going to take a QB, no question about it, so that leaves Landry Jones or Barkley, and the way Barkley is playing, and given that he plays in a pro system and will be more pro-ready than the spread-oriented Jones, my guess is the 'Phins take the him.  After that it's going to be a bunch of bad teams that already have a commitment to a young QB (Minnesota, Arizona, Jacksonville, Carolina etc.), which means the Seahawk get Jones or Tanneyhill. 

I won't be heartbroken over either of those guys; I maintain that this is the best year in a long time to NEED a franchise quarterback, because it's a deep draft.  But I think the gap between Barkley and the other guys is cavernous, and I would be left feeling empty just like I did in 1991 when we got Rick Mirer instead of Drew Bledsoe. 

Now if Miami gets the top pick, the Hawks could conceivably get Barkley even with a pick in the 8-10 range because in that scenario the Dolphins would take Luck and the Colts may just pass on a QB altogether if Manning's medical reports are good. 

Regardless, here we are, travelling to Dallas with a healthy Jackson and a reasonable chance to win a road game over an inconsistent and beat-up Cowboy team.  As a true fan, I can't help but root for them to win, but part of me is almost hoping they come up short. 

The bottom line is, we need a young, elite-caliber QB, and this is the right draft to get one in.  I truly believe Bakley can be that guy, with a very low bust-factor compared to Jones and Tanneyhill.

I would hate to miss out on him because we win a couple extra games in a year when progress and foundation-building take precedence over our final record.