Rocky's Football Corner #13

by Rick Rockwell

Let’s all do the quarterback shuffle this week.

That’s what they are doing in Denver. That’s what they are talking about in New York. That’s what they wish they could do in Atlanta.

What we’re really talking about is the penchant for coaches to replace quarterbacks, often making matters even worse for their teams. And usually this is spurred on by the impatience of fans, and of course, it is often fueled by quarterbacks who fall out of favor with the sports punditocracy in the media.

Right now, 47 percent of the teams in the National Football League are starting quarterbacks who were not their starting quarterback at the end of last season. Truly, some of that is due to injury: Jeff Garcia would not be starting for the Eagles if Jonathan McNabb were healthy. (Of course, McNabb was injured at the end of last season too.) However, most of the reason for making these changes is to shift blame from coaches who can’t seem to make their offenses go. Sometimes that has little to do with the quarterback and a lot more to do with the offensive scheme, the play calling, and a healthy, stout, and smart offensive line. But because the quarterback is the center of attention on most plays, that player is the center of the so-called fixes for teams.

No doubt, the quarterback is the single most important position on a football field. Champions can overcome a mediocre quarterback (see the Ravens in 2000 when they won it all) but rarely a bad one.

So this week, with their playoff chances slipping, Denver pulled the plug on Jake “The Snake” Plummer. Now, they have rookie Jay Cutler at the helm. That’s a bold change because likely Cutler will lose a few more games before he is really comfortable running an offense headed for the playoffs. The real problem in Denver is a defense that went from excellent to inconsistent. The Broncos could have gone to the playoffs and won with Plummer (they did last year) if the defense was playing at top form. But Coach Mike Shanahan must have figured it was easier to fix problems at quarterback than to overhaul the defense in the stretch run. We’ll see if the gamble pays off.

If Cutler is anywhere as good as rookie Vince Young of the Titans (and Cutler wasn’t nearly that good in college) it will take several games before results will begin to show. Young demonstrated last week in the triumph over the Giants just how dangerous he can be in the fourth quarter. But the Titans have only won four games this year under Young and they aren’t playoff bound.

Actually, the Baltimore Ravens are thanking the Titans for pulling the trigger too soon on the career of one of the great quarterbacks playing right now: Steve McNair. If the Ravens make the playoffs it will be due to what McNair brings to the Ravens’ offense, one that struggled for several years under Kyle Boller. But Boller’s problems were just what we are discussing here – rushing young quarterbacks into starting long before it is time and giving up on older players before they are done. The case of Phillip Rivers in San Diego is the best example of this. Rivers sat behind Drew Brees for several years before blossoming into one of the best quarterbacks in the league this year. Now, that’s a quarterback switch that also has two cities smiling: New Orleans with Brees is a playoff contender and Rivers is directing the best offense in the league.

Now, what would have happened in New York if they had kept Kurt Warner (and let Eli Manning learn a few tricks for a few years) or if Atlanta had brought in an older quarterback to mentor Michael Vick? Oh, but NFL fans are too impatient to wait for those results.

In Dallas, Tony Romo, the quarterback who took over for Drew Bledsoe in a bold move by Bill Parcells this year may look like an overnight sensation. However, he has been on the bench for years learning Parcells’ system. And remember, he didn't win immediately after Parcells put him in at quarterback.

Good luck to the teams who bring out the early quarterback hook, but just remember, impatience is rarely rewarded. Stability and sound decision-making are what build strong organizations.

Postscript Update: The NFL and various cable firms have not resolved their disputes so the Ravens-Bengals game won't be seen by most fans despite their complaints. The Washington Post has the latest here. Check the archives of this column (#11 and #12) for more.

nfl
Jay Cutler
Jake Plummer
Eli Manning
Quarterback
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