 |
| Andrew Luck has helped Indianapolis transition without too big of a fall-off from Peyton Manning. |
In
April, two quarterbacks, still undrafted, had teams that already committed to
putting the team on their shoulders and being starter from day one. Andrew Luck
and Robert Griffin III, or RGIII, were drafted with the first and second
overall picks and were all but certain that they were the starters for their
respective teams, Indianapolis Colts and Washington Redskins. However, when
week one rolled around, Ryan Tannehill had won the quarterback competition in
Miami, Russell Wilson beat out a highly touted free agent pickup in Seattle,
and Brandon Weeden got the support that a 28 year old rookie should warrant
when his coach named him starter. For the first time in NFL history, five
rookies would be starting at quarterback in week one.
It is no doubt that, despite some poor games and sad
supporting casts, these quarterbacks are succeeding more than rookies have in
the past. Luck (4-3) and Tannehill (4-3) are leading teams with winning
records, Wilson has led game winning drives against the Patriots and the
Packers (like it or not, the record shows that the Seahawks won). RGIII has
taken the nation’s capitol by the heart in an election year that was certain to
dominate headlines and Weeden is on pace for over 3,800 passing yards despite
having just a 19.5 Total QB Rating (ESPN), second worst in the league.
Andrew Luck is stepping into the giant shoes left by Peyton
Manning, who has moved to the mile high city and has thrived, and the Colts
fans are welcoming him with open arms. With the help of a 362 yard performance
in a win against the Green Bay Packers, Luck has accumulated 1,971 passing
yards in just seven games, putting him on pace for just over 4,500 yards. If he
does indeed meet this mark, he will have beaten Cam Newton’s 2011 record by
over 400 yards.
The first overall pick in 2012 currently holds a 1-1
touchdown-turnover ratio. Among rookies, especially, this is a rare feat. Among
his peers, Tannehill and Weeden have below 1-1 ratios and even my hometown
quarterback, Michael Vick, has only mustered up a .77-1 ratio; among the worst
in the league.
With a winning record and three games passing the 300-yard
milestone, Indianapolis might not be far off from the success they had with
Peyton Manning in his 14 seasons with the team, and city.
In Washington DC, RGIII is taking the city over. Though the
Redskins (3-5) might not have a winning record, they are optimistic of the
bright future their team has with this 22-year-old quarterback. Many compare
the second overall pick to the first overall pick of last year, Cam Newton.
Quick to dismiss the comparisons, Griffin told the press he would rather be
compared to a quarterback like Aaron Rodgers, who has a Lombardi Trophy to back
him up. However, like Newton, Griffin is finding ways to score both through the
air and on the ground. With eight passing touchdowns and six rushing
touchdowns, RGIII is dissecting defenses while racking up yardage.
With over 2,200 total yards so far, RGIII has managed to
hold onto the ball. Only three interceptions and two fumbles (on 70 attempts),
the Baylor product boasts a 2.8 touchdown to turnover ratio. That number is
better than any of his rookie counterparts and almost four times better than
Michael Vick. Griffin, while completing 66.8 percent of his passes (fifth best in
the league) has gone over the 90-mark in total quarterback rating twice
including the third best game this season when he had a 97.6 against the
Minnesota Vikings.
 |
| RGIII is running away with the Rookie of the Year award through the first half of the 2012 season |
The capitol has a much better outlook for the future on the
football field than whoever might take the White House. Even better, whoever
wins the presidency can be kicked out after four years. Nobody will be looking
to kick RGIII out and he will last in DC longer than the president.
Ryan Tannehill and Brandon Weeden were the remaining first
round picks in April at eighth and 22nd, respectively. Each came
into OTAs and training camp fighting for a job. With David Garrard and Matt
Moore competing, Tannehill was able to earn the name of starter. Weeden had
only to prove that he was better than Colt McCoy. It was likely that he would
win the job considering he entered the league just a year and a half short of 30
years old.
Tannehill hasn’t lit up the stat sheet, only passing for
1,472 yards and his interceptions outweighing his touchdowns four to six. Even
still, the Dolphins, with the help of a generous schedule, are 4-3 and behind
only the Patriots.
Weeden doesn’t have the luxury that Tannehill does as far as
weapons like Reggie Bush and Brian Hartline, who is in fact a weapon this
season, on offense. At 2-6, the Browns have fought some tough teams including
the Eagles, Ravens, and Giants. With young pieces like Weeden, Trent
Richardson, and Josh Gordon in place, Cleveland’s future doesn’t look too poor.
If they can find some strong defensive players and a few years to put
everything together, by 32 Weeden might be leading a competitive team. The
mistake for the Browns was putting a young, reguilding team on the shoulders
of, by NFL standings, an older quarterback.
The final of the five rookie quarterbacks who started on
opening day is Russell Wilson, also the only non-first-round pick of the five.
Standing just 5-11, Wilson was told he would never make it at the quarterback
position and he proved everyone wrong by standing out at Wisconsin and beating
Matt Flynn for a job in Seattle. Wilson, Marshawn Lynch, and a strong defense
have led the Seahawks to a 4-4 record. Despite the ridiculed call of
replacement officials in the week three win over the Packers, the Seahawks are
.500 instead of 3-5 and Wilson already has two fourth quarter game-winning drives
to add to his resume.
Wilson has thrown for ten touchdowns on the season and was
seven yards short of a 300-yard, 3 touchdown, 133.7 rating outing against the
Patriots in a week six win, his other game-winning drive. Wilson has come far
from the third round pick that started the OTAs as the Seahawks third quarterback.
The NFL has evolved into a league that quarterbacks drafted
high are thrown into the fire to survive or incinerate. College quarterbacks
are more NFL-ready and are more and more being relied on in their rookie
seasons to lead their team.
 |
| Vick has been praised by Reid, but when Reid leaves, does Vick? |
With the success of five of the first six quarterbacks
drafted, it is a wonder to who from this class might be the next to thrive. Brock
Osweiler has a pretty decent job holding the clipboard in Denver behind Peyton
Manning on the depth chart. The seventh quarterback drafted, Nick Foles, has been in
the Eagles fans’ prayers to take over for Michael Vick who has turned the ball
over 13 times in seven games.
The most used excuse for those justifying the non-benching of
Vick is the fact that a rookie sits behind him. Well, rookies haven’t fared to
poorly in 2012, or 2011 as starting quarterbacks. None of those rookies had an offense
with names like DeSean Jackson, LeSean McCoy, and Brent Celek on them or a
defense with players like DeMeco Ryans, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, and Trent
Cole on the opposite side of the ball. Vick’s 2010 Comeback Player of the Year
Award has gathered some dust and seemingly so has the quarterback. The Foles Era may be looming in Philadelphia.
Read more of Brenden’s
work on GCobb.com and follow him on Twitter @brendenp2011.
No comments:
Post a Comment