The NFL is an unforgiving arena, always eager to swallow up the potential of any player who shows anything past mediocrity. But truly great players do emerge, and their names last forever. They are the icons like Joe Montana, Dan Marino and John Elway, whose legacies will live on long after they themselves are gone. But the trouble we’ve been seeing lately is that great quarterbacks can’t save bad teams or dying franchises.
Take this year’s Super Bowl. Can we honestly say that the best teams are in it? Can we say that the best quarterbacks have led their teams to this Promised Land? I would argue that neither the Packers nor the Steelers were the best teams, and certainly I would argue against the case that Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger were the top two quarterbacks in the league this year. They might be the most rounded teams, and they certainly earned their spots. And sure, they are both very good quarterbacks. But they are far from the finest.
Tom Brady will most likely win the NFL MVP this season, and for good reason: simply put, he is the best. Because not only is Brady a phenomenal quarterback who puts up stellar numbers every season, he is an inspiring and dedicated leader to his team. He took a team that otherwise would have won a maximum of seven games with a lesser quarterback to a league-best record of 14-2. But the Patriot’s inexperience finally showed in their season-ending game to the Jets in the second-round playoff game. Tom Brady is as cool as they come. He’s both level headed and vocal, a natural born leader who cares only about the team, not his personal stats (which are still immaculate). He has been robbed of the Super Bowl twice by teams that just didn’t have the same commitment, experience and ability he did. Hopefully the Patriots can get their act in gear for a few more runs at the Lombardy Trophy before their champion retires.
Philip Rivers set a career record for passing this season for one reason alone: his team couldn’t run the ball, so he had to throw it. The San Diego Chargers finished with a 9-7 record but still didn’t make the post season. If they hadn’t had Rivers that record could have easily maxed out at 4 wins (maybe). Hopefully the offseason is good to them. They need a few more puzzle-piece players before they can even have delusions of the Super Bowl. Until then, Philip Rivers will continue to have to pass far too often, and they’ll keep falling short of the mark every time.
This past season, Michael Vick became the quarterback that none of us expected he could be: a team leader who can and will throw the ball. During his time in Atlanta, Vick would throw the ball as an absolute last resort; maybe because he didn’t trust his team or maybe because he knew chances were better he would score than they would. But as the Eagle’s new starting quarterback, Vick began to show that he could be a team player. He’ll still run the ball farther than he probably should, but now can throw for first downs touchdowns. There’s still work to be done for the Eagles before they can return to the Super Bowl. But as long as they rebuild around Michael Vick, they’re in good shape.
Both teams from last year’s Super Bowl matchup, the Saints and the Colts, had their seasons cut short by teams they should have beaten (the same goes for the Patriots). The blame cannot be placed on either Drew Brees or Peyton Manning because both played as best they could. Sure, these teams were fairly consistent and pretty well rounded during the regular season, but when push came to shove they crumbled. Key players were injured for both teams, and in the end great quarterbacks couldn’t lift pedestrian teams above mediocrity.
There’s plenty of examples of good teams with just decent quarterbacks (the Giants, the Ravens, the Bears) and terrible teams with worse quarterbacks (the Lions, the Bengals, the Bills). And then there’s always room to reflect on the washed up quarterbacks of yesteryear who only get signed by terrible teams (Brett Farve and Donovan McNabb, I’m talking to you). But there really is no team that is both great and possessing an even greater quarterback. Perhaps those days died with the New England Dynasty. But what’s more likely is that great quarterbacks can’t last forever in this league. It’s all too likely they’ll get hurt or concerned about how big their contract extension is going to be.
I guess there’s always hope for next season’s great letdown. Tim Tebow, all eyes are on you.
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