The NFL has long been a copycat league. Once one team finds success; the rest follow suit. Witness the popularity of the Wildcat Offense this year. It started with the Dolphins vs. the Patriots and soon became a gimmick that all teams used. If many teams are looking to their rivals for coaching trends, we have to wonder about the Quarterbacks in this league. Who is most in demand: the young guns or the old dogs?
We have all been inundated with Brett Favre stories and stats. Let's face it: according to the media, Favre is the Miracle Man at the ripe old age of 39. But is he? Since Favre has come back to play and prove that his experience is still a valuable asset, other teams have come to rely on QBs of similar "advanced" age. Is this the NFL's newest trend?
The Arizona Cardinals have the next most famous elder statesmen at the helm. At 37, Kurt Warner is once again the number one QB taking over for the highly touted young USC gun, Matt Leinert. While Warner has said in the past he knew he had more yet to offer, he wasn't sure if a number one QB spot was in the cards. For Arizona, the switch to Warner has proved to be more than a blessing. Warner has not only led his team to the top spot in their Division, but the top spot with a considerable cushion.
We, at PossessionPoints.com, would be remiss if we overlooked two more seasoned QBs who have taken charge of most likely playoff - bound teams. First, is Kerry Collins who is 36 this season and second is Jeff Garcia of the Bucs who is 38. These two moved from backup status to starter after injuries and problems with younger QBs. Collins took over for Vince Young, supposedly the future of the Titans and has yet to lose while Garcia took over for Brian Griese, who while not exactly a young gun, was nonetheless considered the Bucs' starter. One has to wonder if Garcia would have been the Dolphins' QB had the Bucs succeeded in getting Favre instead of the Jets.
On the other side of the argument is the success that two rookies are having in the League this year. Conventional wisdom in the NFL has always been that young QBs need to sit and learn in order to become a successful leader of the team. If a team was forced to use a rookie QB as a starter, that team usually resigned itself to a losing or mediocre season. This year, two NFL teams threw caution to the wind and started Joe Flacco in Baltimore and Matt Ryan in Atlanta. While NFL experts viewed Ryan as the future of the beleaguered Falcons who thought they had nothing to lose by starting this season, Flacco was seen as a probable back-up behind both Kyle Boller and second-year man, Troy Smith. Injuries to Boller and a weird unrelenting viral infection to Smith, forced Flacco into the limelight. Both rookies have led their teams into some degree of surprising success in that both teams have a shot at the playoffs.
So, which trend might NFL teams follow after this season? If we take the hint from Minnesota, we might say that experience counts more. When Tavaris Jackson began to struggle this season, The Vikings had a choice in his replacement. On their roster, they had an "old" 37-year-old journeyman QB in Gus Frerotte and a rookie from USC, the football powerhouse, John David Booty. In a year when Quarterbacks from Boston College and University of Delaware are making their marks, you would think a rookie from USC would be ushered in easily. But the Vikings chose experience and have had great success.
When this season is done, and the Lombardi Trophy is handed out, it might well be which QB is holding the trophy that determines which direction teams will go next season. If a Manning is holding that trophy - well, all bets are off!
We have all been inundated with Brett Favre stories and stats. Let's face it: according to the media, Favre is the Miracle Man at the ripe old age of 39. But is he? Since Favre has come back to play and prove that his experience is still a valuable asset, other teams have come to rely on QBs of similar "advanced" age. Is this the NFL's newest trend?
The Arizona Cardinals have the next most famous elder statesmen at the helm. At 37, Kurt Warner is once again the number one QB taking over for the highly touted young USC gun, Matt Leinert. While Warner has said in the past he knew he had more yet to offer, he wasn't sure if a number one QB spot was in the cards. For Arizona, the switch to Warner has proved to be more than a blessing. Warner has not only led his team to the top spot in their Division, but the top spot with a considerable cushion.
We, at PossessionPoints.com, would be remiss if we overlooked two more seasoned QBs who have taken charge of most likely playoff - bound teams. First, is Kerry Collins who is 36 this season and second is Jeff Garcia of the Bucs who is 38. These two moved from backup status to starter after injuries and problems with younger QBs. Collins took over for Vince Young, supposedly the future of the Titans and has yet to lose while Garcia took over for Brian Griese, who while not exactly a young gun, was nonetheless considered the Bucs' starter. One has to wonder if Garcia would have been the Dolphins' QB had the Bucs succeeded in getting Favre instead of the Jets.
On the other side of the argument is the success that two rookies are having in the League this year. Conventional wisdom in the NFL has always been that young QBs need to sit and learn in order to become a successful leader of the team. If a team was forced to use a rookie QB as a starter, that team usually resigned itself to a losing or mediocre season. This year, two NFL teams threw caution to the wind and started Joe Flacco in Baltimore and Matt Ryan in Atlanta. While NFL experts viewed Ryan as the future of the beleaguered Falcons who thought they had nothing to lose by starting this season, Flacco was seen as a probable back-up behind both Kyle Boller and second-year man, Troy Smith. Injuries to Boller and a weird unrelenting viral infection to Smith, forced Flacco into the limelight. Both rookies have led their teams into some degree of surprising success in that both teams have a shot at the playoffs.
So, which trend might NFL teams follow after this season? If we take the hint from Minnesota, we might say that experience counts more. When Tavaris Jackson began to struggle this season, The Vikings had a choice in his replacement. On their roster, they had an "old" 37-year-old journeyman QB in Gus Frerotte and a rookie from USC, the football powerhouse, John David Booty. In a year when Quarterbacks from Boston College and University of Delaware are making their marks, you would think a rookie from USC would be ushered in easily. But the Vikings chose experience and have had great success.
When this season is done, and the Lombardi Trophy is handed out, it might well be which QB is holding the trophy that determines which direction teams will go next season. If a Manning is holding that trophy - well, all bets are off!
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