Quarterback Talent at an All-Time Low

Published on 19-Nov-2013 by Richard Huryn

Football - NFL    NFL Daily Opinion

Share this article


Quarterback Talent at an All-Time Low

In recent years, the NFL has enacted rule changes ensuring the healthy survival of the NFL QB.

Or, as legendary Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Jack Lambert once famously said, "Why don't they just make them wear dresses?"

With so much of the NFL's revenue coming from television network contracts, the league needs its broadcast audience to watch the entire game.

While the score of some games can sometimes get pretty one-sided -- and blow outs occur where nobody really predicted they would -- one thing is for sure.

Good quarterback play makes for watchable games. Bad quarterback play makes for unwatchable games.

Below is a list of all the backups, third-stringers and practice squad dudes who have started games or played considerable minutes this year. This list includes signal callers from teams like Cleveland and Minnesota where they clearly don't know who their starter is. Granted, some of the names on this list have performed very well at times this year and perhaps played themselves into a starter's role. However, few of these are household names. The exceptions are better known for what they've been unable to accomplish or for being a career back up and not for any obvious talent or prolonged success.

Matt Barkley Matt Flynn Brian Hoyer Matt Simms
Matt Cassel Nick Foles Case Keenum Scott Tolzien
Jason Campbell Josh Freeman Thad Lewis Jeff Tuel
Kellen Clemens Blaine Gabbert Josh McCown Seneca Wallace
Kirk Cousins Mike Glennon Matthew McGloin Brandon Weeden
Ryan Fitzpatrick Chad Henne Christian Ponder TJ Yates

Not exactly murderers' row, is it?

But despite what we, the fans, want -- great quarterback play, fantasy football stats that make us drool, games with scores like 35-33 -- in the NFL, it's all about winning. That's how everything and everyone is measured.

Knowing that, some NFL head coaching decisions must be questioned.

  • Did Bills' Coach Doug Marrone really go into the season with Jeff Tuel and Thad Lewis behind EJ Manuel?
  • Are the guys trusted to keep Super Bowl hopes alive in Green Bay really Scott Tolzien, Matt Flynn, and Seneca Wallace?

Yowza.

If winning is the only thing that matters, then the NFL must be operating on Johnny Cochran's Chewbacca defense:

There have to be better NFL quarterbacks out there.

Somewhere, Tim Tebow is saying, "Really? ... Really!”

Click on a photo to enlarge.