Pro Bowl Quarterbacks’ Rookie Year
Does it Pay to Sit and Learn in the NFL?
One of the questions that sports team executives and fans debate is how soon to place a young player in heated competition. Is it important for a player to mature on the sidelines, learning by watching, or can a player develop just as quickly by playing?
The question comes up especially in football, particularly about quarterbacks. Teams often use high draft picks in order to select a franchise quarterback, and fan pressure to install that pick as soon as possible is intense.
The argument for delaying is whether can learn best on the sideline, and that irreparable harm can be done by placing the quarterback into a situation that they are not prepared for.
Cleveland Browns
Cleveland football fans’ memories are tainted by the experience of Tim Couch, who was installed as the starting quarterback in the second game of his rookie year, was sacked often and is now out of football.
Brady Quinn faces a similar situation. Is it wise to place another young quarterback on the hot seat, to throw them in with the Lions, Bears and Bengals without a year or two of study from the safety of the bench?
Learning from the sidelines
An analysis of Pro Bowl quarterbacks shows that there are different paths to excellence in The NFL. Twenty different players were named as Pro Bowl quarterbacks over the last four years. Some players were named multiple times.
Five of the twenty saw significant playing time in their first year, but the majority had little game experience, or none at all. These players, sometimes way down on the depth chart, studied the game from the sidelines, and made the most of their opportunities later in their career.
Three of the Pro Bowl quarterbacks, Jeff Garcia, Jake Delhomme and Tony Romo, were not drafted by NFL teams, and had little chance to make an early impression. On the opposite end, even high first round picks Carson Palmer, Drew Brees and David Rivers made only a token appearance in games in their first year.
Other quarterbacks with little to no game time in the first year include Brad Johnson, Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady, Matt Hasselbeck, Dante Culpepper, and Mark Bulger.
Rich Gannon and Steve McNair saw some action, appearing in four games.
Rookie Sensations
Of the five rookies making a major impact, only one player appeared in all sixteen games in their first year. Of the others, Michael Vick appeared in eight games, Donovan McNabb in twelve, Drew Bledsoe in thirteen.
Vince Young was rushed into action in the second game of the year, and played in fifteen games, taking the team to the edge of the playoffs and making the Pro Bowl as a rookie.
And the player to appear in all sixteen games from the start? None other than Peyton Manning. He was selected to all four Pro Bowls in this period and was MVP of the Super Bowl.
Summary
An analysis of twenty players does not provide a definitive answer on the merits of starting a quarterback in his first year. The individual’s talents and the team situation have a profound effect on success of the player in his rookie year and beyond.
It is clear that there are different paths to football excellence, and though most quarterbacks take the time to learn the game from the bench, some exceptional athletes can start their careers on the field and proceed to football greatness.
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