Monday, September 24, 2007

Quarterbacks

This article is in response to Donovan McNabb's statemenet saying that "black quarterbacks have a tougher time than white quarterbacks." Being black and a football fan I felt it was my duty to weigh in on this situation (as if you care). I've got a few thoughts on the issue and some others on quarterbacks....


1. He's wrong, but to a certain extent he MIGHT be right

I've never been a quarterback in the NFL in one of the toughest cities in the country (Philadelphia) so my information is obviously based off my personal experience as a university advisor and world-wide badass. But before I take a bite out of McNabb let me say that at a certain point he might be somewhat right. Let's say, as a quarterback, you have 10 people and 9 that say "you suck!" when you throw a pick. But as a black quarterback that 10th one says, "you suck N***er!" Should a Pro-Bowl quarterback like McNabb be worried about that 10% of jokers out there that say something so stupid and moronic? Absolutely not. But is it the first or last time this happens? Absolutely not. Does it stick with you? Yes. Does it disappoint you and make you think that some people may feel the same way, but they're just not saying it? Yes..............With that aside, WAKE UP DONOVAN! Sports is at the point now where black quarterbacks are no longer a novel idea. Hell, the top quarterback in the SEC last year was JaMarcus Russell. There's six starting quarterbacks in the league right now and many more that were too athletic to play the position so they were moved to another one. Black quarterbacks are in fact less rare than white running backs right now. Do white running backs have more pressure? No. What about white receivers? No. As I mentioned earlier that's one of the great things about sports is that you may be purple, but if you can dunk a basketball or catch a knuckleball you're going to start. Donovan has probably faced some racism in his life, but it shouldn't decide his life. He's earned the respect of everyone in the sports world through his play and his leadership which is how it should work in America. Besides, who are the most hated quarterbacks in the league right now? Leinart? Grossman? Harrington? None of them black....


2. The disconnect between college (running) and pro (passing) quarterbacks

I think part of the reason this issue still comes up is because college football actually works against some quarterbacks in this area. Guys like Tim Tebow and the kid from West Virginia (White I think his name is) have yet to prove to the nation that they're capable of throwing the ball downfield, an invaluable trait in the NFL. However, this works out great for their current team. In college football there are huge gaps in between guys that are NFL fast and college fast. Alex Smith and Vince Young were NFL fast while everyone else was a step behind during college. Now, they have to step up their game. I've seen Alex Smith go for the sideline against some guys in the NFL and they chase him down like a hungry lion chasing a buffalo. In college, he would have turned it upfield and have been gone. Basically, being a running quarterback in college is a GREAT thing. It's exciting and useful. However, if doesn't prepare them for the NFL


3. Rex Gross-man needs to go

I don't have NFL Sunday Ticket so I don't know a lot about a hell of a lot of the NFL. But Rex Grossman is one of the quarterbacks that I've seen the most since he became a starter and I can say perfectly well that he...well....sucks. The forgettable Monday night debacle by the Cardinals in 2006 showed me that Rex Grossman didn't have what it took. The Cardinals D was good, but he was making them look like the '85 Bears ironically enough. So I started watching him some more. I started looking at his decision making. I started looking at how long he holds the ball. How fast his release was. And his confidence. The only thing that I can say is good is his confidence which is solid proof that he's not sucking because he's nervous. He's sucking just because he sucks. Go to http://www.suntimes.com and check out how bad this guy is getting blistered. Chicago wants a winner, not a scrub.


4. I'm not sold on Romo

There are some major benefits for playing for one of the most popular teams in the entire country, the Dallas Cowboys. You get a ton of press, get to make decisions, and as soon as you win a Super Bowl there your bust gets enshrined in the Hall even before you reitre. After watching him play last night I can say that he's got talent. But he doesn't have talent like Peyton Manning talent. Not Donovan McNabb talent. Not even Kurt Warner talent. He's got......Porn Star Jenna Jameson talent. Basically it's things that anybody can really do, but he's getting a lot of love for it. He moves around in the pocket and finds open receivers. It's simple, it's easy, and it turns people on, like Jenna Jameson taking one in the......never mind. His confidence is up and it's driving his ability. But wait until people start catching on. They'll clamp down and make his life harder. The difference between mediocre quarterbacks in the lague and great ones is the great ones rise above being figured out, but for right now, I'm not sold on Romo (doesn't his name sound like a nickname? Like it should be Romonina or something? Check his green card!).


5. College quarterbacks have not been impressing me

I try to watch as much college football as possible (I LOVE IT), but as far as the top teams are concerned I'm not impressed with their quarterback ability. Defenses? I'm totally impressed. I just watched the Kentucky/Arkansas game again last night and there was nothing about the quarterback play that overwhelmed me. The Kentucky defense? That thing is for real. To a certain extent, I think that's a great thing for college football. For so long the pro-style offenses have dominated the college level. The defenses have been largely ignored and/or exposed completely. I'm not a huge fan of 3-0 games, but great defensive players in college are usually overlooked by everyone. Look at Patrick Willis of the San Francisco 49ers and formerly of Ole Miss. This guy is AWESOME. He is fast, he's straong, smart, and athletic. WE NEVER HEARD ABOUT HIM. I hope they keep punishing quarterbacks so many more defensive players can get the notariety they deserve.


Alright, back to my thesis. I'm doing a litereature review on if there are differences in sentencing between latinos, whites, and blacks in Maricopa County (Phoenix), Arizona........please pity me.

1 comment:

LeftLeaningLady said...

I pity you. That sounds miserable.

HOWEVER, have you watched the Gators play this year? Did you watch the Tennessee game? The Western KY game? Tebow's arm is.. well.. WOW. Indescribable. The one interception he has thrown was because the WR ran the wrong route!

No joke, check him out. That boy can THROW.

Plus D has always won championships. Did you watch Florida whip OSU last year? Our offense was not that dominant all year, it was the D!