I think it’s the combination of QB being an incredibly difficult position to play alongside a general lack of understanding of how to recognize a QB’s strengths and weaknesses by Offensive Coordinators and QB coaches.
There is a classic story about Troy Aikman early during his Dallas playing years. At the time, David Shula (son of Don) was the offensive coordinator for the Cowboys and he was frustrated with Aikman’s inability to run Shula’s offense. Shula thought Aikman was a bust because Dan Marino ran the same offense to perfection. Eventually Shula was fired and Norv Turner came in and ran a simplified west-coast style of offense that utilized Aikman’s strengths while hiding his weaknesses behind the rushing of Emmitt Smith. Aikman would go on to the Hall of Fame but was nearly replaced by the Cowboys who burned through a #1 overall draft pick to draft Steve Walsh in the 1990 supplemental draft. Later Aikman would face call to be replaced by both Babe Laufenberg and Steve Beuerlein.
Remember the attempt to turn Mike Vick into a West Coast QB? How about Steve Young’s time in Tampa?
Think about Kurt Warner toiling away at Hy-Vee overnights stocking shelves while the Rams were trying to mold Tony Banks into a bona-fide NFL passer or Brett Favre being traded away from the Atlanta Falcons for a mid-1st rounder? Looked like a great deal at the time. The Falcons had Jeff George and had picked Favre in early in the 2nd round the year before. Five years later, the deal didn’t look so good. There are lesser examples like Doug Flutie who spent years in Canada winning championships after being shunned in the NFL due to his height. Rich Gannon spent time as a journeyman in Minnesota and Kansas City before united with Jon Gruden and turning into a superstar.
San Diego let Drew Brees go and Miami decided not to pick him up because they were unsure about his height and his ability to recover from shoulder surgery. His height didn’t limit him in New Orleans while Miami signed Daunte Culpepper without Randy Moss.
And then there’s THIS guy……
Drafted in the 6th round because NFL Scouting personnel are so smart. 10 Super Bowl appearances, 7 championships despite playing backup in college and coming to a team that had Drew Bledsoe starting on a ten year 103 million dollar contract. Seriously, Tom Brady should be sending Mo Lewis a royalty check every year. Hell, the entire New England region should be sending Mo Lewis a portion of their paychecks.
There IS enough talent out there to field a league that has enough competent Quarterbacks for everyone but many NFL coaches are rigid and design a system they expect their players to fit into instead of designing a system around the players strengths and weaknesses. The great coaches recognize and adjust to what they have instead of assuming that their players are hopeless because they can’t do what the coach expects.
‘Shut up and dribble’: Fox News host extends Trump’s efforts to silence political athletes
Oh, and LeBron and Kevin: You’re great players, but no one voted for you … So keep the political commentary to yourself or, as someone once said, shut up and dribble.”
The “shut up and dribble” command isn’t that different from the “shut up and sing” directive many conservatives lob at liberals in the entertainment industry who are critical of policies on the right.
And the “stay out of politics” sentiment is usually a viewpoint only reserved for their political opponents. After all, the president often praises athletes that support his view of America, such as New England Patriot Tom Brady, who once kept a “Make America Great Again” hat in his locker.
.. Ingraham, who was once floated as a possible White House press secretary to replace Sean Spicer
.. The idea that the “court” of political punditry belongs to a host on the president’s preferred cable network is bound to get pushback.
What makes Ingraham an expert — a host on a cable network with primarily white hosts and conservative guests — on issues related to people of color in urban areas?
.. America is incredibly divided politically. And most Americans point to Trump, who called NFL players protesting racism “sons of bitches,” as one of the main agitators. But that probably isn’t going to change by telling people to sit down and be quiet, particularly when they are voicing concerns on issues many Americans are concerned with themselves.
By Ingraham telling Americans who don’t agree with her views to “shut up and dribble,” it further isolates certain groups and leads them to add the host — and her network — to the list of influential voices who do not understand the concerns of those who do not look like them.
The Eagles Are Like the Jaguars…but Better
With relentless pressure, Jacksonville provided the perfect blueprint on how to attack New England quarterback Tom Brady. It just so happens that rushing the passer is Philadelphia’s strength.
.. the Eagles, who just so happen to boast the top-rated pass-rushing unit in the NFL. The Eagles hurried the opposing quarterback on about 41% of drop-backs during the regular season, the highest mark in the sport
.. They accomplished this largely without blitzing, a requirement for holding down Brady, who is a master at carving up defenses that dare send extra men at him at the expense of coverage in the secondary.
.. the Eagles rely on a ferocious front four loaded with talent and depth. They liberally rotate up to eight players, creating an unending carousel of fresh bodies
.. their combination of size and speed “just jumps out at you.”
.. Then the fourth quarter arrived and Brady did what he always does: He used the Jaguars’ ruthlessness against them, quickening the pace of the Patriots’ offense to tire Jacksonville out just in time for the most crucial moments of the game. Once fatigue set in across the Jaguars’ defensive line, Brady pounced,
.. The Eagles, however, have the personnel to combat the problems that plagued the Falcons and Jaguars. In addition to a dynamic first unit led by Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham, they boast a group of backups who likely could start elsewhere.
The Patriots say that the sheer amount of talent on Philadelphia’s defensive line presents an unusual challenge.
.. The numbers show that while Brady’s performance certainly drops under pressure, he still handles the rush better than any other quarterback in the NFL.
You Want to Argue Football With Gisele?
Comments from Tom Brady’s supermodel spouse spark an uproar in the NFL—because they point to an uncomfortable truth
she said her husband, the New England Patriots superstar quarterback Tom Brady, had suffered a concussion during his team’s 2016 Super Bowl-winning season. She said more than that, really: Bündchen appeared to suggest that Brady had suffered concussions regularly over the course of his career.
“He had a concussion last year,” Bündchen said. “I mean, he has concussions pretty much…we don’t talk about it, but he does have concussions.”
.. but whom do you believe the most?
Yeah, I thought so.
Bündchen’s absolutely the rational voice here. Of course she is. What incentive does she possibly have to misrepresent her husband’s health? To Charlie Rose, during, of all things, an interview about a friend’s book on global warming?
.. it is hard to envision a more charmed-looking life than Brady’s and Bündchen’s. Brady is one of the greatest NFL players of all time, a five-time Super Bowl winner, a luxury pitchman who just signed a deal to endorse Aston-Martins. Bündchen is probably even more famous around the world
.. the aftermath almost never falls to the league, the team, or the representation. It is the family—and often, very specifically, the spouse—who are the front lines
.. Football is a volatile workplace in which most contracts aren’t guaranteed—teams claim they could not afford to do guaranteed deals in a sport where injury is common. How does that not incentivize the masking of injuries?
.. A few years ago, Brady’s father Tom Sr. gave an interview in which he said he’d be “very hesitant” to let his son play were he a kid coming up today