Capacity of future QBs is consistent with the past

Sporting News, The, Oct 21, 1996 by Bob Glauber

It has become the politically correct two-word expression to describe the state of young NFL quarterbacks: They stink.

Whether it's Rick Mirer's failed tenure in Seattle, or Heath Shuler's inability to beat out Gus Frerotte in Washington. or Trent Dilfer's uncanny ability to complete passes to opponents instead of the Buccaneers, the verdict is nearly unanimous. Quarterbacking in the NFL just isn't what it used to be.

My one-word answer to this sweeping indictment: Nonsense.

Although I won't sit here and defend the--shall we say--sluggish beginnings for the three aforementioned first-round quarterbacks, what I will say is that the situation is not nearly as grave as many people will have you believe. In fact, when viewed in historical perspective, the state of quarterbacks in the '90s is entirely consistent with the past.

"It's not much different now than it's ever been," says Packers general manager Ron Wolf, who has a pretty fine young quarterback in Brett Favre--like potentially one of the best ever. "Go back to 1986 and see who the quarterbacks were. Go back to 1976. Go back to 1966. You've got great quarterbacks then and you've got not-so-great ones. It was the same back then as it is today."

OK, let's go back 10 years. The Class of '83 was coming into its own, with John Elway Dan Marino and Jim Kelly leading the way. Joe Montana was entering his peak years. Phil Simms was about to lead the Giants to the Super Bowl. And Jim McMahon was coming off his Super Bowl win with the Bears. And then there were the others, like the NFC's third-rated quarterback that year, the immortal Eric Hipple of the Lions. Or the conference's top-rated quarterback, Tommy Kramer, hardly a Hall of Famer.

And what about 76? For every Terry Bradshaw, Roger Staubach and Dan Fouts, there was a Greg Landry or Bob Avellini or Steve Ramsey.

And 10 years earlier, you had John Hadl, Len Dawson and Toe Namath. But you also had guys you've hardly heard of. How about Dick Wood and George Wilson sharing quarterback duties in Miami? Or what about the legendary John McCormick and Max Choboian combining forces in Denver?

The point in all this? Quite simply, you're always going to have star quarterbacks, but you're never going to have them on every team. "God just didn't make that many," says former Bucs and Bengals coach Sam Wyche.

So despite all the criticism leveled at the current group of young quarterbacks as a whole, there are more quality passers out there than the doomsayers would have you believe. Look back to Week 6 of this season as an example of the promise shown by many of the NFL's young guns. The starting quarterbacks under age 30 combined for a passer rating of 87.8--far better than the league average of 75.2. And seven of those quarterbacks' teams won.

Not included in that group were Mirer (benched) and Dilfer (bye week). But look at the others, and you'll see some promising careers, present and future: Favre, Drew Bledsoe, Mark Brunell, Todd Collins, Elvis Grbac and Scott Mitchell. Even Dilfer got into the act last Sunday, helping the Buccaneers upset the Vikings at home with a remarkably solid performance, maybe his best ever.

"I see a lot of promise in a lot of the young quarterbacks," says Panthers general manager Bill Polian, whose quarterback, Kerry Collins, is near the top of the list. "You look around the league, and you see a lot of good young guys who have very, very bright futures. And guys like Dilfer, Shuler and Mirer are far from finished products, but that's not to say they won't blossom over time. Look at what happened to Jim Harbaugh. It took him a long time, but he finally got with the right situation to develop into an excellent quarterback. I really don't worry about the future as far as the league is concerned. I think it's going to be OK."

And as politically incorrect as it might be to say it, so do I.

Fourth quarter fizzle

There may be no better statistic to illustrate just how solid the Broncos have been in their 5-1 start than this: Quarterback John Elway--he of the 37 fourth-quarter, game-winning drives--has been absolutely miserable in the fourth quarter this season. He's 17-of-29 for 168 yards, with one touchdown and four interceptions.

Still, the Broncos are sitting atop the AFC West, because of a superb running game anchored by Terrell Davis and a resurgent defense. Elway has done his share as well, just not when we've come' to expect it. His third-quarter play has been absolutely brilliant, meaning he has hardly needed any fourth-quarter magic. In the third quarter, Elway is 38-of49 for 371 yards, five touch downs and no interceptions for a 132.2 rating.

Crying Wolf

Frustrated Jets fans, beware: If you believe that Packers general manager Ron Wolf is the answer to all that ails your woebegone team, then you're going to be disappointed. Wolf isn't going anywhere. Contrary to rumors circulating the past several days, the man who helped build the Packers into Super Bowl contenders is not for sale.

"I don't know what more I have to say, but I'm extremely happy with where I am," says Wolf, a former Jets assistant general manager who went to Green Bay in 1991. "This is getting to the point where it's embarrassing already. There's no truth to it. None whatsoever."