An Overrated Position?
A few days ago, I sang the praises of the most underrated position in football: the place-kicker. Now it's time to take a look at the other side of the spectrum: the most overrated position. The NFL divisional playoffs would suggest that the most heralded position, the quarterback, is also the most overrated.
Look at the signal-callers for the Colts and Vikings. Indy has Peyton Manning, who put together one of the best seasons of any quarterback in the history of the league. He was the landslide MVP pick and threw more touchdowns this year than anyone has ever thrown in a single season. But when the game meant the most, Manning's Colts were easily handled by the Patriots.
Look at Daunte Culpepper. The Vikings quarterback would have been the league's MVP if Manning hadn't had such a phenomenal year. But his team also ran into a team that shut him and his offense down. If having the best quarterbacks in the league doesn't help you win the big games, why is the quarterback position so important?
Delving deeper into the subject, the theory continues to hold water. Instead of looking at how the best quarterback's do, let's look at how the quarterbacks of the most winning teams perform.
Ben Roethlisberger, the rookie phenom from Pittsburgh, hasn't lost a game as a starter all season. The Miami of Ohio graduate has tossed 17 touchdowns this season to 11 interceptions. Not bad numbers, and his 98.1 quarterback rating is nothing to sneeze at either. New England's Tom Brady's numbers are even better with 28 TDs to 14 interceptions and a rating of 92.6. But neither of them can hold a candle to Manning's numbers (49 TD, 10 INT, 121.1 rating) or even Culpepper's (39 TD, 11 INT, 110.9 rating.) The point is, the best quarterbacks have been losing while the average ones, that have solid defenses, win.
The reason is simple. A strong defense and a solid running game are more important than a great quarterback. Vikings fans should be very familiar with this fact of football. Even with dynamic offensive All-Pros like Randy Moss, Daunte Culpepper and Michael Bennett, the Vikings haven't had much luck in the playoffs with their current roster. The teams that have had success--New England, Carolina, Tampa Bay and others--all have solid to extraordinary defenses.
Would you prefer the best quarterback in the game or a strong defense? It all depends on whether you like to win.
Look at the signal-callers for the Colts and Vikings. Indy has Peyton Manning, who put together one of the best seasons of any quarterback in the history of the league. He was the landslide MVP pick and threw more touchdowns this year than anyone has ever thrown in a single season. But when the game meant the most, Manning's Colts were easily handled by the Patriots.
Look at Daunte Culpepper. The Vikings quarterback would have been the league's MVP if Manning hadn't had such a phenomenal year. But his team also ran into a team that shut him and his offense down. If having the best quarterbacks in the league doesn't help you win the big games, why is the quarterback position so important?
Delving deeper into the subject, the theory continues to hold water. Instead of looking at how the best quarterback's do, let's look at how the quarterbacks of the most winning teams perform.
Ben Roethlisberger, the rookie phenom from Pittsburgh, hasn't lost a game as a starter all season. The Miami of Ohio graduate has tossed 17 touchdowns this season to 11 interceptions. Not bad numbers, and his 98.1 quarterback rating is nothing to sneeze at either. New England's Tom Brady's numbers are even better with 28 TDs to 14 interceptions and a rating of 92.6. But neither of them can hold a candle to Manning's numbers (49 TD, 10 INT, 121.1 rating) or even Culpepper's (39 TD, 11 INT, 110.9 rating.) The point is, the best quarterbacks have been losing while the average ones, that have solid defenses, win.
The reason is simple. A strong defense and a solid running game are more important than a great quarterback. Vikings fans should be very familiar with this fact of football. Even with dynamic offensive All-Pros like Randy Moss, Daunte Culpepper and Michael Bennett, the Vikings haven't had much luck in the playoffs with their current roster. The teams that have had success--New England, Carolina, Tampa Bay and others--all have solid to extraordinary defenses.
Would you prefer the best quarterback in the game or a strong defense? It all depends on whether you like to win.
posted by Joe Siple | 11:16 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home