Rookie QBs: To play or not to play?
Word out of Browns camp is that Brady Quinn has a chance to start this year, which raises the age old question: should rookie quarterbacks line up behind center or carry a clipboard? In my latest column for Bullz-Eye.com, I take a look at past examples like Peyton Manning, Daunte Culpepper and Tim Couch for answers.
What about Rothlisberger??? 13-0 Rookie starter.
Paul – I mentioned Rothlisberger in the article…just click on the link.
It’s very rare that a rookie can go out there and be successfull in his first season. It’s just a faster game and the defense is bigger a stronger. And the biggest part is reading NFL defenses ……….. it all happens a lot faster in the NFL than in College. It takes a while for a QB to slow the game down while he runs his offense.
I’ll go back a little farther…Troy Aikman started in his rookie year and won 3 superbowls with the cowboys yet Tom Brady carried a clipboard until the 2nd game of his sophomore year when he was forced into action by an injury to Drew Bledsoe (a decent rookie starter) and won 3 superbowls with the Patriots.
I think for every example of a success story you can find the opposite whether with a clipboard (Favre carried one but so did Todd Marinovich, the 2nd biggest bust in NFL history) or without (Elway was a rookie starter but so was Jeff George).
Then we have the hybrid QB who carried a clipboard to start his rookie season but was thrown into action either out of necessity or futility. For every Dan Marino there’s a…dare I say…Eli Manning.