Hey gang, sorry I have been away for so long, but living so far away from Kansas City removes me from a lot of the happenings with my favorite NFL team. But now that the games are back on TV and I am getting more coverage coming out of God's country, I feel that I can start posting again here in hopes of angering people enough to discuss.
This week, we are going to talk about backup quarterbacks.
I have long held that I am unimpressed with Todd Haley and I am getting rather unimpressed with Scott Pioli on this issue of quarterbacks. I do not subscribe to the theory that this team needed to draft a franchise quarterback, I do believe we have a good quarterback at the helm of this team. (OK hold your flames until I am done). What I do not understand is why we do not have that veteran guy as backup.
Most teams have a backup that is a veteran, if they do not have a veteran at the helm. The reasons are many, but not the least of which is having that experience to help the starter. The Chiefs seem content with Brodie Croyle and Matt Cassel. Matt is a better quarterback if for no other reason is his toughness, face it, anyone who could last an entire season behind our offensive line, deserves accolades, but that is another story.
In terms of experience though, there is little difference between Brodie Croyle and Matt Cassel. So who do we have teaching these guys? The coaches are good and that is very important, but having that recent in-game experience to draw upon from another player would seem very important to me. A coach can preach to you what to look for and how to react, but the way a player would talk about a scenario is different than the way a coach would speak about it, players and coaches speak somewhat different languages.
Another case to be made for having a veteran is the mental preperation on the starter. Now, I am not talking about a quarterback controversy here, no one wants that, but what I am referring to is just the fact that you have this guy that clearly knows what he is doing on the sideline ready to come in at any time. It pushes a starter to be prepared and be at the time of their game.
Lastly, the idea that you have a tried and true talent on the side lines that can come in in a pinch and keep you in a game, or perhaps win one for you if the starter goes down. Sorry gang, neither Brodie, nor the third stringer we have is the person that can do that.
What I have failed to completely understand is the current aversion to having a veteran player on the team. Aside from cost, i see no real reason not to have a guy. It's not like we have 3 quarterbacks that are so good that we could not afford to lose one. I also hear all of you screaming now about injuries, and yes, that is a very real possibility with a veteran quarterback, but no more so than we have with the young backup we have now in Brodie Croyle.
The next issue obviously is who to get, at this late part of the season, it is hard to say who is available. We would not want to trade for a guy, that would be as dumb as not having a guy, so that leaves us to getting guys who are currently free agents.
Daunte Culpepper? Todd Collins? Trent Green? Mark Brunell? It depends on whether the egos of these guys will allow them to take a backup role. None of these guys are the go to guy for this season, but they can bring some experience and help to our young players that might help them elevate their game to the next level.
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