When we think of men in leadership positions of pro football offenses, our minds turn to the leathery John Unitas, the sage Sonny Jurgensen, the battle-tested Terry Bradshaw, a post-military Roger Staubach, or Jim Plunkett, Doug Williams, and John Elway getting their rings after paying their dues. Bart Starr: Lombardi's pet vet. Y.A. Tittle, bald and wise, an eagle in the pocket. Fran Tarkenton, Len Dawson, Dan Marino, Jim Kelly, and Joe Montana, all effective late into their careers, and able to work well with various sets of often-younger receivers and backs. Kids held clipboards and learned from the sidelines and during film sessions.
Michael Vick, Peyton Manning, Donovan McNabb, and Daunte Culpepper have been considered stars and leaders since their third seasons. Regard Carson Palmer, 3-0 and counting in his third campaign. It is said today's defenses are more complex, savage, and quick than those that Tarkenton faced, yet Palmer, who did not take a snap as a rookie, has relegated Jon Kitna to fan status. Ben Roethlisberger was given the ball when Tommy Maddox became injured, and hasn't looked any more green or indecisive than Mark Brunell, Jay Fiedler, or Vinny Testaverde. Now we've got two Mannings in the mix (and may soon see another Vick). Have coaches changed?
First of all, not everyone is on board. Washington coach Joe Gibbs stands by Brunell when he errs, but not the younger Patrick Ramsey. But the game is won in the trenches — Washington should be 2-0 as the defense has only allowed 20 points. Last season, though, Brunell started for nine weeks, there were winnable games where the defense only gave up 17 to Cleveland, 17 to Cincy, 17 to the low-scoring Ravens, 17 to high-octane Philly when T.O. was still healthy, and 13 to Dallas, yet lost. Who knows what their record would have been had the senior QB been pulled?
Big Ben, D-Mac, and Carson Palmer are surrounded by talent, from their backfields to the other side of the ball. When they step back to throw (they are not likely to run much), they have several options in a Hines Ward/Antwaan Randle-El, Chad Johnson/T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Terrell Owens/Brian Westbrook kind of way. More importantly, they have the pass protection to look for these multiple receivers. When they do get clobbered, which is often a split second after the pass is delivered, each man is the size of an NFL tight end. They come back (see Leftwich and McNair).
Because of the way Tom Brady stepped in immediately for Drew Bledsoe, and Kurt Warner for Trent Green before that, the days of the irreplaceable vet QB are past. Strong, confident teams rally around The New Kid on the Block. Most of these young guns have been given a fair opportunity to prove themselves and even falter, and not been yanked back and forth like a yo-yo on a QB controversy string.
With weakness at the helm in cities such as Chicago, Cleveland, Buffalo, and Arizona, fresh arms will march to the attempted rescue. Injuries will force other changes. Age still more. As for on-the-field performance, there is nothing Michael Vick or Byron Leftwich can do at this point to get themselves benched. David Carr doesn't even get yanked. In some instances, the second-stringer is younger than the starter anyway. Other times, the alternative is Jeff Blake or Rodney Peete. We often make too much of a few poor offensive series. After all, the defense the signal-caller is facing is paid to win the game, too. How many running backs get benched when they're not playing up to par? Corey Dillon? Jamal Lewis? Ahman Green?
Learn and lead. Aaron Brooks, Culpepper, and Joey Harrington have their regretful weeks. But so do Jeff Garcia, Warner, Brett Favre, and Kerry Collins. Given time (and a supporting cast that includes TE Antonio Gates and RB LaDainian Tomlinson), Drew Brees came around. USC's Matt Leinart chose to stay in school (even with offensive guru Norm Chow gone), and he'll be that much sharper for it.
Good teams, and in particular, good defenses, cover a multitude of mistakes. How may Vince Lombardi Trophies do Dan Marino and Peyton Manning have, between them? Not all of the baby backers of the present or future will blossom. But in the two-platoon team game of ups and downs, nicks and limps that is professional football, youth is not always wasted on the young.
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