We’ve been taught since our infancy to sound words out if they don’t make sense. Likewise, if one is uncertain about a sports take, it is smart to say it to oneself. For example, say to yourself “Kirk Cousins is better than Justin Herbert since Cousins has a playoff win.” If this rings alarm bells in your head, congratulations, you understand football is a team sport that requires the effort of more than one man to succeed. That’s not to say that QBs can’t elevate their team, but there are 21 other starters that determine a team’s success in a given week. To prove my point, I’ve accumulated ten times that evidence that while QBs can elevate the team around them, they cannot be left to assume full blame for each win and loss.
Carson Wentz Vs. Jalen Hurts in 2021
Comparing numbers would lead one to surmise that Wentz actually had a better 2021 season, as Hurts’ stats don’t surpass his until combining passing and rushing. Nevertheless, the latter was praised for surpassing expectations while the former was derided for falling short of the playoffs. The expectations were not limited to the quality of each player, however, as the forecasts at the beginning of the season were fueled by the quality of the teams around them. If the supporting cast around a QB wasn’t important, then people wouldn’t prop up Hurts for leading a terrible defense to the playoffs and chastise Wentz for missing the playoffs with a team that people believed were ready for a Super Bowl. Further, Wentz’s loss to Jacksonville wouldn’t be so embarrassing, as the loss was to a first overall pick. Alas, further understanding of the sport allows one to understand that a team’s worth goes beyond one person. Further, people understood that, despite the running back position being devalued, the offense literally ran through Jonathan Taylor, who became the MVP candidate everyone thought Wentz would be.
Mitch Trubisky Vs. Deshaun Watson
Legal issues aside (all 24), nobody other than the Chicago Bears in 2017 would take Trubisky over Watson. One is currently a backup and one’s a top 5 QB in the league with $230 million guaranteed. Despite this, the backup has had a better career win percentage than the supposed franchise quarterback. Watson: 28-26 (51.9). Trubisky: 25-13 (65.8). Neither player had a perfect situation, as Watson had to deal with a Bill O’Brien that was given too much power and a defense that couldn’t stop a nosebleed in 2020. Meanwhile, Trubisky took the reins late into 2020 and, against all odds, led the Bears to the playoffs on a 6-3 run despite having Matt Nagy as his head coach. And yet, the only reason anyone would take Trubisky over Watson (in 2022, at least) is Watson’s legal issues. Could their career trajectories thus be evidence that QB analysis extends beyond the wins and losses next to their name on ProFootballReference? Spoilers: yes.
Josh Allen, 2021-22 Postseason
One can’t help feel bad for Bills fans: losing four straight Super Bowls in the nineties, now being robbed of playoff glory because Leslie Frasier went soft zone with 13 seconds left. Also, the Bills didn’t have a corner fast enough to cover Tyreek Hill, which was why they drafted Kaiir Elam in the 2022 draft (perfect timing since he’ll be seeing Hill twice a year now). Covering the field with 13 seconds left was, in my opinion, is possibly the greatest comeback in NFL history, and one that people could theoretically use to prove wins are a QB stat, for no other QB in the league could do what Mahomes did with the time he had. Time relative, the closest I can think of is the Minneapolis Miracle, but, with all due respect, Case Keenum isn’t on the same planet as Patrick Mahomes. The reason I put the postseason as a whole is because, statistically, Allen had one of the greatest postseasons for a QB ever, especially over a two-game span. Nine touchdowns and zero interceptions, including a perfect game where he scored seven touchdowns on seven drives. So how, with all this accounted for, did the best player of the postseason, get eliminated so early? Allen probably wouldn’t point fingers, but we all know it wasn’t his fault. Further, one would think that since the Bills had the best player of the postseason, they would currently have a Super Bowl. Unfortunately, as the sport is bigger than any one person, Buffalo adds to a laundry list of painful moments in their playoff history.
Jimmy Garoppolo
There’s not much confusion with this one. Garoppolo is a passenger on a top 5 team in the NFL. If he was identified as otherwise, there would be a market for him, considering he’s taken his team not only to the playoffs, but a Super Bowl in the past couple of years. NFL executives understand that they can’t take an entire team with them when they trade for a QB, and that said QB may even have to perform under less than ideal circumstances. Compared to other QBs that are tiers ahead of Garoppolo who have had equal, and even less, success, Garoppolo’s stats make it obvious that he’s not the driving force of his team. Charles Barkley actually made a similar point recently, when he said that people on a team are either a ‘driver’ or a ‘passenger.’ Unfortunately for the 49ers, ‘Pornstar Jimmy’ (as Stephen A Smith calls him) fits into the latter category. Hence, the etymology of the analogy
Matt Stafford
If a Quarterback was all that was necessary for a team’s success, then one would think that before being traded to the Rams, he would have more than one playoff appearance in the twelve years he’d been in the league. And yet, before this year, Stafford wasn’t viewed as someone who was defined by his lack of playoff success. Those who respected him were validated, as the first year that he went to a loaded LA Rams team, he won a championship. Stafford would never say a bad word about Detroit, but maybe the place where he played, the coaching and culture were the issue all along, especially after the termination of Jim Caldwell’s contract. The fans in the area seemed to understand that Stafford wasn’t the problem there despite being the QB, again, perhaps, affirming that evaluation of a team goes beyond the QB, and that quarterbacks alone aren’t responsible for their record.
2000 Ravens
Poor Trent Dilfer. Despite having a Super Bowl ring, he’s the one people always mention to show that an elite QB isn’t required to win a championship. Admittedly, the game has transitioned to being pass heavy, which makes having a quality QB more important than ever, but I’d be remiss not to mention him, as this is one of the most (in)famous examples in NFL history of the QB not being the reason for a team’s success. The Ravens defense allowed an average of 10 points per game, the best in the NFL. Meanwhile, their offense was ranked 14th in the league in points for, scoring around 20 points per game. So, it’s not so divorced from the modern game that it’s completely worth dismissal, as a modern offense should be able to score 20-25 points per game. At least, this is the measurement I use to determine whether or not a loss can be blamed on a QB (so long as they’re not produced off turnovers).
1990s Cowboys
It wouldn’t be an Eagles post without a little bit of Cowboys slander. In this case, I’ll be setting my sights on the 90s Cowboys. No, it’s not out of jealousy. Rather, it’s because some of Aikman’s teammates are remembered as the best of all time (Larry Allen, Michael Irvin, Deion Sanders) while the Hall of Fame QB is viewed as overrated due to his resume being contingent on his amount of rings. In a sense, Aikman is a rich man’s Eli Manning, a beneficiary of one of the best overall teams in NFL history who delivered when he needed to. Granted, his team would have to be excellent to win two Super Bowls with a quarterback that threw more interceptions than touchdowns some years. Albeit, this was during a different era, but as has been referenced multiple times, including by the (Aik)man himself), the Cowboys were 0-2 during Emmet Smith’s holdout in 1993, and once he came back, they won the Super Bowl. Funnily enough, they were also 3-1 in games where Aikman didn’t start. Also interesting is how Aikman stopped making the pro bowl when his team stopped winning. Deshaun Watson made the PB a year where he went 4-12, but such was not the case with Aikman. Hm.
Bengals 2021-22 Season SB Run
When I mention the Bengals Super Bowl run in 2022, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? The defense forcing turnovers? The Bengals o-line giving up nine sacks against the Titans? Burrow grasping victory from the jaws of defeat in the last few minutes of the game? Whichever one you select as the standout moment, it enforces that he would not have been able to reach the Super Bowl alone. Even Burrow marching his team down the field in crunch time would have been meaningless if the defense didn’t abruptly take scoring opportunities away from the opponent. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to see the Bengals winning in the playoffs, as few franchises are more deserving, but it’s impossible to give Burrow full credit, as Cincinnati would not have made it past the first round of the playoffs if the defense didn’t force two turnovers. Last time I checked, the quarterback doesn’t play defense.
2010 Chargers
Of all the arguments that one could make for why wins are a team sport, this is probably the most fascinating (to me, at least). How can a team with a borderline Hall of Fame QB, a top 5 offense, and a top five defense miss the playoffs entirely? Special teams. More specifically, struggling to tackle, which gave the opponent great field position. Frankly, this shows just how perfectly run a team needs to be run in order for them to be successful. Dorktown made a very interesting video on this very subject, which I recommend watching to further understand how it takes a village to move a mountain. 5/5 stars, would highly recommend.
Dan Marino
Digging further into the past, we have a top 5-10 QB of all time who, despite his gaudy numbers and Hall of Fame status, doesn’t have a single ring? How can this be? Just like with Phillip Rivers and the Chargers, YouTube essayists Secret Base dove deep into just what went wrong with Marino that prevented him from getting over the hump. Fortunately, the comments, both in and below the video, were able to summarize the video quite succinctly: run game (or lack thereof), organizational incompetence, and the dissolution of a once great defense. So, not one, but two quarterbacks anyone would kill for in their prime had their legacies damaged due to the issues of the team around them. Imagine.
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Dylan Patrowicz is a featured writer at The Birds Blitz. For more from Dylan, check out his archive and read through our Eagles articles for the latest news about the Birds.
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