Summary: Rise Of The Quarterback

Rise of the Quarterback
Jonathan Mueller
ENG 1020 – 019
Dr. Parker
December 5, 2011

Every season, the National Football League (NFL) has 32 teams all grinding out the 16 games for one of 12 playoff spots, which means a chance to be crowned Super Bowl champion. For many years, it seemed the same 12 teams were in these spots, while 20 other teams fell further and further behind in making a push to be a contender in a very difficult league. The last few years, however have been different as some teams have risen to new heights while others have fallen from the promise land to a dismal ending. A number of factors contribute to why this is happening; the largest reason behind this is the play of their current
At the combine all 32 teams send scouts that evaluate the performances of these prospects, and will determine if these players could help their respected teams either repeat the success of the prior year or help the team improve. The NFL draft is a yearly process over a four day span in the selection of the top college prospects entrance into the NFL. The draft was initiated in 1936 with a reverse selection order, so that the worst team from the prior year would be selecting first, then the second worst team selects next, and continues till all 32 teams have been selected (Berri, Simmons). The reason the process was put in place was to try to even the playing field so that the worst teams would be able to select the best collegiate prospects declaring they are ready for the NFL. The scouts position can be one of the hardest front office positions in the NFL, because it is up to them to determine who they feel is ready to compete at the next level, and with the quarterback position being one of the most sought after, it becomes an even harder task when a team is resting their hopes on drafting someone that can lead them to glory. As in the article The Quarterback Prediction Problem: Forecasting the Performance of College Quarterbacks Selected in the NFL Draft,
The saying goes offense wins games, but defense wins championships. Mark Jackson played in 3 Super Bowls and played with John Elway, one of the greatest quarterbacks to play the game and was quoted “It 's been said that offense can get you to the Super Bowl but DEFENSE wins Super Bowls and I 'd have to agree. With that said, great offenses are always run by great QB 's; not great wideouts, not great running backs, not great linemen. There are about 60 plays in a game and about 12-15 that have a significant effect on the outcome. John was able to make plays after the ball was snapped and the original play had failed. He was irreplaceable. ” To say that one man on a team of 53 men is irreplaceable shows the value of this one position. John Elway to Marks’ 3 Super Bowl playing teams was irreplaceable, as is Peyton Manning to the Colts, because this time last year the same 0-9 Colts were 6-3, and 9-0 in 2009 (NFL). As for the Lions their 6-2 record this year is following a 2-6 record in 2010 when Stafford only played in 3 games all year, and 0-16 the year prior to drafting Stafford, this clearly shows how important an elite quarterback is for a