WSJ: Why the NFL Has a Quarterback Crisis

Point of the article is that NCAA quarterbacks who want to play in the NFL know nothing about reading pro defenses. Reason is that they all played in spread offenses in college whose objective is to tire out the defense.

[url=http://www.wsj.com/articles/why-the-nfl-has-a-quarterback-crisis-1441819454]http://www.wsj.com/articles/why-the-nfl ... 1441819454[/url]?

Good read okie. :thup: No question that the qb is more important in the NFL than years before when the game was riddled with a "3 yds and a cloud of dust" simple running mentality. No longer. But if the NFL can't find enough qbs that are able to adapt to it's style of game, indeed it does raise questions for the league no doubt.

The NCAA is by far the largest training structure for potential pro football players. The NCAA is by far the biggest obstacle for potential pro football players.

Because of the NCAA with their anti trust practices and their marketplace bullying, there can never be a proper minor pro farm league system for football. This shafts kid trying to make it as they can't get paid and they only get 4 years to prove themselves with very few options as to finding a spot to play and develop. Pretty much everything that the NCAA does is criminal.

I could go on a rant here. Perhaps I will later on.

You should, because it has absolutely nothing to deal with the subject matter of the thread. There will never be a proper minor league pro farm league for football because the NFL will never put up the money to pay for one. Why would they pay for something they currently get for free? Ditto the CFL for that matter.

Now to the subject matter, it’s something I’ve thought myself based on how the NFL have pushed the rules over the past 15 years. It’s pretty much impossible to be a division winner without a great QB, unless every team in the division does not have a great QB. On the surface this appears fine, however, how many “great QBs? are there? Say there’s 10. What are the other 22 teams in the league supposed to do? The view on "great QB" is so constrained and the fact there are naturally very few of them is such that it automatically destroys two-thirds of the league before Week 1. It’s not like a great QB is something you can simply develop or buy in free agency like you can a lineman or a tailback. The salary cap disallows you from having a solid ready-to-go #2 like the Niners did going from Joe Montana to Steve Young. Making the league and especially the offenses so QB-centric is the opposite of the NFL goal of parity that gives every market “a chance? heading into the season. I’m a Denver fan, I think Peyton’s done after this year, we may win the division but will go no further, and I think we’re going to be screwed for the next 5 years because who will our quarterback be, Brock Osweiler? So what’s my hope, we go 2-14 and hope the #1 pick coming from college can transition to the pros? I doubt it, but I hope the NFL can sit back and look at the system they’ve created where the runningback is borderline irrelevant and the only thing that matters is the QB. Perhaps we’ll have to wait until Tom Brady retires and then Kraft looks at why the Patriots are sub-.500.

Russell Wilson has done pretty good with being a QB where the run’s an option, but Seattle if you remember gave a big contract to Matt Flynn thinking he would be their starter that offseason. The spread is getting itself into the NFL, but it has been a slow process. Robert Griffin III at this point for example has to be considered pretty much a flop.

As far as NCAA coaches prioritizing winning over developing players, case in point: Tim Tebow. This has always existed though, Tommie Frazier was never making the NFL as a QB despite leading Nebraska to championships.

Part of the reason is the NFL has pretty much given up on developing depth with QB's. There are a number of teams that only have 2 QB's on the roster. Most NFL teams even if they are blowing out teams or being blown out won't put in their Back-up QB's unless their is an injury.

Even in the CFL, Montreal's current problem. When Calvillo was QB, they left it up to him. How many games during Montreal's domination of the East did you see a Montreal backup play, other than short yardage.

Now team's in both league seem to expect back ups to be able to just take a snap even with no reps.