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Pop quiz, hotshot.
Name all the starting NFC quarterbacks who have won Super Bowl titles.
Finding them might be tougher than finding four U.S. Olympic sprinters who can keep the baton off the track.
Got 'em yet? There are only two.
Until about three days ago, the answer was one. He began last season as the awkward and unaccomplished younger brother whose leadership was questioned by his own retired running back. That's right. Eli Manning, who isn't even wearing his ring yet, was the lone QB with a meaningful Disneyland promise under his belt.
The only other two rings are on the fingers of Kurt Warner, who is a simply acting as a placeholder in Arizona until the coaching staff decides that Matt Leinart has learned his lesson.
Eli Manning and Kurt Warner. Do you believe that we live in a world where Peyton's little brother and the ghost of Arena Football past are the only quarterback success stories in the conference?
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| Gone are the days of Joe Montana and Troy Aikman, the QB position is struggling in the NFC. (Getty Images) |
So how is it possible that in a conference so bereft of top-notch quarterbacks, Green Bay not only traded Favre, but offered him $20 million to stay retired?
Easy. They didn't have a choice. The modern NFL is crapshoot where no quarterback is a guarantee of victory. However, the opposite is far truer. There are dozens of quarterbacks who practically guarantee you won't be playing in February.
The Bradys and Mannings of the world are anomalies -- guys who are so good at what they do that they actually elevate their teams.
Brady and Manning are the Morgan Freeman voiceovers of quarterbacks. Box office gold.
NFL GMs and coaches shouldn't even wish for such luxuries. Instead, they follow the cardinal rule of managing a football team.
Don't Be Miami.
OK, I have no idea if they actually call it that. But they should.
The post-Marino 'Fins have been the poster franchise for the situation that must be avoided at all costs. A steady diet of season-killing quarterbacks and desperate hopes from year to year that one of these killers will mature into mediocrity.
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| Is Chad Pennington finally the answer to Miami's QB woes? Well, he can't be worse than Jay Fiedler. (Getty Images) |
Right now, you are either laughing or you are a Dolphins fan.
And this could happen to your franchise.
But it wasn't going to happen in Green Bay.
Why else would they send their favorite son packing? Simply put, Brett Favre was the reason Brett Favre had to leave. Favre's success and durability over more than a decade spoiled the Packers and their fans.
So, they did the logical thing and tried to keep the tradition going. They followed the formula and drafted Aaron Rodgers two years before they thought they might need him. If he was forced into action early (Ben Roethlisberger), he'd be there. If he needed time to mature on the field (Eli Manning), he would have that chance.
The script is easy to follow. The only plot twist they didn't plan on was a veteran quarterback who won't go away. Because of that, they risked losing Rodgers and Favre. So, oddly enough, Favre, the biggest hero in the NFL's smallest town, was a threat to that comfort zone.
Even if you disagree with what they did, at least they knew one thing, D.B.M. baby. Don't be Miami.
Sonny Amato is a SPiN Contributor and contributor to The Meaningful Collateral.
