WHAT GRINDS GOON’S GEARS
NFL quarterback disparity is hard to believe
Matt Magoon
An NFL quarterback is expected to lead his team to victory on a weekly basis. As the core player on the offensive side of the ball, this individual holds the team’s fate in his hands every snap.
This is why it is crucial for NFL teams to invest intelligently in their quarterbacks. When the first-string quarterback goes down, oftentimes teams suffer severe consequences
Although it was very difficult to choose a team that is facing quarterback adversity, I have decided to go out on a limb and say that the Indianapolis Colts are atrocious without Peyton Manning. In many ways it is embarrassing to see how much a team needs to rely on one individual player.
However, after watching last week’s performance against the New Orleans Saints, I felt as if I was watching a group of grown men play against a Pop Warner team.
Curtis Painter, the Colts’ quarterback, threw for 67 yards total and had a QB rating of 38.1. Without Peyton Manning in the lineup, players such as Reggie Wayne sit on the sideline with body language saying, “When is this misery going to end?”
Manning was one of the top quarterbacks in the league until he underwent stem cell treatment for a neck injury, which has sidelined him for the entire 2011 season thus far. Manning always compensated for the lack of defense the Colts possessed by continuously keeping the offense on the field and almost always putting points on the scoreboard.
On the other hand, Curtis Painter cannot even handle a snap on the first drive of the game. Painter scored more points last Sunday for the opposing team than he did for the Colts. Not to mention the mop that he has on top of his head.
It is amazing to me that one quarterback can be so much better than the other. Take Tom Brady and Matt Cassel for example. In 2008, Brady went down with a knee injury and Cassel stepped in with flying colors. Although he was not nearly the caliber of Brady, he was nowhere near the level of Painter.
Even though Painter is taking the hits in this column, he is not the only new starting quarterback that is not living up to expectations.
Christian Ponder and Blaine Gabbert, starters for the Minnesota Vikings and Jacksonville Jaguars, respectively, are both suffering in their first years as starters, but not nearly as severely as Painter.
This is the era of the quarterback, so if the Colts want to turn this season around and maybe win a game or two, they are going to need a miracle because Painter is not going to get the job done.