Watching the 43-8 humiliation the Seattle Seahawks put on the Denver Broncos in Superbowl XLVIII at times ranged from entertaining to mostly boring. After 1 1/2 quarters, the game was pretty much over with the Seahawks taking all the life from the Broncos. The most significant aspect of the game for me though, was Russell Wilson becoming only the 2nd African-American Quarterback in NFL history to start and win a Superbowl ever(only 2!). While there have been sensational black qb's in the NFL(Moon, McNabb, Cunningham), the stigma of the Mobile(or black?) qb has endured until lately.
As of now, the NFC boasts the most starting Mobile( :-) ) qb's and the 2013 season saw some of the most prosperous for them. Cam Newton made his 1st playoffs, leading the Carolina Panthers to a 12-4 record and their first Division title with him as starting QB. Colin Kaepernick was the starting qb on a 12-4 49ers team that came close to making their 2nd straight Superbowl appearance. Well..and Russell Wilson..you know the deal. Robert Griffin III didn't have a great season coming off an acl tear but did lead Washington to a 10-6 season and a playoff berth in 2012. The AFC boasts 2 young African-American qb's in Geno Smith and Ej Manuel at the moment.
Why do I bring up their successes? Well, a lot of the backlash against the mobile qb is that they can't truly play the position because either A. A predecessor did not do well in the nfl(The Infamous Jamarcus!) or B. They can't be very accurate. Because of the stigma, a lot of qb's have never gotten the chance to play the position, instead switching to wr or another skill position where they can utilize their athleticism. The thing is, we're in an era where with all the increasingly speedy players on defense at every position, mobile qb's have become more accepted and not just a fad. We're even seeing this with white quarterbacks nowadays. Aaron Rodgers, the best qb in football, though a pure passer, is incredibly mobile. Andrew Luck the pure passer, ran a 4.6 at the combine. Ryan Tannehill, former wide receiver, 4.5 speed. Jake locker, 4.6 speed. Alex Smith(SNEAKY FAST). and you can find any of these guys making plays with their legs at a decent rate.
With the 49ers, Panthers and Seahawks, we see the model is actually fostering the talent around your franchise qb. Playing to their strengths. Good coaching. Good defense, good run game, good offensive weapons. Success! So a young mobile, african-american qb can be successful in this league...they just need to be put them in a position to not fail.
I feel like I'm just rambling at this point but why not. It's a damn blog. Let me get to my last point to support this piece. The Seahawks defense had a much easier time against future hof'ers, and 2 of the top 5 qb's in football(for a very long time) in Peyton Manning and Drew Brees, but somehow an inferior Quarterback in Colin Kaepernick managed to give them a much tougher time than either of those guys did. How? he made a ton of plays with his legs to the tune of 130 yards.
Now, this isn't to say that the Brady, Manning types are a dying breed, because they absolutely are not. But, it's great that the NFL is actually progressing like this. We are a couple months away from a guy like Teddy Bridgewater being drafted very highly and getting the keys to a franchise. Even a player like Johnny Manziel is benefiting from this. So why not? So they may not be all pure pocket passers, but they have shown they can make plays when it matters with their legs and arm.
A new era is here, friends, and we are witness to it. Buckle up.
