by Dan Salem and Todd Salem (8-16-13)
[Part one - Off season questions Real & Hilarious]
[Part two - Tebow vs Hernandez]
[Part three - The fantasy kicker & Barry Sanders]
DAN:
The jury is out on whether the New York Jets have a legit number one running back on their roster, but at the very least they have two number twos and a number three. McKnight is the obvious number three since he can barely stay healthy at this point. I only have to look across the division to the Patriots to find a team that has thrived with number two and three backs over the last five seasons. Obviously their ability to succeed has everything to do with the offensive line and Tom Brady, but an elite running back is not a requirement for success. You need a consistent back who gets the three yards on second or third down. I'm all in on Marty Mornhinweg's offense and the emergence of Geno Smith to Steven Hill.
Enough about my optimism for an enjoyable season of football coming out of New York in the AFC. You asked two fun questions and I'm stacking them like PB&J.
You asked:
(4) If Russell Wilson, Andrew Luck, Colin Kaepernick and Robert Griffin III played 2 on 2 in a decathlon-type event, what would the teams be, which side would win, who would America be rooting for, and would they all be immediately inducted into the respective Halls of Fame for each sport they participated in?
(4b) How much does it suck for all current and future first year starting quarterbacks?
I know you're going with even numbers, but I gotta throw Cam Newton in their as well (2nd year last season I know, but an excellent first year). He's lightening fast and ideal for any decathlon-type event. Let's reserve him for an injury replacement, or the guy who plays on both teams in order to balance things out.
The Teams:
Andrew Luck & Russell Wilson: Luck is sneaky fast and quite possibly a genius with a rocket arm. Wilson is nothing short of blazing fast with an unrivaled stop and go. His height could hold him back teamed with anyone else. But with Luck and Wilson, intelligence and speed compliment perfectly.
Colin Kaepernick and Robert Griffin III: Both Colin and RG3 are blazing fast. I'd give Colin the edge in speed, but RG3 the edge in the stop and go. They beat team Luck and Wilson easily in a shorter relay, but neither man wins in a straight up sprint or long jump vs. Wilson. This team has obvious strengths, but few to no weaknesses either. Power and speed baby.
Cam Newton: He's a beast and wicked fast. If there's a sprint event, I say Cam subs in for Luck. But if its the javelin throw or discus toss, we get Cam in there for RG3. He's the wildcard.
Who's America rooting for? I think Luck and Wilson make for easier rooting interests. I love rooting for Wilson, just as much as I do for RG3. But Luck is so much more fun to root for than Colin. Its all in the smile. Luck's is warm and inviting while Colin's says "Hey you, you stink and I'm the winner." As for the victors, if its a straight up competition then Colin and RG3 win close. With Cam Newton as the wildcard, however, team Luck and Wilson get the trophy.
To the current and future first year starting quarterbacks, I know why you asked, but you've got it all wrong. Yes, these four men (or five with Cam Newton) had stellar season's in their first year starting. They raised the bar and set it quite high. But they all had either an excellent team around them, a stellar coach, or both. Luck's team was young, but it was no slouch. I think Cam might be the only one who thrived without either one.
So this year's rookies and first year starters know everyone is pulling for them. No more holding a guy's hand or making him ride the bench for an entire season so he can "learn" from the current number one guy. That philosophy only works if your current starting quarterback is half way decent and has something to teach the newbie.
The whole crux of your question is why I'm so optimistic about the Jets' future. No one should be learning much of anything from Mark Sanchez at this point, unless its what not to do in order to alienate a nation and make a fool of yourself. So where does that leave Geno Smith this season? I think he's is prime position to succeed. If he shines then he'll get praised and lauded like the field general he is. Prolonged success is not a guarantee after one good season any longer, so we celebrate what we have when we have it. But if he stumbles, well he is just a rookie. If he doesn't start until week three or four, well he's a rookie and you don't want to rush him. The caveats still exist, but the opportunity for bigger things have never been bigger. Geno, Geno!
TODD:
Your team pairing was interesting. I agree that Colin Kaepernick seems like he might possibly be a dick. Griffin would be slightly upset that he was put on Kaepernick's team...up until the competition started. I think Colin might be the strongest of the four and just as fast as any of the others. He and RGIII would run away with this thing, literally and figuratively.
The real point of this silly line of questioning though was to get to that second part: how it feels to be a first-year starting quarterback in today's NFL. It used to be that rookies could sit for weeks, or even years, before getting thrown behind center. Or, if they did start from week one, they were given weeks (or even years!) to learn the job and get their bumps and bruises. Common perception was it took a while for a rookie QB so we shouldn't judge his success for a while. Now, things are completely different, and I think this works against Geno Smith, not for him.
In years past, someone like Blaine Gabbert would still have upside. Sure, he's struggled but he's not supposed to succeed out of the gate. Now, the Jags and everyone else in the world has all but given up on him as an NFL-caliber player. Quarterbacks come out of high school more polished nowadays. That translates to being further ahead as freshmen and sophomores in college, and so forth. Now, these guys enter the pros with years of experience running an offense, changing things at the line of scrimmage, and being leaders. It now seems obvious Blaine Gabbert cannot run a franchise just because of how his peers are doing at similar points in their careers.
If Geno Smith is able to start in week one, he has to succeed rather quickly or else people will doubt his ceiling, some wackos will clamber for Mark Sanchez to be put in and it will be a struggle to just remain confident, let alone play well. On the other hand, if Geno sits week one, as crazy as this may have sounded even just three years ago, people will wonder if he doesn't have what it takes and whether the Jets actually believe in him.
It is a strange world out their now for rookie quarterbacks. The buffer zone has disappeared.
As for my last query, into the New York Giants linebacking corp, I am sure you are giddy to throw a backhanded analogy in my face to rival my Barry Sanders line of questioning. But, as in proper rap battle technique, I am going to bring it up first, to take the weapon out of your hand.
Yes, the Giants seemed to have eschewed the linebacker position in favor of bodies who will wear numbers in the 50's on their backs. So, if David Harris came out of retirement for the Jets, he would be able to start for the Giants probably....
Oh, David Harris is not retired? He was just so inconspicuous and made so few plays last season for the Jets that it seemed like he was, even though he is one of the highest paid linebackers in the NFL? Okay, my bad.
DAN:
Hold up, what just happened? Stop! The Giants have a serious problem on their hands when it comes to defense and I can tell you're scared to death what will happen. You decided to throw egg in my face rather than actually talk Giants football. I'll take this opportunity to puff out my chest and say the Jets' defense is damn good and will totally rival the Giants unit this season. Your team is in trouble.
If the Giants were in the AFC East (in place of the Jets) they'd be fine. We know they can beat the Patriots and Tom "Oh my knee!" Brady, standing tall in a shootout and making enough plays to pull out the games. The rest of the division is average at best, and I'm talking stinky socks average. But in the NFC East, with the likes of RG3, Tony Romo and Michael Vick to contend with, the Giants lack of speed and talent at linebacker is going to kill them. Stopping the run is all well and good if the opposing quarterback stays in the pocket, but those three guys live on the edge, outside the tackles.
My prediction, a rocky 9-7 season for the Giants, maybe 10-6. I don't love anyone in their division, so they'll win games, but just prepare yourself for some indigestion and long Sunday afternoons.
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