The topic of the week in pro football circles of course has been the conversation regarding the evolution of the black quarterback in the NFL.
Opinions seem to vary on the topic.
Jason McIntyre of The Big Lead got the ball rolling when he wrote this piece titled, “The Golden Age of The Black Quarterback.”
There were some in the sports media who thought it was a quality piece of work. Others in the media chose their own rebuttal to the piece including my boss here at BlackSportsOnline who would prefer that the phrase black quarterback be abolished all together.
With the success that mobile quarterbacks are having around the league, the question now asked was whether or not the NFL would allow the pocket passing primarily white quarterback to disappear from the game.
The topic was brought up during Tuesday’s episode of Highly Questionable on ESPN2. co-anchor Bomani Jones had some controversial things to say about the NFL and their treatment of white quarterbacks.
The segment started with Jones and Le Batard discussing the Monday Night Football performance of Philip Rivers. During the segment, Jones called Rivers Monday Night’s performance evidence of the “the continuation of one of the more maddening and confusing things, the fall of Philip Rivers.
Rivers of course has gone from one of the top five quarterbacks in the game, to a turnover machine, who looks lost in crunch time.
At that point, Le Batard made the comment that Philip Rivers was looking at guys like Colin Kaepernick and thinking these thoughts.
“Oh my god! I’m in danger and I am about to become extinct. My kind of quarterback isn’t going to be here ten years from now.”
That commentary led Bomani Jones to add this comment.
“yes it will, that kind of quarterback, they make sure it doesn’t go away”. Jones later went on to comment that when Michael Vick came around, the NFL made sure to make slow quarterbacks as more valuable than ever before.
Was that a shot fired?
Some took great offense to Jone’s comments, asking what he was thinking, and flat out calling his comments ludicrous. Those comments simply can’t be out of whack if guys like Tim Tebow, Matt Leinart and Kevin Kolb continue to get opportunities.
I thinks should have just reworded his statement and his question
The question simply should have been will the NFL let the pure drop back pocket passers of the Bledsoe, Brady, and Marino pedigree become and unknown.
In my opinion, Jones simply meant that as long as the NFL employs the same scouts, who employ the same grading system for quarterbacks, a pure drop back passer will always be more highly thought of and valued over the new age of athletic quarterbacks.
Say what you want about Andrew Luck, his athletic ability, and his over 120 carries last season as a rookie for the Colts. Luck is held in such high regard because of his ability to simply drop back, makes sound reads, and accurate, efficient throws.
The white quarterback will never go extinct, but the white quarterback with the long throwing motion, or the white quarterback who can’t move his feet or escape pressure will be no more.
That’s not a race or color thing, it’s a that’s where the game is headed thing.