Take a look at the last several Super Bowl winners: the New England Patriots, the Denver Broncos, the Seattle Seahawks, the Baltimore Ravens, the New York Giants, the Green Bay Packers, and the New Orleans Saints. What do they have in common?
The seemingly elusive franchise quarterback.
You can actually go all the way back to the 2002 season before you’ll find a champion that didn’t field a franchise quarterback. Of course, I would be referring to Brad Johnson of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Don’t mean to blast Johnson – I’m sure he’s heard enough about winning a Super Bowl despite not being a franchise quarterback. But, it’s merely an illustration of my point.
Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Russell Wilson, Joe Flacco, Eli Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees – recent history shows that if you’re going to win a Super Bowl, your odds are much better with a guy like this at the helm. Finding this type of cornerstone player has become a science. There’s a lot of risk involved, and if you miss, you can set your organization back years. But, if you hit on a prospect, the reward is irreplaceable.
So, if you’re starting a franchise today, who do you build the team around?
The Five Best Young Quarterbacks in the NFL
5. Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles – Maybe the Wentz Wagon peaked a little too soon into his rookie season. The Eagles playoff hopes dwindled, and Wentz struggled, but he still has all the tools to become a successful NFL quarterback. At times last season, he looked like the second coming of Ben Roethlisberger.
4. Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – For all of the flack Winston has taken for his off-field antics, he is a pure gamer. His most underrated trait is his football IQ. The Bucs have committed to surrounding Winston with talent – signing DeSean Jackson and drafting O.J. Howard. It’s not unrealistic to expect him to have the Bucs in contention late into the season.
3. Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans – I am of the opinion that Mariota is going to be one of the next few to get a giant contract. That’s only true if he can stay healthy. He’s shown so much potential over his first two seasons. But, injuries have also put him on the sideline each season. He’s a dynamic quarterback that distributes the ball well and can also tuck it and run. If he can get the Titans into the playoffs this year, he could climb this list.
2. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys – The perception of Prescott is that he is the beneficiary of a good run game and the best offensive line in football. But, the guy is just a flat out winner. Everywhere he’s played, he’s won. What’s it going to take for people to simply accept that he’s good? I’m not saying the Cowboys breakout year came completely from the hands of Prescott, but let’s call a spade a spade: the kid’s a franchise quarterback. He can do it all.
1. Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders – Carr just got P-A-I-D, and that monster contract is going to set a precedent for paying this class of quarterbacks. So, yeah – the rest of these guys should be ecstatic. But, Carr is special. For the first time since I don’t know when, the Raiders have their franchise quarterback, and the guy’s a stone cold killer.
He’s accurate, with extraordinary arm talent, and does all of the Monday-Saturday stuff right. Throwing to Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree helps, too. But, Carr deserves credit for igniting that electric Raiders offense.
So, what do you think, SoBros Nation? Who are you taking?
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. A strong advocate of GSD (get shit done) and #BeBetter, he’s down to talk Tennessee Titans and Alabama Crimson Tide football over a beer any day. Check him out covering the WWE for WrestlingNews.co. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley, @WrestlingNewsCo
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