The False Sense of Security Of Protecting The Quarterback From the meeting room, to the practice field, to the game field, to the front office, and all the way up to the NFL playoff schedule's main office, one mantra remains the same: We have to protect the quarterback. Teams have to protect a guy who can play the position that only 32 people on the planet are given. Franchises have to protect the player that likely represents their largest financial investment. And the league itself has to protect the position which, more than ever, has ushered in unprecedented popularity and marketing opportunities. But at what point does protecting the quarterback go too far? Could it possibly be that, the more rules put into play to protect the quarterback could potentially end up causing more harm than good? We're looking at an era of football where quarterbacks have become equally as well-rounded athletes as their skill position counterparts. The era of the burly but statuesque pocket passer no longer exists. A majority of the young quarterbacks who now bear the torch of the next great stars or superstars in the league -- guys like Cam Newton, Russell Wilson, Andrew Luck, Blake Bortles, Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota, and even Carson Wentz or Dak Prescott -- are all as devastatingly athletic as they are at skilled at throwing the football. Many of these quarterbacks were given the \green light\ to make plays with their feet in college, when the opportunity presented itself, because they were some of the biggest and strongest athletes among their peers. But, that's clearly not the case in the NFL football scores. Many of these players aren't even 25 years old yet, and they're playing against some of the biggest, fastest, and strongest grown adults in the world. If we give these quarterbacks some sense of \invincibility,\ stemming from the fact that they know they're insulated from the types of hits that other ball carriers are subject to, at what point do they tempt fate by increasingly becoming ball carriers themselves? Guys like Newton and Wilson are more than comfortable with making plays with their feet. It's only human nature for them to take more chances on the ground, knowing they'll be protected by the referees. But what they won't be protected from are linebackers and safeties flying at them with the goal of imposing their will on the fresh meat in the open field. Even with an increased focus on protecting the quarterback, we've already seen a slew of injuries at that position. The Cleveland Browns have already lost two starting quarterbacks in two games. The New England Patriots have lost quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo -- who was keeping the offense \warm\ for the suspended Tom Brady -- to an injury of his own. Sam Bradford broke a bone in his hand in the first game he played for the Minnesota Vikings. Russell Wilson is playing with a severely sprained ankle sustained in the Seattle Seahawks win over Miami in Week One. Trying to protect the quarterback with even more rules and protections clearly doesn't equate to less injuries. While they might protect them from traumatic hits above the neck, they might also end up subjecting the quarterback to even more punishment than what's allowed within the current rules. |