Brett Favre. What the heck is going on?
There will be no more part-time franchise quarterbacks. Brett Favre has exposed the inherent danger in that setup, and Michael Vick 2.0 is demonstrating just how much added value there is in having a talented QB fully invested.
Franchise quarterbacks don’t get an offseason. They’re members of the coaching staff. They show up early and leave late. They study game film like it was narrated by Jenna Jameson.
You want to be paid like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, then you must be willing to prepare like Manning and Brady.
We’ll call it the “Ted Thompson Rule.”
Thompson, of course, is the Green Bay Packers general manager who made the gutsy decision to dump Brett Favre when it became obvious The Old Gunslinger wanted franchise money for part-time play.
Three years ago, I criticized Thompson for his bold move. I was wrong. You can’t build a consistent, winning football team around a quarterback who isn’t all in, and the repercussions for taking the risk can be devastating.
The devastation in Minnesota is deeper than the $17 million to $20 million owner Zygi Wilf is scheduled to pay Favre for the Vikings’ disastrous 2010 campaign. Coach Brad Childress lost his job. The Vikes burned a third-round draft pick on Randy Moss. They still have no clue whether Tarvaris Jackson is a legitimate NFL-caliber quarterback. Adrian Peterson has another year of wear and tear on his tires.
Moving forward, at the QB position, talent alone means very little when it comes to getting paid. It’s not just Brett Favre.
The problems in Tennessee surrounding Vince Young and Jeff Fisher are directly related to preparation. Fisher has never fully believed in his “franchise QB” because he has never believed Young prepares like a franchise quarterback.
Young constantly misses practice with an assortment of nagging injuries. He has never developed a reputation as a film-study student of the game.
Talent can be a curse. At Texas, Young’s physical gifts were so overwhelming he didn’t need to prepare while in college. He simply needed to show up on game day healthy and in solid cardiovascular shape. Young never learned to compete at a professional level.
Young equates competing to emotion. Sunday, he responded emotionally to booing fans. He egged them on. After a frustrating loss and a thumb injury that forced him out of the game, Young threw his shoulder pads and jersey into the stands. He bickered with Fisher in the locker room and left without addressing the media. His teammate, Michael Griffin, chased after Young and begged the QB to return to the locker room.
Franchise quarterbacks don’t get an offseason. They’re members of the coaching staff. They show up early and leave late. They study game film like it was narrated by Jenna Jameson.
You want to be paid like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, then you must be willing to prepare like Manning and Brady.
We’ll call it the “Ted Thompson Rule.”
Thompson, of course, is the Green Bay Packers general manager who made the gutsy decision to dump Brett Favre when it became obvious The Old Gunslinger wanted franchise money for part-time play.
Three years ago, I criticized Thompson for his bold move. I was wrong. You can’t build a consistent, winning football team around a quarterback who isn’t all in, and the repercussions for taking the risk can be devastating.
The devastation in Minnesota is deeper than the $17 million to $20 million owner Zygi Wilf is scheduled to pay Favre for the Vikings’ disastrous 2010 campaign. Coach Brad Childress lost his job. The Vikes burned a third-round draft pick on Randy Moss. They still have no clue whether Tarvaris Jackson is a legitimate NFL-caliber quarterback. Adrian Peterson has another year of wear and tear on his tires.
Moving forward, at the QB position, talent alone means very little when it comes to getting paid. It’s not just Brett Favre.
The problems in Tennessee surrounding Vince Young and Jeff Fisher are directly related to preparation. Fisher has never fully believed in his “franchise QB” because he has never believed Young prepares like a franchise quarterback.
Young constantly misses practice with an assortment of nagging injuries. He has never developed a reputation as a film-study student of the game.
Talent can be a curse. At Texas, Young’s physical gifts were so overwhelming he didn’t need to prepare while in college. He simply needed to show up on game day healthy and in solid cardiovascular shape. Young never learned to compete at a professional level.
Young equates competing to emotion. Sunday, he responded emotionally to booing fans. He egged them on. After a frustrating loss and a thumb injury that forced him out of the game, Young threw his shoulder pads and jersey into the stands. He bickered with Fisher in the locker room and left without addressing the media. His teammate, Michael Griffin, chased after Young and begged the QB to return to the locker room.
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