http://www.suntimes.com/output/football/cst-spt-super01.html
1st round may be last place to look for a QB
February 1, 2004
"The trouble with high first-round quarterbacks is that they always go to losing teams. All they experience is losing. And they get the crap knocked out of them and then that coaching staff gets fired." Dick Vermeil, Chiefs coach
Houston -- NFL teams looking for a lesson to take out of Super Bowl XXXVIII need only look at the quarterbacks competing in the game. New England's Tom Brady, already the youngest player ever to quarterback a Super Bowl victory and now looking for his second ring in three years, is a former sixth-round draft pick, while Carolina's Jake Delhomme wasn't even drafted out of college and once sat on the bench in NFL Europe.
"Never draft a quarterback in the first round,'' Panthers offensive coordinator Dan Henning said when asked the moral of the story. "People have been making mistakes in evaluation of the quarterback position for years and years. Of any position in the entire game, the intangibles are more important at that position than any other. And more important now than ever.''
Where have all the first-rounders gone, long time passing? Oddly enough, if the results of the conference championship games had turned out differently, today's Super Bowl would feature Indianapolis' Peyton Manning and Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb and the story you are reading would make an entirely different point. Manning vs. McNabb would mark a Super Bowl featuring a pair of first-round quarterbacks playing for the teams that drafted them for the first time since Dallas' Troy Aikman and Buffalo's Jim Kelly faced off following the 1993 season.
Aikman's Super Bowl appearance following the 1995 season marks the last time a quarterback selected in the first round appeared in a Super Bowl with the team that drafted him. Believe it or not, Brady is the only quarterback to win a Super Bowl with the team that drafted him since that year.
Henning figures the advent of free agency and the salary cap has forced teams to build around good defense and special teams and to fit in "a lot of people that can play quarterback in this league,'' rather than search (and pay) for one great player.
Surely, if the Panthers win a championship today they will have minimized the importance of the quarterback position to a bare minimum. Delhomme, signed to a bargain-basement free-agent deal last offseason, has been asked to not lose games more than win them. He's played well down the stretch of the season and in the playoffs, but he was asked to throw just four passes in the second half of the NFC championship victory over Philadelphia.
Delhomme's circuitous route to glory has been well-documented, including the fact he nearly gave up the sport in 1999 when he found himself as a backup in NFL Europe to some guy named Kurt Warner. Delhomme didn't know at the time that Warner would go on to become a Super Bowl MVP with the St. Louis Rams. He only knew he wasn't good enough to get on the field in the most minor of leagues.
Kansas City coach Dick Vermeil won the Super Bowl with Warner and the Rams and has produced a Pro Bowl quarterback in Trent Green, another NFL Europe refugee. Vermeil says quarterbacks who come into the league through the back door might have a better environment in which to grow than top picks.
"Those guys have played a lot of football -- Delhomme in the world league and that kind of stuff,'' Vermeil said. "They get an opportunity to play and grow and develop confidence in themselves and then comes the ability to sell somebody else on themselves. There is no substitute for playing the game. They have to know that people believe in them. Carolina believes in him, and when the organization believes in him there is a better chance to believe in himself. And they have done some things so that he doesn't have to carry the whole load.''
Carrying the whole load can overwhelm a young player burdened by the expectations that come with being a first-round draft choice.
"The trouble with high first-round quarterbacks is that they always go to losing teams,'' Vermeil said. "All they experience is losing. And they get the crap knocked out of them and then that coaching staff gets fired. For example, Jim Mora did not coach Manning in this playoffs, but he drafted him, got him going and went through the period of time where he was throwing interceptions -- sometimes three in a game. If you study No. 1 draft picks you will see most of them are playing for their second coach before they even get going.''
More high first-round picks appear to have failed at quarterback than have made it. The Bears' decision to take Cade McNown was a disaster, but other teams have done even worse, like San Diego with Ryan Leaf and Cincinnati with Akili Smith.
Jon Gruden, who won the Super Bowl last year with Tampa Bay and quarterback Brad Johnson, a guy on his third NFL team with a stint in Europe on his resume, said he wouldn't dismiss the idea of drafting a quarterback.
"It's a team game, but having the right quarterback is a big part of going to the Super Bowl,'' Gruden said. "It's a hard position to find and a hard position to coach. With free agency and roster changes and coaches leaving it's a tough league for everyone. But it all happens at quarterback -- you can never find too many of them.
"New England's quarterback -- man, he's had a hell of a career. I don't care what round he was picked in, the guy is getting it done, man.''
St. Louis coach Mike Martz also doesn't dismiss the possibility of using a high draft pick on a quarterback despite the success his team has had in producing players like Green, Warner and Marc Bulger -- none of whom came into the league as heralded players. He agrees with Vermeil's assessment that the more playing time a quarterback gets the faster his growth.
"The whole object is to play, especially at that position,'' Martz said. "The more coverages you see, the more routes you throw -- it's a game of reaction more at that position than any other position and playing the game, there is no substitute for it. A lot of guys have gone to the World League and come back and done well because they are playing over there.
"Take a first- or second-round pick who is a backup and [teams] are trying to get him ready over a period of two or three years, but he's not playing. Then you get a guy drafted high on a bad team and he's playing, but he ain't getting better, he's getting worse. He's out there running for his life and he picks up some bad habits.''
Martz figures a lot of the failures in evaluating quarterbacks come down to the fact that some teams don't have a plan for what they want out of the position. Say what you want about the conservative nature of the offenses in this game, but the Patriots and Panthers know exactly what they want from the quarterback position.
"Finding the right guy at that position is a combination of everything,'' Martz said. "So much of this league is opportunity -- just being in the right place at the right time with the right people. There is nothing like it when it hits and you get lined up and have good receivers, a system that fits you and the right amount of experience. It's very exciting when that happens.
"But there are some quarterbacks that don't fit certain systems as well or philosophies. We're of the philosophy that whatever you have, you find a strength and that's where you go.''
Can it really be as simple as that?
ROUND NUMBERS
The starting quarterbacks in Super Bowls I-XIX, with team, year drafted, round taken, player taken and team drafted by. Winning quarterback is on the left.
1966 SEASON: Super Bowl I
Bart Starr Len Dawson
Packers Chiefs
1956; 17; 200 1957; 1;5
Packers Steelers
1967: II
Bart Starr Daryle Lamonica
Packers Raiders
1956; 17; 200 1963;24; 188
Packers Bills
1968: III
Joe Namath Johnny Unitas
Jets Colts
1965; 1; 1 1955; 9; 102
Jets Steelers
1969: IV
Len Dawson Joe Kapp
Chiefs Vikings
1957; 1; 5 1959; 18; 209
Steelers Redskins
1970: V
Earl Morrall Craig Morton
Colts Cowboys
1956; 1; 2 1965; 1; 5
49ers Cowboys
1971: VI
Roger Staubach Bob Griese
Cowboys Dolphins
1964; 10; 129 1967; 1; 4
Cowboys Dolphins
1972: VII
Bob Griese Bill Kilmer
Dolphins Redskins
1967; 1; 4 1961; 1; 11
Dolphins 49ers
1973: VIII
Bob Griese Fran Tarkenton
Dolphins Vikings
1967; 1; 4 1961; 3; 29
Dolphins Vikings
1974: IX
Terry Bradshaw Fran Tarkenton
Steelers Vikings
1970; 1; 1 1961; 3; 29
Steelers Vikings
1975: X
Terry Bradshaw Roger Staubach
Steelers Cowboys
1970; 1; 1 1964; 10; 129
Steelers Cowboys
1976: XI
Kenny Stabler Fran Tarkenton
Raiders Vikings
1968; 2; 52 1961; 3; 29
Raiders Vikings
1977: XII
Roger Staubach Craig Morton
Cowboys Broncos
964; 10; 129 1965; 1; 5
Cowboys Cowboys
1978: XIII
Terry Bradshaw Roger Staubach
Steelers Cowboys
1970; 1; 1 1964; 10; 129
Steelers Cowboys
1979: XIV
Terry Bradshaw Vince Ferragamo
Steelers Raiders
1970; 1; 1 1977; 4; 91
Steelers Rams
1980: XV
Jim Plunkett Ron Jaworski
Raiders Eagles
1971; 1; 1 1973; 2; 37
Patriots Rams
1981: XVI
Joe Montana Ken Anderson
49ers Bengals
1979; 3; 82 1971; 3; 67
49ers Bengals
1982: XVII
Joe Theismann David Woodley
Redskins Dolphins
1971; 4; 99 1980;8;214
Dolphins Dolphins
1983: XVIII
Jim Plunkett Joe Theismann
Raiders Redskins
1971; 1; 1 1971; 4; 99
Patriots Dolphins
1984: XIX
Joe Montana Dan Marino
49ers Dolphins
1979; 3; 82 1983; 1; 27
49ers Dolphins
ROUND NUMBERS
The starting quarterbacks in Super Bowls XX-XXXVIII, with team, year drafted, round taken, player taken and team drafted by. Winning quarterback is on the left.
1985: XX
Jim McMahon Tony Eason
Bears Patriots
1982; 1; 5 1983; 1; 15
Bears Patriots
1986: XXI
Phil Simms John Elway
Giants Broncos
1979; 1; 7 1983; 1; 1
Giants Colts
1987: XXII
Doug Williams John Elway
Redskins Broncos
1978; 1; 17 1983; 1; 1
Buccaneers Colts
1988: XXIII
Joe Montana Boomer Esiason
49ers Bengals
1979; 3; 82 1984; 2; 38
49ers Bengals
1989: XXIV
Joe Montana John Elway
49ers Broncos
1979; 3; 82 1983; 1; 1
49ers Colts
1990: XXV
Jeff Hostetler Jim Kelly
Giants Bills
1984; 3; 59 1983; 1; 14
Giants Bills
1991: XXVI
Mark Rypien Jim Kelly
Redskins Bills
1986; 6; 146 1983; 1; 14
Redskins Bills
1992: XXVII
Troy Aikman Jim Kelly
Cowboys Bills
1989; 1; 1 1983; 1; 14
Cowboys Bills
1993: XXVIII
Troy Aikman Jim Kelly
Cowboys Bills
1989; 1; 1 1983; 1; 14
Cowboys Bills
1994: XXIX
Steve Young Stan Humphries
49ers Chargers
undrafted 1988; 6; 159
Redskins
1995: XXX
Troy Aikman Neil O'Donnell
Cowboys Steelers
1989; 1; 1 1990; 3; 70
Cowboys Steelers
1996: XXXI
Brett Favre Drew Bledsoe
Packers Patriots
1991; 2; 33 1993; 1; 1
Falcons Patriots
1997: XXXII
John Elway Brett Favre
Broncos Packers
1983; 1; 1 1991; 2; 33
Colts Falcons
1998: XXXIII
John Elway Chris Chandler
Broncos Falcons
1983; 1; 1 1988; 3; 76
Colts Colts
1999: XXXIV
Kurt Warner Steve McNair
Rams Titans
undrafted 1995; 1; 3
Oilers
2000: XXXV
Trent Dilfer Kerry Collins
Ravens Giants
1994; 1; 6 1995; 1; 5
Buccaneers Panthers
2001: XXXVI
Tom Brady Kurt Warner
Patriots Rams
2000; 6; 199 undrafted
Patriots
2002: XXXVII
Brad Johnson Rich Gannon
Buccaneers Raiders
1992; 9; 227 1987; 4; 98
Vikings Patriots
2003: XXXVIII
Tom Brady Jake Delhomme
Patriots Panthers
2000; 6; 199 undrafted
Patriots
1st round may be last place to look for a QB
February 1, 2004
"The trouble with high first-round quarterbacks is that they always go to losing teams. All they experience is losing. And they get the crap knocked out of them and then that coaching staff gets fired." Dick Vermeil, Chiefs coach
Houston -- NFL teams looking for a lesson to take out of Super Bowl XXXVIII need only look at the quarterbacks competing in the game. New England's Tom Brady, already the youngest player ever to quarterback a Super Bowl victory and now looking for his second ring in three years, is a former sixth-round draft pick, while Carolina's Jake Delhomme wasn't even drafted out of college and once sat on the bench in NFL Europe.
"Never draft a quarterback in the first round,'' Panthers offensive coordinator Dan Henning said when asked the moral of the story. "People have been making mistakes in evaluation of the quarterback position for years and years. Of any position in the entire game, the intangibles are more important at that position than any other. And more important now than ever.''
Where have all the first-rounders gone, long time passing? Oddly enough, if the results of the conference championship games had turned out differently, today's Super Bowl would feature Indianapolis' Peyton Manning and Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb and the story you are reading would make an entirely different point. Manning vs. McNabb would mark a Super Bowl featuring a pair of first-round quarterbacks playing for the teams that drafted them for the first time since Dallas' Troy Aikman and Buffalo's Jim Kelly faced off following the 1993 season.
Aikman's Super Bowl appearance following the 1995 season marks the last time a quarterback selected in the first round appeared in a Super Bowl with the team that drafted him. Believe it or not, Brady is the only quarterback to win a Super Bowl with the team that drafted him since that year.
Henning figures the advent of free agency and the salary cap has forced teams to build around good defense and special teams and to fit in "a lot of people that can play quarterback in this league,'' rather than search (and pay) for one great player.
Surely, if the Panthers win a championship today they will have minimized the importance of the quarterback position to a bare minimum. Delhomme, signed to a bargain-basement free-agent deal last offseason, has been asked to not lose games more than win them. He's played well down the stretch of the season and in the playoffs, but he was asked to throw just four passes in the second half of the NFC championship victory over Philadelphia.
Delhomme's circuitous route to glory has been well-documented, including the fact he nearly gave up the sport in 1999 when he found himself as a backup in NFL Europe to some guy named Kurt Warner. Delhomme didn't know at the time that Warner would go on to become a Super Bowl MVP with the St. Louis Rams. He only knew he wasn't good enough to get on the field in the most minor of leagues.
Kansas City coach Dick Vermeil won the Super Bowl with Warner and the Rams and has produced a Pro Bowl quarterback in Trent Green, another NFL Europe refugee. Vermeil says quarterbacks who come into the league through the back door might have a better environment in which to grow than top picks.
"Those guys have played a lot of football -- Delhomme in the world league and that kind of stuff,'' Vermeil said. "They get an opportunity to play and grow and develop confidence in themselves and then comes the ability to sell somebody else on themselves. There is no substitute for playing the game. They have to know that people believe in them. Carolina believes in him, and when the organization believes in him there is a better chance to believe in himself. And they have done some things so that he doesn't have to carry the whole load.''
Carrying the whole load can overwhelm a young player burdened by the expectations that come with being a first-round draft choice.
"The trouble with high first-round quarterbacks is that they always go to losing teams,'' Vermeil said. "All they experience is losing. And they get the crap knocked out of them and then that coaching staff gets fired. For example, Jim Mora did not coach Manning in this playoffs, but he drafted him, got him going and went through the period of time where he was throwing interceptions -- sometimes three in a game. If you study No. 1 draft picks you will see most of them are playing for their second coach before they even get going.''
More high first-round picks appear to have failed at quarterback than have made it. The Bears' decision to take Cade McNown was a disaster, but other teams have done even worse, like San Diego with Ryan Leaf and Cincinnati with Akili Smith.
Jon Gruden, who won the Super Bowl last year with Tampa Bay and quarterback Brad Johnson, a guy on his third NFL team with a stint in Europe on his resume, said he wouldn't dismiss the idea of drafting a quarterback.
"It's a team game, but having the right quarterback is a big part of going to the Super Bowl,'' Gruden said. "It's a hard position to find and a hard position to coach. With free agency and roster changes and coaches leaving it's a tough league for everyone. But it all happens at quarterback -- you can never find too many of them.
"New England's quarterback -- man, he's had a hell of a career. I don't care what round he was picked in, the guy is getting it done, man.''
St. Louis coach Mike Martz also doesn't dismiss the possibility of using a high draft pick on a quarterback despite the success his team has had in producing players like Green, Warner and Marc Bulger -- none of whom came into the league as heralded players. He agrees with Vermeil's assessment that the more playing time a quarterback gets the faster his growth.
"The whole object is to play, especially at that position,'' Martz said. "The more coverages you see, the more routes you throw -- it's a game of reaction more at that position than any other position and playing the game, there is no substitute for it. A lot of guys have gone to the World League and come back and done well because they are playing over there.
"Take a first- or second-round pick who is a backup and [teams] are trying to get him ready over a period of two or three years, but he's not playing. Then you get a guy drafted high on a bad team and he's playing, but he ain't getting better, he's getting worse. He's out there running for his life and he picks up some bad habits.''
Martz figures a lot of the failures in evaluating quarterbacks come down to the fact that some teams don't have a plan for what they want out of the position. Say what you want about the conservative nature of the offenses in this game, but the Patriots and Panthers know exactly what they want from the quarterback position.
"Finding the right guy at that position is a combination of everything,'' Martz said. "So much of this league is opportunity -- just being in the right place at the right time with the right people. There is nothing like it when it hits and you get lined up and have good receivers, a system that fits you and the right amount of experience. It's very exciting when that happens.
"But there are some quarterbacks that don't fit certain systems as well or philosophies. We're of the philosophy that whatever you have, you find a strength and that's where you go.''
Can it really be as simple as that?
ROUND NUMBERS
The starting quarterbacks in Super Bowls I-XIX, with team, year drafted, round taken, player taken and team drafted by. Winning quarterback is on the left.
1966 SEASON: Super Bowl I
Bart Starr Len Dawson
Packers Chiefs
1956; 17; 200 1957; 1;5
Packers Steelers
1967: II
Bart Starr Daryle Lamonica
Packers Raiders
1956; 17; 200 1963;24; 188
Packers Bills
1968: III
Joe Namath Johnny Unitas
Jets Colts
1965; 1; 1 1955; 9; 102
Jets Steelers
1969: IV
Len Dawson Joe Kapp
Chiefs Vikings
1957; 1; 5 1959; 18; 209
Steelers Redskins
1970: V
Earl Morrall Craig Morton
Colts Cowboys
1956; 1; 2 1965; 1; 5
49ers Cowboys
1971: VI
Roger Staubach Bob Griese
Cowboys Dolphins
1964; 10; 129 1967; 1; 4
Cowboys Dolphins
1972: VII
Bob Griese Bill Kilmer
Dolphins Redskins
1967; 1; 4 1961; 1; 11
Dolphins 49ers
1973: VIII
Bob Griese Fran Tarkenton
Dolphins Vikings
1967; 1; 4 1961; 3; 29
Dolphins Vikings
1974: IX
Terry Bradshaw Fran Tarkenton
Steelers Vikings
1970; 1; 1 1961; 3; 29
Steelers Vikings
1975: X
Terry Bradshaw Roger Staubach
Steelers Cowboys
1970; 1; 1 1964; 10; 129
Steelers Cowboys
1976: XI
Kenny Stabler Fran Tarkenton
Raiders Vikings
1968; 2; 52 1961; 3; 29
Raiders Vikings
1977: XII
Roger Staubach Craig Morton
Cowboys Broncos
964; 10; 129 1965; 1; 5
Cowboys Cowboys
1978: XIII
Terry Bradshaw Roger Staubach
Steelers Cowboys
1970; 1; 1 1964; 10; 129
Steelers Cowboys
1979: XIV
Terry Bradshaw Vince Ferragamo
Steelers Raiders
1970; 1; 1 1977; 4; 91
Steelers Rams
1980: XV
Jim Plunkett Ron Jaworski
Raiders Eagles
1971; 1; 1 1973; 2; 37
Patriots Rams
1981: XVI
Joe Montana Ken Anderson
49ers Bengals
1979; 3; 82 1971; 3; 67
49ers Bengals
1982: XVII
Joe Theismann David Woodley
Redskins Dolphins
1971; 4; 99 1980;8;214
Dolphins Dolphins
1983: XVIII
Jim Plunkett Joe Theismann
Raiders Redskins
1971; 1; 1 1971; 4; 99
Patriots Dolphins
1984: XIX
Joe Montana Dan Marino
49ers Dolphins
1979; 3; 82 1983; 1; 27
49ers Dolphins
ROUND NUMBERS
The starting quarterbacks in Super Bowls XX-XXXVIII, with team, year drafted, round taken, player taken and team drafted by. Winning quarterback is on the left.
1985: XX
Jim McMahon Tony Eason
Bears Patriots
1982; 1; 5 1983; 1; 15
Bears Patriots
1986: XXI
Phil Simms John Elway
Giants Broncos
1979; 1; 7 1983; 1; 1
Giants Colts
1987: XXII
Doug Williams John Elway
Redskins Broncos
1978; 1; 17 1983; 1; 1
Buccaneers Colts
1988: XXIII
Joe Montana Boomer Esiason
49ers Bengals
1979; 3; 82 1984; 2; 38
49ers Bengals
1989: XXIV
Joe Montana John Elway
49ers Broncos
1979; 3; 82 1983; 1; 1
49ers Colts
1990: XXV
Jeff Hostetler Jim Kelly
Giants Bills
1984; 3; 59 1983; 1; 14
Giants Bills
1991: XXVI
Mark Rypien Jim Kelly
Redskins Bills
1986; 6; 146 1983; 1; 14
Redskins Bills
1992: XXVII
Troy Aikman Jim Kelly
Cowboys Bills
1989; 1; 1 1983; 1; 14
Cowboys Bills
1993: XXVIII
Troy Aikman Jim Kelly
Cowboys Bills
1989; 1; 1 1983; 1; 14
Cowboys Bills
1994: XXIX
Steve Young Stan Humphries
49ers Chargers
undrafted 1988; 6; 159
Redskins
1995: XXX
Troy Aikman Neil O'Donnell
Cowboys Steelers
1989; 1; 1 1990; 3; 70
Cowboys Steelers
1996: XXXI
Brett Favre Drew Bledsoe
Packers Patriots
1991; 2; 33 1993; 1; 1
Falcons Patriots
1997: XXXII
John Elway Brett Favre
Broncos Packers
1983; 1; 1 1991; 2; 33
Colts Falcons
1998: XXXIII
John Elway Chris Chandler
Broncos Falcons
1983; 1; 1 1988; 3; 76
Colts Colts
1999: XXXIV
Kurt Warner Steve McNair
Rams Titans
undrafted 1995; 1; 3
Oilers
2000: XXXV
Trent Dilfer Kerry Collins
Ravens Giants
1994; 1; 6 1995; 1; 5
Buccaneers Panthers
2001: XXXVI
Tom Brady Kurt Warner
Patriots Rams
2000; 6; 199 undrafted
Patriots
2002: XXXVII
Brad Johnson Rich Gannon
Buccaneers Raiders
1992; 9; 227 1987; 4; 98
Vikings Patriots
2003: XXXVIII
Tom Brady Jake Delhomme
Patriots Panthers
2000; 6; 199 undrafted
Patriots
