Hope springs eternal, as the old saying goes. It rings particularly true in the realm of sports fandom.
This past Sunday featured a couple historic NFL achievements that, at the very least, deserve a mark on the league’s Facebook timeline. The first milestone occurred in Detroit, where Shannon Eastin worked the sideline as the NFL’s first female referee. While that may seem innocuous in an age where gender shouldn’t constrain potential, it still deserves recognition.
The second piece of history that developed throughout Sunday’s slate of NFL games involves a youth movement at the game’s most important position. For the first time in modern NFL history (since at least 1950), five teams started rookie quarterbacks in Week 1. That’s 16% of the league, which says as much about the state of the league as it does about the quarterback talent available in the 2012 NFL Draft.
Four quarterbacks were first round draft picks (Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Ryan Tennehill, Brandon Weeden), with the fifth being a third round choice that beat out a high priced free agent for the starting job (Russell Wilson). Predictably, the transition from Saturday to Sunday isn’t as simple as tearing another sheet off your 2012 The Far Side off-the-wall calendar.
Most of these young guns had as many problems driving their team’s offense as a teenager would during their first experience behind the wheel of a stick shift. Let’s take a look at how each field general performed in their debut.
Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins
What else can we say about Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III that hasn’t already been covered incessantly by ESPN, NBC, and every major media outlet? Griffin spectacularly carved up the new –look New Orleans Saints defense in the Superdome, passing for 320 yards and connecting on 73% of his passes (19-23) and two touchdowns, including an 88 yard strike to Pierre Garcon. It’s only one win (the only attributable to rookie signal callers this week), but to his credit, Griffin looks ready to fast-track the Redskins back to relevancy. The other rookies, on the other hand…
Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts
The award for “Stereotypical Rookie Quarterback Debut” goes to Indianapolis Colts quarterback and number one overall draft pick Andrew Luck. Luck dropped back for 45 passes, completing 23 (51.1%) for 309 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. He had a few “wow” moments showing off his arm strength and poise against an aging, but consistent Chicago Bears defense. For the most part, however, everything about Lucks’ performance screamed “Give me a year or two, and you won’t be sorry.”
Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks decision to start Russell Wilson over Matt Flynn (he of a fresh 3 year, $19.5 million contract) was surprising, to say the least. Despite standing a shade under 5’11”, Wilson won the job with his maturity, poise, and arm strength, but was relegated to “game manager” duties against the Arizona Cardinals until the fourth quarter. Wilson finished 18-34 for 153 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Overall, Wilson’s play was good enough to help him retain the job for at least another week, and bad enough to make you wonder whether he was the right choice to start over Flynn.
Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins
To Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill’s credit, his opponent (Houston Texans) features a stellar defense filled with playmakers and the Dolphins were out of playoff contention after Week 1 of the preseason. Still, Tannehill’s performance was nothing less than ugly, as he completed 20-36 passes, racked up 219 yards, and threw a hat trick of interceptions. Unlike most of the rookies on this list, Tannehill had to beat out two solid veterans for the job (Matt Moore, David Garrard), so it’s very likely he’ll bounce back against an inferior defense as the season rolls on.
Brandon Weeden, Cleveland Browns
Just how bad was the kick off to 28-year-old Cleveland Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden’s NFL career? Someone checked his expiration tag after the game and it read “Use before 2008.” We keed, we keed! Throughout the Browns’ loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, the battle between Weeden and Michael Vick turned into one of those “anything you can do, I can do worse” type of competitions. They combined for eight interceptions, with Weeden finishing the day 12-35 for 118 yards and four picks.
