Trent Dilfer may be best known for being one of the worst quarterbacks to win a Super Bowl, but he did win a Super Bowl and had a rather successful NFL career. He was the sixth overall pick in 1994 and played in the league until 2007.
Dilfer has been an analyst on NFL Network, ESPN, and Fox Sports 1 since retiring. He coaches the Lipscomb Academy Mustangs and is the head coach of the quarterback camp Elite 11.
Dilfer saw the game change a bit throughout his time in the NFL. Football has always been a physical game, but that’s not always the case anymore with recent roughing-the-passer controversies. The league wants to protect its star players and those are primarily quarterbacks.
Dilfer was a guest on the Audacy Original Podcast “Gametime with Boomer Esiason” and talked about how quarterbacks are being coddled in today’s NFL.
“Roughing the passer dominated the early part of this NFL season,” Esiason said (1:36 in player above). “Has the league gone overboard in coddling our quarterbacks?”
“I believe so. And I can say that at the same time say I love that we’re more careful about head injuries, especially, but come on,” Dilfer said. “I think one thing that’s not being talked about is it’s going to be really hard to compare this generation of quarterbacks to your generation.”
Esiason played in the NFL from 1984 to 1997. Dilfer called that timeframe “one of the greatest generations of all time in the history of the game” with guys like John Elway and Warren Moon.
“How do we compare that generation that stood in there – Troy Aikman’s a great example. Stan Humphries, who I’m sure you admire, he would take these kill shots and still rip the ball 40 yards down the field,” he continued. “It’s just a different position.”
Comparing players from different generations is difficult in any sport. As there is more and more information available and science improves, so does the players’ training and ultimately their skill level on both sides of the ball.
Quarterback is the premier position in football and quite possibly in all of sports. It makes sense that the NFL is protecting them, especially with the increase in head injuries, but it does make it tougher to compare across generations.
“If me and you knew that you were never going to get hit, that all you’re going to do is have guys come in and kind of tackle you by the waist. We’re 245 pounds. I squatted 600 pounds. I could shed some of those arm tackles and keep a play alive and get to the perimeter and create explosive plays,” Dilfer continued.
“You’re also handcuffing defenses. The key to playing defense is to cut the head off the snake. It’s to take the quarterback out of the game in a physical way, not injure him, and to get him off his game. And the way you do that is with pressure,” Dilfer said. “And now we’re just creating basically a flag football game for the quarterback.”
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