Three quarterbacks headed to Sunday’s conference championships are among the NFL’s top four passers. The other is simply the greatest passer ever with six rings.
Most importantly, the one quarterback missing in the top four may be on the market. Washington Football Team – get your trade offer ready because the postseason once again shows nobody wins without a top quarterback and Washington doesn’t have one.
It doesn’t matter if they’re old or young. Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers was the league’s top-rated passer at age 37. Tampa Bay’s Tom Brady was ninth at age 43. One reaches Super Bowl LIV. In the AFC, No. 3 Patrick Mahomes of Kansas City is 25 while No. 4 Josh Allen of Buffalo is 24.
Super Bowl week will be filled with stories of the old veteran reaching for one more ring versus the coming king. The veteran angle says Alex Smith might still be Washington’s quarterback this fall, especially after his recent admission that 2020 showed he could still play. Retirement? That’s for suckers, not warriors like Smith.
Related
The youth angle shows why Dwayne Haskins wasn’t worth keeping. The great ones don’t need development, just polishing. Washington doesn’t have that young keeper despite Taylor Heinicke’s playoff heroics. It’s why Washington can consider drafting a passer this spring or trading for No. 2 overall passer Deshaun Watson, who badly wants out of Houston.
Either way, Washington knows it’s a quarterback away from truly competing no matter how good its defense is. Tampa Bay reached the NFC Conference finals not via its good defense, but a passer that wins games late. Buffalo is back after a generation of looking for quarterback Jim Kelly’s successor. Green Bay needed Rodgers’ best season since 2014 to recapture past glory. Kansas City seeks its second straight championship because of Mahomes.
Some teams look for depth given persistent injuries. Washington started four quarterbacks this season given two were hurt. But the old saying, “If you have two quarterbacks you have no quarterbacks” is true.
Related
Washington needs to find a franchise quarterback that’s currently not on its roster. Until then, competing for a Super Bowl is pretty much a fantasy. Past Super Bowl champions saw very few with mediocre passers. Baltimore won with Trent Dilfer, who delivered his best game ever in Super Bowl XXXV. That’s it. That’s the whole list. Oh, some mediocre passers won rings, but they had great seasons at the time. That explains Eli Manning’s two rings.
The immortals dominate Super Bowls, which of course makes them immortals by winning multiple Super Bowls. Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw, Bob Griese, John Elway, Ben Roethlisberger, and Brady owned the big show. They were the difference.
Washington has two choices – pry away Watson with a king’s ransom of picks and players or hope it hits in the draft. Either way, find someone who’s not a stopgap. It’s not a simple task. At least 20 teams would upgrade from their current quarterback if possible.
This is Washington’s offseason focus. Just keep owner Dan Snyder away from the war room.
Rick Snider has covered Washington sports since 1978. Follow him on Twitter: @Snide_Remarks.
Related
Related
