Debunking a few NFL myths
There are a few unwritten rules that have been associated with the National Football League since its very existence. But are the NFL myths fact or fiction?
A player can’t lose his job because of injury
Nothing in the NFL is guaranteed. So, to say that a player who misses time because he is too hurt to play and practice with the team will have his job back when he is ready to return on the gridiron is absolutely false.
If Joe Montana can lose a job due to injury, I hate to say it, but no one’s job is safe. The best example is of course the Bledsoe-Brady saga.
Drafted number one overall in 1993, Drew Bledsoe was the golden boy of the NFL back in the 1990s. He was an excellent quarterback and the New England Patriots’ franchise player for close to ten years.
But that all came to an end in 2001 after New York Jets linebacker delivered a vicious hit to Bledsoe causing internal bleeding. As in the circle of life: one career was ended while another began.
Tom Brady, his backup at the time, entered the game and New England’s history was altered. Brady carried the Patriots to three Super Bowls in the new millennium.
This is always the example that people use when trying to debunk this ridiculous myth. The coaching staff is always going to go with the guy with the hot hand and gives his team the best chance to win. It’s that simple.
Drafting Running Backs in the First Round is a Waste
Vikings’ Adrian Peterson and Titans’ Chris Johnson were both drafted in the first round and both these superb athletes topped every pundit’s list as the league’s best backs.
With quality running backs such as these two, the natural response would be to lean on your workhorse and feed them the ball.
There are two main reasons why so many people feel that drafting a running back high in the draft is a waste. The first: out of all the skillful positions in the offence, the RB position is far less complex to learn compared to others such as the quarterback position.
Translation, many critics find playing RB takes less time to learn and that most rookie players will adapt rapidly to the position in the pros.
Their reasoning is why waste a high draft pick on a position that can be filled by a number of players, whereas finding a solid quarterback or a big strong offensive linemen with all the intangibles is more rare and even harder to mold.
The second, the same school of thought finds that RBs are expandable and easily replaceable.
Truth be told, quality RBs are a rare breed in the National Football League, and more often than not, look like the best athletes on Sundays. Players like Peterson and Johnson are in no way a liability to their respective teams. No, they are the most valuable players on their teams, which puts an end to another myth.
Quarterbacks need a rocket arm in the NFL
Sure, having a laser arm and being able to zip the ball 50 yards down the field is a bonus. But it’s not a necessity. Former Oakland Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell, the No. 1 draft choice in 2007, had arguably the strongest arm in the NFL, but lacks everything else and is no longer even signed with a team, his NFL future in doubt.
Byron Leftwich also has a great arm, but he has been demoted to a backup because he lacks in other areas. The quarterback position is not solely restricted to those who have rocket arms.
In fact, others elite quarterbacks such as Kurt Warner, Tom Brady and Eli Manning don’t fire lasers like Brett Favre does.
They don’t need to. They have the ability to scan the field, a great vision, precision and above all, they understand the game and can read defences. These are the attributes that a QB must have in the NFL.
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