Tyrod Taylor is the quarterback for the Buffalo Bills who led them back to the playoffs again this year. He's an average quarterback. Taylor is not an upper echelon quarterback or Tom Brady by any means. He's not a guy who can repeatedly beat you down the field with a cannon arm, or throw the ball 50 times a game and win. But what Taylor is and can do is effectively manage a football game without turning it over ex. Alex Smith.
After the first 8 games of the season, Taylor had a horrible performance against the Saints. His 56 yard performance was horrendous and with a 5-3 record, he was replaced at quarterback for the Buffalo Bills for Nathan Peterman. So typically when you replace a guy at quarterback you're expecting a spark. The only problem was that the spark was for the other team. The LA Chargers, a team that finished 9-7 like the Bills, intercepted Peterman 5 times. Nate Peterman. 5th round pick. A guy who won 0 awards in college, was left out on the field to throw 5 interceptions. To be exact, Peterman's day was beyond awful. He went 6 of 14 and only threw for 66 yards. True, Taylor's performance the week before was bad, but even against one of the league's best defenses, he didn't turn the ball over 5 times.
Instead of coaching, Head Coach Scott McDermott, made it his personal vendetta for the offense's lack of production to be Tyrod's fault. McDermott was so determined for Taylor to be the problem, he embarrassed a rookie. By the way Taylor threw for 14 TDs to just 4 interceptions in 15 games started this season.
I'm an equal opportunity type of person. I see color, (you're a liar if you don't) but I also want the best for my teams. So if that means play that white guy over the black guy, so be it; or vice versa. For the longest I wanted to believe that what's happening to Colin Kaepernick didn't have anything to do with race but about QB play. It's not true. It's about his race. It's about him standing up for a group of people that NFL owners don't care about. It's about him disrespecting a flag that they do care about. The same organization that was willing to part with the man that took to them to a Super Bowl, put up better or similar numbers the final 6 games of the 2016 season, than the white QB that they just made the richest player in league history did in 2017.
And no, he's not a middle linebacker, he's not a safety. He's the face of a franchise. And he wasn't willing to be the standard of Russel Wilson or be demonstrative like Jameis Winston or Cam Newton. He wanted to be a revolutionary. He wanted to make a difference. I, at this point, don't have the energy to convince a racist group or society that they shouldn't be racist anymore. Racism will be apart of America and this world until the end of times. Things have gotten better throughout the decades here in America but my fight is no longer with trying to change the thought process of ignorant people. The bigger issue to what Colin Kaepernick is experiencing is the total disregard and lack of development of black quarterbacks.
Still a question about whether there's racism at the QB position? Even when a black QB can play the position; they're doubted. Deshaun Watson by far is the best black quarterback, and definitely in the conversation as the best to ever play in the NCAA. His resume includes...
1. National Championship victory over Alabama
2. 28 Wins over his last two seasons in college.
3. 4.66 speed in the 40 yard dash
4. 2 Time All ACC Academic
With a resume like the one above, there's no doubt that this guy deserved to be the top ranked quarterback in last year's draft. With over 8600 passing yards and 76 passing touchdowns over 2 seasons, that should've been enough. But to add to that passing prowess, Watson was a member of the Academic teams in the ACC and ran an official 4.66 at the combine.
Instead of being the number 1 QB in the draft, Watson fell all the way to pick 12, behind Patrick Mahomes Jr (picked 10 mixed) and Mitchell Trubisky (white. picked 2nd )
Before an ACL tear, Watson was excellent. Through his 7 games played, Watson threw for 19 TDs to just 8 interceptions and 1,699 yards in 6 starts. In comparison Mahomes barely played and Trubisky started 12 games his rookie year and threw for 2,193 yards and threw just 7 TDs to 7 interceptions.
Football has been depicted by some players as slavery. I'll never take it that far because trust me 10 times out of 10 if I were blessed enough to make it in the NFL I would do it. And while I won't call the sport slavery, there is racism throughout the sport. Of all the NFL players, roughly 70 percent of them are black. But while 70% of those players are black, just 19% of the players who play quarterback are black.
On top of not having a lot of black quarterbacks, there is only one offensive coordinator in the NFL who's black. Offensive coordinators job is to organize an offensive gameplan, call plays, and work with the quarterback explicitly during practice. There's only one in the NFL, imagine how poor those numbers are at the college level. The numbers are even worse at the high school level. I'll never say that white people can't coach or teach black players, but I will say that black men would get the most out of black players. Relationships are a big part of coaching, and people from the same communities can relate to one another easier than someone who is not.
The most scrutinized position in all of sports is the quarterback position. The quarterback gets all the credit when his team wins and gets all of the blame when his team loses. For instance, quarterbacks are always judged based off of their win loss records, but a safety or a middle linebacker is not. Matter of fact, the only other position in sports who keep win loss records are baseball pitchers. Quarterback is the only position you can change and affect the morale of your entire team.
The quarterback also has the most responsibility on the team. Coaches look for their quarterbacks to be leaders both on the field and off the field. The decisions that they make are scrutinized way tougher than any other guy. It's what comes with the territory. To much is given much is required.
In order to excel at the professional level, quarterbacks have to be able to digest schemes, make quick reads and process all of this information in less than 4 seconds or you'll end up on your back. In order to handle the pressure of all these things you need to be prepared and that preparation starts in school. Critical thinking is one of the most important traits of being a great football player, especially a QB.
The first time an athlete has to critically think should not come on a playing field or on a court. Having the ability to think through situations allows a person to be confident in their own decision making skills. Confidence in yourself allows you to control situations and not allow situations to control you. Look at the best QBs to ever play the position. Brady and Montana never seem to be out of control. (Even though Brady just lost the Super Bowl, it wasn't because he wasn't slinging the ball around. 505 Yards 3 TDs 0 INTs) Those cool, collected guys always seemed to be in control and no one ever was fully surprised when they pulled off a comeback.
It's not a secret anymore that black people who want to be great in this country have to be heads above their competition before they get their respect (just take a look at the NBA.) Being black and average doesn't amount to much in this country. In football, it starts at the high school level. I see it all the time. Coaches make their offenses completely simple and cater to the ability of "their guy being better than your guy." They teach their athletic, black quarterbacks simple reads. "If he's covered look here. If they're covered, tuck it and run." The reason why? Education isn't preached or valued in many of the homes of blacks. Concepts that are detailed, complex guys become frustrated and want to play other positions. So of course when these young men are being evaluated by recruiting sites their labeled athletes, guys who are playing quarterback now, but at the next level they'll play elsewhere.
The best place for an athlete to think critically should come at home or at school. From a young age parents that allow their children to make decisions and have understanding of the consequences of their decisions, set them up for success. Children should not only be pushed on the field, butencouraging forcing their ability to do well with academics should be a must. I understand courage and moxie are what makes great players, but I've been around guys who had that but couldn't play QB.
So, to all parents with male athletes who might want them to play QB: PLEASE CHALLENGE YOUR CHILDREN MENTALLY. Place goals in front of them and force them to conquer them. Confidence starts at home. The best thing that you can do is challenge and make your child be confident in his thinking ability versus his athleticism or his looks. Expose them to camps. Invest in them. The investment might just pay off.
 |
| Tyrod Taylor makes a pass against the Jaguars in the 2017 Wildcard game. |
After the first 8 games of the season, Taylor had a horrible performance against the Saints. His 56 yard performance was horrendous and with a 5-3 record, he was replaced at quarterback for the Buffalo Bills for Nathan Peterman. So typically when you replace a guy at quarterback you're expecting a spark. The only problem was that the spark was for the other team. The LA Chargers, a team that finished 9-7 like the Bills, intercepted Peterman 5 times. Nate Peterman. 5th round pick. A guy who won 0 awards in college, was left out on the field to throw 5 interceptions. To be exact, Peterman's day was beyond awful. He went 6 of 14 and only threw for 66 yards. True, Taylor's performance the week before was bad, but even against one of the league's best defenses, he didn't turn the ball over 5 times.
 |
| Nathan Peterman replaced Tyrod Taylor after a bad performance.His performance was historically bad. |
Instead of coaching, Head Coach Scott McDermott, made it his personal vendetta for the offense's lack of production to be Tyrod's fault. McDermott was so determined for Taylor to be the problem, he embarrassed a rookie. By the way Taylor threw for 14 TDs to just 4 interceptions in 15 games started this season.
I'm an equal opportunity type of person. I see color, (you're a liar if you don't) but I also want the best for my teams. So if that means play that white guy over the black guy, so be it; or vice versa. For the longest I wanted to believe that what's happening to Colin Kaepernick didn't have anything to do with race but about QB play. It's not true. It's about his race. It's about him standing up for a group of people that NFL owners don't care about. It's about him disrespecting a flag that they do care about. The same organization that was willing to part with the man that took to them to a Super Bowl, put up better or similar numbers the final 6 games of the 2016 season, than the white QB that they just made the richest player in league history did in 2017.
 |
| The one on the left is the richest player in league history, the one on the right can't get a job. |
Still a question about whether there's racism at the QB position? Even when a black QB can play the position; they're doubted. Deshaun Watson by far is the best black quarterback, and definitely in the conversation as the best to ever play in the NCAA. His resume includes...
2. 28 Wins over his last two seasons in college.
3. 4.66 speed in the 40 yard dash
4. 2 Time All ACC Academic
With a resume like the one above, there's no doubt that this guy deserved to be the top ranked quarterback in last year's draft. With over 8600 passing yards and 76 passing touchdowns over 2 seasons, that should've been enough. But to add to that passing prowess, Watson was a member of the Academic teams in the ACC and ran an official 4.66 at the combine.
 |
| The greatest QB in NCAA History. |
Instead of being the number 1 QB in the draft, Watson fell all the way to pick 12, behind Patrick Mahomes Jr (picked 10 mixed) and Mitchell Trubisky (white. picked 2nd )
Before an ACL tear, Watson was excellent. Through his 7 games played, Watson threw for 19 TDs to just 8 interceptions and 1,699 yards in 6 starts. In comparison Mahomes barely played and Trubisky started 12 games his rookie year and threw for 2,193 yards and threw just 7 TDs to 7 interceptions.
 |
| The making of a 58 yard TD run against the Bengals. |
Football has been depicted by some players as slavery. I'll never take it that far because trust me 10 times out of 10 if I were blessed enough to make it in the NFL I would do it. And while I won't call the sport slavery, there is racism throughout the sport. Of all the NFL players, roughly 70 percent of them are black. But while 70% of those players are black, just 19% of the players who play quarterback are black.
On top of not having a lot of black quarterbacks, there is only one offensive coordinator in the NFL who's black. Offensive coordinators job is to organize an offensive gameplan, call plays, and work with the quarterback explicitly during practice. There's only one in the NFL, imagine how poor those numbers are at the college level. The numbers are even worse at the high school level. I'll never say that white people can't coach or teach black players, but I will say that black men would get the most out of black players. Relationships are a big part of coaching, and people from the same communities can relate to one another easier than someone who is not.
 |
Eric Bieniemy, the only black offensive coordinator in the NFL. |
The quarterback also has the most responsibility on the team. Coaches look for their quarterbacks to be leaders both on the field and off the field. The decisions that they make are scrutinized way tougher than any other guy. It's what comes with the territory. To much is given much is required.
In order to excel at the professional level, quarterbacks have to be able to digest schemes, make quick reads and process all of this information in less than 4 seconds or you'll end up on your back. In order to handle the pressure of all these things you need to be prepared and that preparation starts in school. Critical thinking is one of the most important traits of being a great football player, especially a QB.
The first time an athlete has to critically think should not come on a playing field or on a court. Having the ability to think through situations allows a person to be confident in their own decision making skills. Confidence in yourself allows you to control situations and not allow situations to control you. Look at the best QBs to ever play the position. Brady and Montana never seem to be out of control. (Even though Brady just lost the Super Bowl, it wasn't because he wasn't slinging the ball around. 505 Yards 3 TDs 0 INTs) Those cool, collected guys always seemed to be in control and no one ever was fully surprised when they pulled off a comeback.
It's not a secret anymore that black people who want to be great in this country have to be heads above their competition before they get their respect (just take a look at the NBA.) Being black and average doesn't amount to much in this country. In football, it starts at the high school level. I see it all the time. Coaches make their offenses completely simple and cater to the ability of "their guy being better than your guy." They teach their athletic, black quarterbacks simple reads. "If he's covered look here. If they're covered, tuck it and run." The reason why? Education isn't preached or valued in many of the homes of blacks. Concepts that are detailed, complex guys become frustrated and want to play other positions. So of course when these young men are being evaluated by recruiting sites their labeled athletes, guys who are playing quarterback now, but at the next level they'll play elsewhere.
The best place for an athlete to think critically should come at home or at school. From a young age parents that allow their children to make decisions and have understanding of the consequences of their decisions, set them up for success. Children should not only be pushed on the field, but
So, to all parents with male athletes who might want them to play QB: PLEASE CHALLENGE YOUR CHILDREN MENTALLY. Place goals in front of them and force them to conquer them. Confidence starts at home. The best thing that you can do is challenge and make your child be confident in his thinking ability versus his athleticism or his looks. Expose them to camps. Invest in them. The investment might just pay off.
Comments
Post a Comment