We’re product of our pasts, and watching Dan Marino for 17 years confirmed me what an incredible quarterback can do — and what he can’t do, too.
He can’t win video games by himself, for example.
That sounds basic sufficient, however it causes controversy whenever you comply with by way of from that thought to the following one: Winning isn’t a quarterback stat.
Football historically says it’s. I say it clearly includes the quarterback however has different necessary elements to the purpose it’s a full organizational stat.
This topic has come up once more due to a column I wrote concerning Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert and the way their organizations will determine who has extra success — who, merely put, is labeled a “winning quarterback.”
Each is down the highway to success. And it’s a pleasant stat about Tagovailoa being 8-0 this yr in video games he begins and finishes (he didn’t end towards San Francisco). But Dolphins followers, above all others, ought to perceive whereas profitable actually includes the quarterback in an enormous method, their most tenured quarterbacks lately present it isn’t all about them.
Let’s have a look at the careers of Marino and Ryan Tannehill.
First, Marino. He’s a Hall of Fame quarterback. But his profession was tied in some ways to the assistance round him. The defenses, primarily.
Marino had seven seasons the place the Dolphins had a top-12 protection or higher in fewest factors allowed. Those seven years Marino’s regular-season document as a starter was 75-30 (71 profitable proportion). He went to the playoffs all seven years. He went to 3 AFC titles video games and a Super Bowl.
That helps clarify why he was so nice, proper?
Now let’s have a look at the 9 years he had a protection that ranked sixteenth or decrease. His regular-season document these years was 75-66 (54%). He went to the playoffs three of these 9 seasons. He superior out of the wild-card spherical twice earlier than dropping. No AFC title video games. No Super Bowl.
So was Marino a “winner” in these seven seasons with a good-to-great protection and a quarterback who didn’t have the “It” issue or “Clutch gene” when saddled with a below-average-to-bad protection?
Or was he only a quarterback whose destiny was tied to the higher group?
Now let’s have a look at Tannehill. My line in his first 5 years with the Dolphins was he was, “good enough if the team around him was good enough.” I gave up after that. I used to be worn down by the mediocrity.
Was it his fault?
We don’t want to interrupt down the defensive numbers or speeding stats or discipline objective percentages in his case. You can bear in mind the teaching and entrance workplace adjustments, points like Bullygate and a cocaine-sniffing assistant, to grasp the Dolphins at the moment. But now we have two completely different organizations to take a look at his numbers.
With the Dolphins from 2012 to 2018 (lacking 2017 with damage), Tannehill went 42-46 as a starter (48%). They made one playoffs in 2016 (although he was damage by then and Matt Moore performed within the postseason loss).
With Tennessee since 2019, Tannehill is 37-17 in his begins (69%). He went to the playoffs the three earlier seasons and is on the highway to creating it 4 playoffs in his 4 seasons there. He went to the AFC Championship Game his first yr there in 2019 and had the No. 1 seed with one of the best regular-season document in 2020.
Is he a “winner” now?
Did he abruptly discover, “It?”
Or is he simply on a greater group, one the place he’s adequate as a result of everybody else round him is sweet sufficient.
Bottom-line: Winning isn’t an end-all quarterback stat. Need extra? Marino gained 64 p.c of his begins. His alternative, Jay Fiedler had a high 5 protection gained 62 p.c of his begins. Were they equals?
There’s a proviso to this concept to muddle up the view some. If I consider quarterbacks can’t win video games alone, I additionally consider they’ll lose them alone. Look at baseball for this. A beginning pitcher can provide up 10 runs within the first inning and ship his staff to a loss. But to win, that very same pitcher can throw sport however to win goes to wish assist — defensive and offensive.
It’s related for quarterbacks. If a quarterback throws 4 interceptions, the percentages are his staff goes to lose. That’s why the place is so necessary.
Tagovailoa all the time has understood a main rule of being an incredible NFL quarterback: Don’t lose video games. He hasn’t. He doesn’t make the large mistake — and hasn’t even when he had lesser expertise round him.
He has extra round him now and nonetheless isn’t making many errors. He’s like level guard making the best choices. The group lastly has given him good expertise and offensive system — and never only a good protection like he had the primary two years.
So, no, profitable isn’t only a quarterback stat? It includes the quarterback. It additionally includes a variety of different elements, as anybody watching Marino knew and anybody seeing Tannehill’s profession play out understands.
Tua being 8-0 says one thing good about him — and one thing equally good in regards to the assist he’s getting, too.
Don’t take my phrase for that.
Tagovailoa, too, has stated profitable isn’t a quarterback stat.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com
