Why do so many people like old QB's?

[wyominghansen]

I was just on another thread and noticed that there was alot of youth bashing in regards to QB's. I know that age brings wisdom, but age also brings aging (the deterioration of physical abilities). So I was wondering why people get so attatched to the aged QB's? I saw the video (on Redskins.com TV), touting Brunell as being "healed and having strong arm strength". However, all I could think of is, "Damn, do I look that old and decrepit?". I think that way because I am a 100% disabled Army vet, and I am the same age as our old farts. And I find it scary that I look more virile than or #2 and our possible #3 QB. I wonder if we hold on to our aged ones because we remember the good old days. Even if the good old days weren't that good. I am under the belief that there is always someone better around the corner, just waiting to take you out. But if our young guns don't get a chance, then will we keep our old guys around until they start drawing SS benefits?

My hopes are:

Campbell #1

Bramlet #2

Palmer or Hollenbach #3

Palmer or Hollenbach PS

The future of the franchise if Campbell gets hurt?:rubeyes:

[Drex]

Older qb's have a wealth of experience and can also serve as tutors to younger qb's on the roster. Regarding the two older qb's currently on our roster, Gibbs brought Brunell here and Saunders brought Collins into the fold, so the fact that the coaches feel comfortable with these guys is another reason for their spot on the roster.

[WSHRedskins3ATLBraves3]

Quarterback is the position that requires the most experience on the field. It also demands split-second decision making and the ability to read defenses which have to be developed and old QB's have an easier time with those things usually.

[D-Day]

Yeah, I second the two posts above and BTW I am so hoping for the QB list as you have it laid out. Won't happen though.

[REEGSKINS]

i am so with you on this.

I was just on another thread and noticed that there was alot of youth bashing in regards to QB's. I know that age brings wisdom, but age also brings aging (the deterioration of physical abilities). So I was wondering why people get so attatched to the aged QB's? I saw the video (on Redskins.com TV), touting Brunell as being "healed and having strong arm strength". However, all I could think of is, "Damn, do I look that old and decrepit?". I think that way because I am a 100% disabled Army vet, and I am the same age as our old farts. And I find it scary that I look more virile than or #2 and our possible #3 QB. I wonder if we hold on to our aged ones because we remember the good old days. Even if the good old days weren't that good. I am under the belief that there is always someone better around the corner, just waiting to take you out. But if our young guns don't get a chance, then will we keep our old guys around until they start drawing SS benefits?

My hopes are:

Campbell #1

Bramlet #2

Palmer or Hollenbach #3

Palmer or Hollenbach PS

The future of the franchise if Campbell gets hurt?:rubeyes:

[OVCChairman]

Leadership. Veteran Leadership, almost impossible to find in any other player on the field

[JohnnyUtah]

I was just on another thread and noticed that there was alot of youth bashing in regards to QB's. I know that age brings wisdom, but age also brings aging (the deterioration of physical abilities). So I was wondering why people get so attatched to the aged QB's? I saw the video (on Redskins.com TV), touting Brunell as being "healed and having strong arm strength". However, all I could think of is, "Damn, do I look that old and decrepit?". I think that way because I am a 100% disabled Army vet, and I am the same age as our old farts. And I find it scary that I look more virile than or #2 and our possible #3 QB. I wonder if we hold on to our aged ones because we remember the good old days. Even if the good old days weren't that good. I am under the belief that there is always someone better around the corner, just waiting to take you out. But if our young guns don't get a chance, then will we keep our old guys around until they start drawing SS benefits?

You also have to factor in the possible salary cap raminifications. We couldn't afford to cut Brunell right now. Further, while Bramlet played well in Europe, he has no game experience against real NFL talent. I would hold on to Brunell as our #2 for sure. I would then maybe keep Collins around, just for this season, due to his experience in the system and because I wouldn't want Bramlet actually playing any downs this season, due to Brunell's fragile nature. I understand what you're saying and yes, I'd rather have a younger guy in there. However, I'd rather have a younger guy with NFL game experience that was at least garnered within the United States.

[Fan since a Fetus]

We couldn't afford to cut Brunell right now. I would hold on to Brunell as our #2 for sure.

I am pretty sure that they can cut Brunell if they want to. They re-did his contract. I could be wrong, but this is what I remember.

I do agree that we should hold on to Brunell as our #2. He is better than Collins and we do not need a roster full of QB's with less than 3 years experience. No way can Bramlet, Palmer, or Hollenbach step in without a significant learning curve. I am not sold on Bramlet even making the roster. Time will tell.

[bigyim]

Let's use a comtemporary situation:

Do you think Eagles fans are happier with having Kolb as the #2 this year instead of Garcia?

I don't.

It's very simple why you have veterans in backup positions:

--if your #1 goes down, you want the learning curve to be as slight as possible. A 10 yr. veteran knows how to get up to speed with the offense, the WR/RB tendencies and opposing defenses far quicker than younger players...esp. players who haven't taken a snap in the NFL.

If your #1 QB goes down, you need a player who can manage the game, & let the people around him step up to win games. That comes with veteran experience, not youth. You may have a gun for an arm, but if you can't refrain from using it when an easy checkdown will get you the first, you won't earn the trust of your teammates.

Let's use a historical situation:

If you ask the Redskins from the mid-'80s, they will tell you almost to a man that they felt better with Williams than with Schroeder behind center. Shroesder had the skills, but his youthful ****iness got to his teammates. Williams knew how to use his teammates, instill confidence in the team, & manage the offense (he had quite a few bad games for us, too).

Don't fall in love with the arm & the wheels...look for the guy with the right mentality & intelligence, & you got yourself a solid backup QB.

[wyominghansen]

Let's use a historical situation:

If you ask the Redskins from the mid-'80s, they will tell you almost to a man that they felt better with Williams than with Schroeder behind center. Shroesder had the skills, but his youthful ****iness got to his teammates. Williams knew how to use his teammates, instill confidence in the team, & manage the offense (he had quite a few bad games for us, too).

Don't fall in love with the arm & the wheels...look for the guy with the right mentality & intelligence, & you got yourself a solid backup QB.

Here are a few other historical reasons for going young:

SB

III Joe Namath, New York Jets - Alabama (25)

VII Bob Griese, Miami Dolphins - Purdue (27)

VIII Bob Griese, Miami Dolphins - Purdue (28)

IX Terry Bradshaw, Pittsburgh Steelers - Louisiana Tech (26)

X Terry Bradshaw, Pittsburgh Steelers - Louisiana Tech (27)

XVI Joe Montana, San Francisco 49ers - Notre Dame (25)

XIX Joe Montana, San Francisco 49ers - Notre Dame (28)

XX Jim McMahon, Chicago Bears - BYU (26)

XXV Jeff Hostetler, New York Giants - West Virginia (29)

XXVII Troy Aikman, Dallas Cowboys - Oklahoma, UCLA (26)

XXVIII Troy Aikman, Dallas Cowboys - Oklahoma, UCLA (27)

XXX Troy Aikman, Dallas Cowboys - Oklahoma, UCLA (29)

XXXI Brett Favre, Green Bay Packers - Southern Mississippi (27)

XXXIV Kurt Warner, St. Louis Rams - Northern Iowa (28)

XXXV Trent Dilfer, Baltimore Ravens - Fresno State (28)

XXXVI Tom Brady, New England Patriots - Michigan (24)

XXXVIII Tom Brady, New England Patriots - Michigan (26)

XXXVIX Tom Brady, New England Patriots - Michigan (27)

XL Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers - Miami (OH) (23)

And that was just a list of the SB winners under 30 years of age

Here is the list of 30 + year olds (notice how many SB winners are as old as our current #2 & #3):

I Bart Starr, Green Bay Packers - Alabama (*33)

II Bart Starr, Green Bay Packers - Alabama (34)

IV Len Dawson, Kansas City Chiefs - Purdue (34)

V Johnny Unitas, Baltimore Colts - Louisville (37)

XI Ken Stabler, Oakland Raiders - Alabama (31)

XII Roger Staubach, Dallas Cowboys - Navy (35)

XIII Terry Bradshaw, Pittsburgh Steelers - Louisiana Tech (30)

XIV Terry Bradshaw, Pittsburgh Steelers - Louisiana Tech (31)

XV Jim Plunkett, Oakland Raiders - Stanford (33)

XVII Joe Theismann, Washington Redskins - Notre Dame (33)

XVIII Jim Plunkett, Los Angeles Raiders - Stanford (36)

XXI Phil Simms, New York Giants - Morehead State (32)

XXII Doug Williams, Washington Redskins - Grambling (32)

XXIII Joe Montana, San Francisco 49ers - Notre Dame (32)

XXIV Joe Montana, San Francisco 49ers - Notre Dame (33)

XXVI Mark Rypien, Washington Redskins - Washington State (30)

XXIX Steve Young, San Francisco 49ers - BYU (33)

XXXII John Elway, Denver Broncos - Stanford (37)

XXXIII John Elway, Denver Broncos - Stanford (38)

XXXVII Brad Johnson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Florida State (34)

XLI Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts - Tennessee (30)

* Had already won Superbowls prior to age 30

* Had already played and lost in Superbowls prior to age 30

GENERAL STATEMENT: Please don't give me the crap that we are talking about "just a backup QB", because look at how many of these SB caliber QB's were once backups.

[InsaneBoost]

Older QB's are more likely to make less mistakes, such as throwing the ball away instead of trying to fit it in a tight spot.

[wyominghansen]

Older QB's are more likely to make less mistakes, such as throwing the ball away instead of trying to fit it in a tight spot.

Yeah like Farve the INT king?

I think it all depends on the QB. I think if a QB is a gunslinger when he is young and has a cannon, it works with good coaching (young Farve). But when he gets old, he still has the gunslinger mentality but he doesn't have the arm anymore. So therefore, he has to retrain his mindset or he will be only as good as a weak armed rookie (Farve 2005). Until he figures out that he has aged, and starts playing with his brain (Farve later part of 2006).

[SonOfWashington]

Older QB's are more likely to make less mistakes, such as throwing the ball away instead of trying to fit it in a tight spot.

Or dumping it off to Betts.

:logo:

[wyominghansen]

Or dumping it off to Betts.

:logo:

Yeah, I guess that is one good thing about Brunell. He does have good touch in his 2 yd passes out in the flats. And he knows his limitations.

[wyominghansen]

Older qb's have a wealth of experience and can also serve as tutors to younger qb's on the roster.

If a player is primarily there for his wealth of experience and to tutor and not for their physical prowess, then wouldn't he be better suited as a coach? Why waste a roster spot on a tutor/mentor?

[myzhi]

Bringing in older QBs means you want to win now. Younger QBs means you want to build for the future. Guess which one we always go for?

[clathel]

The only ones that like old QB's are old HC's...See: JG

[Forever21]

I saw the video (on Redskins.com TV), touting Brunell as being "healed and having strong arm strength".

First...please tell me that no one used the line 'strong arm strength'

XVII Joe Theismann, Washington Redskins - Notre Dame (33)

XXII Doug Williams, Washington Redskins - Grambling (32)

XXVI Mark Rypien, Washington Redskins - Washington State (30)

Secondly...here are three things these QB's all have in common -

1. They won SB's at the age of 30 or over.

2. They won SB's for the Washington Redskins.

3. They won SB's with Joe Gibbs as head coach.

Gibbs has never won with a young QB which is definitly one reason he brought in Brunell and a reason he is keeping the veterans QB's on the roster. It also shows us the chance that Gibbs is taking and how difficult a decision it was for him to put Campbell in.

The other reasons for holding onto Brunell and having an older experienced QB as a number 2 are as follows:

Older qb's have a wealth of experience and can also serve as tutors to younger qb's on the roster. Regarding the two older qb's currently on our roster, Gibbs brought Brunell here and Saunders brought Collins into the fold, so the fact that the coaches feel comfortable with these guys is another reason for their spot on the roster.

Older QB's are more likely to make less mistakes, such as throwing the ball away instead of trying to fit it in a tight spot.

[Buck812]

Older QB's are more likely to make less mistakes, such as throwing the ball away instead of trying to fit it in a tight spot.

Yeah that tactic should be named after Brunnell by now. Like maybe the Brunnelsky? Or the ol' Statue of Brunnell? Or how about the Hail Brunnell? That has a nice ring to it.....

[scottb]

Free angency also plays a role. A good young backup wants to start. They aren't going to just sit and wait their turn if the guy in front of them is young as well. They will either demand starter money to stay, or find an opportunity with a new team....it's their career and their business decision. If they aren't good enough to start, then the veteran backup is usually a better deal. They have the experience without the long range cost.

[bigyim]

Another thing to consider is the conditioning resources available today exceed those of 20 years ago, so the comparisons of the ages of SB QBs in the '70s may be comparing apples and oranges.

A good ESPN article to read in this regard concerns the oldest QB to ever play the game(http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2916811 ).

One of the main reasons that George Blanda was able to play into his 40s was his training regimen...he approached his conditioning as a year-round job, and that allowed his body to keep up with the game. Did he have the arm strength of Daryle Lamonica? No., but compensated for that with his knowledge of the game, & the ability to keep his team rallied together.

[NoItAllRS]

The understanding of the game has to click for a QB to be successful in the NFL. It is thought that it has clicked for the vet QB's and see them as valuable. Being able to conduct and prepare yourself mentally and physically for the NFL help out the vets. It's all about the preparation. A lot of the young guys don't know what it takes to be successful. If you don't put in your time to learn to be an NFL QB early you won't get "IT" until it is to late. Or you'll be that QB that it clicks for you 5-6 years into the league. Some guys just don't have it but you have to put in the work.

JC has put in the work this offseason and learned the ropes from a successful vet QB in Brunell. JC already has the intangibles to be great. (poise, character, mobility, strong arm, etc.) He just needs to continue to learn the system, prepare and make good decisions with the ball. A lot of the young QB's and players just don't put in the time. They just got a large sum of money and they don't know what they want to do first. In most cases working hard to get better is not what they do first. They want to party, buy cars, clothes, women, stay up later and just don't prepare themselves for what is at hand. That is why I think coaches and teams like vets. That is why I like JC to be a beast this year.

[[[ghost]]]

At this time, I'd rather have Brunell backing up Campbell than Bramlet. Brunell knows our system now (which renders Collins useless), not to mention he has plenty of familiarity with the team.

[Peregrine]

You mentioned in your post that age also brings deterioration of physical attributes. So why not get the best of both worlds and have a vet as your backup? That way he isnt physically on the field that much, yet brings all that experience he has gained over the years? Having three young QBs is just asking for trouble. All of the good young QBs learn under a veteran.

[GURU]

Interesting that someone cited Bob Griese as an arguement for younger QBs. During the '72 undefeated season, Griese broke his leg in the 6th game, and the ancient, decrepit Earl Morrall, age 37, took over and led the team all the way through the AFC Championship game.

Every player from that team initially thought they were screwed when Griese went down, but now they all admit that they couldn't have gone undefeated if it wasn't for Morrall's play. In fact, Morrall posted a 91.0 QB rating to Griese's 71.6 that year.

Yeah, Griese WAS the undisputed QB of that offense, and gets the credit for two straight Super Bowl victories. But there would be no 17-0 without Morrall.