NFL: Young quarterbacks

[WebHead]

Yeah,.. this is true. It took Elway like 46 seasons before he finally won the big game. I guess every quarterback learns at his own pace though. Either that or the laws of probability finally went in his favor towards the end.

[Cobra X]

Damn it wrbby, some days I just feel like smacking you. What I was saying is, Elway was bad his rookie year, just like the majority of QBs are. He was great the majority of his career, but he didn't win the big one until he had a running game to help him. No QB, no matter how great they are can win a Super Bowl without a running game to help them out. See Dan Marino, Fran Tarkenton, etc.

Food for thought: Johnny Unitas wasted away for a good 3 years on the Steelers bench, until they released him. He then went to the Colts and had finally honed his craft, and went down as possibly the greatest QB ever to play the game.

[Cleetus]

Will Troy Aikman ever be considered a great or will he just remain a footnote that won a lot of Superbowls?

[Cobra X]

Will Troy Aikman ever be considered a great or will he just remain a footnote that won a lot of Superbowls?

I think he'd be considered great. Not one of the greatest of all time, but one of the greats of his era. The problem is, there were a lot of other good-great QBs of his time - Steve Young, Jim Kelly, Brett Favre, and then you had Elway still doing his thing and winning Super Bowls.

I think Aikman will go down a lot like Terry Bradshaw - a good QB who was on a VERY talented team that won a lot of Super Bowls. Most of the credit for the Steelers wins tends to go to their defense, and I think most of the credit for the Cowboys 3 Super Bowls will go to Emmitt Smith. Aikman was a big part of it, no doubt, but Emmitt was the big star of the team.

The problem with Aikman - and Steve Young for that matter - is a career shortened by injury. If Aikman played a few more seasons, and kept the Cowboys competitive in spit of the fact that the team as a whole sucks (like what Favre is doing with Green Bay now), then he'd be without question among the best of all time.

[Cleetus]

If I remember right, they threw him to the wolves his first year. I know they lost way more then they won.

Would love to see that repeated down here in Houston, Carr is developing(still has some issues), Davis is really coming into his own, Andre Johnson will be a major star, and the line is getting better.

[Cobra X]

The Texans are starting to come into their own. They've played pretty well this year, and I think they could be major contenders next season. The only thing they got against them is a tough division. The Colts might be overrated, but they are tough, and they'll still be around next year. And the Jags are on the rise, just needing a bit more consistency to be in the top. And the Titans are starting to slip, but they can surpise you and come out of nowhere. They haven't had back to back losing seasons in a loooooong time.

[WebHead]

Damn it wrbby, some days I just feel like smacking you. What I was saying is, Elway was bad his rookie year, just like the majority of QBs are. He was great the majority of his career,...

Well I guess my memories of Elway are different than yours. My memories usually included celebrating a 49er victory over the Broncos in the Superbowl each year which to me translates to Montana being superior to Elway which then translates to Elway sucks.

[WebHead]

Will Troy Aikman ever be considered a great or will he just remain a footnote that won a lot of Superbowls?

Ditto on this one as my above reply to Cobra X, except replace the words Superbowl with NFC championship, replace Elway with Aikman and replace Montana with Young and the saga continued.

[Cobra X]

Well I guess my memories of Elway are different than yours. My memories usually included celebrating a 49er victory over the Broncos in the Superbowl each year which to me translates to Montana being superior to Elway which then translates to Elway sucks.

So losing in a Super Bowl means you suck? Nevermind that maybe 2/3 of the QBs in the game never even get there in the first place?

Brett Favre's Packers lost to the Broncos in Super Bowl XXXII. Does that mean he sucks?

[Cobra X]

Ditto on this one as my above reply to Cobra X, except replace the words Superbowl with NFC championship, replace Elway with Aikman and replace Montana with Young and the saga continued.

And how many NFC championship games did Young lose to the Aikman led cowboys? And let's not forget the one that he actually did win, he only won cuz Aikman left the game with a concussion.

[WebHead]

So losing in a Super Bowl means you suck? Nevermind that maybe 2/3 of the QBs in the game never even get there in the first place?

Brett Favre's Packers lost to the Broncos in Super Bowl XXXII. Does that mean he sucks?

Fiorve is great. Elway was great. I just like gloating about how great Montana was. It's all I got,.. I mean, look at them now.

[TripleRLtd]

Well, in all honesty, Roethlisberger is the rare exception to the rule.
All rookies generally need time to develop. Whether it's a year or 2 sitting on the bench behind a veteran and learning, or being thrown to the lions from day one and learning on the field, it doesn't matter..

You have that right! It is rare indeed.
You take ANY sport, and great rookies are rare.
This isn't college, or Triple A anymore. This is the real deal.
Some can handle it, some can't. and many have been mentioned in this thread.
btw:
Did you see how Peyton managed his offense last weekend? Calling off the punting team! Well, I for one am impressed.
Great QB's are indeed rare, and should be appreciated. Even when they are great rookies.