Can we stop pretending QB wins are a meaningful stat?


Sports activities are bizarre. It is likely to be the one world the place a story could be constructed, and advised time and again, whereas no one appears to bat an eye fixed.

There are a number of dumb ones on the market that I don’t let trouble me. Issues like “unhealthy officiating price this crew the sport.” OK, to be trustworthy, I do let that one have an effect on me on occasion. By time to time, I imply practically each week. Nonetheless, there’s one narrative that’s by far the worst of all of them. It’s one which frankly makes no logical sense, and may really be harmful.

Look, I get it. I’ll preface this complete factor by saying that I do know quarterback is crucial place. A superb quarterback could make the distinction between a very good crew and a foul crew, however so can a very good linebacker or a very good left sort out. We’ve actually seen NFL groups win the Tremendous Bowl with guys whose greatest attribute is that they’ve an energetic pulse. Hello, Trent Dilfer. Anyhow, at the moment I wish to get into the large the explanation why we simply need to cease assigning quarterbacks a win/loss document.

Logistics

Alright gang, let’s dumb down soccer to its naked bones, lets? A soccer crew has 53 gamers on it, and there are three phases to the crew. Each unit has a job.

First you may have your offense. They need to work collectively as a unit to maneuver downfield to attain. The quarterback has to have guys able to blocking lengthy sufficient for a play to develop, receivers to run the correct routes and catch the passes thrown or a run sport handy the ball off to.

Then we have now protection and particular groups. Protection is accountable for holding factors off the board, and particular groups is cost of getting the crew into cheap beginning discipline positions.

It’s simply numbers at this level. There’s three items in soccer and the quarterback solely performs on one among them. Why are we solely blaming one participant for the loss? The quarterback, very similar to Jonathan Moxon in Varsity Blues, is only one man. He actually simply can’t do his job on the market with out somebody to dam, catch, or run.

There are such a lot of examples that it’s not actual

In 2020, Alvin Kamara had a Madden-on-easy sort sport towards the Vikings when he ran for six touchdowns. In that very same sport, Drew Brees threw for 311 yards and two interceptions. Brees received the credit score for the win.

In 2012 Matt Ryan threw for 301 yards and 5 interceptions towards the Cardinals, and the Falcons nonetheless gained 23-19 as a result of Matt Bryant nailed three large discipline objectives, the protection ran a fumble again to the home and Michael Turner scored. Matt Ryan was credited with a win for this sport.

Ryan Lindley as soon as threw for 104 yards and an interception in a 38-10 win over the Lions. Why is Lindley getting credit score for the win when he merely existed for 4 quarters?

It’s not simply wins although. There’s a problem with losses too. In 2011 Matthew Stafford threw for 520 yards and 5 touchdowns towards the Packers, and the Lions nonetheless misplaced that sport as a result of Matt Flynn did the soccer equal of Mario stepping on an excellent mushroom and threw for six touchdowns. It may’t be Matthew Stafford’s fault that the Lions misplaced this sport.

Patrick Mahomes threw six landing passes towards the Rams in 2018, and the Chiefs nonetheless misplaced as a result of the protection allowed 54 factors. What extra might you ask these quarterbacks to do to assist their groups win? Why ought to they shoulder the blame for the losses?

These aren’t simply cherry-picked concepts. You’ll see increasingly of one of these factor occur yearly.

Why is that this an issue?

It’s an issue for 3 causes. The primary is that as a result of franchises base their groups’ success so firmly on quarterbacks that they have a tendency to disregard every little thing else.

Sam Darnold is an ideal instance. Darnold shouldn’t be good as we all know him, however he’s not the worst both. Darnold is a traditional instance of why pondering the quarterback will remedy all of your issues is successfully including one other drawback.

The Jets took Darnold with the third choose in 2018 after which proceeded to do nothing to assist him succeed. Throughout his three-year tenure with the Jets, the crew’s protection was ranked fourth, seventeenth and seventh within the league in factors allowed. His run sport was twenty sixth, thirty first and twenty third in scoring on the bottom, and his greatest receivers throughout this time have been Robby Anderson and Jamison Crowder — neither of whom have been capable of come close to the 1,000-yard mark or rating greater than six touchdowns in a season. Lastly, he had three completely different head coaches throughout that point.

All of that goes incorrect round Darnold, and he’s the one who takes all the blame. Not the Jets, who didn’t develop him effectively sufficient, didn’t encompass him with gamers to assist him achieve success and altered his coaches 3 times in three years.

This occurs to a unique man or guys yearly. A participant with potential is thrown away by a crew that did nothing to assist him, and he’s deemed a foul product by the league and the followers regardless that he didn’t do it alone. No quarterback does, even when it might seem to be he does generally.

Then there are the groups that purchase quarterbacks based mostly off a very good efficiency. Matt Flynn made virtually $20 million off that six-touchdown sport towards the Lions as a result of normal managers believed he might duplicate that efficiency.

Nearly each time that occurs, it pushes apart a younger quarterback who could possibly be a future starter if developed appropriately.

Lastly, the strain that comes with this places quarterbacks within the place the place they really feel like they should play via accidents as a way to keep on the sphere and assist their crew win. In case you’re a quarterback and also you get a concussion throughout a four-game dropping streak, the followers and the franchise are clearly going to see you as the problem. That’s the kind of factor that may make a participant lie about their damage as a way to keep on the sphere and chase a win and hold their job.

Quarterbacks don’t win and lose video games on their very own, so let’s cease performing like quarterback wins and losses are a stat that issues.