One minute, you are the star, the savior and everybody’s hero.
Sometimes, literally the next minute you’re a buffoon, a joke, a quitter, a loser and no one wants to be in the same room as you.
Such is the life of an NFL quarterback.
Take Vince Young, for example. Once upon a time, he led the Texas Longhorns to the BCS National Title over highly touted USC. After being drafted by Tennessee, the Titans enjoyed some initial success with Young. Then came the well-documented meltdown where Young reportedly was in a deep depression and left the team for a short time.
Returning to the starting lineup in Week 8 last season, Young led the Titans on an incredible 8-2 run to finish 8-8 after a 0-6 start. He hadn’t started a game in a year and a half, yet his intangibles and gutty performances brought him back from the depths of despair, both of the NFL and real-life variety.
This summer, he had a cover and full-spread in ESPN The Magazine, talking about his rebirth. It seemed genuine.
Then it all came crashing down. Following yesterday’s 19-16 loss to the Washington Redskins, Titans coach Jeff Fisher informed the media Young had lost his starting job. The comments followed a game in which Young was booed, injured his thumb and then ended with him throwing his shoulder pads into the stands, storming without talking to the media and reportedly verbally quitting on his coach following the game.
When the team gathered in the locker room following the loss, Young began muttering and cursing under his breath as Fisher addressed the team, the Tennessean reported Sunday night.
After Fisher asked Young to be quiet, the paper said, the quarterback finished dressing and prepared to leave the room. Fisher told Young to stop and not to “run out on your teammates,” sources told The Tennessean. Young told Fisher, “I’m not running out on my teammates, I’m running out on you,” the paper said.
Well, this just got awkward.
Look, when you’re reborn and claim your older, better prepared and more mature than you were before, wouldn’t you think the first time you face real adversity you would, I don’t know, maybe not mutter, curse and bad-mouth your coach during his post-game chat? How about not walking out on your team? Why fuel the fire by leaving this all up in the air, to the point we’re wondering if he’s going AWOL again?
Peter King commented today that it’s known that Young is a 9-to-5 quarterback who doesn’t work his craft or show the same commitment and dedication as his teammates.
What is it about quarterbacks, or maybe Young in general, that make them seem so needy? It seems Young and Fisher have had a soap opera quality to their relationship for the last few years.
Is it the pressure? The situations? The media induced pressure and situations? Sometimes, it feels like these guys need CAT scans.
But even then, we might not figure them out.
Take Brett Favre for instance. Once upon a time, Favre was the wildly popular quarterback of the Green Bay Packers. The Ironman of the NFL. The old gunslinger (and that wasn’t said with a derogatory tone).
Then he went all “Hell hath no fury like a QB scorned” on Green Bay and played for the New York Jets, then the last two seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. People clearly grew tired of the drama from a 40-year-old grown man with gray hair. His yearly retirement sagas have left us bitter at Brett and now his accomplishments are an after-thought.
At least that’s what I was thinking watching his press conference following yesterday’s 31-3 loss to the Packers.
Here was a man who’s started more games than anyone in NFL history at the most crucial position.
Here was a man who’s thrown for more yards and touchdowns than any player before him.
And here was a man who appeared to be bitter himself, tired and mostly stunned it didn’t work out.
For all intent and purposes, the Vikings are done and so is Favre. And he seemed genuinely shocked by this. Even when he said he knew when he came back this season there was a much better chance the Vikings didn’t make the Super Bowl or even the NFC Championship, as they had last season, the way the words rolled off the tongue and the way you read his body language and his eyes, you couldn’t tell if he really believed it.
Now Favre is caught in a scandal that’s died down (the phone pics) only because the woman in question wouldn’t work with the NFL on the investigation. And he’s remembered more the past few seasons as the old gunslinger (in a negative way) – too many times throwing away winnable games or close ones because he tried to thread the needle or missed his target or misread the coverage.
Is it ego? What makes a man believe that the Football Gods are always going to smile down on him? Because they always did before? Favre comes off as someone who thought they loved and enjoyed their life and the game, but hit 35 and suddenly realized they hadn’t appreciated it and it was slipping away.
The problem with sports and especially the NFL for these guys is that it isn’t real life. You have a window, a shelf life and that’s it. If you screw up a relationship with a family member or friends, there’s always time until the very end of your life or theirs to reconcile those emotions. With sports, it’s just not that way. In a flash, it’s over.
That’s not to make sports or the NFL bigger than they are – it’s not our problem stars can’t realize how great they have it, but it can be marginalized in the “vast scheme of things” category.
One day, Favre will be revered for his time in the NFL. His game will go up in the ring of honor at Lambeau and he’ll be in the Hall of Fame. Right now, however, he just looks like an old dude who can’t give it up and who clearly wants the Sunday lights without needing to work out with his teammates in the spring and summer.
I couldn’t help but think, watching him yesterday, he got what he deserved this season. And yet I still felt bad for him.
Almost the complete opposite reaction occurred watching Peyton Manning’s post-game presser. Strained look, veins bulging out of his forehead, wiping his brow – Manning looked beyond frustrated.
His Indianapolis Colts had thought they buried the New England Patriots. In some ways, they had. The Colts were 5-1 in their last six games against Belichick and Brady’s team, including 2-0 in Foxboro.
Yet there was Manning, on a cold November Sunday in New England, throwing three interceptions and failing to beat the Patriots on the road. You could hear the excuses: too many injuries for the Colts, a bad defense, terrible officiating. But for once, Peyton didn’t buy it.
And he shouldn’t.
These weren’t the diabolical, mastermind Patriots just eviscerating the Colts. It was a similar team – banged out, young or old receivers, rookie tight ends, a wishy-wash defense that comes and goes.
After the game, Manning admitted his last interception, the one that sealed it for New England as the Colts were driving into the Red Zone and could have at least kicked the game-tying field goal, was his fault. He said he was mad at himself.
Good.
Too many times in the past, it’s appeared to be everyone else’s fault – either the officials, the weather, the idiot kicker or the offensive line’s protection.
Did the Colts beat the Patriots in historic fashion to reach and eventually win their first Super Bowl four years ago? Absolutely. But history is a funny thing and despite that one great moment, for the most part, Manning still has trouble with Belichick.
As someone who isn’t a Colts fan, or a particular fan of Manning’s, for the first time, I felt bad for him. As he stood there and had to hear more questions about Tom Brady, about their legacies, about who was better…it just looked like the guy could use a break.
After all, Manning had thrown for nearly 400 yards, brought his team back from a huge deficit and just came up short because he missed his target (much like Favre).
But at the end of the day, the Patriots won. Brady only threw for 186 yards and it looked like the Patriots were a more complete team – in some ways, the same old story. And that’s what we all remember – who won, right? You play to win the game, in the illustrious words of Herm Edwards.
Well, some guys do anyway. I can’t figure these quarterbacks out.
Problem is, I’m not sure they can figure themselves out, either.
One minute you’re a king, the next you’re a court jester.
(Sigh.)
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