RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 2 sourcesThe Arizona Cardinals had one practice (without pads) under their belts in training camp when head coach Mike LaFleur was asked Thursday if the quarterback room was meeting his expectations.
He answered the only way it would make sense by saying, “We're still so early into this thing. I mean, we haven't thrown with pads on yet, and we haven't played semi-real football.”
He then strongly made a point about how he judges quarterbacks:
“The quarterback position as we know is the hardest in all sports, right? Let's call it what it is. Like there's no other position in all sports that is as hard as a quarterback. You got guys barreling down on you and you're pulling the trigger. And if you throw four touchdowns, you win a game, you're the hero. And if you throw three picks, even though two went through someone's hands, everyone wants to crush you. So, from a quarterback perspective, but all (players), but typically quarterbacks, like you got to look at it play-to-play.”
Fast forward to Sunday, after it was reported that quarterback Jacoby Brissett had signed a restructured contract for this season, LaFleur was asked about the incessant outside noise that wondered why the Cardinals would even consider a raise after Brissett, not the team, mind you, was 1-11 with him as the starter last season.
Then, asked specifically, “why is that not how you guys saw this negotiation?” LaFleur said what should be obvious: “I guess I said it two days ago, right? In terms of when a quarterback throws four touchdowns, and you win a game, and if he throws three picks, then everyone's going to blame it on him. So, there are a lot of factors that go into winning and losing football games. And it's both units, it's special teams, it's coaching, it's making the right decisions from a situational standpoint. So, there are so many factors.
“You try to take all the emotion out of it and you just watch the player and say, ‘Hey, is he going to fit with our system and what we're trying to get done?’ And again, I've always had a lot of respect for Jacoby from afar. He was already in the building, obviously, when I got here. So you get the leg up on that and now we got this resolved in terms of the contract.”
When Brissett was asked what he would say to those that questioned giving him an improved contract after last season’s record, he said simply, “Couldn’t care less.”
It’s always been odd to me that while most everyone acknowledges that football is the ultimate team sport, what’s always said is that quarterbacks get too much credit for wins and too much blame for losses. “It’s just the way it is” is the mantra,
Well, it shouldn’t be that way. People should be able to grasp the basic fact, as LaFleur voiced, that many things determine a team's winning or losing.
After all, the Detroit Lions had a 74-90-1 record with Matthew Stafford as their quarterback for 12 seasons. In the last five seasons with Stafford and a bunch of other excellent players, the Los Angeles Rams are 46-28 and have a Super Bowl victory.
Going back five decades, many talent evaluators believe Archie Manning was the best quarterback in his family. Unfortunately, as the second overall pick in the 1971 draft, Manning went to the New Orleans Saints , who were 14-40-2 in their first four seasons as an expansion team.
In his 11 seasons as a starter, the woebegone Saints were 35-91-3 with one .500 season.
It’s incumbent that an organization builds a team around their quarterback, whoever it is. Yes, some are better than others. But even the most talented ones don’t stand a chance of being successful if the supporting cast is substandard or if a myriad of injuries hit.
The Cardinals' decision-makers obviously believe Brissett gives them the best chance to win games, as do his teammates, and it’s good they elected not to listen to the rabble on social media. Yes, the brutal schedule will surely make it difficult to win many games.
But, at the end of the day, the Cardinals made the right choice even if it took as long as it did to get there.
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify , YouTube or Apple Podcasts .
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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Opinion: Arizona Cardinals made right decision with QB Jacoby Brissett
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