Welcome back to “NFL’s Believe It or Not.” This week, I will focus on controversial comments from Rick Spielman, Teddy Bridgewater, and Marcus Allen.
I will start with Vikings general manager Rick Spielman, who said, “Christian’s still a very young quarterback. He’s shown flashes, but he just hasn’t been as consistent as you want yet.”
Spielman also made it clear that he wasn’t looking to trade Christian Ponder, although I’m not sure that Ponder has any trade value regardless. I agree with Spielman on one point here: Christian Ponder is not consistent. In fact, Ponder is simply not a good quarterback and he will never be consistent. I’m not sure how excited Vikings fans are about these “flashes,” but I bet they are hoping Blake Bortles is available when the Vikings are on the clock.
Ponder is 26 and he has been in the NFL for three years. He has been given many opportunities to succeed, but instead he threw 34 interceptions in 36 games played. I’m sorry Mr. Spielman, but you better address your quarterback situation in the draft if you want to give your team the chance to succeed.
Next up, former Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater said, “I’m ready for anything,” while discussing his draft stock with the New York Post.
Personally, I would not be ready for the possibility of falling out of the first round when I was previously a guarantee to become a top five pick. I would be scared to suffer the embarrassment of waiting for my name to get called, knowing that I could be waiting aimlessly all night. Those are some scary thoughts, and I doubt that Teddy Bridgewater has completely ignored them.
I absolutely wish him the best and he will definitely have an opportunity to enjoy a successful career, but I can’t believe that he is mentally prepared to fall completely out of the first round. Nobody could be.
Finally, Hall of Fame running back Marcus Allen recently said, “So all you running backs out there, don’t lose faith. The game will come back around and it will be a running game again, some time soon hopefully.”
Obviously, nobody can predict the future. But all of the recent trends point towards a pass-oriented league. Quarterbacks are shattering records yearly while running backs slowly diminish. As I have watched the game evolve before my eyes each year, I don’t see the trend reversing. New rules are being implemented to favor the passing game. Flags are being increasingly thrown to penalize the defense for touching the wide receivers.
Running backs are no longer allowed to lead with the crown of their helmet, a powerful move used for many years. At times, I wish Marcus Allen was right because I’m tired of seeing these silly penalties and I’m tired of seeing the role of running backs decrease. Ground-and-pound offenses were exciting to watch as the defenders simply couldn’t stop the brute force of the offense.
Unfortunately I can’t see a reversal of this trend. In fact, I see this trend spiraling out of control. Pretty soon, the running back position will be removed from fantasy football because of its uselessness. As I said before, I can’t predict the future, but it definitely doesn’t seem like the NFL will return to being a run-oriented league.
Make sure to leave your own comments below and come back next Thursday for another edition of “NFL’s Believe It or Not.”
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on Twitter – @alprez96. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter –@LastWordOnSport – and “liking” our Facebook page.
For more on sports injuries, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
Football fans…check out our two partnered NFL podcasts – Thursday Night Tailgate Radio and Overtime Ireland. Both shows bring you interesting commentary, critical analysis and fantastic guests including former and current NFL players, coaches and personalities.
