The National Football League will play their final preseason schedule of games this weekend and then the challenge of what players to keep and which to cut loose falls on the teams personnel departments. The trajectory of a team can be greatly altered by the decisions they make, particularly at the quarterback position.
In 1955, the Pittsburgh Steelers cut quarterback prospect Johnny Unitas while keeping Jim Finks on their roster. Finks went on to a great career in the NFL, but not on the field, but as general manager of the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears. Unitas was picked up by the Baltimore Colts and went on to establish himself as one of the greats at his position.
How does the league get the quarterback position wrong so often?
The anointed best quarterback ever, Tom Brady, was a sixth round choice and only got onto the field when the QB in front of him, Drew Bledsoe, was injured. In 1998, a number of people thought the best quarterback available in that draft was Ryan Leaf, while the player chosen one spot in front of him, Peyton Manning, was clearly the better prospect.
In 2012, the Washington Redskins made Robert Griffin III the second overall pick in the draft but it was a fourth round selection that year, Kirk Cousins, that has gone on to become a franchise quarterback. When Tom Brady is challenged for the best ever, it is a third round pick, Joe Montana, that offers worthy competition for that distinction.
This year, the 49ers have a couple quarterbacks that were drafted third overall in Trey Lance and Sam Darnold. In fact, the 49ers traded three first round picks and a third round selection to the Miami Dolphins to move up in the draft three years ago to select Lance. Darnold was picked third overall in the 2018 draft by the New York Jets, a selection two positions after the Cleveland Browns made Baker Mayfield the first overall selection.
All the quarterbacks named in the previous paragraph are still having trouble establishing themselves as an NFL quarterback, and in San Francisco, Lance and Darnold are playing behind Brock Purdy. Purdy was the last player chosen in the 2022 draft.
So, how come teams have so much trouble finding the magic that makes some under evaluated athletes great and some with sterling credentials busts?
I suggest two factors are often overlooked that feed the success of some and the problems for others. The first is motivation. When a kid excels in high school, is a blue chip prospect in college and then finds himself in a position where he has to compete against men who aren’t interested in his press clippings he can struggle.
When Ron Wolf was player personnel director of the Oakland Raiders, he once shared with me on the sidelines during training camp that talent only takes you so far in this league. “A lot of kids have talent,” Wolf said, “but it takes a special character to succeed at this level.”
Kids that come into the league with something to prove, Brady being the perfect example, they have a motivator lacking with an athlete that considers their talent the most important trait for success. Add motivation to a solid upbringing, and you’ve got a winning combination. Before I drafted a quarterback, I’d want to meet his parents.
The great ones consistently come from a strong family unit. The Mannings, Eli and Peyton, had a solid family upbringing. So did John Elway, Joe Montana, Patrick Mahomes, Dan Marino and others. While I wouldn’t care if my linebackers were raised by wolves, I need a quarterback that has a strong character that begins with a solid family bond.
Have you met Mr. and Mrs. Purdy?
That is key to why this last player in the draft is leading a 49ers team that has all the ingredients to win it all this year.