This most recent quarterback controversy has me feeling very much like Ron Burgundy in the Anchorman scene following the battle royale/gang fight between news crews. Things really escalated and got out of hand quickly, didn't they?
I just wasn't sure if we were ready for a quarterback controversy yet this year. I worried that the passionate debate among Redskins fans had the potential to drive a nasty wedge into the fanbase and derail all the positive momentum we have built around here.
What was I thinking? This is our comfort zone...our wheelhouse. The Washington fanbase is Charlie Sheen and quarterback controversies are like cocaine-covered prostitutes. It's our thing.
We're lucky that it's our thing, too. Because if you look out at 2012 from the front porch of 2011, it is hard to envision a situation that won't be ripe for yet another epic quarterback controversy. We have known all along that neither Rex Grossman nor John Beck is likely to be the long-term fix at quarterback for this team. (Time to rally around the idea of John Beck now though!) Whether Mike Shanahan and Bruce Allen draft a quarterback next year or bring in a veteran, we are likely to find ourselves in a scenario where coaches, players and fans will be engaged in yet another debate.
It is my hope that we can look forward to the quality of the participants in next year's quarterback shuffle improving. That may very well be the best way to judge our progress under Shanahana and Allen. If next year we find ourselves debating the merits of one of this year's quarterbacks versus a first round draft pick, I think we would be on cloud nine. I will refrain from offering any depressing alternatives to that scenario today.
How about we set some ground rules for the next QBC? (That is not going to work...I still think 2QBs1Cup is the best way to couch the debate.)
1) If both guys are over the age of 30 and neither has done anything to cement any kind of positive legacy, there is no need for the debate to split us in half in an overly negative way. That said, it would be a misrepresentation of fact to suggest that half of you favored sticking with Rex.
2) Unless one of the guys has a legitimate chance to be a career Redskin and lead us to respectability and beyond, we should ratchet back the "I'm going to jump off a building" rhetoric.
3) If neither participant in the controversy (assuming it is between two quarterbacks) has been around for more than a cup of coffee, can we try and refrain from acting like we have spent our whole lives rooting for one of them?
4) In the absence of a regular season body of work to lean on, let's not go overboard extrapolating preseason stats.
5) When the coach names the starter, it's time to get behind that guy. Soooooooo...I am genuinely looking forward to rooting for John Beck this week against Carolina.
What are some other rules we can agree on here?