Search for a Hero

The phrase "team sport" implies that everybody contributes to the cause, and the corporate world constantly reminds us that there is "no I in Team".  However, as sports fans, we want individual heroes, we want icons on the pitch, we want people representing us, the fans.  It could be the local lad in the team playing for his boyhood club, it could be the star player or it could simply be the player that gives his all and plays as if his life depended on it.  Either way you want to have a favourite player.

This player can be anyone. In football, it is often the leading goalscorer but it equally be the right back who grow up in the area and has played for the team all his life. It might be the player who plays in the position you play in down the park.  This applied to my cricket watching, for years my favourite player at Kent was Min Patel - not because he was the best, not because he was from my area but because he was a slow left arm bowler - as was I. I felt like I could connect with him and know what he was thinking when he was bowling.  Of course, it's a load of old rubbish and much like our favourite teams, our favourite players are just something that happens without us consciously deciding.  However, seeing as I'm approaching this in a more clinical manner I  want someone to cheer for and to have a favourite player.  Or - as this is the way we're going! - I want to avoid having nobody to cheer for. I want to avoid having a rubbish quarterback to support!

In the NFL, quarterback is king.  Sure everybody plays their part and without a good squad you're not going to win much, but the quality of the quarterback is paramount to a team's success.  Of course, there are exceptions to the rule and teams that do well without having a superstar in the position.  Currently, the Baltimore Ravens are in the last 4 of the season and this is with an average player (Joe Flacco) in the quarterback spot.  Their game plan is built on running the ball and having a strong, physical and disciplined defence.  They are an exception rather than the rule and many experts still doubt that they can win a Superbowl with Flacco pulling the strings.  A look back down the years shows that the vast majority of Superbowl's are won by a team with an outstanding quarterback.

There are numerous examples of the importance of the position just this season.  Perhaps the most glaring is in Indianapolis, pre season they were ranked as being around the 4th or 5th best team in the league, but a long term injury to quarterback Peyton Manning saw them finish the season at the very bottom of the pile (as documented a couple of weeks ago).  In Chicago, the Bears were all set for a play off spot halfway through the season but an injury to QB Jay Cutler meant they had to turn to the inexperienced and, quite frankly,  rubbish Caleb Hanie. Cue a season ending run of defeats. It can be the case that the QB, breeds confidence or nervousness in the rest of his team, thus affecting their performance.  It's easier to perform well if you know that your most important team mate can be relied upon,

Of course, they are non quarterbacks that achieve hero status - runners like Adrian Peterson and LeSean McCoy, receivers like Andre Johnson and Calvin Johnson and sometimes even defenders like Troy Polamanu and Brian Urlacher.  But what's apparent is that teams can succeed without some of these players, whilst it is virtually impossible to succeed without your quarterback.  Last season, Green Bay lost a number of vital players (1st choice running back Ryan Grant and tight end Jermichael Finley to name but two) but because they had a high quality QB in Aaron Rogers they were still able to win the Superbowl.
So, I want my team to have a quarterback I can cheer for and can achieve hero status - which means it's back to some stats!

I could spend some time explaining how quarterbacks are rated in the NFL.  I could explain the passer rating system which takes into account all aspects of play and rates the players accordingly. OR I could just let Wikipedia explain...

"The calculation of the NFL passer rating involves more steps than the NCAA formula. In order to establish a maximum value for an NFL player's passer rating, a separate calculation needs to be completed involving each of the following four categories: Completion Percentage, Average Yards Per Attempt, Percentage of Touchdown Passes, and Percentage of Interceptions. If the result in any category is less than 0, the given result should be 0. If the result in any category is greater than 2.375, the given result should be 2.375. This makes the maximum possible quarterback rating for the NFL 158.3. A perfect rating requires at least a 77.5% completion rate, at least 12.5 yards per attempt, a touchdown on at least 11.875% of attempts, and no interceptions."

So there you go. Simple. Not surprisingly, it's not a universally liked system and there are plenty of examples
of players who are misrepresented by the stat. But seeing as nobody has come up with a better system it's going to be the one we got with!

I'm only including the main starters for teams as there are a number of players who have filled in at the position for periods of a game and even some examples of non quarterbacks attempting passes. At the top of the pile are star names like the aforementioned Aaron Rogers, Drew Brees and Tom Brady. Predictably, these are players at teams that have had good seasons. Going down the list and it becomes obvious that the quality of the quarterback is directly linked to the success of the teams.

Before I wrote this, I hadn't looked to see who was bottom of the pile, but I'll give myself a fan point for correctly guessing the incumbent. Step forward Mr Blaine Gabbert of the Jacksonville Jaguars.  Gabbert has had something of a nightmare 1st season, with interceptions and misplaced passes a plenty.  He also looks like he could be the villain in a High School serial killer film directed by Wes Craven. Gabbert completed just half of his pass attempts during the season and only contributed 12 touchdown passes to the cause.

 

I'm actually not overly bothered about losing the Jaguars, they are a largely anonymous bunch apart from the exceptional running back Maurice Jones-Drew. Furthermore, there never seems to be much of an atmosphere at their stadium and they receive a relatively low amount of media coverage.

So with the Colts, Steelers, Rams, Chiefs and now Jaguars out of the running that leaves me with 27 possible teams...