Why Starters are Starters and Back Ups are Back Ups

Being a Rams fan this year has been tough seeing Sam Bradford get injured and out for the season for the second year in a row.  Knowing the season is over.  While some may say that, at the time before the season started, Shaun Hill was good enough or when Austin Davis replaced Hill that this Davis kid had skills and would be something special.  Let's not kid ourselves.

Back up Quarterbacks are exactly that...A BACK UP!  Please Rams let's not decide that one of these back ups will be the one that gets the Rams back to respectability in the NFC West.  Its just a fact.  Some QBs are drafted as starters and some as back ups.  Those that are back ups are exactly that.  Don't ever think it may be something different.

Now some of you might say, wait a minute!  What about Tom Brady!?  What about Kurt Warner!?  That's what we call "Lightening in a Bottle"  and is not the norm.  Let's take a look...

Flynn after his 6 TD performance

There was Matt Flynn.  Drafted to be a back up in Green Bay to back up Aaron Rodgers.  Flynn played in 2011's last game against the Detroit Lions where the Packers sat Rodgers.  Flynn threw for over 500 yards and 6 TDs!  Looks like he should start for someone, right!?  I mean one game is all we need to see that!! Well the Seahawks thought so, at least at first.  But he's a back up.  Drafted as a back up.  Will always be a back up.  The Seahawks drafted Russell Wilson who won the starting job (and won a Super Bowl), while Matt Flynn went to Buffalo, then to Oakland and now back to his rightful job of backing up Rodgers.

Flynn as back up as he should be

How about Matt Schaub?  Wait he was good in Houston....right?  Well he was a back up in Atlanta to Vick.  A back up.  Houston thought he would be the starter that would take them to the Super Bowl.  Well in Houston he was 46-42.  2009 was his best year throwing for over 4,000 yards and 29 TDs.  But each year after would get a little worse and now he is backing up Carr in Oakland....A back up!

Maybe one of the most famous was Scott Mitchell a back up to Dan Marino...a back up.  1993 Marino went down with an injury and Scott Mitchell stepped in and threw 12 TDs to 8 INTs and went 3-4.  Apparently that warranted a starting job in Detroit.  Wait, what?  He had one good year.  1995 when he threw for over 4,000 yards and 32 TDs.  After that he barley threw more TDs then INTs.  Eventually he would gain like 300 lbs and end up on the biggest loser...a back up!

Now what's up with Tampa Bay?  How in the world did they think Josh McCown would be their starter?  He has been a back up in Arizona, Detroit, Oakland, Carolina, Chicago and now in TB they think he should be their starter.  HOW??  He hadn't started more than 9 games except for 2004 in Arizona where he started 13.  His career record as QB is 16-26.  How do these general managers and front office people get paid as much as do??

Eh, yeah sure I'm a starter!

I could go on and on, but I think I have made my point...wait, what about Aaron Rodgers?  Well I put Rodgers in the same category as Steve Young.  Both were drafted, or traded to be the starter, when their stars, Favre and Montana, were ready to move on or the franchise was ready to move on.  They were never drafted as just a back up.  They were always slated to become the starter.








Manning - Starter.  Romo - Starter. Wilson - Starter. Stafford - Starter.  Gradkowski - back up. McCown - back up! Flynn - back up!

So let's just admit back up QBs are exactly what they are.  A back up!  And stop kidding our selves that for some reason this QB that was drafted as a back up, that had an okay college career with a mediocre team is suddenly a hall of fame QB.

One last note...Shaun Hill back up in Minnesota, San Francisco, and Detroit...not a Starter.  So Rams...let's go look for a real STARTER, not a back up!