Fanatics and one-hit wonders

A week after the Seattle Seahawks were knocked out of the playoffs, the biggest sports story now is the imminent return of the Seattle Supersonics, based on reports of the sale of the Sacramento Kings to a local ownership group that includes Microsoft billionaire Steve Ballmer. That is, it should be; fat chance of that  being the case on the local ESPN radio affiliate when Brock Huard and Mike Salk are on the air. They candidly confess they know little about basketball, and besides, they just want to talk about—who else—Russell Wilson. Words like “homer” and “fan”—or even “fanatic”—are meaningless when describing these two. Logical discussion is taboo, and critical analysis is only permissible if it doesn’t touch the Hall-of-Fame-destined Wilson.

This morning these two “discussed” who among the quarterbacks in the conference title games they would prefer to have on the team rather Wilson; naturally, they couldn’t think of anyone else. Brock and Salk apparently didn’t want to add Aaron Rodgers or Peyton Manning to the mix, because then they really would expose themselves as shysters. They didn’t bring Robert Griffin III into the mix either, which was interesting because Salk was once willing to sell half the team to acquire him; in order to bring Griffin III into the discussion would of course mean addressing his injury issues.

Anyways, the dislike of these two (especially Salk) of Matt Flynn verges on the psychotic; to Salk, Flynn is like an annoying wasp that has to be swatted away before it stings him. He also thinks that the Seahawks should get rid of Flynn because he is no “help” to Wilson because of their differing styles; what Salk is really saying is that he is afraid that if Wilson goes down and Flynn comes in and plays anything like he did in Green Bay, fans—if not Pete Carroll and some of the more political players—might actually come to believe that this is how a real quarterback is supposed to play. Salk’s dislike is so moronic and based on simple malice that he cannot condone the presence of any quarterback on the team who might expose Wilson’s limitations in the light of day. Salk clearly cannot accept being made a fool of, so he must be rid of Flynn. 

Fanboys like these are also unfamiliar with the history of this team. The Seahawks have never drafted a quarterback who went on to have a productive career. Russell Wilson may (or may not) break that mold, but we shouldn’t forget that this team drafted a quarterback No. 2 overall who at first appeared to be a “franchise” quarterback: Rick Mirer. Mirer did have a promising rookie campaign—and would never have another productive season. Packer fans like myself should be all too familiar with the case of Don Majkowski; in 1989 he literally emerged from nowhere to lead the Packers to their first 10-win season since 1972, throwing for 4310 yards and 27 touchdowns. But injuries derailed his career, as did his inability to grasp new coach Mike Holmgren’s West Coast offense; with Brett Favre chomping at the bit, all it took was yet another injury to put an end to his career. 

The history of the NFL is littered with other “one-hit wonders.” Probably the most “note-worthy” case was that of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Greg Cook, who passed away last year. Although I don’t remember seeing him play, I did read football magazines of the time detailing Cook’s awe-inspiring rookie season. In his second start he completed 14 of 22 passes for 327 yards and 3 touchdowns, and his 9.41 yards-per-pass is still a rookie record. But much like the case of Detroit Tigers pitcher Mark Fidrych, his potential for greatness would never be realized due to injury. Strange as it would seem, sports medicine back in the day was hardly the scientific marvel it is now. During the season, Cook tore his rotator cuff, but the exact nature of the injury went undiagnosed. He missed three games but ill-advisedly returned; Cook admitted to extensive use of painkillers during the season, because he didn’t want to “relinquish” his starting spot. But in doing so further damage was caused, and Cook was forced to retire after the failure of several surgical procedures. Drew Brees would suffer a similar injury, but medical science would allow him to subsequently perform well enough to have three 5,000-yard passing seasons. 

There are other cases, however, of quarterbacks who blinded observers with their brilliance—and then “disappeared” despite playing years more in the league. Mark Rypien led the 1991 Washington Redskins to a Super Bowl win, throwing for 3,564 yards and 29 touchdowns; he never had the same numbers before or after. Jim McMahon led the 1985 Chicago Bears to the Super Bowl—the only season he came close to playing a full season; during his injury-plagued career he never won another playoff game after the Super Bowl.

But at least these two made it as far as the Super Bowl. Bill Kenney of Kansas City threw for 4348 yards and 24 touchdowns in 1983 and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Ditto for Scott Mitchell of the Detroit Lions, who threw for 4338 yards and 32 touchdowns in 1995. Same in 1999 for Steve Beuerlein of the Carolina Panthers, who threw for 4436 yards and 36 touchdowns. In 2007, Cincinnati’s Derek Anderson tossed for 3787 yards and 29 touchdowns; and then—nothing. Rob Johnson never had a great season, but injuries and the fact that there was always another quarterback on the team who was more popular than him derailed what some were predicting as a potential Hall of Fame career. The Packers’ Lynn Dickey threw for 4458 yards and 32 touchdowns in 1983, numbers which he would never again approach; but I wouldn’t put him in this group since when healthy, he was a consistently productive quarterback.

This past season has seen five rookie quarterbacks—Andrew Luck, Ryan Tannehill, Brandon Weeden, Griffin III and Wilson—throw for more than 3000 yards in their rookie season. The question now is who will sustain. It is my contention that Luck has the best potential for a long, productive career, particularly since the Colts are a team—unlike Seattle—that wasn’t poised to win now and can only improve in time. Griffin III has unquestioned athletic ability, but like all such quarterbacks dependent on their running ability, injury—particularly to the knees—seriously undermines his effectiveness; Wilson is clearly in the same category of quarterback as Griffin III, and his future depends, more than “conventional” quarterbacks, upon avoiding injury. This season the success of offenses that utilize running quarterbacks is more a function of a lack of familiarity by defensive coordinators. But as Eric Mangini told ESPN’s Mike and Mike, coaches and coordinators have all offseason to devise a way to attack the “zone-read” or “read-option” offense—including hitting the quarterback and often, which will wear-down a quarterback in much the same way as a running back and limit their career-span. 

I’m not saying that Wilson is a “one-hit wonder”—he may be a two-hit or even three-hit “wonder.” But anyone who denies the history lives in a fantasy world, which I believe most of the local media hear does anyways.