I have been thinking about the Bills' quarterback situation a lot lately, mostly because J.P. Losman has seemingly regressed. I try to think of the last quarterback that seemed to really command the team well and had the ability to dominate a game - it was Jim Kelly, who retied in 1996. It feels like the franchise's quarterback situation has been cursed since Kelly said goodbye. Then I thought of something: The three franchises that acquired an elite quarterback, and franchise face, in the 1983 NFL Draft (Broncos, Bills, and Dolphins) have been unable to find suitable, long-lasting replacements, even though the last of class (Dan Marino) retired in 1999. So, there is just not a Kelly Curse or an Elway Curse, but a 1983-Quarterback-Class Curse.
Each team has tried similar solutions to replace these legends, but all of them failed. All three franchises put faith in a Michigan man to lead- Todd Collins (Bills) and Brian Griese (Dolphins and Broncos).All three brought in a veteran looking to rejuvenate their careers after poor showings with their former teams - Drew Bledsoe (Bills), Daunte Culpepper (Dolphins), and Jake Plummer (Broncos). And all three currently teams have a quarterback drafted in the first or second round on the active roster - J.P. Losman (Bills) John Beck (Dolphins), and Jay Cutler (Broncos).
Why have so many QBs failed to find a suitable replacement for these greats? Well, it is because Marino, Kelly, and Elway were greats. They started in a combined 10 Super Bowls, by the way all of the starters in the league today have 12 Super Bowl starts among them. It is hard to ask any quarterback to match the wins racked up by these three legends of the game.
Yes, all three franchises reached the playoffs since each quarterback retired, but no Super Bowl appearances - to be fair, Plummer did lead the Broncos to an AFC Championship game. My question is this: Have these three teams just had bad luck since the retirement of these three quarterbacks, is it a curse, or do the trying experiences of these three teams in trying to find another "franchise quarterback" speak to the difficult nature of drafting a quarterback in today's NFL?
-K
Esti Ginzberg
Cheney Larschied
Did You See That?
College Football Top 25 Review
Comments (4) Add A Comment
I wouldn't say Denver's is a curse. Cutler is legit. They brought him to be the next Elway. I was ready to jump on the Lossman bandwagon until he stunk in the past weeks. In other words, Buffalo and Miami are cursed.
eaglemaniac814 BS…
Altoona , PA
Total Comments (1025)
The Broncos are for sure in the best the place QB-wise. I do think Elway left the biggest shoes to fill, though. Also, the Broncos are the only one of those three teams to to have the same coach since the retirement of one of those QBs.
Thanks for the comment.
P&K
Buffalo , NY
Total Comments (3)
Go Bills, the biggest hard luck team in the NFL.
If you like pain, root for the Bills.
sek52
Pittsburgh, PA
Total Comments (132)
I don't know if I would say Elway left the biggest shoes to fill. Yes, he was the only one out of the three to actually win a Super Bowl. But Denver still had a very good team left after he retired. I believe (and I could be wrong) Shannon Sharpe, Rod Smith, Ed McCaffrey and Terrell Davis (a 2,000-yard back) were still left on the Broncos. It might have been the bigger shoe, but it's a lot easier to walk around in a furry slipper than a pair of stalletto heels.
suns1981
Anchorage , AK
Total Comments (11)
Comment
Remember to keep your posts clean. Profanity will get filtered, and offensive comments will be removed.