By Brandon Simmons
Game Manager vs What?
Thanks to former Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton, the NFL world was in a tizzy over the biggest slur you could call a quarterback: game manager. Newton was on his podcast and named some QB’s who he believed were game managers. The signal callers who made this list were Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott, San Francisco 59ers QB Brock Purdy, Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff and Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovoiloa. This caused an uproar so much that Cam had to spin the block and make a video in which he addressed certain criticisms thrown at him but also doubled down on his list. He clarified that a game manager is someone who makes the right play at the right time, which shouldn’t be a bad attribute; however, he also knows that is not how the game is played.
If game manager has a negative connotation, it’s because sports fans have deemed it that. Newton says that game managers make the right play at the right time and plays not to lose the game, which could be read as safe. Being labeled safe can have a negative connotation in any walk of life. Nobody wants to be picked as a safe significant other. It means your partner could have done better but settled. In this case, a quarterback makes a safe throw which ends up not getting the first down, now the team has to settle to kick a field goal or take a punt as an end result. Another knock on game managers, is the talent level around them always seems to be exponentially better than them. This could ring true for Purdy for sure. His offensive castmates include wide receiver Deebo Samuel, tight end George Kittle and running back Christian McCaffrey. This feeds into the idea that teams can win in spite of game managers and not because of them.
For the most part, the term game manager is not ideal for a QB label because it describes a fundamental skill and not so much a complete player. Every QB should understand game management, which is knowing the right play to make and not turning the ball over, per Newton’s definition. However, QB’s are also called upon to lead their teams into battle and sometimes that might mean calling a play that is more risky than right. Risky is only rewarded when it works; if it doesn’t then the QB is a doof not making the right play. As far as Cam’s game manager nominees, it’s hard to fully label these guys as game manager. Purdy has the most talented offensive cast but leads the league touchdown passes in addition to yards per attempt, so he’s pushing it down the field and Tua just won a game without his best offensive weapon. Each of these 4 QB’s also hold top 5 spots in passing yards, completions, and touchdowns, all while sitting at or near the top of their divisions. So if game manager means making the right play and playing not to lose, then these QB’s are making a lot of the right plays and it’s had to lose when you’re playing like that.
Revisiting an Idea
The Los Angeles Chargers have officially fired Brandon Staley as their head coach and it could open the door for another soon-to-be booted head coach. A f while back, I wrote about the New England Patriots possibly parting ways with Bill Belichick, and one of the ideas I had for his next destination was the Chargers. The case for the Chargers job is Belichick is coming to a team with a lot of talented pieces on the defensive side and a ton of offensive firepower that he has not had since Tom Brady was with the Patriots. This will include a franchise QB in Justin Herbert, who is already selected and proven, but just needs a little more polishing, which is an upgrade from what he has now. For the Chargers, they get a defensive minded coach that will shore up that unit and not give up so many points. Despite their recent troubles, coming into last Sunday, New England had a 4 game streak of holding their opponents under 10 points, including a game against the Chargers, who they held to 6 points in a 6-0 loss.
It would be ideal for the Chargers to get an offensive head coach to help develop Herbert a little more but Belichick would be a slam dunk for this team. The big drawback would be trying to convince him not to be involved in the front office in any capacity, because this team is already put together pretty well, but they just need some guidance on winning with the talent they have, which would come easy from someone who’s been to 10 Super Bowls.
Shoutouts/Shutouts
Shout out to the internet for riding for Cam Newton. When Newton made his statement about game managers, there were quite a few people that disagreed with him, but some of those naysayers tried to invalidate his argument by pointing out how he was already out of the league and a hater. However, there was a large portion of the internet that quickly defended Newton and his career which includes winning the Heisman, a national title, an NFL MVP and leading a 15-1 Carolina Panthers team to a Super Bowl. The main message sent here was that despite Newton not being in the league right now, he has led a fruitful career in the NFL and credibility when speaking on the quarterback position should not be questioned.
Shut out to the Tennessee Titans for losing the Luv Ya Blue wars. For months, the Titans have been boasting their claim to the original Houston Oiler color scheme of columbia blue and red and choosing a few games to wear them. They selected this past Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans to sport the historic jerseys. While the two teams are division rivals, there is also some deeper animosity from those in the city of Houston who remember the Oilers bolting to Tennessee before changing their names to the Titans, back in 1997. Well, fast forward to this year, when the topic of the throwback uniforms has drawn a lot of ire from Texans fans, who say these jerseys should stay in the city of Houston where they originated. So how do the Titans embrace this opportunity to rub it in the Texans faces? The Titans go out and blow a 13-3 lead in the 2nd half, suffering a 19-16 overtime loss to a Texans team missing 3 starters on offense while Tennessee got their rookie QB injured and eliminated from playoff contention. After an embarassment of that magnitude, they should give those back to the city of Houston and move on with their lives.
Week 16 is bringing some big games for the holidays. The Miami Dolphins are hosting the Dallas Cowboys on Christmas Eve. This past Sunday, Miami put up 30 points without wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who could be expected to return after missing the game because of an ankle injury. The Cowboys are coming into this game already clinching a playoff spot, but leading the NFC East after the Philadelphia Eagles suffered their 3rd straight loss on Monday. The game of the week will be the San Francisco 49ers hosting the Baltimore Ravens on Christmas night for Monday Night Football. Both teams are 11-3 and sit at the top of their conferences. At this point of the season, this really could be a Super Bowl preview with both teams being equally strong on the offensive and defensive side of the football. This game is not intended to disappoint but until then…I’ll holla.
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