Black Quarterback 2024 Week 2
By Brandon Simmons
Tua to Retire ?
Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovaloa suffered his 3rd concussion within 2 years this past week, and it has caused people to call for his retirement. Tua was scrambling for a first down when he dove head first to initiate contact but ended up getting hurt. In the wake of this, any analysts took to their platforms to ponder whether or not Tua should continue playing after such an extensive, intense concussion history. And while the QB has denied he would be retiring any time soon, that is not going to stop the suggestions from rolling in.
The one thing that Tua needs to do is put his protection on the field as a priority. Three concussions within a 2 year span is an outrageous number. Not to mention, fans still visibly remember him being laid out on the field after what appeared to be a normal hit. He is the last person to be initiating contact of any kind, and it has very little to do with him being a quarterback. Despite the recent rule changes in the name of player safety, football is still very much a violent sport. It doesn’t matter what position you play, or how “off-limits” you think that position is, a player is likely to catch some type of hard physical hit or contact. Tua, who was placed on injured reserve on Tuesday, should take into consideration how to protect himself for the better part of his professional, as well as personal life.
“New” Look Bills Offense
The Buffalo Bills have been thriving so far in an offense that’s derivative of what they have been in. Buffalo has not put up the flashy passing numbers, but have leaned into a more efficient gameplan of balanced offense. This has seen an uptick of running the ball while making select passes. Bills QB Josh Allen, who is known fot being dangerous with his arm and legs, hasn’t even threw for 300 yards yet, but the team has put up 30 points in back to back games. This change has been placed on this unit since Joe Brady was made offensive coordinator late last season. Now, with a full offseason of preparation, it has become their identity.
This offense might look slow but it’s very much effective. There is more involvement it seems from everybody. In both games this year, 3 running backs have put up double digit rushing numbers, with 3rd year Bill James Cook leading the bulk of the production. It is a true balanced offense, in such a way that the receivers don’t even have over 60 yards in either game this season. The Bills traded away Stefon Diggs over the offseason, and this might have to do until they find a new number one receiver – ahem, rookie Keon Coleman. Also, this may very well help with Josh Allen’s propensity for turnovers, a narrative that has been debated since last season, but he has 0 so far this season. It’s only Week 2 and these numbers look the way they look, but they are producing wins, which is most important. Buffalo will only improve as the year goes on and this unit will be a headache throughout the season.
Bryce Young Gets Benched
The Carolina Panthers have benched quarterback Bryce Young after a disastrous 0-2 start. According to reports, head coach Dave Canales was firm on having Young as the starter until he reviewed tape and decided to make this move. This all happened after the Panthers’ 26-3 loss on Sunday to the Los Angeles Chargers. The 2023 number one overall pick had a record of 2-16. He only won 2 games last season, a rookie in which he racked up an 0-6 start and saw his head coach get fired in the middle of the year.
This move should be concerning to the Panthers franchise and fans but it should also be looked at for a bright side. Young has had a turbulent start in his rookie season, which involved losing his coach mid way through the year. That shake up can ruin the development of a rookie quarterback as the consistency is disrupted. Considering that the Panthers have done little to improve their roster in any form or fashion, Young is going to need all the coaching development he can to overcome the blunders of the front office. This is where the bright side comes in, and hopefully Carolina sees this opportunity. Canales can actually work with Young and help him point out what he’s doing wrong and needs to correct. Canales was actually the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season, when QB Baker Mayfield arrived. Mayfield was a former number one overall pick who bounced around a couple of teams before finding his stride in Tampa last year; now he has a playoff win under his belt and having a hot start to his season. Canales has the opportunity to repair any damage that has been done to Young’s career and psyche. In other words, he has a chance to give him some real coaching on an NFL level, something that has eluded Young more than he has eluded defenders or losses.
The great QB’s overcome a franchise’s mess but it takes time to be great. Even as highly touted as he was coming out of college, Bryce Young was not going to overcome the malpractice of a team trading away Christian McCaffrey, D.J. Moore and Brian Burns within the span of 4 years with little return to show for it. He needs to be taught certain things on the NFL level so he can take that next step as a professional and, hopefully, his coaches will take this opportunity to do that for him.
Shoutouts/Shutouts
Shout out to Atlanta Falcons QB Kirk Cousins for leading a game winning drive on Monday Night Football. The Falcons were down by 6 with over a minute to go in the game. Cousins led a long, precise drive which ended in a touchdown throw to Falcons wide receiver Drake London. On the ensuing possession, Atlanta Falcons safety Jesse Bates III grabbed an interception to secure the win.
Shut out to injuries. Week 2 was finished with quite a few high profile injuries which included Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp and San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel. Kupp will be placed on IR following an ankle sprain while Samuel will be sidelined with a calf sprain. Samuel’s teammate, running back Christian Mccaffrey, will be placed on IR as he deals with calf issues and achilles tendinitis. Every other year or so, injuries hit big name players and tend to shake up a team’s projectory. Hopefully these guys, and others not named, will get speedy, healthy recoveries.
Week 3 is now here and some of your faves have yet to get in the win column while others are n occupying that space. The 2-0 Houston Texans are going on the road to face the 2-0 Minnesota Vikings. Texans have picked up where they left n off last season while the Vikings are shocking the world with their 2-0 start behind QB Sam Darnold. The Dallas Cowboys will be hosting the Baltimore Ravens, who are winless so far. Dallas just came off a blowout loss to the New Orleans Saints while the Ravens are coming off a nail biting loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. It should be a game more comeptitive than what their records indicate. But until then…I’ll holla.
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