By Brandon Simmons
Josh Rosen and the Black Quarterback Narrative
Last week, Josh Rosen became a hot button topic for quarterbacks. It all started when it was announced that Washington Football Team quarterback Dwayne Haskins was going to be benched in favor of QB Kyle Allen after a 1-3 start. Some Twitter users saw it as furthering the narrative that black quarterbacks do not have as much room to fail as their white counterparts. While it is a point that has been argued for, and proven, there were some who feel like this was not the case for this instance. Those who would argue the latter had two words for their argument: Josh Rosen.
Josh Rosen is an interesting case to argue for the Black QB narrative. Drafted 10th overall by the Arizona Cardinals in 2018, Rosen had a run of 13 games and 12 starts but ended up going 3-9. It was not enough to survive the new Kliff Kingsbury coaching staff, who came on board after Steve Wilkes was fired. Kingsbury decided to bring in his own QB, persuading the Cardinals to draft former Oklahoma Sooner QB Kyler Murray at number one overall. It resulted in Murray taking over as the franchise quarterback while Rosen was sent off to the Miami Dolphins, only to lose his starting job to journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick. The following offseason, Rosen was cut then signed on with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ practice squad.
Haskins and Rosen might not be the best comparison, but their paths are similar. Haskins also has gone through coaching changes when Washington fired Jay Gruden last year and brought in former Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera. And just like Rosen, a former QB of the current head coach came along when Washington traded for Kyle Allen, who was the signal caller during Rivera’s final year in Carolina.
Still, when it comes to talking about black QB’s and their chances of failing, Josh Rosen might not be a good talking point but there are other choices to look at. Haskins and Rosen might not be comparable, but what about NY Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, NY Jets quarterback Sam Darnold or Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky?
Those QB’s I just named had some very rough starts in their first seasons, as well as some coaching changes. The Bears brought in current head coach, Matt Nagy, in Trubisky’s 2nd year; Jones also got a new coach in his 2nd year, which is this season; same for Darnold, even though that coach might be headed to a hot seat of his own. So while all of these QB’s have had coaching changes in their 2nd year, you can compare Rosen to Haskins and say the latter was benched due to his performance; but would you argue that he should be given more faith to with when compared to the other QB’s mentioned. Trubisky had an offensive coach brought in to help with his gam and it worked out for him in his 2nd year. If anything, it shows that black QB’s having short leashes is something that can be traced all the way up to the front office. You would want your 1st round QB to succeed as much as possible, which is why you went out and got them that high. Rosen and Haskins may share in the fact that the teams that drafted them, fumbled the plans for them, and that is a narrative any race could relate to.
Dak’s Injury
The NFL world – and a few other sports — took a collective stop Sunday when Dallas Cowboys Quarterback Dak Prescott suffered a season-ending ankle injury, in which he underwent surgery for later that night. While Prescott recovers from his surgery for the next 4-6 months, the Cowboys will be probing for their own answers throughout the rest of the season.
Signing Andy Dalton as a backup quarterback seemed liked a peculiar move back in the offseason, but that has turned into the greatest insurance policy for the time being. Dalton has been on the team long enough to learn the offense and not have to be brought in off the street or worried about being in shape. The Cowboys have a veteran QB at the helm, who should keep them competitive in a weak NFC East. If they do lose, then they would get set up for a nice position in the draft for a pick that they could probably use on the defensive side of the ball. Either way, it would really work out for Dalton as someone who can audition for another team that he can resume his career with, should he choose to leave at the end of the year.
Everybody and their mama will probably want to know what is going to happen with Dak and his contract. In July, Prescott signed another franchise tag as negotiations for a long-term deal waned on. Now that this injury has happened, a lot of people will either be clamoring as to why players should hold out and there will be others who argue Dak should’ve taken the money offered to him. While the Cowboys have proclaimed they will continue to pursue a long term contract for him, what if things go sideways again? In the negotiations before the injury, you had a QB that never missed a start, never had a losing record and came off as a dual threat. Him coming off an ankle injury will affect his mobility, which could affect his asking; but will he accept that? If not, he may very well have his options. According to Bleacher Report, there are a couple of teams where Prescott could if he chooses to seek his contract elsewhere.
People still love to clown the Cowboys but have put their hate aside to pull for Dak Prescott. They really hope to see this man get back on his feet, physically and mentally.
Russ is Cooking, But will his Defense Ruin the Meal?
Everyone is quick to tell you that Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is cooking, but his defense just might be spitting in his food. Wilson is having an unbelievable year so far with 14 TD’s and 3 interceptions, but the Seahawks defense has been struggling, particularly in the air. Sunday, against the Minnesota Vikings, they managed to cut down on giving up passing yards, but they struggled heavy against the run, even when Vikings running back Dalvin Cook left the game. For years, the Seahawks have had great players on defense; but they have also had great players leave. As recent as last season, they let go of defensive end/linebacker Jadeveon Clowney and defensive end Ziggy Ansah, which has put a negative effect on their pass rush. They traded for Jamal Adams during the summer, but there is obviously more that needs to be done. What the Vikings game is that even if one area of concern is controlled, there are other areas that can trouble this defensive unit. Russ is cooking, but the ingredients of a bad defense will leave a bad taste in everyone’s mouth.
Shoutouts/Shutouts
Shout out to Houston Texans interim head coach Romeo Crennel for his dance moves after the Texans victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Houston beat their AFC South rival for their first victory of the season of the year. While there is no video available, Texans cornerback Bradley Roby described that it was a variety of dances which did include the Soulja Boy.
Shut out to more coach firings. Monday, the Atlanta Falcons fired head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff. It was the 2nd firing of a coach and GM in the league within the week. Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris will take over as interim head coach.
Shout out to Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry delivering a vicious stiff arm…again. Tuesday, against the Buffalo Bills, Henry deliberately shoved Bills cornerback out of the way on a short sweeping run. Unfortunately, the play was called back on a penalty by the Titans.
Shut out to Michael Thomas for earning an extra day of recovery in the wrong way. Monday night was supposed to be the return of the New Orleans Saints wide receiver after he suffered an ankle injury in Week 1. However, he was suspended for the week 5 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers after reportedly getting into a fight with a teammate. It was later reported that the suspension actually occurred because of clashing with coaches. Hopefully Thomas gets back on track because the Saints really could use him right now to get a boost within the division.
The NFL has shuffled more games around due to positive COVID tests. This has set up a Monday night doubleheader that starts with the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills. Both teams took losses in Week 5 and will try to bounce back to their winning ways. This game will have a 4pm central start time, then be followed by the originally scheduled Monday night game of the Dallas Cowboys visiting the Arizona Cardinals. The best matchup of this weekend will be the Green Bay Packers taking on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Aaron Rodgers vs. Tom Brady will be enough to draw any attention. But until then…I’ll holla.
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