New young quarterbacks outnumber old experienced ones in these playoffs, a sign of change to come. But maybe not so fast. Age has its advantages.
Two 36-year-olds, Denver’s John Elway and Buffalo’s Jim Kelly, are sentimental favorites. Elway’s 13-3 Broncos are more than that.
Six playoff quarterbacks are older than 30. Among them, they have 14 Super Bowl games of experience. Seven quarterbacks are younger than 30. Among them, zero Super Bowls.
It adds up to 13 quarterbacks on the 12 playoff teams because the Pittsburgh Steelers are sharing the job between 34-year-old Mike Tomczak and 24-year-old Kordell Stewart.
It is a good example of the transition between old and new, providing a window to the future, uncertain as it is.
The NFL worries about developing young quarterbacks. The playoffs will help the league gauge the worry meter. From first glance, pro football appears in no danger of disbanding for want of young arms.
The young ones in the playoffs, however, are really inexperienced. Last year, 29-year-old Troy Aikman already had won two Super Bowls and added a third before officially becoming old. He turned 30 in November.
This year, Stewart saw extended play at quarterback for the first time last week.
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Jacksonville’s 26-year-old Mark Brunell quarterbacked the No. 1-ranked passing offense, but will be playing in his first playoff game.
Carolina’s 24-year-old Kerry Collins has developed so rapidly over the last few weeks that the Panthers still are experimenting with their offense.
Minnesota’s 28-year-old Brad Johnson and Philadelphia’s 29-year-old Ty Detmer took over from injured starters during the season and are playing regularly for the first time after long apprenticeships.
New England’s 24-year-old Drew Bledsoe won a playoff game two years ago, then slipped out of the playoffs altogether.
Green Bay’s 27-year-old Brett Favre has the most playoff experience among the young ones but has made it to the conference championship game only once.
What gives the young ones a better shot to break through this year is three of them are enjoying byes this week.
The Packers, Patriots, Panthers and Broncos are the four teams with the most realistic chances to survive. Only the Broncos are quarterbacked by an elder statesman.
Whether or not a young one emerges on top this year, Packers coach Mike Holmgren is convinced young ones can be found. Because he drafted both Brunell and Detmer in late rounds, he should know.
“I think they’re out there, I really do,” Holmgren said. “(Redskins coach) Norv Turner has done a great job with Gus Frerotte, as an example.”
Frerotte is the seventh-rounder who beat out the Redskins’ No. 1 pick, Heath Shuler.
“You’ve got to make the commitment to them and if you have young guys who are willing to listen to you and work hard, you can mold guys,” Holmgren said.
“The one thing I don’t think you can do is change their throwing motion. So you better be happy with that. You better be able to live with however they throw the ball. The other things, you can teach and change. You can change steps, their hips, shoulders, but how a guy throws it, I don’t believe you can change that dramatically.”
The hitch in Collins’ throwing motion was a quirk that befuddled some scouts, giving them an excuse to back off.
In the case of Stewart, his unique skills may force teams to take a completely different look at how quarterbacks are evaluated.
Stewart falls into the strange too-good-an-athlete-to-be-a-quarterback category. If everybody adhered to it, the 49ers’ 35-year-old Steve Young and the Colts’ 33-year-old Jim Harbaugh might be broken-down running backs instead of limping quarterbacks.
The Vikings’ Johnson came from another direction–the almost-forgotten European spring World League.
After five years on the Vikings’ bench and only seven games as a starter, he signed a four-year, $15.5 million contract.
That meant one fewer free agent for the Bears, who find themselves in the unenviable position of having neither a promising young quarterback nor an old reliable one capable of taking them to the playoffs in the near future.
“If you don’t have one, boy, you’re in trouble,” Holmgren said. “The Bears are a good example. Dave (Wannstedt), who’s a good friend–what a situation to be in.”