Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
The tired argument about quarterbacks is back.
It’s 2024, but somehow football discourse has reverted to 2004. On Saturday both the Ravens and 49ers advanced to the AFC and NFC Championship games respectively, and with it moronic arguments about what the “right way” to play quarterback is.
This talk got boosted because of how differently Lamar Jackson and Brock Purdy play quarterback, with both teams winning on Saturday night. Jackson, a playmaker in the purest sense of the word, will use his legs, his arm, and his brain to take a play as a suggestion, branching it multiple different ways to find success. Purdy, a master of executing on a vision. He’s an extension of his coach on the field, and doesn’t think outside the box — because he’s not asked to. In a lot of ways his lack of creativity is his biggest asset, because it takes a level of awareness to dull an athlete’s instincts to make a play, instead choosing to fight another day.
To use a reductive analogy: Lamar Jackson is a jazz virtuoso, while Brock Purdy is an expert concert pianist.
It should also surprise nobody that the heart of this music analogy also plays to this quarterback discussion: Race. Those who assert that Jackson doesn’t play quarterback “the right way” will insist it has nothing to do with the fact his black, much as early critics of jazz in the 20th century preferred to slam it in coded language. In their vision jazz wasn’t “real music” because it defied conventions, and changed the perception of art. Meanwhile orchestras — even those who pushed the envelope like swing, were lauded for doing music “right.” It led to jazz musicians like Miles Davis finding infinitely more popularity abroad in Paris, before he was ever accepted in the United States.
The weird thing about this argument of “playing the right way” is that when it comes to quarterback there’s only ever been one “right way” of playing: Win. It’s that simple.
If we go back to 1924 there were only 64 passing touchdowns in the NFL, while teams ran for a combined 113 scores. Fast-forward to 1933, just the second season passing was a tracked statistic in football. Harry Newman of the New York Giants led the league in passing while attempting 136 passes on the season, but he ran the ball 130 times.
The history of football is littered with dual-threat quarterbacks. Sammy Baugh, the first quarterback to every throw for 1,000 yards in a season in 1937, he ran the ball half as much as he threw. Cecil Isbell of the Packers in 1942, the first quarterback to throw for 2,000 yards — he ran the ball a league-high 72 times that season at the quarterback position.
As we approach modern football we see even more examples: Otto Graham ran the ball, Frank Tarkenton, Ken Stabler, then onto Steve Young, Randall Cunningham, Michael Vick, Cam Newton, Josh Allen.
The shared DNA in all these cases: Black quarterbacks were criticized for not playing “the right way,” while their white counterparts were characterized as gutsy, sacrificial winners who would put their bodies on the line so they could achieve victory. It’s pathetic that this still happens today.
There is no “right way” to play the position, as long as you’re winning — and Lamar Jackson is winning. He also might be the greatest dual threat quarterback of all time when the dust settles. Jackson marries peerless, running back vision to hit a hole an accelerate, with ruthless efficiency throwing the ball. This week he completed 73 percent of his passes against a tight Texans defense, with a high-level 6.9 yards-per-attempt (which was better than Brock Purdy), and married that with 100 rushing yards for four total touchdowns.
If we look at the history of football there is nothing more iconic and relevant than a quarterback putting a team on his back and doing it all. If the Ravens manage to win a Super Bowl in 2024 nobody will be able to say it was due to anything but Jackson’s brilliance, and that’s what football is all about.
That is playing football “the right way,” and if you disagree you either need to get more educated, or check your prejudices.
Winner: Christian McCaffrey
Thank God for Christian McCaffrey. Without his individual performance this weekend the 49ers would be joining the Eagles and Cowboys in wondering how the hell the wheels fell off.
The move to trade for McCaffrey from the Panthers will go down as one of the greatest modern football moves by a team in dire need of finding their missing piece. San Francisco gambled that CMC’s injury issues were a blip on the radar — and held the belief that he could return to dominance, which he did.
However, the real reason for the McCaffrey trade was games like Saturday. With the game in the balance, and in dire need of an offensive spark, CMC was willing to break out for 128 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns. Nobody is a bigger difference maker from the running back position this year than McCaffrey, and he’s a rare player who can mitigate other offensive woes from what’s become an overlooked position.
Loser: Stefon Diggs
History has shown us that Stefon Diggs is a player who shines brightest when the pressure is on, but against the Chiefs he crumbled. Now, part of that is definitely a credit to the Kansas City defense, which prevented him getting comfortable — but at no point on Sunday did Diggs look like a player who was going to be a factor.
Struggling to get separation for much of the game, the Bills’ receiver capped it off by letting one of the best passes you’ll ever seen fall through his hands like it was nothing.
Another year, another loss to the Chiefs — and Diggs was a big reason it happened on Sunday.
Winner: The Texans and Packers
If you ever want to talk about being valiant in defeat it’s these two teams. If you rewind to pre-season predictions almost everyone pegged the Texans and Packers to be abysmal this season as they started a rebuild. Instead they showed they’ve already arrived, and looked damn good doing it all season long.
There is absolutely nothing to hang your head over in either Houston or Green Bay. These teams have arrived, and the sky is the limit.
Winner: The Lions
Feel good story of the NFL by a mile. It’s impossible to root against Detroit right now, and there’s just something so special about seeing this team do the damn thing for their fans at home.
Players are stepping up from every position and turning into the best versions of themselves. Dan Campbell has fostered a brand new football culture, and it’s taking hold in the best way.
Winner: Jason Kelce
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