Want to know something really bizarre and strange? This is something really weird though. I am talking unbelievably odd. You are going to think I am lying when I tell you. That or you will think you crossed over into an alternate universe. Ready? Okay…This weekend in the NFL’s conference championship games, three of the quarterbacks playing to get into the Super Bowl are Nick Foles, Case Keenum, and Blake Bortles. Messed up right?
I don’t think I need to tell you who the fourth quarterback is. If you want a clue, his first name is Tom and his last name rhymes with “cheater.” So yeah, the conference championship games feature some off brand quarterbacks. Some would even say all three of them are not that good. Even more people would say that they down right suck. And for those of us who have proper vocabulary, we call these three quarterbacks “stewbums.” Which is fitting considering the era we are entering in the NFL; an era I call “The Era of the Stewbum.”
With all of the big names from the greatest era of quarterback play slowly calling it quits one by one, it is time for a changing of the guard in the NFL. Maybe this ludicrous experiment of two backups and a Blake Bortles being two wins from a Super Bowl will turn into a renaissance in the NFL? We all have been wondering what will happen to the league without Brees’, Bens, Mannings, and Bradys. Maybe this is a glimpse into the future. After all, it is a copy cat league.
It has always been thought that a superior QB is the most distinct advantage you can have in the NFL. Obviously that was proven wrong last weekend when Ben Roethlisberger and Drew Brees both fell at the hands of Jacksonville and Minnesota; two teams with generic brand quarterbacks. If somehow, some way Tom Brady does not win this Super Bowl, and we get one of these stewbums as this year’s Super Bowl winning QB, maybe other teams take note? It has also been said that defense wins championships. All three non-Patriot teams remaining do indeed have stellar defenses. In the “Era of the Stewbum” teams will not break the bank by moving up for a quarterback in the draft or over paying one in free agency. It makes sense name brands are great, but sometimes the generic brand is just as effective at getting you the result you want.
If you have a headache you ask for a Tylenol, but all you really need is Acetaminophen. You do not need a Kleenex to blow your nose, you can just as effectively clear that snot with a tissue. You do not need Carson Wentz to get Philly’s first Lombardi, you might only need Nick Foles. You do not need Sam Bradford or Teddy Bridgewater to get the first banner in Minnesota raised, you might only need Case Keenum. You do not need Blake Bortles. No really, Jacksonville doesn’t need him or maybe any QB at all because they have BUGA.
If one of these generic stewbum QBs wins this Super Bowl, maybe it is not imperative that the heir to Drew Brees be the next Drew Brees. The next QB for the Saints, Steelers, and hell, maybe even New England, just needs to be serviceable and quarterback enough to win. Maybe these quarterback worshiping teams just need a stewbum to be effective enough. It seems to be working for more teams than we realized.