Need a little patience, yeah, yeah, yeah
In today’s day and age, instant gratification reigns supreme. We want immediate results. Everyone is in a rush to be the “first.” Whether it’s breaking a story first, or predicting a result first, or projecting a starting quarterback first, as fans, we seem to place more importance on the immediacy of the news rather than the accuracy.
As such, everyone wants to rush to judgment on young quarterbacks and try to forecast almost instantly whether they will be a bust or a star.
It’s the reason everyone has already anointed Deshaun Watson as the next, big thing. Now, this is not meant to be an indictment of Watson. For what it’s worth, I think Watson is fantastic and really liked him coming out of college. My point is simply that you really need a few years before you know for certain what you have in a franchise quarterback.
I recall similar buzz around a quarterback who had a remarkable rookie season. He completed 65 percent of his passes for 3200 yards, 20 touchdowns, and only 5 interceptions. Three years later, Robert Griffin, III was out of the league and looking for a job.
Again, I’m not comparing Watson to Griffin. I’m merely presenting Griffin’s case as a cautionary tale. Griffin seemed like a can’t miss talent after his rookie year — and then he wasn’t.
Conversely, some quarterbacks take time to develop. Therefore, you cannot dismiss a young quarterback who struggles initially.
Take Jared Goff for example. Everyone with a microphone or pulpit declared Goff a colossal bust after his rookie year. You heard people say things like ‘he seems lost’ on the field. Even during his first camp with new head coach Sean McVay, Goff struggled with the new offense.
Rough day for Jared Goff. Threw three interceptions that I saw, and it easily could've been five. But, hey, this is why they rehearse.
— Alden González (@Alden_Gonzalez) August 15, 2017
Goff said he had taken some chances the last few days and learned from his mistakes.
— Gary Klein (@LATimesklein) August 17, 2017
Does that second tweet about Goff taking chances and learning from his mistakes sound familiar? No? Well take a look at this quote from Matt Nagy:
Matt Nagy on Mitch Trubisky’s interceptions in camp: "Right now, I don't care about interceptions. I truly don't. I love the fact that he's trying to learn this offense and make throws. I'd rather him do that than take the five-yard check-down. I need him to test it right now."
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) July 28, 2018
So before you rush to judge Trubisky based on 12 career starts, understand that players develop at different speeds and progress isn’t always linear. In other words, give him some time.