"“80 percent of success is just showing up” — Woody Allen"
Some of you might not know Woody Allen from Around the Horn‘s Woody Paige. That’s OK; I’ll bring you up to speed.
Allen is one of the most influential American filmmakers of all time. He’s often mentioned in the same breath as current icons like Scorsese and Spielberg, not to mention legends like Welles and Wilder. Not only is Allen a master of writing and directing dialogue, he’s also a walking soundbite himself. The quote I blockquoted above is arguably his most famous quote.
So, if this Allen guy knows anything at all — and I am going to assume he knows more than most, considering his achievements — that means that Brodie Croyle‘s tenure as the quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs is in serious trouble, right?
If you ask me, yes.
You can’t bet on a horse who doesn’t run half of the time, no matter how talented or tough that horse may be. Our good buddy Chris from Arrowhead Pride just came out with a great piece over at Warpaint Illustrated, where he raved about Croyle’s toughness. I couldn’t agree more — Croyle is a tough S.O.B. Problem is, there’s a distinct difference between being tough and being durable. The great ones are both, while I’m afraid Croyle is just one.
Croyle always bounces back, but my question is what are the Chiefs supposed to do while he’s making one of his patented recoveries? One needs to look no further than the 2008 Pro Bowl rosters to see that the best teams have quarterbacks they can count on every week. Damn good ones, too…
AFC Pro Bowl QBs: Starter – Tom Brady, Patriots; Reserves – Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers and Peyton Manning, Colts
NFC Pro Bowl QBs: Starter – Brett Favre, Packers; Reserves – Matt Hasselbeck, Seahawks and Tony Romo, Cowboys
Now, I already hear the “what about his line” comments from the peanut gallery, so I’ll address that sentiment.
I don’t care what a QB’s line looks like, his job is to stay on the field and lead his team to victory. Period. You think Matt Hasselbeck has had an ideal situation this year? Hell no. His line has undergone a considerable demise, and Shaun Alexander has been running with the authority of a Powder Puff running back. And that’s when Alexander the Timid has been healthy. Hasselbeck’s receivers have also been equally brittle. Yet, once again, Hasselbeck has led the Seahawks to another division title and into the playoffs. Good quarterbacks don’t limp off the field and make excuses, they stay on the field and make the playoffs.
I’m not trying to be too harsh on the kid. I like Brodie, I really do. I’m just saying that the Chiefs would be extremely foolish to put all their 2008 eggs in the Brodie basket when he’s shown since high school that he simply cannot stay healthy. Whether through the draft or free agency, the Chiefs have to hedge this bet. If not, I have a gut feeling that the Chiefs’ 2008 playoff chances will be hurting just as badly as Brodie by the midway point of next season.
Randy Covitz and The Star recently gave the impression that Brodie in ’08 is a done deal, but in this Sporting News excerpt Herm Edwards reveals that isn’t exactly the truth:
"Will Kansas City use its first-round pick next April on a quarterback?“That’s something that’s going to be decided in the offseason, when the draft’s coming up,” Edwards said. “Right now … we feel like he could be a good quarterback for us. We drafted him. We want to develop him. He’s still in that mode of being developed.“His whole thing will be: Is he available? Your quarterback has to be available.”"
Honestly, Croyle hasn’t even earned the right to call himself Quarterback 1A at this point. If it were up to me and a lot of other Chiefs fans, he’d be lucky to be Quarterback 1B for the Chiefs when training camp rolls around. If success is 80% dependent on just showing up, Croyle only has about a 20% chance of succeeding, giving the Chiefs roughly the same odds given the importance of the position.
Personally, I don’t like those odds. Not one bit. That’s why the campaign for the Chiefs to bring in another quality option at quarterback this offseason starts right here at Arrowhead Addict, right now.