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| Randolph Charlotin. 5th October, 2007 - 4:20 pm
 Are African-American quarterbacks judged differently?
Donovan McNabb said they are during an interview with HBO and he stands by his statement.
Finding another African-American passer to agree with him seemed impossible.
Tennessee's Vince Young said it was McNabb's opinion, but basically disagreed.
Washington's Jason Campbell pretty much said the same.
Just because no other black QB publicly agreed with McNabb doesn't mean that he's wrong. They didn't walk in McNabb's shoes. They may also be naive to the history that opened the doors to let them play their preferred position.
It was not too long ago when all of the league's QBs were white. Black QBs out of college had to switch positions to play in the NFL. It was a continuance of the stereotype that black players didn't have the mental capacity to lead an offense. That ignorant thought carried on for decades. Even if coaches and/or general managers didn't believe that reasoning, out of habit they copied what worked.
It was also a case of putting to use great athleticism. Why play someone with 4.5 speed at quarterback? He could be a safety, a corner back, a receiver or running back.
Indianapolis head coach Tony Dungy made the switch to safety after signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Dungy became a good safety as a pro, but we?ll never know how good of a QB he could had been. Dungy graduated from the University of Minnesota as the career leader in attempts, completions, touchdown passes, and passing yards. Dungy never got the chance to prove himself.
Years later Warren Moon encountered the same roadblock trying to enter the NFL. According to Moon, it was suggested to him to switch to tight end. Because he remained adamant about playing quarterback, he wasn't drafted despite a successful college career at the University of Washington.
Without a NFL team, Moon had to prove he could play quarterback by joining the Canadian Football League. Leading the Edmonton Eskimos to five consecutive Grey Cup Championships (1978-1982) more than proved he could play the position at the pro level. Only then did the NFL want him as a passer.
Some in the NFL thought differently. At the same time Moon was stonewalled, Doug Williams was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17th overall in the 1978 draft. He led the Bucs to three consecutive playoff appearances and the NFC Championship from 1979-1982. Years later, during his second stint in the NFL, he won Super Bowl XXII with the Washington Redskins and earned the game MVP honors.
But despite the success of Williams and Moon, the league was slow to warm up to drafting blacks to lead offenses. After Williams in 1978, it took 12 years until another black man was selected in the first round. Detroit drafted Andre Ware in 1990. Even though Ware was the Heisman Trophy winner, he wasn't the first passer selected that year. Was it because scouts viewed him as a product of the system he played in, or a sign that if all skills were even, a black passer would get passed over?
There's a saying that states a black person has to be twice as good to get equal respect. If they didn't show skills well beyond the average, they wouldn't get the same opportunities others had available. McNabb referenced that when he said black QBs "have to do a little extra." Having an arm just as strong or being as smart wasn't always enough. A black college QB that could bring another element to the table helped his chances of remaining a QB.
What set some African-American QBs apart from the others was the ability to run. Once the league recognized the benefit of having a quarterback that was more than just mobile, it improved the chances of playing quarterback after being drafted.
Randall Cunningham could be considered a pioneer in that regard. Combining athleticism and speed with his rocket arm opened the minds of general managers and owners to the possibilities of how dangerous a QB could be with a myriad of physical gifts.
Other players were able to follow the path created by Cunningham. Steve McNair, Kordell Stewart, Michael Vick, Young and McNabb as well. After they proved blacks were smart enough to play quarterback, the stereotype faded away. If they could operate from the pocket, then so could others. It?s why pocket passers Byron Leftwitch, Campbell, and Akili Smith were first round draft picks.
So as far as history goes, McNabb was right that African-American quarterbacks were judged differently. Times have changed for the better. Front offices evaluate players based on skills alone. Football is a business and success is the goal. With the value of draft picks, franchises can?t afford to let stereotypes get in the way of finding the best players.
But some fans remain ignorant. Radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh pegged McNabb as the NFL?s poster child for African-American advancement when he said the league wanted a black quarterback to succeed. Even the president of the Philadelphia branch of the NAACP criticized McNabb of not running more by saying McNabb didn?t play the position black enough.
So excuse McNabb if he doesn?t share the general opinion. It?s easy to disagree with him, but we never walked in McNabb?s shoes. |
