If you didn’t know it already — and I am betting heavily that you did — then Super Bowl 57 on Sunday night provided clear-cut evidence — yet again — that teams need a dynamic quarterback if they want even a chance to win an NFL championship.
Pat Mahomes managed to win all these games 🤯
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 12, 2023
Never count him out. @brgridiron pic.twitter.com/ouVPNapxCn
Not just a good quarterback, mind you, but a top-tier one, such as Patrick Mahomes of the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, the best one in the league, and the Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Hurts, who is in the top five. They put on a dazzling, impressive show in the game. It was fun to watch. It was must-see TV for fans.
The play of the quarterback, the most important position in team sports, is linked directly to the play of the team. They are one and the same, really.
It is why the Browns went all-out to acquire Deshaun Watson. Now, we can discuss at length — and we all have, a hundred times over, and we will continue to do so — the quality of the man off the field, but his quality as a player is not up for debate. The Browns haven’t had anyone even remotely like him in the expansion era.
What was also apparent in the Super Bowl was the fact that the two head coaches, the Chiefs’ Andy Reid and the Eagles’ Nick Sirianni, have designed offensive scheme that suits the skill-set of their quarterbacks. They may not be the offenses the coaches prefer — that really doesn’t matter — but much more importantly, they’re the ones the quarterbacks prefer and in which they have the best chance for success.
This is one of the things — there aren’t a lot, just some — that has concerned me about head coach Kevin Stefanski ever since the Browns traded for Watson. I have yet to be convinced that he won’t try to jam Watson into the offense he brought with him from the Minnesota Vikings and has used in all three of his seasons here.
It has been reported that Stefanski will work all offseason, with input from his top offensive assistant, “coordinator” Alex Van Pelt, and Watson to design a scheme that is best for the quarterback. But I’ll believe it when I see it.
I will say this much: if Stefanski doesn’t do that, then Watson and the team won’t come close to realizing their potential and the coach could well end up getting fired at the end of the season.
Remember, Stefanski is coming off two straight losing seasons. It’s not as if he is working from a position of strength.
Steve King
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