MEDIOCRITY AND HYPOCRISY
Gary Norris Gray-BASN Staff Reporter
The National Football League turned the corner of game seven of the 2021 season and very little has changed. There has been a slight movement from 9 Black starting quarterbacks to 11. This number will fluctuate from week to week as these young men continue proving that they belong behind center. While six Caucasian quarterbacks should not even be on the field, the game moves on. Then there is a sports network, ESPN, that just cannot give Black quarterbacks credit even when it is due. This was done with Seattle Seahawk backup quarterback Geno Smith against the Los Angeles Rams. Instead of highlighting the 4th quarter comeback against the Rams, they highlighted the interception that ended the game in overtime. This network continues to prop up Tom Brady and tries to ignore Mr. Kyler Murray and the undefeated Arizona Cardinals. So Black quarterbacks still have to fight harder to keep their starting position, while white quarterbacks just have to put on their uniform and play. There is an old saying “Best Man Plays The Position,” The League is still dragging its feet. Talent should trump color but the struggle continues.
BLACK HEROES
The National Football League still does not get it even when seven Black quarterbacks played in the Super Bowl two winning the final game with two being in back-to-back games. Currently Kyler Murray-Arizona, Lamar Jackson-Baltimore, and Dak Prescott-Dallas are leaving contrails for others to follow, leading their teams to a possible division title.
Colin Kaepernick of the San Francisco 49ers opened the door for the flood of run-option quarterbacks. His individual scrambling playoff victory over the Green Bay Packers and the Super Bowl run made this year possible. Kaepernick led the new charge of Black athletes fighting for justice and equality.
The senior class of Jameis Winston-New Orleans Saints, Dak Prescott-Dallas Cowboy, Teddy Bridgewater- Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawk Russell Wilson and Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs will guide the new group of young Black quarterbacks.
Kyler Murray- Arizona Cardinals, Lamar Jackson- Baltimore Ravens, Justin Fields-Chicago Bears, Trey Lance-San Francisco 49ers and Jalen Hurts-Philadelphia Eagles have a very bright future if they are allowed to lead their teams. Teams are now going to have to find quarterbacks that can run or suffer in loses for refusing to change their offense. The New York Football Giants are a classic example of this failure and they are now in last place in the NFC East.
We have come a long way from the early years of Marlin Briscoe-Denver Broncos, Joe Gilliam-Pittsburgh Steelers, James Harris-Los Angeles Rams but we still have a long way to go.
WHITE HEROES
Not questioning the skills of Tom Brady-Tampa Bay, or Aaron Rodgers-Green Bay, we all know how good they are even-thou one has the help of the men in the stripe shirts and whistles. The League continues to push young guns, Mac Jones-New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguar-Trevor Lawrence, Buffalo Bills-Josh Allen, Los Angeles Charger-Justin Herbert, and New York Jets-Zach Wilson while ignoring the Black young talents.
The League continues to struggle with the legal sexual misconduct allegations with Mr. Deshaun Watson of the Houston Texans as this issue continues to drag on for a year… While Ben Roethlisberger-Pittsburgh Steelers quickly got his allegations cleared by the police and the League as he continues to start for the Black and Gold, number 9 is a repeat offender but nobody wants to discuss the Big Ben allegations. The Houston Texan quarterback Deshaun Watson has not played a game in 2021.
The Los Angeles Rams and the Detroit Lions played trading places over the summer, receiving each other’s starting quarterback. Former Lion quarterback Matthew Stafford ended his run in the Motor City and headed to Hollywood, question, how many playoff games has Stafford won, ONE. Now Mr. Stafford will drive the Los Ang. Rams limo with all the tools at his disposal, HE BETTER WIN THERE OR ELSE.
Jared Goff graduated from the University of California-Berkeley, taking the young Los Angeles Rams to the Super Bowl. Goff still cannot shake his Golden Bear- Strawberry Canyon days of throwing into zone defenses under pressure. The UC-B-Grad throws these same interceptions for the Detroit Lions. Goff continues to struggle with the LAST PLACE LIONS, yet he is being named a budding new star.
The Golden Boy in Cleveland, Baker Mayfield just can’t get out of his own way and just can’t lead the Browns out of three decades of run of the mill quarterbacks, Mayfield can be seen on many television commercials but the question remains can he lead his team to a division, conference, or league championship?
Years ago, this same Midwest organization tried to prop up former Texas A & M quarterback Johnny “Football,” Manzel. WHERE IS HE NOW? Mr. Football made the money sign when he got drafted and then went to the CFL Canadian Football League to fail again. The Cleve. Brown organization continuous to be a failure at drafting quarterbacks for over 30 years with 30 different starting quarterbacks, but do they discuss this, NO. Mayfield is the latest in the Brown parade.
Then you have the Oakland-Los Angeles-Las Vegas Raider veteran quarterback Derek Carr throws the ball away for interceptions under pressure. Carr is a repeat offender when the defensive line closes in on him. The Raiders are like a washing machine rinse and repeat and will be 6-2 this year and then fall back to 8-8 as they have done the past five years…nobody is critical of the Black and Silver and their play on the field… Where is that Pride and Poise? and lest we forget that commitment to excellence. Then you have a massive management issue in Las Vegas but I won’t even go into that with Jon “CHUCKIE” Gruden and his coaching staff.
Mr. Josh Allen in Buffalo and the new great white savior in Los Ang. with the Chargers Justin Herbert and Mac Jones-New England are very good young quarterbacks and have that potential, don’t get me wrong, love these kids just stop shoving them down my throat every week.
This is the new sports media methodology; blast and make noise about the bad Black quarterback, giving praises to the good white quarterback. SAY NOTHING ABOUT the bad white quarterback or the good Black quarterback, in fact the Black player has to be SUPERMAN to keep his job.
SUPERMAN landed in Charlotte, North Carolina a few years ago and they did not like Cam Newton using the Superman move REMEMBER. Oh no we can’t have a Black Super Hero. Newton guided the Panthers to the playoffs and the Super Bowl, now Mr. Newton is out of football for questionable reasons after a year with the New England Patriots.
The Double Standard was loud and strong in Dallas, Texas and Washington D.C. with Dak Prescott and Alex Smith. Prescott comes back to Dallas from a broken ankle injury and people question his drive, his will to win. What place are the Dallas Cowboys in? Oh yeah, that’s right, first place in the NFC East while they give praises to the former Washington Football Club quarterback Alex Smith with similar year-ending injury … Smith gets a T.V. Show, commercials, interviews, and desired praise for his unbelievable come back. Still believe Alex got the bad part of the deal in San Francisco. A quarterback no matter what color should never lose his job due to injury.
RECORDS COUNT
In the 1970’s, the Pittsburgh Steelers benched Joe Gilliam after a 4-1-1, that Steeler team went on to win the Super Bowl with white quarterback Terry Bradshaw. Question when was the last time a white quarterback with a 4-1-1 record was benched? I’ll wait for the answer.
Edmonton Eskimos-Elks Warren Moon won five Grey Cups, that’s the Canadian equivalent of the American Super Bowl but Moon won 5 straight. NO PRO QUARTERBACK has done that. The Buffalo Bills come close with the Jim Kelly’s teams that lost four straight Super Bowls. Moon is either 1st or 2nd in every passing category. Yet Moon cannot get the credit. WHY?
Seattle Seahawk Russell Wilson has won more game in his first 10 years than anybody else. Yea, that includes Brady, Rogers, Drew Brees, and the Manning Brothers. Wilson has played more games than anybody else 160, NOT A WORD from the all- knowing peanut gallery. THIS IS BLACK HISTORY
TRASH TALKING
The American sports media continues to bring up old facts that do not pertain to football. In fact one sports writer, Nolan Nawrocki, thought it was his duty to trash Cam Newton and Vince Young with his yearly draft reports. Reports that every team reads and evaluates. Teams passed over Newton and Young because of Nawrocki’s reports. Both Black players should sue Mr. Nawrocki for slander and defamation of character.
These reporters reported:-
Mike Vick’s dog fighting issues
Cam Newton’s fake smile
Steve McNair extramarital affair and untimely death
Joe Gilliams drug issues
Lamar Jackson skin tone
Not their great football skills because these men carry the pen and paper.
Question when was the last time a reporter questioned a white quarterback’s transgressions?
RACIST
Mr. Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens is just too Black but he keeps on winning THEY CANNOT IGNORE IT. Two years ago, the Ravens beat the 49ers and one reporter wrote that the defensive players could not find the ball when Jackson had it in his hands because of the color of his skin. The League quickly put an end to that and Jackson wore a white long sleeve shirt the next week.
They have printed numerous articles about JaMarcus Russell-Oakland Raiders, calling him lazy and a malcontent but not doing their homework checking his childhood medical condition.
These reporters love to sow the seeds of discontent on the off season with reports of contract disputes with Black players. Compared to contract negotiations with white players, remember, words count.
WHO IS TELLING THE STORY?
The hypocrisy is deafening and these same sports reporters are getting scared because they are losing the battle on the field. The Field Generals continue to gain ground with each passing year. The Soul Bowl will be here soon.
Gary Norris Gray – Writer, Author, Historian, Gibbs Magazine-Oakland, California and New England Informer- Boston, Mass. THE GRAYLINE:- The Analects of A Black Disabled Man, The Gray Leopard Cove, Soul Tree Radio In The Raw, and The Batchelor News Radio Network, Disabled Community Activist. Email glcgray@gmail.com
©Copyrighted Gary Norris Gray @ Gray Leopard Prod
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