Hall of Famer and former Houston Oilers quarterback Warren Moon thinks the NFL needs to be better at developing quarterbacks.
Speaking with USA Today Sports, the all-time great stated that quarterbacks “need to be coached better” and that NFL teams aren’t prepared when their star QB goes down. The comments stem from the lack of viable NFL backups. This season alone, we’ve seen Charlie Whitehurst, Landry Jones, Drew Stanton, and Brian Hoyer play meaningful minutes for teams, which is really par for the course.
“You’ve got a few stars and a lot of teams with good quarterbacks,” Moon said, “but for most teams, once their starter goes down their season is finished.”
What’s the solution to producing qualified, talented backups? Moon suggests the NFL could use a farm system like the dearly departed NFL Europe.
“The NFL needs a farm system, like it used to have with NFL Europe,” Moon said. “It gives them those reps. Think about guys like Kurt Warner, Jon Kitna and Brad Johnson, who all played overseas and benefitted from the experience.”
An NFL farm system like the NHL, NBA, and MLB have would provide teams to give quarterbacks more reps and opportunities to play, but considering the risk of injuries, it’s not a perfect solution. Backups certainly could be better across the NFL, but there’s no immediate solution to make that happen – although, a farm system would be a great way to develop them and other young players.
[USA Today, Image via Scout.com]