Guest Redhawk Report post Posted April 26, 2004 All the talk of Eli Manning taking over for Kerry Collins, Phillip Rivers perhaps taking over for Drew Brees and so on got me thinking. Why do NFL teams feel the need to name their starters months before training camp even starts? Last year my team, the Browns, went through this situation with Tim Couch and Kelly Holcombe. Butch Davis actually waited until after a few preseason games to name the starter, people were asking him to name the starter in March. And usually, teams do name starters long before any pads are put on. For example, Carson Palmer was named Cincy's starting QB in like February. It's not just QBs either. Before Emmitt Smith left Dallas, he was told in January-February that he would be the backup HB to Troy Hambrick. Now, whatever happened to competing for starting spots? What happened to going into training camp, waiting to see who was the best QB/RB/etc., and then picking a starter from there? What's wrong with a training camp-long compeition? What's the rush to name a starter so soon? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
2GOLD 0 Report post Posted April 26, 2004 Because Carson Palmer was the first pick in the NFL draft so you can't sit him on the bench another season or even make him earn the job. The Bengals are already paying him huge money, now he has to earn it. Most of the time it's age and money, that's it. In Smith's case, Hambrick had been sitting there and they wanted to see what they had. They had nothing, it happens. Plus sometimes, it's easier on a coach and team to know who the leader is before the start of camp. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Redhawk Report post Posted April 27, 2004 I see why Dallas would want to get Hambrick on the field (well, after watching him last year, maybe I don't see...), but what's wrong with making him beat Emmitt for the spot? You bring in two tailbacks, see which one is better in camp, and there's your starter. No need to tell someone, "You won't start" before they have a chance to earn a spot. What if they go to camp and Emmitt is obviously better than Hambrick in everything? Does Hambrick still start? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
