When the
broadcasters need to use collegiate stats — from 1998, no less — to show that a
quarterback legitimately deserves to be in a ball game, it's generally not a
very good thing for the team in question.

That's what happened this week for the Atlanta Falcons on
Monday Night Football, when they handed the keys to Chris Redman.

The Falcons aren't alone in their quarterback quandary,
however, which raises a very concerning question: Where have all the good
quarterbacks gone?

After Hannah Montana and "High School Musical" infiltrating
and brainwashing the minds of every American child under the age of 13, the
lack of another crop of young quarterbacks is the second-most significant issue
facing the country. We worry about Social Security running out in some 60
years, but we're only a few years away from NFL teams that wind up turning to people collecting
Social Security to play quarterback. What happens then?

Turning on the TV now, you almost half-expect to see Jeff
Hostetler back under center for the Raiders matching wits with Jim McMahon and
the Bears. Actually, the way things are going for Chicago, McMahon had better
not stray too far away from his cell phone. If Kyle Orton lays an egg next
week, only Cade McNown and Shane Matthews are ahead of McMahon on the Bears
list of "Alumnus Quarterbacks to Give a Chance."

And how did this happen? Quarterback has always been the
most glamorous position in all of sports. Nobody grows up as a 7-year-old
playing football in the backyard wanting to play left guard.

But now, as football fans we are forced to watch the gloved
and arm-braced statue that is Kurt Warner throw the ball all over the field. A guy
named Matt Moore comes in to relieve Vinny Testaverde so Vinny could still make
it to the theaters in time for the Senior Matinee. Don’t remember where Matt
Moore played college ball? Don’t worry, ESPN.com doesn’t know either. 

This past weekend might have been the worst of the season.
The following quarterbacks played significant time over the weekend: Todd
Collins, Brian Griese, Rex Grossman, Cleo Lemon, John Beck, Trent Edwards, Josh
and Luke McCown, Testaverde, Moore, Warner, Shaun Hill, Trent Dilfer, Sage
Rosenfels and Chris Redman. If you had never heard of more than two of those
guys before the weekend, you're a better football fan than I. 

Why is Testaverde dragging his career out into its 21st
season? Quite simply, good, young quarterbacks are becoming harder and harder
to find. Let me rephrase that — good, young professional quarterbacks are
becoming harder and harder to find.

Part of the blame has to go to the general managers and
coaches that rush young quarterbacks into action far too early. For a
struggling franchise in need of some boost in the level of excitement around
the team, management can feel pressured to show fans the future of the team and
throw a top-line draft pick quarterback making millions of guaranteed dollars
to the NFL wolves instead of letting him mature as a reserve.

In most cases, this turns out to be a complete disaster. If
the quarterback isn't ready for the speed and complexity of NFL defenses, not
only will he play miserably, there's a good chance his psyche could be
irreparably damaged, too.

A bigger culprit, however, is college football. Sure, major
NCAA D-I football might be the NFL's talent factory for the most part. When it
comes to quarterbacks, however, there is a disconnect.

In recent years, what makes for a good or great quarterback
at the college level has evolved to be drastically different than in the NFL.

In college now, there is a much bigger emphasis on
quarterbacks being mobile. The added dimension of being able to escape pressure
and run the ball or simply keep the ball on designed runs is what separates the
good from the great college quarterbacks.

Look at the last three years. The best college quarterbacks
in each of those years — Vince Young, Troy Smith and Tim Tebow — haven't been
pocket passers, they've all been mobile.

With the increasing popularity of the spread option offense,
more and more schools are putting in systems that value quarterbacks' legs just
as much as their arms.

In the NFL, that doesn't fly. Not only is everyone on
opposing defenses quicker than they were in college, teams won't take the
chance of having their multi-million dollar, face of the franchise investment
take hit after hit running options and keepers several times a drive. Players
like West Virginia's Pat White, Oregon's Dennis Dixon and Illinois' Isaiah
Williams may be having fantastic college careers, but you have to wonder what
their NFL futures really look like.   

Michael Vick proved to be one of the most dangerous weapons,
eh scratch that, most electric — shoot, scratch that too — best quarterbacks in
the league.

Eventually, you have to think that the NFL will move in the
direction of the more mobile quarterbacks.

Ben is a junior majoring in political science
and journalism. Have a different theory on why good young quarterbacks are hard
to come by? Want to talk Packers over a drink or two? E-mail him at
[email protected]. Thanks for
reading over the past year. Stay classy