Calling on a star QB

What we are going to find out across this season, and maybe all the way to Super Bowl 51, is whether or not it is still a rule they passed that you need a star quarterback to win the Super Bowl, especially after the way so many star quarterbacks have won Super Bowls over the past 30 years.

The Broncos had a star quarterback last season, you bet they did in Peyton Manning. But he didn’t play like a star against the Carolina Panthers, or even close.

But the Broncos defense, led by Von Miller, was so tremendous in Santa Clara, you started to get the idea that Peyton Manning could have been throwing left-handed and the Broncos still would have found a way to win the game.

Now Peyton is gone in Denver and an unknown kid named Trevor Siemian is the Broncos’ quarterback, and the Broncos have started out 2-0. The New England Patriots are 3-0 with Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett as their quarterbacks while Tom Brady has been sitting out his 4-game Deflategate suspension.

And guess what? The whole world is starting to look at the Patriots, who do get perhaps the greatest quarterback in history back after they play one more game, that maybe Bill Belichick could figure out a way to win with you at quarterback. Or me. Everybody knows the list of quarterbacks who have won it all, going all the way back to Joe Montana. He won four. Terry Bradshaw was 4-0 in the big game before Montana. Brady has now won four, Troy Aikman won three, the Manning boys have won two apiece. Ben Roethlisberger has two. John Elway won two in a row and then said goodbye.

There sure are a bunch of outliers on the list of championship quarterbacks, of course, Joe Theismann and Mark Rypien and Doug Williams for Joe Gibbs in Washington. Jeff Hostetler. Brad Johnson. Trent Dilfer.

Mostly, though, you have had stars winning the Super Bowl. Not just stars, but immortals. Maybe it will be that way this season in the end. Maybe Eli can find his way back to the big game after all these years out of the playoffs. Maybe Aaron Rodgers can win his second Super Bowl, and elevate his place in football history. Maybe it will be Brady, again.

It is still early, of course. September in pro football is April in baseball. It is crazy to make lasting judgments about anything we have seen so far. But what an interesting September it has been at the quarterback position in the NFL.

No Brady, no Peyton, no problem, at least not so far.