START ’EM OR SIT ’EM?

T HE PHILOSOPHY of when to play a rookie quarterback has shifted dramatically in the past decade. The old thinking of to sit and allowing watch a has quarterback become tL as antiquated as a pay phone.

Of the 55 quarterbacks taken between 1998 and last year, 18 of them have started Week 1 of their rookie seasons. But 14 of those have been since 2008. Of the 55 taken, 30 started at least half of their team’s games as a rookie, 20 since 2008.

When Flacco and Ryan took the Ravens and Falcons, respectively, to the playoffs as rookies, it showed teams it could be done. Then, the collective bargaining agreement dramatically changed contracts for the quarterbacks at the top of the draft in 2011. It has all led to quarterbacks playing earlier. But it remains a risky proposition.

“You’ve got to play them,” said former Cardinals coach Bruce Arians, now a CBS analyst. “There are going to be some downs, but there’s going to be a lot of ups because they bring the excitement, especially once they win that locker room over.”

Arians has witnessed up close three rookie quarterbacks who became stars. He was Peyton Manning’s first quarterbacks coach with the Colts. He was the wide receivers coach with the Steelers when Roethlisberger debuted in 2004. When Luck joined the Colts in 2012, Arians was first his offensive coordinator and then interim head coach. “Ben started the third game after Tommy [Maddox], but he had a great football team around him, wins 15 in a row,” Arians said. “Peyton, we go 3-13, but every week in practice was exciting because you could see us getting better. Andrew Luck was inhuman. What he did as a rookie was just crazy.” There are examples of both situations working and failing. Rodgers is the example everyone uses for the “sit” argument. He waited three years behind Brett Favre in Green Bay to play. Now, he is one of the best in the game. But sitting and watching did not help Brady Quinn be successful. Flacco and Ryan tasted success early. But Kyle Boller and Brandon Weeden fell on their faces. There are also players who played well early but faded, like Vince Young and Robert Griffin III, who both won Rookie of the Year. “Few players fail because they start too late,” Banner said. “Some players fail because they start too early. I think you want these guys playing as soon as you can, but you want to err on the side of starting a little bit later than earlier. To me, a crucial part of that is are we going to be able to protect him and give him the time he needs to give him a reasonable shot.” There are no simple answers.