The NFL is supposed to belong to the young man, right? It's a world dominated by high-speed, illogically agile, ridiculously strong superhuman athletes filing in through a revolving door. Many men enter, only a handful leave.
Once players reach a certain age, their careers become a countdown to their official retirement. It's no longer about their experience or ability—it's about how much of a liability they are on the field; it's about their cost-effectiveness as the youth movement is initiated by the team that's exploited their bodies.
Should fans expect an organization to hinder the growth of their youth for an older player that won't be around in the near future? How can a team reasonably gauge how much someone has left in their tank?
As of Week 11, three NFL teams holding first place in their divisions are led by three of the league's more tenured quarterbacks—three quarterbacks most fans had been expecting to write-off simply because they're on the wrong side of 35.
Refusing to believe that their best football was behind them, Kerry Collins, Brett Favre, and Kurt Warner all took the field by storm in 2008. And they are now redefining people's perceptions of age in the NFL. How old is still young?
All three men have had their successes and their pitfalls, their glory and their misery—and in 2008, they are all enjoying some of the best seasons of their illustrious careers in a league that's infatuated with the next young phenom.
Kerry Collins: The Right Man at the Right Time
Raise your hand if you believed the Tennessee Titans were in trouble when Jeff Fisher named Kerry Collins as his starting quarterback.
Stop lying and raise your hand.
Kerry Collins had fallen off the map for two years when he was enveloped by the black hole in Oakland. His final year with the Raiders wasn't a bad one—throwing for nearly 4,000 yards with 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2005. But his age was more significant than his stats. His best years were supposed to have been left in New York.
When Oakland chose to part ways with Collins, he had difficulty finding a new team until the Titans came calling days before Week One of the 2006 season. He was expected to be the supportive, veteran presence for their shiny, new quarterback. An insurance policy, if you will.
Never did the Titans imagine that he'd be the leader of their undefeated team two years later.
Perhaps it's Collins' wisdom of the game. Maybe it's the exceptional running game in Nashville. Whatever it is, he's enjoying one of the greatest seasons he's ever had in a long career peppered with disappointments.
His Tennessee Titans are owners of a long win-streak, and he's doing more than anyone wanted to give him credit for during the first half of 2008. He may be helped by two young running backs, but when they were taken away by the opposition, Collins reminded everyone that he can still throw the ball.
He may not be threatening any of his previously established career highs, but he's enjoying the same kind of efficiency no one believed he had left in him after 2005.
Better with age? There's not much to write that hasn't already been printed regarding his troubled history with the Carolina Panthers. But his success depends upon one's definition. Do statistics define success, or does his ability to do what needs to be done cement his place among the elite in 2008?
Obviously, his time with the New York Giants was the most glamorous, but Collins has continued to be the warrior that everyone overlooks.
27 comments Last one added 7 months ago — Leave a Comment
Ken Lord 7 months ago
Great article! I wish all features on Bleacher report could resemble this article as opposed to the crap editorial pieces that show up here. Well done sir, Well done!
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Angel Navedo 7 months ago
Thanks for the compliment, Ken! Much appreciated.
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Sean Crowe 7 months ago
"Crap editorial pieces"?
You're not looking hard enough if that's all you've been able to find here.... there's good and bad, Angel is among the good. But there's plenty more good than bad.
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Ray Bogusz 7 months ago
I really didn't raise my hand. VY is a bust, the titans are so much better off without him.
Warner has by far the worst shot of any of them. Arizona has an abysmal defense and a lot more trouble playing road games than Tennessee or New York.
Still voted Tennessee. In a game of equal offenses, the highly superior defense wins out.
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Angel Navedo 7 months ago
I hear you. Always gotta show love to a strong defense. I agree that VY is looking like a bust, but I didn't think the team would be doing so well with Collins in there. The way the offense was just tuned down for Collins looked like I could've even stepped in and handed the ball off. I didn't expect to see him do what he did to Chicago.
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Alexeiv Goodenov 7 months ago
Kurt Warner is the ONLY of those QBs playing elite right now.
Favre leads the league in INTs and 4 of the Jets' 7 wins are based on defense and run, nothing to do with Favre.
Collins.............................................BLAHAHAHA
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Alexeiv Goodenov 7 months ago
That said, Collins has the best shot, like Jim McMahon, Trent Dilfer and Doug Williams before him.
Good company..........lol
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Angel Navedo 7 months ago
Elite is one thing, but being successful isn't synonymous with it. Warner is having a fantastic season, but there are things both Collins and Favre have done for their teams that wouldn't have happened with anyone else. Favre's game-winning OT drive against New England would've been lost by other QBs.
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Mike Craig 7 months ago
Plus Brett Favre doesn't have to be good all the time. It seems that he has that Jets team motivated. He brings life to that team because he is a true leader, wither he does good or bad and the rest of the Jets are reacting to that.
When Favre plays bad, they pick up the slack for the most part. When Favre plays good, well then you see what happened in New Englad just last Thursday right?
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Thomas 7 months ago
Excellent article. You're right, for some people, the older they get the better they seem to become. I don't really think its an increase in skill, its more intelligence.
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Angel Navedo 7 months ago
Definitely. I was also thinking of Curtis Martin in 2004. At the age of 31, he wins the NFL's rushing title. It had nothing to do with him getting faster or stronger. It was more about his ability to hit the hole, take the right angles, and make the right moves. Smart football from an intelligent veteran.
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Thomas 7 months ago
yep. I was thinking bout him to.
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Alexeiv Goodenov 7 months ago
The Cardinals with Leinart are no better than 3-6 at this point.
Seriously.
And don't bring up the receiving core because without Boldin Warner made Breaston a star.
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Sean Crowe 7 months ago
I would suggest that Larry Fitzgerald dictating coverage made both Boldin and Breaston stars....
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John Parker 7 months ago
football is called the youngman's game but it really shouldn't
football is a game about smart's and strength and speed is highly overated
linebackers and lineman often get stronger over age and more experience means you have better chances of having better field awareness and quarterbacks all they need to do is read the field
however runningbacks, wideouts, and defensive backs maybe even defensive lineman don't benefit at all from age and quit college early and retire early for that reason because you overall athletisisum peaks at about 28 if you always workout
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Sean Crowe 7 months ago
I like what Collins is doing, but he's really just there to not turn over the ball and make a few throws when he has to.
Favre is great when he doesn't throw the ball to the other team. But he tends to throw the ball to the other team way too much. Thursday's game was more the exception than the rule.
Warner has been tremendous. For my money, he's MVP.
But Collins probably has the best shot at a Super Bowl of the three. His defense is the most legit. The Patriots exposed the Jets defense on Thursday, and the Cardinals are still looking for theirs.
Defense wins championships, not old man quarterbacks. :)
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Sean Crowe 7 months ago
By the way, great job as usual.
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Angel Navedo 7 months ago
I wouldn't say my Jets were really exposed. Everyone knows they can't stop the pass. Screen plays and quick shots to the middle of the field kill them. The linebackers aren't really fast enough to stick with an athletic tight end.
Otherwise, you're right about the Titans. Everyone's trying to figure out that offense, and forgetting that defense is just as dangerous.
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Michael Whittenberg 7 months ago
Good article, Angel.
I never would have imagined the Titans 9-0 without Vince Young. I would have laughed in someone's face if they told me the Titans would win their first nine games with Collins as their QB. I'm a Panthers fan, so I always support Kerry Collins because he was our first QB.
Warner is still the man, I love the Cardinals' offense.
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Steven Resnick 7 months ago
The only reason why you're talking about Kurt Warner is because the NFC West is atrocious. There's no competition there due to injuries up in Seattle, San Francisco has been a joke since well since the York's took over, and St. Louis just flat out sucks.
The AFC East hahahahah the only reason why Favre is even remotely sniffing the playoffs is because of Tom Brady being injured. Otherwise there wouldn't be any talk of Favre leading the Jets to the playoffs.
Even if the Jets do get in. They have no chance at the Superbowl.
Kerry Collins is on a solid team. They have a system in place that gives them the best opportunity. Expect the Titans to control the ball against the Jets who do not have a strong defensive team and the Titans do. Expect plenty of interceptions from Favre.
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Angel Navedo 7 months ago
What does Warner have to do with three other teams being terrible?
In fact, what does Favre have to do with Brady being injured? One thing has no bearing on the other.
And where do you get the Jets don't have a strong defensive team? they're top 10 against the run. the only reason new england went over 100 yards is because of Cassel's happy feet.
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daniel cox 7 months ago
angel, have i told you lately you're the man?
this is a really great piece. clearly you jumped on the "let's give warner some hype" bandwagon...i'm kidding dude.
all the hype warner's gotten has been deserved. not only has he played extraordinarily well, but he's singlehandedly caused a franchise to bench it's first-round quarterback. (i guess collins has too) which doesn't seem like an especially easy thing to do.
i don't think anyone's really surprised by warner's play this year. look how he closed last year. but the fact that he's doing at his age (though you make a good point about his entry into the league) is very impressive.
collins has to be the most surprising of the three. he was all but an afterthought. if i'd told you that collins play would keep vince young on the bench through week 11 and the titans would be undefeated as a result, at the beginning of the season, you would slapped me and taken me in...
and favre...well he's done his job. and at times he's looked like the favre of old. i know he's got theh j-e-t-s fans excited...and really, that's all that matters.
great job!
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Michael Phillips 7 months ago
Great Piece man, it is very interesting to see some of these older guys will do when they get a fresh start on a new team.
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Nick Condit 7 months ago
Good article. It is amazing. However, all three of these guys were thrust into pretty darn good situations. The Jets and Titans have good teams with a strong defense and a good running game.
Kurt Warner has his Bruce-Holt combo back in place with Fitzgerald-Boldin. It was amazing to me to see Warner fall off the earth after the Super Bowl loss to the Pats, only to get benched and replaced by a nobody, like he himself once was.
He struggled for so long and now is in a good situation where his veteran leadership helps the team. Kurt Warner can make throws to two pro-bowl wide outs. That's how he won MVP.
Favre is having a good season but it's not all him. Without the talent on the Jets right now, Brett Favre would be getting booed out of Giants Stadium.
Kerry Collins is the typical "game manager."
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Bruce Dickenson 7 months ago
It would be nice to see Warner stick around one more year and see the Cards make some nice acquisitions in the offseason on D.
The JETS are good and a team on the rise, but beating Tenn will be a tall task.
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Mac Mccarthy 7 months ago
I have to agree with Bruce - a tall task indeed; especially if the linebackers are somewhat slow - Chris Johnson is one heck of a speedster!
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Buddy Smith 7 months ago
Great angle on a great topic. Nice job sir.
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