Learning on the Job

Or: the art of introducing a rookie Quarterback.

The most important position in team sports might be the Quarterback in Football. Quarterbacks learn how to play the game in the NCAA - or let us better put it this way: they learn the fundamentals of the game. The game of football is so different on the collegiate level that it can hardly be compared to Professional Football as it is played in the NFL.

So where do these people learn how to win in the Pros? In the past the conventional wisdom was to "bring on a QB slowly". This often meant that a rookie QB was basically assigned to be a "clipboard holder" and an understudy to the current starting QB for his first couple of seasons. Teams used "in-firm training" to develop the future franchise QBs.

This, however, has changed dramatically over the last few years. Rookie QBs are nowadays often thrown into game action on the very first days of their careers. Players like Cam Newton, Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Blaine Gabbert, Andy Dalton, Russell Wilson, Joe Flacco, Sam Bradford, Matt Ryan and many other names are examples for this trend. And along with all rookie QBs who were inserted as starters immediately there is a second line of players who played at some point during their rookie seasons because the incumbent starter either went down due to an injury or failed to perform.

Concerning the performances of the mentioned young QBs, most of them did fairly well. This is especially true for this season, as guys like Andrew Luck, RGIII and Wilson are having sensational rookie seasons. And had it not been for the downfall of Gabbert and the major struggles of Nick Foles, rookie- (and still young) QBs flat out could be called great.

Has the collegiate game converged with the Pros? The answer is obviously: NO. College football has changed into a wide-open high-scoring shootout game, with only few programs still focusing on the art of playing defense. What might have changed, however, is the approach of the teams. Instead of waiting a couple of seasons before the actual talent of the new QB commodity is revealed, young guys have to show early what they are capable of. It is now literally: either do or die! And it is probably not failure in some games that might decide the fate of a rookie QB these days, but his ability to progress,  refine and develop his game. QBs now have to be mentally tough enough to pick up the pro-game on the fly and being a quick learner is more important than a rocket arm.

There is an interesting case in the NFL now. 28-year-old quarterback Brandon Weeden (Cleveland Browns) was put in as the starter on day 1 and has struggled heavily at times. But he is obviously progressing and he shows some promises for the future. What makes his case interesting is his age. He is a rookie at 28, an age when most other QBs are usually seasoned veterans. Having him sit for a couple of seasons would move him over the 30s. At this age some QBs already show signs of decline. We will see how Weeden's career evolves. If Weeden succeeds along with the success of some other senior rookie QBs (Luck) teams could be looking for some "experience" out of college.

Only the time will tell if the new approach to rookie Quarterbacks will pay dividends for teams and players...

The monster is growing.

US Today has just published the 2012 version of the NCAA Football coaches salary database. And what we see is hard to believe. As they state only "six years ago 42 major college football coaches made at least $1 million. Today, 42 make at least $2 million." Coaches salaries in FBS schools are up 12% over last season and have increased an eye-whopping 70% since 2006. Alabama's Nick Saban is the highest paid at $5.5 million.

This is amazing! Institutions of higher education are paying enormous sums to coaches, who have no academic background, to run a football program, which should at best be an activity for students to spend their free time in a healthy way. Well, that ideal is long gone. I have mentioned that numerous times in the past. But why is the monster NCAA still growing that fast? College Football is popular for a long time and the growth rates in media attention and TV contracts is far from what is going on with coaches salaries.

Is something fundamentally wrong with the labor market for FBS coaches? In the past we used to see coaches move from the collegiate level to the NFL because of greater job opportunities. Obviously, this could change. Data shows that--on average--colleges do not profit financially from their sports programs. There is also some evidence that running large sport programs can influence student achievements. It is still debated whether it is fair to leave participating students without financial compensation. Looking at the current figures in terms of coaches wages we see that, for whatever reason, colleges pay enormous sums for something they might not actually benefit from. Rents seem to be generated - and as for now it seems as they are almost exclusively shared with the coaches. Most likely this a result of the non-competitive character of the BCS system.