I am writing with the hope to address the general sentiment that Trent Green's age is a valid reason why he will not perform well.
The facts:
-Trent Green was born on July 9th, 1970. He will be 37 years old by the start of the season.
-He was drafted in the 8th round in 1993 by the San Diego Chargers, giving him 14 years of professional experience.
-Out of those 14 years, Green did not play a down in 5 of them
-Out of the remaining 9 years, Green played in only one game in 1 of them
-In 2000, he played in eight games (five starts) in relief of an injured Kurt Warner
-From 2001 to 2005, he played in all 16 contests each year
So...out of a possible 224 games, Green has played in 113. That is roughly 7 years of league play.
If a rookie quarterback enters the league at age 23 and starts for 7 years, at age 30, would people be calling him "old," "ancient," "grandpa," etc.? I think not.
Now, I am not saying that Trent Green is in the physical condition of a 30 year old, but he is a "young" 37. Age is only a number, but if you must, I would consider him more of a 32-33 year old quarterback than a 36-37 year old one.
I liken his situation to a quarterback who won the league MVP not too long ago. Rich Gannon was playing at a very high level into his late 30's, and won the MVP as a 37 year old. Another quarterback, aged 37, led his team to the playoffs last year and landed a lucrative deal this offseason in Jeff Garcia. All three quarterbacks have in common that they were used sparingly in the early portion of their career and thus did not suffer the wear and tear on their bodies that comes with playing professional football.
So, my point is that it is foolish to use age as a reason for Green to be a horrible acquisition. If you do choose to bash the trade, point to what we gave up, his playoff record, his injury history, etc.
I, for one, see a quarterback who, when healthy, has proven to be one of the most efficient QB's in the league. During his span with the Chiefs from 2001-2005, he posted an average of 4,023 yards, 22 touchdowns, 15 interceptions, and a QB rating of 88.3. That, while playing on a team with marginal/poor wide receivers, albiet a great tight end and running game. We haven't had quarterback play that has produced numbers like that since, well, you know who.
The obvious key is to protect him, as the Chiefs had a good o-line for years. Green's knowledge of Cam Cameron's system will help, as he will know where to go with the ball. And Ronnie Brown has to continue to get better, taking pressure off of Green to force to make plays. I think Green's experience and demeanor will be nothing but an asset for our young quarterbacks, in particular John Beck. Green is a consummate pro, and that will surely rub off on Beck.
Now, after all of that, would I have made the trade? No, I would not have. I would have liked to moved forward with Daunte, Cleo, and John. I would have had an open competition, with the most likey scenario being Cleo Lemon starting, Beck as the #2 initially, and keeping Daunte as the #3 until he was 100% healthy. When/if he did reach 100% health, then I would have looked to play him (if we were out of the playoff race) or if we were having a good year to retain him and then try to deal him in the offseason.
However, the situation is as stands and we should make the most out of having Trent Green as a quarterback for the Miami Dolphins. :bighug:
The facts:
-Trent Green was born on July 9th, 1970. He will be 37 years old by the start of the season.
-He was drafted in the 8th round in 1993 by the San Diego Chargers, giving him 14 years of professional experience.
-Out of those 14 years, Green did not play a down in 5 of them
-Out of the remaining 9 years, Green played in only one game in 1 of them
-In 2000, he played in eight games (five starts) in relief of an injured Kurt Warner
-From 2001 to 2005, he played in all 16 contests each year
So...out of a possible 224 games, Green has played in 113. That is roughly 7 years of league play.
If a rookie quarterback enters the league at age 23 and starts for 7 years, at age 30, would people be calling him "old," "ancient," "grandpa," etc.? I think not.
Now, I am not saying that Trent Green is in the physical condition of a 30 year old, but he is a "young" 37. Age is only a number, but if you must, I would consider him more of a 32-33 year old quarterback than a 36-37 year old one.
I liken his situation to a quarterback who won the league MVP not too long ago. Rich Gannon was playing at a very high level into his late 30's, and won the MVP as a 37 year old. Another quarterback, aged 37, led his team to the playoffs last year and landed a lucrative deal this offseason in Jeff Garcia. All three quarterbacks have in common that they were used sparingly in the early portion of their career and thus did not suffer the wear and tear on their bodies that comes with playing professional football.
So, my point is that it is foolish to use age as a reason for Green to be a horrible acquisition. If you do choose to bash the trade, point to what we gave up, his playoff record, his injury history, etc.
I, for one, see a quarterback who, when healthy, has proven to be one of the most efficient QB's in the league. During his span with the Chiefs from 2001-2005, he posted an average of 4,023 yards, 22 touchdowns, 15 interceptions, and a QB rating of 88.3. That, while playing on a team with marginal/poor wide receivers, albiet a great tight end and running game. We haven't had quarterback play that has produced numbers like that since, well, you know who.
The obvious key is to protect him, as the Chiefs had a good o-line for years. Green's knowledge of Cam Cameron's system will help, as he will know where to go with the ball. And Ronnie Brown has to continue to get better, taking pressure off of Green to force to make plays. I think Green's experience and demeanor will be nothing but an asset for our young quarterbacks, in particular John Beck. Green is a consummate pro, and that will surely rub off on Beck.
Now, after all of that, would I have made the trade? No, I would not have. I would have liked to moved forward with Daunte, Cleo, and John. I would have had an open competition, with the most likey scenario being Cleo Lemon starting, Beck as the #2 initially, and keeping Daunte as the #3 until he was 100% healthy. When/if he did reach 100% health, then I would have looked to play him (if we were out of the playoff race) or if we were having a good year to retain him and then try to deal him in the offseason.
However, the situation is as stands and we should make the most out of having Trent Green as a quarterback for the Miami Dolphins. :bighug:
