Dak and Deshaun: A Look at Black Quarterbacks
posted by Ja'Shawn Steward-Johnson | October 13, 2017 | In Opinion, SportsTwo years ago, I proclaimed that Cam Newton would obliterate that stereotype to be the new prototype for all quarterbacks. In 2015, Newton elevated his game to new heights, winning a MVP trophy en route to a 15-1 record and a Super Bowl appearance. By the end of this season, it was clear that Newton would be the one to reverse the stigma of Black quarterbacks being better athletes than quarterbacks.
Representation will forever be key. There has always been the stereotype that Black quarterbacks are better athletes than quarterbacks, better with their legs than their brain or arm.
Newton was supposed to be the player that invalidates that thinking.
Flash forward to today, it appears that I was too quick to crown Cam Newton as the future of quarterbacks everywhere. His game has been inconsistent since his MVP season, and it appears he is in the proverbial “sunken place” after he said, in a 2016 interview, that “we’re beyond [racism] as a nation.”
So, today, I am a on a new quest to find the new, melanated future of quarterbacks to crown. The requirements are simple. Be good and be Black, preferably unapologetic.
My exhaustive search led me to the state of Texas, where two Black quarterbacks lead their respective teams– Houston Texans’ Deshaun Watson and Dallas Cowboys’ Dak Prescott– to wins.
At Clemson, where Deshaun Watson attended college, he won a national championship against Alabama and the Heisman (most outstanding player in college football) in his final year. The first-rounder won his first start, almost defeated the defeated champs in his second, and won conference player of the week in the next. He has 15 touchdowns through six games and ten total in two consecutive games (both NFL rookie records).
Outside of his performance on the field, he has shown his respect for the legends before, donning a vintage Houston Oilers Warren Moon jersey. (The significance of this is important because Moon is the first Black QB to make the Hall of Fame despite being shunned to playing in Canada for six years after he left college.) Previously, Watson donated one of his game checks to three Texans employees who lost everything during Hurricane Harvey. Watson possesses both the talent and “likeability” to become star.
Three and a half hours away in Dallas, Dak Prescott is the face of America’s team, and by extension, he’s a step away from being the face of the NFL. All Prescott did in his rookie year was win 13 games (NFL rookie record), make the Pro Bowl, and win NFL Rookie of the Year after starting the season as a third-stringer. The fourth round pick left Mississippi State with a decorated career to break records in the NFL. He broke Tom Brady’s record when he threw the most consecutive passes without an interception to start his career. Off the field, coaches and teammates rave about his work-ethic and character.
Although Prescott and Watson battle for the crown, that doesn’t make them the “best” Black quarterback, per se. Just the best positioned for the next decade to be king. I would be negligent not to adequately mention Seattle’s Russell Wilson, who is still a superstar player. Two years before Newton’s MVP, Wilson had become the second Black quarterback to win a Super Bowl and he was a play away from consecutive titles. Not to be outdone in the football world, Wilson recently married and had a baby with popstar Ciara. If anyone should wear the quarterback crown, you would think it would be Wilson. However, the 5’11”, 215-pounder will always be an outlier and exception among NFL quarterbacks. He doesn’t boast prototypical size or arm strength to be the model for quarterbacks.
Honorable mentions to young Black quarterbacks DeShone Kizer of the Cleveland Browns, Patrick Mahomes II of the Kansas City Chiefs, Jacoby Brissett of the Indianapolis Colts, and Teddy Bridgewater of the Minnesota Vikings, all trying to establish themselves for seasons to come.
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