It’s an interesting question for sure, but I would also say that the stats for the past before all of the passing rules became what they are now are not apples to apples…I think a QB is so much more integral now. John Harbaugh is a great example…he is a great coach…he didn’t all of a sudden become a shit coach once Lamar got hurt The converse is interesting also…bad QBs like Zach or Fields are coach-killers…even Parcells couldn’t win with guys like that probably, but the difference is Parcells wouldn’t keep trotting them out there…he just wouldn’t tolerate shit play
Yes, this only works when the replacement is good (or in the case of Nick Foles, does a deal with the devil to crush his disciple the Hoodie ). Part of being a great coach is recognizing what you have and what you need to do. Eagles changed their offense up with Foles. Brady and Warner both came in due to injury, but the coaches realized what they had and kept them and supported them. Another good example is Russell Wilson in 2011 where Pete Carroll basically cut their high priced QB acquisition in training camp in favor of their 3rd round QB. Then we have coaches like AG, Rex, Stefansky, etc who just stick with bad QB play like a deer in the headlights because they don't know better or don't have the guts to make tough decisions, I don't know why.
Meanwhile Justin Herbert wishes he had the career that Lamar had with arguably equal talent. The difference? Worse coaching
“Here’s a bunch of ways where coaches still won with there backups when their star QB went down”. I mean, the Jets drafting and developing an elite QB is enough of a stretch. Doing it without an elite coach is a bigger one.
I remember when the Seahawks took Matt Flynn in 2012 and he must've thought he was going to be the face of that franchise for the next 10 years after his amazing performances in 2011
Nick Foles looked terrible with the Rams, Bears and Jaguars. Why does he look good under Andy Reid and Doug Pederson but not anywhere else? Why does Trevor Lawrence's best season come with Doug Pederson but struggle every other year? Tom Brady straight up tells you that good coaching develops quarterbacks. He specifically mentions that's exactly what's wrong with the league because they expect QBs to be ready out the gate. He certainly was not a top tier QB without proper coaching Kurt Warner was certainly not a top tier QB off the street after stints with the Arena League, which was why he was bagging groceries. He became one with a proper organization and development. Not to mention Marc Bulger played great and overtook him. So an undrafted AFL player (warner) and 6th round pick (bulger) were simply had greatness off the street and on the bench that the coaches were lucky to land on? Why do coaching staffs never get credit for developing QBs? Both Mahomes and Josh Allen were 100% not elite QBs out the gate, they're nowhere near the same qbs they were in college, they were developed by proper coaching. How does Jared Goff go from a historically awful rookie season with Jeff Fisher to an elite season with McVay? Are you saying Matt Stafford wasn't elite enough to overcome going 13-29 with Matt Patricia? But leaves and somehow wins a super bowl the next year with McVay? Why do struggling QBs like Sam Darnold and Mac Jones suddenly look great with the 49ers once they get there? Could it be related to last pick of the draft Brock Purdy playing great? Wow the 49ers are so fortunate top tier talent keep walking in to their facility. Historically there's far more instances where strong coaches pushed the team to success with lesser QBs or turned them into one. The only time an elite qb overcame a weak coach was Barry Switzer.
