In turn (and in a strangely unexpected twist), playing Fallout recently has reminded me of my love for football. All these layered and massive open world RPG’s that I loved as a kid are a different beast now. I’m immeasurably more analytical than I was as a kid.

When I was 13 years old, I was not going to look up the best gun tiers or the easiest path for this or that type of character build. Back then, I just knew I wanted the mad chill blue turtle.

Nowadays, as an analyst by profession and an avid Seahawks fan by heart, I try to understand the full picture. I’m searching for every advanced stat and any blip on the radar about who will be and who should be the next player to pop off. Believe me, fantasy football does not help with this mindset. It’s so easy to see players as commodities and statistics.

You see, back in the days I just knew my favorite star player would come through in the clutch. It was not about letting a company with a three-letter acronym grade my local great (not that PFF or PFN are bad things). The Seahawks were superheroes to me in my infantile fandom. It was a pure love and devotion to watching and letting my opinions form through observation. Not through an unhinged message board community (not that Reddit is a bad thing).

How about this: what if this is our chance as 12’s to see football with fresh eyes? No matter what you thought about the transition to a new coach, football is new. I mean hell we got our first joint practice this year! That was a new thing to learn for all of us, in a season of newness.

All of my characters in RPG’s now are optimally built super machines. I’ve usually looked up the most optimal way to approach each mission, and the meaningful impact of any major decisions I make as a player. This is basically me playing rpgs in my 30’s:

Just kidding, I still enjoy. Much as I try to read the numbers and learn more deeply about where the team’s strengths and weaknesses are, that doesn’t take away from the joy of a hard-fought game/boss/match.

Mike McDonald has apparently been in his bag lately. I hope to sit and watch Mikey Mac play his brand of football… The new Seahawks, brand of football, against the New York Jets this week. That will be a joyous activity, as I attend for my first game ever at MetLife Stadium in the Big Apple. There’s something about exploring a new city (guided by either your in-game pip boy, or your IRL Yelp app) that transmutes your emotions into the highest forms of joy, excitement and alertness.

Firing Pete Carroll was leaving the vault. We are wandering across the wasteland of Seahawk fandom to see what we can scrounge before the next pivotal moment in this adventure. I encourage us all to take it in, and see the simple joys of football that many of us fell in love with in our formative years.

After choking out the Arizona Cardinals, Mike Macdonald said: “I just think a credit goes to our coaches and our players, and everyone in the building of just like, understanding of what we’re trying to build and when it’s not that way, then you just hammer away. Just go to work and work on our processes, and try to figure out, schematically, what we’re good at. Puttin’ our guys in better situations… so it’s just kind of everybody working together all the time, stayin’ together, trustin’ the process, and then you have games where you feel like you played pretty good and helped your team win the game. But it’s about consistency”.

In a coach’s first year, they commonly want to boil their philosophy down to the most crucial aspects. To see a franchise be built from the ground up is akin to the type of experience I had as a kid seeing cranes and dump trucks. For my Fallout players, do you remember assigning your first perk and fighting your first ghoul? Sometimes we’ve got to revel in those simple joys of observation and experience.

There’s been a rather large outcry among 12’s over the flags DK has incurred against the offense. Understandably so, as it hurts the team with penalty yards. I saw an article this week about where the Seattle Seahawks should be looking to trade him…

Get real. Isn’t this getting a little out of hand? This is a player that Pete Carroll absolutely loves on his team. A rock that the Hawks built around on offense after trading Russell Wilson.

Metcalf is a hard-working, unique talent who commands attention and coverage. He opens things up for his teammates and by all accounts encourages them to be their best. We’ve even heard DK be used a measuring stick in practice to determine how our young DB’s can hold up against the elite, physical receivers that now populate the league.

Although JSN had some nice catches, and Bobo took us to the circus with his catch, the Seattle Seahawks were not nearly as explosive against the Cardinals without number 14!

Metcalf is a passionate player who brings an element of bully ball and even psychological warfare to the offense. Just ask pro bowl corner, Darius Slay! (Here is the visual component to that hilarious story).

Let’s look at our rivals in the NFC West. Trent Williams, for instance, is that badass element for the Niners. Aaron Donald is the big bully for the Rams. James Connor is the tough guy for the Cards.

These players bring such a dynamic element that we may not even sense from the stands or the couch. The element of intimidation and mystique is 100% a thing in the NFL. Sometimes you may live with the occasional outburst if things aren’t going their way.

A lot didn’t go Metcalf’s way in his last appearance against a young, talented and possibly underrated Bengals secondary. Despite being targeted 10 times, Dekaylin Metcalf only caught 4 balls for 69 scoreless yards.

“‘The bullies get bullied,’ said slot cornerback Mike Hilton, who had a huge red-zone pick. ‘We know that’s Metcalf’s type of game. He wants to get in corners’  heads. But we knew once we put 29 (Taylor-Britt) on him, all that was dead. He’s not used to guys pushing back and getting physical with him, Once the game plan was for Cam to follow 14 (Metcalf), we knew what time it was.'”

— Via Bengals.com

Strong words from the winning opponent… they also speak to a certain level of respect for Metcalf’s reputation and notoriety. DK Metcalf regularly gets in opponents heads, but there are times when he grows frustrated when that tactic isn’t working.

You don’t want Metcalf to suddenly become a soft, finesse player. That’s not his game. We want to retain the benefits of him being somewhat of a feared player across the league.

Safety, Julian Love had this to say when he signed with the Seahawks in free agency:

“This offense has a chip on its shoulder. I haven’t been around that too much; usually, it’s the defense that always has that swag, that energy.”

— Via Bump and Stacy of Seattle Sports

This is why the matchups between DK Metcalf and Jalen Ramsey were must-see-TV! They were both bullies who impacted the game in multiple ways.

Ideally, the focus should be on getting the player to understand that you need to approach that line and not cross it, as Ray Roberts astutely pointed out on Seattle Sports.

Pete Carroll had the to say recently when discussing Metcalf:

“It’s a competitiveness that’s special in guys, but you have to channel it properly and that comes with experience, and sometimes it comes with the pain of it”

Hopefully Abe Lucas gets back soon to help give our point-scoring operation more time, and to share the tough guy mantle with DK Metcalf for the Seahawks offense!

The story of the season very well may be Russell Wilson at the peak of his powers, cooking like we’ve never seen before. He had 5 passing tuddies on Sunday. He’s the leading man in a premature MVP race, and being discussed on every talk show with regards to who sits on the QB throne at the moment. He deserves it, as he’s been consistently great for us. We almost expect his greatness and wizardry at this point, but it should not be taken for granted.

The defense also made quite the impressive goal line stand, stuffing the prolific and highly impressive Cam Newton (who has shut a lot of ya’ll up) from doing what he has done so many times. I’m hoping that this is the beginning of a little swag to L.J. Collier’s game (he also batted one of Cam Newton’s passes at the line). Hopefully now he knows that he can play with the big boys.

You know who already knew that before the rest of America did? D.K. Metcalf. Not only did he make it rough on an elite cornerback in Stephon Gilmore, but he took the physicality straight to his throat! Metcalf dominated the reigning Defensive Player of the Year with 4 catches for 92 yards and a 54 yard TD with said player draped all over his back. This was a lockdown corner, and both D.K. and Russ went right at him. That’s the level of confidence they have in each other.

Does everybody understand that D.K. Metcalf went super saiyan? Gilmore was getting manhandled and straight bullied out there!! Some will talk about that 160-yard explosion in Philly in the playoffs last year being his breakout game… but against the Patriots, D.K. announced to the world that he’s just heating up. If you think that cornerbacks, safeties and defensive coordinators around the league didn’t watch in awe, and that it’ll change how they defend us, then its time to wake up. Metcalf is a problem. The best of the best became a speed bump in his path. When asked about the matchup and how it seemed that Metcalf got the better of him, Stephon Gilmore replied: “Russell Wilson is a great quarterback” ().

D.K. Metcalf is a taller, heavier AND faster Terrell Owens. Now, T.O. is a hall of famer, and one of the top 5 most prolific receivers ever, so don’t get it twisted… but I’m just sayin’, these are the type of tools that D.K. is working with. He’s no longer some prospect to watch. He proved himself to be a weapon who can dominate whoever, whenever. Should we start calling him Baby T.O.?

Can’t wait to see what else Russell and D.K. cook up together this season. That will be an enjoyable side quest to this season. Having a legitimate threat, such as Metcalf, changes the complexion and play calling of the Hawks’ O. He is also starving to get his respect, and I’m here for allahdat.

Football came back, and that was great. CEH was a playmaker… but the above tweet perfectly encapsulates my biggest takeaway from watching the start of the NFL season between the the Chiefs and the Texans. The hyper-aggressive lack of empathy was disgusting to see, to say the least. Our country is broken to the point where people are booing a moment of unity between different teams and different races. We must keep pushing for change, and the strengthening of our communities.

I feel lucky that we have such an intelligent, talented and empathetic coach in Pete Carroll who supports and advocates for the things that impact his players’ lives. Among so many prepared statements by other heads of organizations, Pete’s words come across incredibly genuine and humble. Can’t wait to see the squad get down on Sunday!

Pete said in a recent interview on KJR: “I’ve had the good fortune of coaching some really good safeties over the years and there’s reason to believe that this guy can do just about anything the other guys have ever done”. That list of great safeties includes Polamalu, Chancellor and Thomas III. If that is true… WOW.

I’ve mentioned before that there is generally a 50% hit rate on 1st round draft picks. Half of them work out, and the other half don’t. How many of those become 1st team All-Pros at their position? Even less. Combining this notion with a look back at the track record of the Seattle Seahawks’ recent 1st round draft picks: a bird in the hand. An unfortunate reality that is also part of this whole deal is the instability of next year’s draft due to COVID related college football cancellations. We won’t get the chance to see, scout and evaluate the top prospects in next year’s draft in the same way as usual.

If you can recall, the Jets’ division rival Dolphins wanted their GM fired (Fireland) because of not having the huevos to make big moves. Seattle is the exact opposite. Pete Carroll and John Schneider are going for gold and aggressively reimagining their defense the way they want it. Getting Quinton Dunbar, who was graded as the 2nd best corner in the NFL last season by Pro Football Focus, from the Football Team is another thing to be hyped about. We got a lockdown corner instead of a locked up corner. We’ve now got Quandre Diggs (a pro bowler and former Lions team captain) and Jamal Adams (with his All-Pro talents) at safety. We’ve got Shaquill Griffin (another pro bowler) and Dunbar (with his aforementioned PFF grades) at corner, with Tre Flowers and Ugo Amadi having solid starting experience at outside and slot corner (respectively) coming off the bench. Marquise Blair has been impressing as a 2nd round safety converting to slot. This has transformed into a pretty legit secondary.

I imagined a different route to a defensive resurgence, but hey, this front office has earned my trust. Pete wants to stop deep plays, keep everything in front of them with the safeties, freeing up the corners to jam receivers at the line and make aggressive plays to hit ball carriers immediately and create turnovers. That’s his defensive philosophy. Single-high safety (Quandre) cover 3 scheme allowed for more playmakers in the box (that will be Jamal). This defensive framework has led to unprecedented prosperity in the PNW, so we need to ride with our guy while we still have him. Fingers crossed that the young guys can step up to create a pass rush.

It looks like the Hawks will ride with Rasheem Green + L.J.Collier (last year’s 1st round pick who didn’t play) at strong-side defensive end, and possibly kick inside on pass rushing downs. Across the formation, a combo of Bruce Irvin, Benson Mayowa and rookies Darrell Taylor and Alton Robinson will hold down the fort as Leo Edge Rushers, and double up when the strong-side guys move inside. While I’m nervous about this pass rush rotation and it’s lack of a menacing presence, a la Jadeveon Clowney, let’s not overlook the fact that Adams is cheaper this year than McDougald would’ve been (!). That frees up some space to potentially trade (before the season or during) for a player that may come available or who fits a screaming need. Will that be O-line? Will that be pass rush (DE’s or DT’s such as Snacks Harrison & Marcell Dareus)? We can wait to see if Clowney would take $8-12M to chase a trophy… if not, go get someone else. I hate to say it, but if Jordyn Brooks (this year’s surprise 1st round pick) comes along in his development at linebacker, our guy K.J. Wright could be a trade piece that we move during the season to acquire another player/free up cap space. Pete and John are great at evaluating in-season.

The final piece of this is that we not only prevented the fellow NFC-contending Cowboys from unleashing Jamal Adams, but we also successfully stopped the Niners (who we should have a healthy, begrudging respect for) from getting Adams and creating their own version of a neo-L.O.B. PHEW. When you are as consistently good as the Hawks have been, roster construction isn’t just about your team, but also about how you match up with other good teams in your conference. We now have a player that can confidently match up with George Kittle. Remember when Kam Chancellor struck fear into the hearts of the frontrunning Niners and their beast of a tight end a few years back? That helped to usher in a near decade of Seahawks dominance in the NFC West. When you see a bad dude get punked by an even badder dude, it changes the whole tone of the contest. Guys feed off of that energy. Jamal Adams plays the same position, and has the ability to rival Kam’s exploits… no cap.

Now, there could be an acclimation period, with no rookie camp, team minicamps, OTA’s, preseason or extended training camp this year for our defense to get on the same page. Either way, Pete and John have infused talent and energy into this entire team. No risk-it, no biscuit. Jamal Adams could very well be a culture-shifting game-wrecker all over the field who helps to galvanize this defense. We just brought another serious piece with a dawg mentality to the fight because Pete and John play to win. Is it possible that someday when we look back at Pete Carroll’s legacy in Seattle, that we’ll talk about the old and new testaments of the L.O.B.?? We can only hope that our defense lives up to all of its potential. Pete always gives us a swinging chance to be great. Russ is ready and just hitting his prime. If we can win the division, our team has the swagger and the magic to make it to another Super Bowl. I said it. I’m talkin’ really big rings.

Seattle Seahawks order of needs (as it stands):

• Defensive End

• Corner (competition)
• Offensive Tackle
• Defensive Tackle (rotational)
• Center
• Running Back
• Outside Linebacker
• Quarterback

Free Agent Targets:

Ndamukong Suh, Michael Pierce, Timmy Jernigan, Alex Collins, P.J. Walker, Jimmy Smith, Ronald Darby, Daryl Worley, De’Vondre Campbell

So, if defensive end is our most pressing need by far, then why don’t I have Jadeveon Clowney listed in my Free Agent Targets section? As much as I loved the move to get Jadeveon Clowney in a trade, I think that it may be a good idea to consider a different option at this point. While it may sound crazy at first, I think that the Seahawks should let Clowney join another team in free agency and make a blockbuster trade for Yannick Nicolas Ngakoue of the Jacksonville Jaguars. I’m in the minority here but let me explain.

The first stat that I’ll throw out there is that Yannick Ngakoue has 37.5 sacks over the last 4 years for the Jaguars, without any season total lower than 8. I want to let you know that this means he has been very good at dropping QB’s. For comparison’s sake, Von Miller has 46 sacks the last 4 years. Jadeveon Clowney (who had 3 sacks this past year) has 27.5 sacks in the last 4 years, and 29 sacks in his 4 final years with the Houston Texans. Believe it or not, Clowney has never registered double digit sacks in a season in the NFL. Clowney is a former #1 overall pick in the first round with name recognition. Ngakoue is a former 3rd-round pick. While we can begin to try to justify with points about there being differences from team to scheme, Yannick has taken advantage of opportunities at every point.

But… but! What about everything we’ve invested in Clowney??

Jadeveon Clowney was a nice roll of the dice that didn’t quite land as the Seahawks had hoped. Luckily, we took advantage of the GM-less Texans to not have to give up much to get him (sound familiar?) The real beauty of the Clowney trade is that if he walks in free agency, we can quite possibly recoup the 3rd round pick that we traded for him in the compensatory draft! Seahawks GM, John Schneider doesn’t just do this for praise: he is a shrewd businessman with eyes always to the future who takes calculated shots. He’s also rolled the dice on Marshawn Lynch, Percy Harvin, Jimmy Graham, and Sheldon Richardson.

Ultimately, it’s been speculated that Jadeveon may be better suited standing up as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 defensive scheme. Yannick Ngakoue is a designated pass rusher (DPR) who has the chance to be great in the right scheme! Ngakoue was a part of that great ‘Sacksonville”, “Teal Curtain” defense from a couple years ago. He’s already been a consistent producer who outproduced a former 1st round pick (Dante Fowler). He’s made it known that he doesn’t want to continue to play in Jacksonville. He’s just entering his prime and eerily reminds me of a Michael Bennett or Cliff Avril type of addition.

You know the names, but they are not superstars. They are young, ascending pass rushers with time to develop. That’s Yannick. BUT, in his 4 years with the Jags, Yannick has more than double the count of sacks that Bennett had in his 4 years with the Bucs prior to signing in Seattle. Now, Ngakoue was drafted in the 3rd round while Bennett was undrafted… but with Yannick, there is added security since he’s been ballin’ since day 1. I don’t care if it takes a 1st and a 2nd (what we got for Frank Clark) … go get this young bull!! See if I care… We have two 2nds, so there!

It would be nice if, like Dee Ford, this trade would only cost a 2nd. The good/bad news is that Ngakoue has been WAY more consistent than Ford was prior to his trade. Imagine if the compensation is a 1st and a 3rd: We’d most likely get a 3rd back for Clowney walking, and we basically will have only had to give up a 1st round pick (and look better than the Chiefs)! First round picks generally have about a 50% success rate. I’d rather have a young, proven option than take the next confusing Seahawks pick behind door #3 and hoping he doesn’t redshirt like L.J. Collier. A lethal pass rush would take our defense (and, quite possibly the play of our secondary) to the next level. Pete Carroll knows this well.

I’ve heard talk of targeting Everson Griffen, formerly of the Vikings. Pete coached him in college, and could convince him to throw his purple in the sky like a toxic ex. He may be nearing the end of his career and has had some personal issues to work through in the recent past. That may not be the best fit for what this team is currently building. Targeting Jadeveon Clowney has the potential to initiate this whole dance again next year. There are rumors that his lack of a mega contract offer this year makes him want to take a 1-year deal so that he can raise his value and hit the market again in 2021. Yannick may be more amenable to starting over and signing a long-term deal. We want someone who is trying to invest in what we are building. Ask Sherman and Bennett.

We are, of course, not the only team that would be interested in Ngakoue’s services. If we get involved in a bidding war with say, the Bills, Dolphins and Giants, John Schneider may bow out. Even in that scenario, let’s remember that proven pass rushers who are just hitting their prime don’t usually come available. It may be time to follow Lil Jon’s advice and take another shot. Adding a player that could be the catalyst to a lasting defensive revitalization in Seattle should be a priority. Yannick Ngakoue feels like the kind of consistent, driven and prototypical defensive end who the Seahawks would love to deploy. He feels like a guy that belongs in blue and action green.

The truth is, unless you share similar experiences to, or an affinity for that specific culture, you may not be quite as excited as this particular individual who thought it was a worthy enough fact to interrupt the paid entertainment with. We can all, however, be appreciative of being able to witness someone filled with pride, that another person who shares characteristics similar to their own can be successful.

An inability to understand the scenario described above is actually a matter of privilege. Privilege, in itself, is not an inherently bad thing… but it can be a very large hindrance to your ability to see the perspective of others. Let’s examine.

I myself, am partl black, and I have a friend who is white. I actually have quite a few friends who are white; but this particular Caucasian kemosabe in question grew up in an extremely white part of his city. In fact, in college, he told me that I was his very first black friend or acquaintance. I felt somewhat honored that I got to break him in, and joked that I hope I don’t mess it up for all the rest. To say the least, my friend and I were raised in very different cultures, but we both ended up teaching each other a lot. We built a lot of trust, and had some very insightful and incisive conversations. We both introduced each other to different things that we loved (movies, music, food, hobbies), and had some real Remember the Titans moments.

My friend and I loved to watch and play sports together, united by our love for competition as well as for the Seattle Seahawks. I’ll never forget one day him stopping me, and saying, “Hey, I notice you cheer specifically for all of the black quarterbacks to succeed, and make it a big deal about their race… why don’t you do that for all of the white ones as well?” He even seemed a little annoyed by it. If it was anyone else, I may have been offended by the question. Coming from this guy, I knew it was coming from a place of naiveté. Our conversation also made me realize that the “societal majority” doesn’t usually share the same understanding of kinship that we as minorities in American society feel with each other. Why is it that Koreans moms (according to a good friend) who don’t know each other, can easily strike up conversation like old friends in public? How do you explain ‘the nod’ that many of us black men give each other (which I remember observing from my father from a young age)? He genuinely didn’t get it.

I explained to him some of the reasons why I love to see black quarterbacks succeed after a history of being shut out of that role on the team. I’ve written previously about how blacks were not even considered intellectually capable of even being able to play the position. Whenever I see a black quarterback excelling at quarterback, that feels like a win for society and social progress to me! He never felt this sort of a kinship and hope for success for white quarterbacks, because he never lacked for representation in that arena. He never had to think twice about whether or not there were any that were capable of succeeding! White quarterbacks have never been doubted solely because of their skin tone.

So many minority groups have given undying support to such celebrities as Jackie Robinson, Manny Pacquiao, Jeremy Lin, Conor McGregor, Jackie Chan, Canelo Álvarez, Tiger Woods, Shakira, The Rock, Yao Ming, heck… even Eminem can (somewhat) be included in this discussion! Whenever an individual who isn’t a part of the majority finds notoriety, it becomes noteworthy. Those of us who identify with them feel a sense of endearment to them. Witnessing them being able to hold a measure of power, voice and influence that our group does not usually hold is a feeling that cannot be explained.

This is also a reason why I reluctantly included Eminem in the above examples. Although it cannot fully extend as an example, since white males are the majority in America, the subject of Slim Shady may be one of the closest where white people may be able to (even in a tiny, tiny way) understand this feeling of minority kinship. Em has been rightly celebrated for his unapologetically gritty demeanor, deep rhymes, and constant F-you attitude towards the world. White people really did rally to embrace his whole persona in rap. Black listeners, and fellow collaborators liked him too. White people could be born in rough neighborhoods, rely on a gangster mentality and spit bars too! They finally weren’t precluded (or billed as a gimmick) because of their race! He may not have been my idol, but that did seem cool to me.

This is why we all care about seeing a person that we relate to succeed where others traditionally haven’t. It is an even more amplified and unexplainable feeling for us as minorities because of complicated issues such as westernized standards of success and beauty in American society, and things like homophily. Each achievement can feel like a shattering of a glass ceiling and a removal of any real or implied cap on our potential.

All of this is why it has been a joy to watch black quarterbacks in 2019 shattering all kinds of barriers. This is truly the golden age of black quarterbacking! It isn’t that I root against white quarterbacks… When the Seattle Seahawks acquired Matt Flynn in 2013, I hoped with everything in me that he would turn out to be the greatest QB to ever live! Brett Favre is one of my favorites of all time. I could go down the list talking about great white quarterbacks that I’ve admired and continue to root for. But there is something special about seeing athletes that look like me (just a little more in shape) reach those heights as well.

Let’s celebrate together! Starting with my hometown team, it is pretty special that Russell Wilson, a black quarterback, became the highest paid player in NFL history this past summer. Other’s have gotten paid since, but can you imagine how crazy it must be to witness for those who have lived in a world where African Americans were paid peanuts (if that) compared to white men?? That world wasn’t too long ago to be honest with you. Wilson is a perennial MVP candidate, owns tremendous mental toughness, has a black backup quarterback in Geno Smith, and is generally a standup guy and great example in numerous ways.

Of course, Lamar Jackson has been transcendent, and has rivaled Wilson in a spectacular battle for the Most Valuable Player award in 2019. Lamar is a true weapon at the position and has the ability to wreck the league and change the game going forward. People doubted whether or not he could be a functional NFL quarterback, and some even heavily suggested that he would need to switch positions to find success in this league. Jackson has proven himself with a vengeance, while justifying any and all comparisons to dual-threat godfather, Michael Vick in the process.

How can we forget about Patrick Mahomes! He is a young prodigy at the position, and the defending league MVP as a black quarterback. Mahomes’ offensive output in 2018 was prolific, and if he is back for the playoffs this year, Kansas City has to be seen as a threat to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. He has the potential to break a lot of passing records in this league.

There is a very good chance that a black quarterback wins MVP of the NFL this season. The top 3 MVP candidates coming into Week 11 were all black quarterbacks (Jackson, Wilson and Houston’s Deshaun Watson). Let that sink in… that means that we’d have back-to-back different black quarterbacks win the league’s highest honor. In that scenario, 3 of the last 5 MVP’s (Cam Newton won in 2015 while carrying his team’s offense) will be different black quarterbacks! How about the fact that in 2019 so far, the top 5 quarterbacks in QBR (Total Quarterback Rating) are all African American! Of the top 10 QB’s in passing touchdowns, 6 of them are black!

A great take I heard from Max Kellerman (of all people), is that the fact that there are black quarterbacks in starting positions that represent different points on the talent spectrum is one of the biggest signs that there has been progress. No longer does a black QB have to be undeniably great to even get a shot. We have the legends above, as well as mid-tier and even low-tier guys (guys like Geno Smith come to mind) and backups (Tyrod Taylor). Will we even get the chance for Colin Kaepernick to rightfully earn a QB job in the league after all that has been said and done? I don’t know the answer to that, but there are plenty of guys showing us that anything is possible.

Dak Prescott leads the league in passing yards, and is the quarterback of “America’s Team” in Dallas. Jameis Winston is second in the league in passing yards, and has been afforded many chances in Tampa Bay to prove that he can lead his team. Dwayne Haskins is a first round rookie and potential heir to the throne in D.C. who has been named the starter for the rest of the season. Teddy Bridgewater aggressively pursued a 2-year comeback from a horrific, life-threatening leg injury to go 5-0 in Drew Brees’ stead while throwing for 9 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Jacoby Brissett has had the chance to pilot the Indianapolis Colts as the unquestioned starter after Andrew Luck’s shocking retirement and a lackluster first year with the team. He is doing quite well, with a nearly 100-level Quarterback Rating. The #1 pick in this year’s draft was Kyler Murray, an explosive athlete with elite potential.

All of this needs to be seen as a win for us all. I have personally been inspired by how these men have gone against the grain to thrive at the highest level. Nobody is excluded from lauding those who blaze trails, open up possibilities and help others to feel included. We will always have doubters that point out things to try to disqualify us. I hope that none of us, regardless of what we look like and where we come from, are mentally bound by what others see as limitations. Black quarterbacks have never been in a more powerful position in the National Football League. What a way to celebrate the 100th season of operation. Oh, and a white guy leads the league in rushing…