Mike Glennon could become a very interesting guy in August, if you’re the kind of person who’s interested in a strong-armed rookie quarterback who could be set to throw a lot of deep balls to a trio of fast wide receivers with great leaping ability named Vincent Jackson, Mike Williams, and Kevin Ogletree.
In the before time when television programming consisted primarily of things that used good ol’ creativity and original thought to entertain me, and make me either laugh or think (or anything in between), I would have liked to be in the room when the idea for the first “reality” show was floated.
My television history may be a little off here mostly because there are very few things in this life I care less about than the history of reality TV, but I believe the first such program to receive that label was Survivor. Say what you will about that particular corner of popular culture, but at least Survivor and the other similar shows it spawned (most notably, The Amazing Race) is a reality show and a game show fused into one. We can become involved in the competition, even if it’s just a bunch of people standing on a log for nine hours.
Now, reality TV is usually far removed from actual reality, with producers flirting with and often accomplishing vicious stereotyping by cherry picking people on the most extreme end of their theme to represent a group. Then when there are cameras present to make the lives of already atypical people even less normal, boom, you have TV gold, Jerry.
It’s a simple and tired formula, and Packers fans are the latest subject.
The Jets were set to have a real and honest quarterback competition, and eventually David Garrard’s mere presence would have ended in Mark Sanchez finding employment elsewhere, or maybe chillin’ on a beach in September and spending his $8.25 million in guaranteed money on whatever GQ bros buy while bathing in sand (Fresca?).
Geno Smith would have easily won his dual with Mark Sanchez, and in theory jettisoning the loser of the worst QB competition in the history of such battles would be much easier with a veteran safety net firmly in place, taking the form of Garrard.
In theory.
Dwayne Bowe missed the final three games of last season. But despite that absence, and despite the fact that he dealt with the demon quarterback duo of Brady Quinn and Matt Cassel, he still finished with 59 catches for 801 receiving yards.
Again, look at those numbers, and look at those names who threw Bowe the ball. Then feel the respect seep through your veins.
Done? Great, because even with a quarterback who isn’t Quinn or Cassel, this isn’t happening…
Bowe: “(Jamaal Charles) is going to lead the league in rushing this year and I’m going to lead the league in receptions and touchdowns.’’
— Adam Teicher (@adamteicher) May 15, 2013
May is usually filled with failed attempts to make predictions about depth charts, and justifying why you should care about Chad Henne. But nearly every year there’s at least one significant injury during OTAs. Something pops, or tears, or breaks, or just bends in a direction that goes against its intended design.
That happened to Melvin Ingram Tuesday (the tearing part), as the Chargers second-year pass rusher tore his ACL, which almost certainly ends his 2013 season. We don’t cheer the fall of a man around these parts, but we wouldn’t be degenerate gamblers and fantasy folk if we didn’t explore to see how Ingram’s injury will benefit opposing quarterbacks, and particularly one within the Chargers’ division.
It was assumed Rolando McCLain’s habit of getting arrested and producing pictures featuring himself in handcuffs while looking, um, happy would eventually end his football career. But this still seems sudden, and maybe forced.
The Jaguars have officially started a quarterback competition that will likely be one of those kind of, sort of competitions. While it’s quite notable that Blaine Gabbert and Chad Henne are splitting first-team practice reps during OTAs — meaning Henne will be given a legitimate chance to win the starting job — you have to believe that somewhere in a room with the door firmly shut, the Jags’ brass is hoping Gabbert wins. That’s a common feeling when a first-round pick is invested in a quarterback, and through 24 career starts he remains timid in the pocket, and inaccurate with his short passes.
Or maybe I’m wrong and they just don’t care, because the new regime with its new general manager (David Caldwell) and new head coach (Gus Bradley) has no ties whatsoever to Gabbert, and in a league where employment can be short-lived for coaches and GMs if their team sucks, latching on to a really sucky quarterback may not be their preferred path. Shocking stuff, I know.
