For excitement, the first two weeks of the N.F.L. season have exceeded expectations. Scoring and passing yardage are at near-record levels, and Sunday’s Dallas-San Francisco game was just one example of the many games that have been decided by big passing plays at the finish.
But for teams with futures heavily dependent on their starting quarterbacks, and that is just about every team, there is an inherent risk.
Already, a seemingly large number of high-profile quarterbacks have absorbed debilitating hits. Philadelphia’s Michael Vick walked off the field spitting up blood after sustaining a concussion against the Falcons. The Vikings’ ferocious pass rush also drew blood against Tampa Bay’s Josh Freeman as he led the Buccaneers to a come-from-behind 24-20 victory.
There is more. Dallas’s Tony Romo delivered his deciding 77-yard pass to Jesse Holley in overtime against the 49ers as he was fighting the effects of a cracked rib and punctured lung that had knocked him out of the game in the second quarter. And Chicago’s Jay Cutler has given new meaning to the term “picking yourself up off the mat”; he has been battered by an N.F.L.-leading 11 sacks in the first two games.
Other quarterbacks among the walking wounded include Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger, who nearly had a serious knee injury against Seattle; Atlanta’s Matt Ryan, who has been sacked nine times; and the Jets’ Mark Sanchez, who on his first play of the 2011 season was body-slammed to the turf by Dallas’s DeMarcus Ware. Sanchez also absorbed some heavy hits against the Jaguars on Sunday.
Be careful what you wish for, football fans, your big-play quarterback could be next.
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