I’ve been meaning to get this off my chest for a long time.

The way quarterbacks are over hyped in today’s NFL really grinds my gears. It seems like any team that goes on a run, makes the playoffs, and God forbid if they win the Super Bowl, people talk about that team’s QB as if he were the only human being responsible for the team’s success.

Every time I hear “Ben Roethlisberger led the Steelers to a 15-1 record as a rookie” I cringe. If somebody says “Trent Dilfer took the Ravens to a Super Bowl” I get sick to my stomach. And the next time I hear “Kyle Orton won 9 games for the Bears in 2005” I think I’m just going to throw up.

Those are the verbs some folks use: So-and-so “led” or “took” the team; or he “won” that number of games. If you’re going to make that kind of statement, please, at least be sure that the QB in question played more of a role in his team’s success than just handing off the ball to the running back and letting the defense do all the dirty work. That’s exactly what happened to the 2004 Steelers, the 2000 Ravens, and the 2005 Bears.

Actually, Tom Brady LED the Patriots to 3 Super Bowl wins, Peyton Manning TOOK the Colts to the AFC title game in 2004, and I’d even so far as to say Randall Cunningham WON 15 games for the Vikings in 1998.

Roethlisberger, Dilfer, and Orton combined to average 12.7 touchdown passes, 11.7 interceptions, and a 59% completion percentage in 2004, 2000, and 2005 respectively.

In 2004, 2004, and 1998, Brady, Manning and Cunningham collectively averaged 37 tosses for touchdowns, 11.3 interceptions, and a 63% completion percentage.

Oh yeah, and I should mention that the former group of players played on teams whose offenses averaged out to rank #17 in the NFL, while all three were backed by the #1 ranked defense.. The latter collection of elite QBs “led” their offenses to an average ranking of #2 while their team’s defense ranked #9.

No player can lead a team anywhere unless he at least figures into the Pro Bowl voting, or garners a mention for the MVP. At the bare minimum, he cannot surrender his starting job the next season (as Dilfer was replaced by Elvis Grbac in 2001) or worse, at halftime in week 15 (ala Rex Grossman inserted for Orton against the Falcons in 2005).

So, let me be the first person in Earth’s history to come out and say that Joey Porter and Troy Polamalu led the Steelers to a 15-1 record. Ray Lewis and Peter Boulware took the Ravens to the Super Bowl. And, Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs won 9 (actually 11) games for the Bears.

Ah, the truth FINALLY comes out.

I know what you’re thinking, and I’m already one step ahead. “But Blogger Jim, Roethlisberger, Dilfer and Orton didn’t lose any games for their teams. They were young players without big expectations and played fundamentally sound to keep their team in it.” This is where the double standard comes in.

Do NFL head coaches tell their young linebackers to just get a hand on the ball carrier to slow him down and let somebody else make the tackle? Do they tell wide receivers to only catch the balls thrown right at them, and don’t worry about anything over the middle? When is the last time a young strong safety was told to just arm tackle a running back hitting the corner, as opposed to lowering the shoulders and lighting him up?

It doesn’t happen. So why do they do it for quarterbacks? I want my QB to make the play himself just like every other position player. Don’t “not lose” me the game. WIN the darn thing!