Super Bowl Precedents

Another Super Bowl is upon us, and that means another post about what it takes to win a Super Bowl. Or, in this case, to make a Super Bowl. I say make a Super Bowl because the common factor that links both the Giants and the Patriots is the quarterback position.

And it just wouldn't be a Chiefs offseason if fans didn't criticize the starting quarterback.

It has become increasingly obvious over the last decade that a team cannot win a Super Bowl without a great quarterback behind center. There are exceptions to the rule, of course, having seen the likes of Trent Dilfer (Baltimore) and Brand Johnson (Tampa Bay) win Super Bowls within recent memory. But even those examples are becoming dated.

Since Johnson won in 2003 behind the dominating Bucs defense (the MVP even went to a defensive player), the winning QBs have been: Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers. These QBs are consensus elite or near-elite, and it seems that the quarterbacks importance throughout the league has mirrored this Super Bowl championship trend.

Sure, average QBs have made it to the big game. Rex Grossman is the best example (Jake Delhomme used to be good and Matt Hasselbeck is still a solid option at QB). But his team lost, and they have yet to return to the Super Bowl.

That's what happens to teams without great QBs. They can be successful for a year, maybe even two or three. But unless that QB gets better over the years, these teams can never have the sustained success that an elite quarterback can provide. The Patriots are always contenders, the Packers nearly swept the board, Drew Brees carried the Saints to another NFC South title, and their is perhaps not a more consistently good team as the Steelers with Ben Roethlisberger.

If you don't believe the importance a quarterback has on a team (which after this season is ridiculous), look no further than Indianapolis and their two wins with Peyton Manning out all season.

And, as if to put one final cap on the record setting quarterback season that was, two of the top QBs in the NFL square off in the Super Bowl once again. Both these QBs have succeeded during the regular and post season, play at their best in the fourth quarter, and can put the team on their back at any point during the game. But more importantly, these quarterbacks make teams like the Chiefs look foolish.

The Patriots and Giants have embraced the need of great QBs. No matter how bad those teams' defenses are, they find ways to win because of the offense. And yet the Chiefs, among others, are figuratively ignoring this revolution and building a team like it's 1991. The Chiefs stay in games because of defense, and like to run the ball rather than throwing it.

While this worked for a division title last season, it seems this against the current mentality, while the safe route, can no longer be the successful route.

Although, building a team around a quarterback doesn't come without risk.

I mentioned the 2011 Colts earlier. If the team wasn't completely built around Peyton Manning, the Colts would have had more success than they did this season. Instead, a team that had won the AFC South 7 out of the last 8 years and had been a beacon for consistency only found a way to win twice in sixteen tries. The Chiefs, having lost Cassel and experiencing the Tyler Palko experience, still managed 7 wins with a tough schedule.

While the Chiefs are built as an all-around team that can compete for the playoffs year after year in the near future, it seems they do not possess the main ingredient of a Super Bowl title: a good quarterback. While losing a franchise QB would hurt for a year, banners hang forever and a great QB seems the path of least resistance in attaining one.

Great QBs don't grow on trees, however, and they are few and far between. Unless the Chiefs find a way to get Peyton Manning, I don't expect them to have one in the near future. Matt Cassel is an average quarterback. He's not great, but he's not that bad. His Total QB Rating and his regular QB rating will show you that he is right in the middle of the pack in regards to starting NFL quarterbacks over the last three seasons. Many other teams are in the same boat, but it's those same teams that usually don't play late into January (besides the divine exception of Tim Tebow).

Can the Chiefs win with Matt Cassel? Yes. They did it last year. But can the Chiefs win a Super Bowl with Matt Cassel? At this point in time, my answer is No.