Huard makes sense in Kansas City - for now

By Mike Ash  |   Sunday, August 26, 2007  |  Comments( 8 )

Kansas City Chiefs
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Kansas City Chiefs head coach Herm Edwards announced on Saturday that career backup Damon Huard had beaten out second-year gunslinger Brodie Croyle in the battle to determine the team's new starting quarterback. Huard, who posted a 5-3 record while subbing for the injured Trent Green last year, had the second-highest QB rating in the league and boasted an impressive 11:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

Edwards' decision is what many national observers expected, as even though no one considers Huard to be the future of the team, he was regarded as the default starter after Green was traded to the Miami Dolphins. Many have used the logic that, after Huard's performance a year ago, it would make no sense for him to lose the job unless Croyle clearly outplayed him.

But some Chiefs fans don't agree. They argue that starting Huard is another in a long line of safe choices the team has made during the Carl Peterson era, opting for the veteran signal-caller and a possible shot at another wild-card berth instead of risking a bad year with an inexperienced quarterback. Peterson, the Chiefs' longtime general manager, has often been accused of fielding teams that are never quite good enough to win it all, but are solid enough to keep the seats in Arrowhead full by being in the playoff hunt late in the season.

Because the Chiefs aren't currently considered a Super Bowl contender, these fans say, why not let the team take its lumps with Croyle so he can gain a season of experience? With the team having double-digit draft picks in 2008, picking early in each round would allow it to reload in a hurry.

From a fan's perspective, that position has merit. But starting Huard makes sense for Kansas City beyond Peterson's alleged desire to keep his streak of sell-outs at Arrowhead intact.

Imagine a scenario where Croyle starts the season under center and the Chiefs quickly dig themselves a hole. They begin the season with three of their first four games on the road, so a 1-3 start behind a QB with no experience wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility. Even though the fans backing Croyle like to think they're focused on the big picture, most want to see their team win.

That's to say nothing of the players on the team, who have no interest in writing off a season so a young QB can gain some seasoning. Reports in the Kansas City Star say that even though the Chiefs' roster tried not to show favoritism to either player, there was a positive reaction to Huard being named the starter.

So what would Edwards do if his young QB led the team to a poor record in its first several games? There would certainly be fans calling for Huard. The players on the team didn't think Croyle was ready in the first place, so they would probably be hoping for a change themselves. But yanking a young QB could damage his confidence, so there's not much chance of Edwards putting Croyle on the bench. He'd press on and hope that Croyle could overcome his struggles.

How would that impact the other players in the huddle? Wouldn't they know the only reason Croyle is still starting is because the coach doesn't want to mess with his head? Wouldn't they see their season slipping away with every mistake and poor throw? If the players saw Croyle as a charity case and started to resent him being their QB, would that bode well for his future with the Chiefs? How would that impact Edwards' relationship with his players?

That's just one possible scenario that's rife with problems, one that doesn't even address the issues the Chiefs may face on the offensive line in 2007. If Croyle were to start and couldn't get the protection he needs, exactly what kind of valuable experience would he be getting?

On the other side of it, suppose Huard struggles early on. When Edwards was with the New York Jets, he benched Vinny Testaverde for Chad Pennington in Week 5 of the 2002 season. After a poor start, the Jets came together to win the AFC East title.

If the same set of circumstances were to unfold for Croyle, there would be no fans calling for his head. There would be no resentment among the players on the team. Everyone would have seen what Huard could do. If it wasn't good enough, then why not give the young guy a shot? The same situation has unfolded all over the league with Eli Manning, Matt Leinart, Vince Young and Jay Cutler, among others, all of whom are still starting for their teams today.

The bottom line is that neither Chiefs QB has been impressive in the preseason, although they were playing without their best offensive player in Larry Johnson. Still, if Edwards expects the offense to continue its struggles once the games count, bringing Croyle off the bench a few weeks into the season will do a lot more for him than being named the starter before the season begins. If he starts early, he'll be the person to blame if things go bad. If he starts late, he'll be the person to rally around in the hopes that things improve.

There's a world of difference between those two perceptions, and Edwards is well aware of it. Fans should keep in mind that, believe it or not, sometimes the people running the teams actually know what they're doing.
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