This is bigger than Herbert. It’s a QB conversation. Kurt Warner sees it. Russell Wilson has touched on it. Dan has talked about it. Three QBs with VERY different NFL careers, all recognizing something similar: Herbert doesn’t look comfortable. And that matters. When a QB who has given you years of tape suddenly starts looking uncharacteristic, the evaluation can’t stop at: “The QB is playing bad.” Of course he is. Herbert threw the INTs. He’s missed throws. He deserves criticism for that. But evaluating a QB without evaluating what he’s being asked to operate is like blaming a race car driver for slower lap times without asking what changed under the hood. Maybe the driver made mistakes. Hold him accountable for them. But if the same driver suddenly can’t take corners he’s handled for years, you’d be foolish not to inspect the car too…. Scheme dictates what you’re asked to process. Footwork affects timing. Protection affects your internal clock. Route concepts determine where the answers are. And when a QB starts thinking instead of reacting, everything can look a half second slow. This applies to ANY quarterback. Good coaching isn’t proving your QB can execute your offense…. It’s building an offense that allows your QB to play fast and consistently do what he does best. When experienced NFL quarterbacks watch the tape and repeatedly say “this doesn’t look like him,” that’s worth paying attention to.

For those who believe a QB should just “carry his team” to victory… Should Brock Purdy have somehow prevented the defender from perfectly punching the ball out of Kittle’s hands? Or does that context suddenly not matter because the QB gets the win or loss? Purdy deserves accountability for HIS mistakes. But so does everyone else. Football is a team sport. That shouldn’t be controversial.

Burrow and Chase have 53 TDs as a QB-WR duo. They are only behind Dan Marino and Mark Clayton (65), and tied with Moss/Culpepper and Hadi/Alworth Having a dynamic receiver can make a huge difference for a QB. xitter.cf/fantasypros/status/211…

1,039 receiving yards. 9 TDs. From two receivers in just six games. This is why supporting casts matter. Having multiple dangerous WRs forces defenses to make difficult coverage decisions, creates opportunities and raises an offense’s ceiling. Jordan Love deserves credit for getting the ball to his guys. His receivers deserve credit for helping him execute and catching the ball Context isn’t an excuse. It’s part of evaluating EVERY quarterback fairly.

The importance of having a receiver who can run after the catch.

Where does your team’s offensive line rank across 2023–2025? The combined rankings: 1 — Broncos 2 — Bills 3 — Eagles 4 — Ravens 5 — Chiefs T6 — Buccaneers T6 — Packers 8 — Falcons T9 — Lions T9 — Rams T9 — Vikings T12 — 49ers T12 — Bears T12 — Steelers 15 — Commanders 16 — Colts 17 — Giants T18 — Chargers T18 — Cowboys T20 — Dolphins T20 — Jaguars 22 — Browns 23 — Cardinals 24 — Raiders T25 — Panthers T25 — Patriots T25 — Seahawks 28 — Jets T29 — Texans T29 — Titans 31 — Saints 32 — Bengals Pocket Context combined ESPN’s team pass-block win rate rankings with PFF’s overall offensive-line rankings. I averaged each team’s annual ranks within each source, ranked those three-season averages, then averaged the two placements equally. T = tied. Both sources and all three seasons receive equal weight. This blends pass-blocking results with overall OL evaluations. It isn’t a pure pass-protection grade or a measurement of everything a quarterback had around him. PFF’s editorial rankings can reflect ideal lineups; its 2023 Chargers ranking assumed Corey Linsley was available. 2026 is excluded. PFR remains withheld until conflicting pressure totals reconcile.

For context.. Mahomes losing key starters matters. Absolutely. But OL adversity isn’t unique to him. I looked at PFF’s final offensive line rankings since 2020: Mahomes: 11, 5, 4, 7, 7, 10 Allen: 10, 17, 23, 6, 5, 6 Burrow: 30, 20, 28, 26, 30 Lamar: 16, 21, 2, 5, 9, 16 Herbert: 32, 10, 17, 16, 21, 30 Seasons finishing outside the top 15: Mahomes: 0/6 (7.3 avg rank) Allen: 2/6 (11.2) Lamar: 3/6 (11.5) Herbert: 5/6 (21.0) Burrow*: 5/5 (26.8) Season-long rankings don’t capture every injury, but they reveal differences in sustained OL performance. Adversity deserves context. But context isn’t exclusive to one QB. If it matters for Mahomes, it matters for everyone. *Burrow: 2020–2024.

Trading Justin Herbert because the Chargers aren’t winning is like replacing the engine because the tires are flat. The gamble isn’t just finding another franchise QB. It’s spending years and draft capital trying to replace something you already have, while the original problems remain. From 2002–2023, FOX Sports classified 39 of 61 first-round QBs as misses (64%). Trading Herbert doesn’t solve your roster problems. It just adds QB to the list.

My answer: Somewhere between 2–4 out of 10, depending on the offense and how much the QB is being asked to do within that scheme. The QB is the engine of a car. Arguably its most important component. But you can put a Ferrari engine in a car with four flat tires, a failing transmission, and broken brakes. It doesn’t matter how powerful that engine is. You’re not winning many races. The same applies to football. Yes, the QB touches the ball on almost every offensive play. But not all touches are equal. A handoff isn’t the same as reading a defense, changing protections, or making a tight-window throw under pressure. We’ve seen QBs win games while contributing relatively little beyond protecting the football. Detroit even won a game in 2024 with Goff throwing five interceptions. We’ve also seen QBs operate like field generals, constantly reading defenses, changing plays, and creating opportunities when things break down. But even the best engine can only do so much if the rest of the car isn’t functioning properly. A bad offensive line? Good luck consistently getting the ball out. Receivers dropping perfectly placed passes? The QB did his job, but the result doesn’t reflect it. A terrible offensive scheme? Even great execution can only overcome so much. A defense that can’t stop anyone? Now the QB has to overcome what happens on both sides of the ball. Special teams? An entire game can come down to a missed kick after the QB put his team in position to win. The irony is that QB is arguably the hardest position to play in sports, while simultaneously being one of the most dependent on everyone else doing their job. A QB can carry the most weight while still needing to be carried. Being the most important player doesn’t mean being responsible for everything. That’s why I’m at 2–4/10 when assigning responsibility for the TEAM’S wins and losses, not measuring his contribution to the offense. But, I am curious where everyone disagrees.

The QB is widely considered the most important position in football. But he’s still just 1 of 22 offensive and defensive starters on the field. That doesn’t include special teams, coaching, or the front office. So here’s my question: On a scale of 1–10, how much responsibility should a QB reasonably carry for his team’s wins and losses? Give me your number. Then defend it.

What Ben Johnson has done with the Chicago Bears in just ONE season and seven weeks deserves more attention. 2024 | Before Johnson: 5–12 record (29.4%) 26th in offensive EPA/play (−0.082) 32nd in total offense (283.5 YPG) 2025 | His FIRST season as an NFL head coach: 11–6 record (64.7%) 8th in offensive EPA/play (+0.079) 6th in total offense (369.5 YPG) 2026 | Through Week 7: 5–2 record That’s a 16–8 record and a 66.7% winning percentage since taking over. Here’s the crazy part: Chicago went from 32nd to 6th in offensive yards per game in ONE season, the first NFL team to make that jump since the 1971 Jets. From last in total offense to top six. In his first ever season as a head coach. Coaching matters. Development matters. Organizational competence matters. Context matters.

Pocket presence is an art. Feeling the rush. Manipulating the pocket. Having the confidence to stay composed and deliver, knowing a hit is coming. Those subtle movements help the line protect, give receivers time to uncover, and allow an offense to thrive. Sometimes one small step makes the whole play possible.

He’s just buying time for his receivers to get open downfield. Must’ve forgotten he’s playing basketball 🤷‍♂️

To everyone who says elite QBs should win regardless of the talent around them… Keep that same energy during free agency and the draft. “We don’t need better players. Our QB is elite.” Funny how supporting casts only matter when it’s your QB.

It makes you wonder. Harbaugh seems like the type of coach who doesn’t give up on his guys, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But at what point does loyalty start getting in the way of putting the best players on the field? We watched Bozeman and Pipkins struggle for extended periods, and now Taylor is back, yet he still isn’t getting the opportunity to start. Maybe there’s more going on behind the scenes that we don’t know. But after three straight seasons of protection issues, you have to start questioning these decisions. At what point does it become more about relationships than results? Nothing wrong with loyalty, but if it’s coming at the expense of winning, what are we doing?

Drafted last. Rated first. Brock “MR. IRRELEVANT” Purdy 105.6 career passer rating. Highest in NFL history. Per PFR and NFL.com Regular season - Minimum 1,500 attempts Through Week 6, 2026