I came across an article yesterday from this past August and in it is one of the most surprising statistics I’ve ever seen: no University of Alabama quarterback has started and won an NFL game since 1988. That’s right, the better part of three decades has elapsed since a Crimson Tide QB has suited up in the NFL, started for his team, and led them to victory. If you know Alabama Football then you know they’re not a QB-centric team, never have been and never will be, but this is still a completely baffling statistic.
Ever since the anti-Christ himself, Nick Saban, returned to Tuscaloosa the Crimson Tide have been bringing in top 3 recruiting classes every year (usually #1). They’ve been the most dominant college football program since the demise of the University of Miami (it kills me to admit that as an FSU fan) and USC, and there’s really no end in sight to Alabama’s reign. Which makes this stat all the more surprising.
Wow, last time an #Alabama QB has started and won an NFL game? 1988, Jeff Rutledge ….. #Recruiting #SabanHasn'tFixedThat #Statue
— Mike Griffith (@MikeGriffith32) August 25, 2015
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What seemed like a throwaway stat from a near-meaningless NFL preseason game made the rounds on Twitter.
A quarterback from Alabama hasn’t started and won a regular-season NFL game since 1988.
Of course, Alabama quarterbacks have won four national championships during that time (1992, 2009, 2011, 2012), so somebody has been doing something right in that program.
If you don’t remember Rutledge, he started for Alabama’s 1978 national championship team and played 14 seasons in the NFL, for the Rams, Giants and Redskins.
The hot thing for opposing team’s fans to chant these days at University of Alabama football games is ‘The Dynasty is Over’. In addition to that you can go a little deeper and search ‘the dynasty is over’ on Google where you’ll find a complete page of people claiming Alabama’s dynasty is flailing and/or defending the Dark Lord Saban:
I’m no Alabama fans and I have no love for Nick Saban. Sure I respect the hell out of the man but if you’ve been around BroBible a while now then I’m sure you’ve seen me go all in on hyping up my alma mater Seminoles by now, the greatest organization in the history of both feet and balls….Which is why I’ll go ahead and take this opportunity to name Florida State University as the current ‘Football U’.
FSU’s had 9 quarterbacks drafted in the past 25 years. Jameis Winston went #1 overall last year and has turned around the Tampa Bay Buccaneers organization. Not to take away from anything ‘Bama has done in the past decade, but I just want to point out that there can be balance between having a star QB and playing Alabama-style football AND winning National Championships.
Of course that Alabama stat is meaningless, and since 1988 there was a Bama QB who entered an NFL game and led his team to a come from behind win, but it’s still fun to kick the king…right?