If the NFL wants to legislate away an actual problem, maybe they can train their sights on ridiculous hyperbole next year.
Raiders coach Dennis Allen would be the first man punished, after declaring Tuesday morning that new quarterback Matt Schaub was comparable to the other quarterbacks in his division.
“We have a quarterback now that’s on par with the quarterbacks in this division,” Allen said, via Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News, presumably with a straight face. “The best way to stop those offenses No. 1 is to keep your defense off the field. And I think with some of the things we’ve been able to do up front, both from a protection standpoint, from an ability to run the football, I think those things are going to help us.
“Obviously I think the quarterback’s going to help us. But yeah, we strive to be the best defense in this division and it’s a tough division to be the best in.”
Yeah, about those quarterbacks, Dennis.
There’s that Peyton Manning cat, pretty good, maybe you’ve heard of him. Philip Rivers is back to being Philip Rivers. And even the vaguely comparable one, Alex Smith has a benefit of not looking like a flaming train wreck recently.
There’s an extent to which Allen has to pump up Schaub, especially after the way his career in Houston came to a careening mess of a derailment.
But creating unrealistic expectations for a guy who is a bridge to the next incarnation of the Raiders’ quarterback of the future can’t help either.
Allen also said he was comfortable with Matt McGloin as a backup, which clears the way for Terrelle Pryor to be sent elsewhere.
Pryor has asked to be traded, because he thinks he deserves a shot to start.
Maybe there’s something in the water in Oakland, something that the NFL would be better served spending time getting under control.