Backup, Then Often Back Down Reserve Qbs Aren’t Always The Best Solution In Nfl

“Everyone loves the backup quarterback - until he plays.”

How many times have football fans heard that? How many times have they been the ones praising the guy sitting on the bench while the player behind center was struggling?

In many NFL cities this year, fans longing to see the backup calling the plays have gotten their wish. Rarely have the reserves seen as much action as they have this year.

In some cases - Ty Detmer in Philadelphia, John Friesz in Seattle, Brad Johnson in Minnesota - the replacement has been a revelation. Does anyone believe Rodney Peete will be handed back his job with the Eagles next year, when he has recovered from a season-ending knee injury? Or that Rick Mirer will be back with the Seahawks in 1997, even though Friesz’s season has been ended by a broken leg? Or that the Vikings are more comfortable - or efficient - with Warren Moon throwing the ball instead of Johnson?

Other backups have been busts. Billy Joe Hobert couldn’t do anything for Oakland when Jeff Hostetler was out. Bernie Kosar was flop in place of Dan Marino in Miami, but Craig Erickson did much better. Don Majkowski hasn’t gotten the Lions untracked.

Other second-stringers getting work have been the Jets’ Frank Reich (for injured Neil O’Donnell), the Falcons’ Bobby Hebert (for waived Jeff George), the 49ers’ Elvis Grbac (for concussionprone Steve Young), the Panthers’ Steve Beuerlein, the Chargers’ Sean Salisbury and the Bills’ Todd Collins.

And don’t forget the league’s perennial veteran backup, Dave Krieg, now subbing for Erik Kramer in Chicago.

“Dave’s won an awful lot of games for an awful lot of teams,” says Bears coach Dave Wannstedt. “He’s been in every situation that could come up, so he walks into the huddle and regardless of the situation or where we’re at on field, he’s been there before.”

Been there for Seattle, Kansas City, Detroit and Arizona, starting for most of his career.

“Sometimes you just wonder how I’ve been able to last 17 years coming from Milton College,” Krieg says. “I’ve been blessed, been very fortunate and I’ve been healthy - knock on wood - and I’ve been able to make plays and do things from the quarterback position.”

Most teams can’t survive losing the starting quarterback at all, and many of the league’s best teams - Denver, Dallas, New England, Washington, Kansas City - have been lucky enough to keep their passers healthy. But San Francisco, Philadelphia and Buffalo have stayed near the top while using backups or getting along with a banged-up starter.

Detmer has been the most efficient of the fill-ins, mainly because he understands his job after serving four years as an apprentice in Green Bay.

“In this league, abut 80 percent of it is throwing it to the right guy,” he says. “And about 20 percent is the arm strength and the ability to get it there. Everybody can throw the ball hard, but not everybody is going to get it to the right guy every play.”

Also making the most of his opportunity is Friesz, who got a two-year contract extension out of it. He was injured the next day and won’t be back until 1997.

But Seahawks coach Dennis Erickson definitely plans to bring back Friesz - as a starter. It will take some superb work by Mirer to change those intentions.

“To me, the bottom line of any quarterback is winning and losing,” Erickson said before re-signing Friesz. “He throws the football extremely well and he doesn’t make mistakes.”

Ah, mistakes. Usually, that is the downfall of the backup, whose decision-making abilities aren’t sharp. When you stand on the sideline holding a clipboard for so long, there’s no way your judgment can compare with that of the guy who calls signals every Sunday - and for most of the snaps in practice, too.

At this stage of Craig Erickson’s career, he figured he’d be starting in Indianapolis, which raided its draft vault to acquire him from Tampa Bay in 1995. But he was a bust for the Colts after being handed the starting spot, which Jim Harbaugh took away two weeks into the ‘95 season.

Harbaugh got to go to the Pro Bowl, and Erickson got cut.

Erickson wound up as third-stringer with the Dolphins and did well after Kosar struggled to replace Marino in October. Coach Jimmy Johnson said Erickson solidified his future with the team.

“Craig has come far enough along that we can put Craig in the lineup and we can win with Craig Erickson,” Johnson said. “I think he is an outstanding quarterback.”

Of course, Johnson would still rather have the starter. Especially when he’s the most prolific passer in NFL history.