We've seen surprise teams, postgame scuffles, Twitter arguments and coaches taking jabs each other this NFL season. But the biggest revelation has been the instant results we're seeing from some first-year pros.
Cam Newton, the No. 1 overall pick in April's draft, is Exhibit A when it comes to this season's rookie outburst. He threw for 422 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for another one, in his first game and followed it up with a 432-yard encore against Green Bay in Week 2. The Panthers are still only 2-5, but it's through no fault of Newton's own.
Then came Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith's coming-out party in Week 3. The Maryland product hauled in five catches for 152 yards and three touchdowns, instantly implanting himself as a bona fide deep threat in Baltimore's offense.
Andy Dalton, Mark Ingram, A.J. Green, Julio Jones and Doug Baldwin are among the other newcomers to have made an immediate impact at the NFL level this year.
In fact, with the Vikings turning to Christian Ponder after a disappointing 1-5 start, 12.5 percent of the league's starting quarterbacks are rookies: Ponder, Newton, Dalton and Jacksonville's Blaine Gabbert comprise the foursome. It's a fairly high number that seems to indicate a trend in which rookies are suddenly being called upon to play crucial roles at early stages of their careers.
It's nothing new, but maybe head coaches are starting to get it.
The best way to groom a rookie, particularly a quarterback, may just be to have him spend a few seasons learning the ropes under a veteran. But there's been times when I've sat back, looked at said veteran and thought to myself, "I'm not so sure he's a guy you want your prized rookie learning under."
Would the Vikings be better off having Ponder sit around and watch Donovan McNabb stink up the joint for 16 games? A 2-14 record might be funny to those sitting in Green Bay, Chicago or Detroit, but no, it wouldn't be wise of Minnesota head coach Leslie Frazier.
Should the Bengals and Jaguars have gone after a journeyman quarterback in the hopes that Dalton and Gabbert could learn a few tricks of the trade before taking the field? While I'd love to see someone like Marc Bulger throw pick after pick, I'd venture to say no again.
Or maybe the Panthers would have been better off letting Jimmy Clausen or Derek Anderson take care of the starting gig in Carolina for a season or two before handing the keys over to Newton? Again, laughable.
Aaron Rodgers stands as proof that a few years of seasoning can do some good — a lot of good in his case. But Matt Ryan, Ben Roethlisberger, Joe Flacco and, above all, Peyton Manning stand as proof that it isn't quite as necessary as some make it out to be. It's a rather overrated concept, in fact.
And that's placing an emphasis on the quarterback position, which is the seemingly the hardest for a player to adapt to when making the jump from college to the NFL.
Cowboys rookie running back DeMarco Murray may never have another game like he did on Sunday, when he rushed for a franchise-record 253 yards. Then again, he could become the next Adrian Peterson, another back who hit the ground running in his first year. Either way, he's the latest example that throwing rookies onto the field early isn't exactly as intimidating as it once was.
Ten years in the league or 10 days in the league, give me the guy with the most talent and the most potential.
