By LaVaron Lumpkin
Before I get into the meat of my subject, let me start out by introducing myself. I am the son of the owner and publisher, Ken Lumpkin.
I am a 38 year old, married father of a young daughter and newborn son. My father and I have been discussing certain subjects that we don’t always see eye to eye on. So let me warn you now, I will make some of you mad when you read my articles. I am ok with that. I will always be open to feedback and open to discussion. All I ask in return is to be respectful in your responses and keep it clean. Now that we have gotten the boring stuff out of the way……. let’s get down to it.
I will always back up anything I say with numbers. In 43 Super Bowls, there have been 3 starting black quarterbacks, Doug Williams, the late Steve McNair, and Donovan McNabb. Of those three, only one has won it. That was 22 years ago…and counting. Honestly, I don’t see another win anytime soon. The reason is because the black quarterback in the NFL relies more on his athletic ability than his brain. Because of this mentality, they have shorter careers because they take more hits outside the pocket, and they don’t win the big one.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you are looking for Michael Vick, Vince Young, who proclaimed himself to be the next black quarterback to win a Super Bowl, Jamarcus Russell, and yes, even Donovan McNabb, to win a title, you will never see it. They will give you plenty of ESPN highlights, but not many, if any, championships.
If I am an NFL owner, I want that traditional white, decent athlete, but intelligent quarterback leading my team. Give me Brett Favre, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, or Drew Brees. These guys know they don’t have that extraordinary athletic ability. Therefore, they will put in more work in the film room, studying the playbook, anything it takes to get an edge and put the TEAM in the best position to win.
You don’t see these guys with a posse of losers hanging on to them, taking them to the strip club to “make it rain”. Instead, these guys are the first ones to the clubhouse to work and the last ones to leave. In case you haven’t noticed, they tend to still get paid very well, win titles, get the hottest ladies (Tom Brady), and stay in the league for what seems like an eternity because their body isn’t getting broken down with vicious hits outside the pocket.
In summary, I challenge the black quarterbacks of tomorrow to prove me wrong. Prove to me that you are more than a running back with an arm. Prove to me that you are a true leader and not just another wannabe rapper masquerading as a quarterback. Prove to me that you care more about the game, and winning, than you do about your jewelry and cars. Prove to me that winning IS the ultimate goal. Prove to me that you have intelligence along with the athletic ability to not only compete, but blaze a trail for the quarterbacks coming behind you to follow. I challenge some middle school quarterback with NFL dreams because the ones there right now are not getting the job done. Man Up!
