Who dat say the Sainst got a quarterback controversy

Excerpt:

But black people need not worry. The NFL has long since ceased discriminating against black quarterbacks. That’s child’s play. In these mature times, they’ve now directed their attention to solely discriminating against black coaches instead (see Brian Flores or the dearth of black offensive coordinators around the league).

Ok. Are you ready for some football? It’s Thursday night! The Saints are playing primetime! And…wait, oh yeah, reality. The Saints have only eaten 2 Ws in 6 weeks. The defense can’t make a key stop or a tackle. The locker room is an infirmary. And once again, Andy Dalton is set to captivate the hearts and minds of those who love mediocre quarterback play while Jameis Winston’s bad back heals. So, nobody can be blamed for a lack of excitement tonight.

But lo and behold, could it be that we have a low-key quarterback controversy brewing? That would be something worth getting excited about. Listening to talk radio, you would think that was the case. But, the answer only requires one word: no.

Dennis Allen has repeatedly said that the assessment of a healthy Jameis Winston is not complete. And Allen says the job is Winston’s when he returns. So far, though, that assessment has not gone well.

The Jameis Winston we mostly saw before he hurt his back was the same Jameis Winston we saw through 7 games last season. When he does have time in the pocket, he holds onto the ball too long. That Winston also has a habit of looking for the big play down the field, while he ignores wide open checkdown options. And he tends to have trouble recognizing where the pressure is coming from. The result: defenders get too many free shots at him. All of this took place last season and continued over the course of 3 quarters in the first game of the season.

Meanwhile, Andy Dalton has been steady but unspectacular through 3 games. This has caused some micro-aggressive mentions about how he doesn’t turn the ball over as much, how he seems more cerebral, and how the offense just hums better with him under the center.

The only humming has come from an offensive line that blocked better.  And the running game produced over 200 yards in back-to-back games. Passing-wise, Dalton has done nothing to cause a controversy, or excitement. True, he hasn’t had anybody to throw to. But he also hasn’t done anything to warrant wanting to see what he can do when he does have somebody to throw to.

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In the fourth quarter against Atlanta, Winston did though. He was decisive in the pocket. He threw some darts down the field that Dalton doesn’t have the arm strength to complete. And the result was that he led the Saints to a comeback victory, against the Falcons nonetheless. Excitement ensued. But it was all bad-back-bad-play-Jameis after that.

Fans can’t tell if 4th quarter Winston was a mirage or a prelude to a bunch of eaten Ws to come.  So many question who should be our starter when Winston is healthy. This has caused some black people to become reflexively protective because of the league’s history when it comes to black quarterbacks.

But black people need not worry. The NFL has long since ceased discriminating against black quarterbacks. That’s child’s play. In these mature times, they’ve now directed their attention to solely discriminating against black coaches instead (see Brian Flores or the dearth of black offensive coordinators around the league).

So, Jameis Winston is going to get his shot. And Dennis Allen will get his complete assessment. Let’s hope for the future of the season and the future of the team, Winston puts on a contract extending performance. But if you were to ask this writer what the prospects are for that happening, the answer, after seeing what a healthy Winston has had to offer throughout his career,  one word comes to mind: doubtful.