The NFL has advanced to some extent the place a file 15 Black beginning quarterbacks began Week 1 of the 2024 season.
That’s a far cry from when Warren Moon selected to signal with the CFL’s Edmonton Eskimos after a standout school profession at Washington as a result of he felt he wouldn’t get a good alternative to run an offense within the NFL. Equally, Tony Dungy’s school days as a quarterback at Minnesota had been for naught — as had been others — because the NFL transformed him right into a defensive again.
It took till 2001 for the NFL to have its first Black quarterback chosen No. 1 within the draft, when the Atlanta Falcons selected Michael Vick out of Virginia Tech. Fittingly, Vick needed to discover a solution to spotlight the Black quarterbacks who got here earlier than him and people who now are excelling.
The result’s a three-part docuseries, “Evolution of the Black Quarterback,” which premieres Tuesday on Amazon Prime Video. The 13-year NFL veteran and present analyst for Fox Sports activities chatted with trailblazers akin to James “Shack” Harris, the primary Black quarterback to start a season because the starter in skilled soccer, and Doug Williams, the primary Black quarterback to win a Tremendous Bowl. Vick additionally spoke with contemporaries akin to Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts and Dak Prescott.
“I discovered I just about had it simple. These guys (again then) had it tough,” Vick mentioned. “Shack, Doug, Warren, Donovan (McNabb) … in a number of methods, the hate mail, it wasn’t a easy transition.”
Vick, who’s an govt producer on the tasks, says the thought of the docuseries stemmed from his spouse, Kijafa, and director Anthony Smith. He needed to host the sequence to not solely honor lots of his heroes but in addition pay homage to the present gamers by visiting them across the nation.
Progress is greater than a journey. It’s a revolution.
Evolution of the Black Quarterback, arrives September 24. pic.twitter.com/VActyiLoXo
— NFL on Prime Video (@NFLonPrime) September 2, 2024
He interviewed Charlie Ward, the 1993 Heisman Trophy winner who led Florida State to a nationwide championship. Ward, a two-sport athlete in school, opted to go to the NBA and performed 11 seasons with the New York Knicks, San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets.
Previous to the filming of the docuseries, Vick and Ward had by no means met in individual. Vick credit Ward for being a giant inspiration on his soccer profession. Ward mentioned he’s nonetheless “blown away” when gamers like Vick discuss how he meant a lot to them.
“I didn’t perceive it on the time,” Ward mentioned. “Giving individuals hope that they may do the identical factor that I used to be doing as a Black quarterback, or simply inspiring those who you are able to do what you need to do. Making choices primarily based on what you’re feeling is greatest for you at the moment. It’s nice to listen to that you just had been capable of be an inspiration to those who had been watching.”
Ward mentioned he was capable of excel in school as a quarterback as a result of his coach, Bobby Bowden, modified his system to swimsuit Ward’s model, which wasn’t the case in lots of different applications. Ward was a cell quarterback. There was a time when critics discovered fault in those that didn’t keep within the pocket. An nameless NFL defensive coordinator mentioned Mahomes performed “streetball,” and one other league coach mentioned Lamar Jackson struggled to learn defenses in a 2022 article on quarterback tiers printed by The Athletic.
Mahomes wouldn’t go as far as to say Black quarterbacks are evaluated otherwise due to race. In 2022, he mentioned Black quarterbacks each day are “proving that we should always’ve been enjoying the entire time.” Having almost half of the league with a beginning Black quarterback exhibits progress.
“I feel we’ve been capable of overcome somewhat little bit of it from these occasions simply due to the evolution of our tradition, the mindset,” Ward mentioned. “Racism remains to be part of our tradition. We’re not going to place our heads within the sand and say that it’s not the case, however it has come a great distance.”
Telling the story of Black quarterbacks allowed Vick to look at his place in historical past. The primary episode begins with Vick acknowledging he’s considered as a game-changer on the sector. Many, nevertheless, will always remember Vick pleading responsible to prices associated to a dogfighting ring in 2007 and spending 18 months in federal jail.
Vick mentioned the ordeal was particularly powerful as he mirrored on his grandmother, Caletha, who launched him to soccer and died whereas he was incarcerated. Caletha had dementia when Vick went to jail, so he lied to her about his whereabouts. Earlier than his sentence, he instructed her he was going to NFL coaching camp — though it was in the course of the fall.
“That was most likely one of many hardest occasions of my life,” Vick mentioned. “Having to go away and go away and to misinform my grandmother and inform her I used to be going to coaching camp after I was going to jail camp.”
Vick’s return to the NFL in 2009 additionally is roofed within the docuseries. He ended up with the Philadelphia Eagles and have become teammates with McNabb, who he drew inspiration from because the No. 2 choose within the 1999 NFL Draft. Vick was a freshman at Virginia Tech when McNabb was drafted. Seeing McNabb play school ball at Syracuse gave him a brand new perspective, as Vick, whereas in highschool, as soon as thought enjoying defensive again — not quarterback — could be his ticket to the NFL.
“I modified the sport and fought for a proper to be a twin menace and to make it an actual factor,” he mentioned. “Now you’ll be able to draft a quarterback figuring out that he’s going to be your twin menace, and you may really feel snug figuring out you’ve acquired a quarterback that’s going to present a possibility (to win) each week.
“This undertaking is about paying homage to those that got here earlier than me who allowed me to have that confidence to maintain doing what I do.”
(Picture of Michael Vick and Donovan McNabb: Len Redkoles / Getty Pictures)
