It is said that a babe may lead them. But not in the NFL.
It’s not supposed to be that way, at least. Pro football is supposed to be too complex, too fast, too much and too soon for the youngest of the young — especially at its most important position.
Not this weekend, though. The AFC wild-card playoff game Saturday between the Houston Texans and Cincinnati Bengals puts conventional wisdom on its ear. For the first time since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, two rookies will start at quarterback in a playoff game — Andy Dalton for Cincinnati, T.J. Yates for Houston.
That fact surprised one of the coaches.
"This is the first time, huh?" said Texans coach Gary Kubiak.
It didn’t take long for him to express his thinking on how to approach the issue.
"We’ve got to be aggressive and believe in our players and and what we do," Kubiak said. "We have to cut it loose and play the game."
Have faith, just play, Kubiak said. It was a feeling Bengals coach Marvin Lewis also stated, though Lewis almost didn’t seem to want to dwell on the reality.
"I don’t think either one of the young guys has really gone out there and acted like they’re rookies," Lewis said. "So I think it’s both guys have got experience."
OK, then.
Perhaps Lewis is right not to add to the pressure, because the track record for rookies starting their first playoff game isn’t great. Since the merger, nine have started in the postseason: Dan Marino (Dolphins, 1983), Bernie Kosar (Browns, '85), Jim Everett (Rams, '86), Todd Marinovich (Raiders, '91), Shaun King (Buccaneers, '99), Ben Roethlisberger (Steelers, '04), Joe Flacco (Ravens, '08), Matt Ryan (Falcons, '08) and Mark Sanchez (Jets, '09).
| Year | Player | Team | W-L | Score | Opp. | Com. | Att. | Yards | TD | INT | Rating |
| 1983 | Marino | Dolphins | L | 27-20 | Seahawks | 15 | 25 | 193 | 2 | 2 | 77.6 |
| 1985 | Kosar | Browns | L | 24-21 | Dolphins | 10 | 19 | 66 | 1 | 1 | 56.0 |
| 1986 | Everett | Rams | L | 19-7 | Redskins | 9 | 18 | 136 | 1 | 2 | 54.2 |
| 1991 | Marinovich | Raiders | L | 10-6 | Chiefs | 12 | 23 | 140 | 0 | 4 | 31.3 |
| 1999 | King | Bucs | W | 14-13 | Redskins | 15 | 32 | 157 | 1 | 1 | 59.0 |
| 2004 | Roethlisberger | Steelers | W | 20-17 | Jets | 17 | 30 | 181 | 1 | 2 | 57.8 |
| 2008 | Flacco | Ravens | W | 27-9 | Dolphins | 9 | 23 | 135 | 0 | 0 | 59.1 |
| 2008 | Ryan | Falcons | L | 30-24 | Cardinals | 26 | 40 | 199 | 2 | 2 | 72.8 |
| 2009 | Sanchez | Jets | W | 24-14 | Bengals | 12 | 15 | 182 | 1 | 0 | 139.4 |
| Total | 125 | 225 | 1389 | 9 | 14 | 61.5 |
They played a total of 15 playoff games as rookies, won six, lost nine, and threw 15 touchdowns compared to 23 interceptions as their teams scored 16 points per game.
Four of the nine won their first games: King (Tampa Bay), Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh), Flacco (Baltimore) and Sanchez (the New York Jets). But the games produced some less-than-glittering numbers:
• None threw for 200 yards, and just one (Ryan) completed more than 20 passes.
• Only Sanchez had a rating higher than Marino's 77.6.
• Marino lost to a Dave Krieg-led Seattle team. Kosar threw for 66 yards in a loss to Miami. Marinovich threw four interceptions. King won with a 59.0 rating. Roethlisberger won with a rating of 57.8.
• Combined the nine completed 125 of 225 passes for 1,389 yards with nine touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Aggregate rating: 61.5.
Yes, it's difficult for a rookie.
But four of the past five rookies to start won their first games (Sanchez, Flacco, Roethlisberger and King). And though none reached the Super Bowl, all reached conference championship games. (A fifth rookie will win Saturday, because one has to.)
In one sense, the uniqueness of this game is a bit of a fluke. Yates is starting only because Houston lost its first two quarterbacks — Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart — to foot and collarbone injuries. Without that misfortune, Yates, a fifth-round pick from North Carolina, would be listening to playcalls in his helmet.
Yates acquitted himself well, completing 61.1 percent for 949 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions in six games. His rating of 80.7 ranks ahead of such guys as Ryan Fitzpatrick, Sanchez, Matt Cassel, Tim Tebow and Sam Bradford.
Yates won his first three games, including the one against Jacksonville in which he took over for Leinart. He started the Texans' last-second, 20-19 win over the Bengals to clinch the AFC South. But the Texans lost their final three games. In the finale against Tennessee, Yates completed all four of his passes before leaving with a separated left (non-throwing) shoulder. He is expected to be able to play Saturday, though the injury could affect him.
"All three games since we played (Cincinnati) have been a letdown for us," Yates said. "We knew we weren't playing the football that we were before . . . but the energy is good. Everybody is revved up and energized for some playoff football."
Dalton has been the Bengals' starter from the first game. He is the first quarterback not drafted in the first round to start 16 games. He threw for 3,398 yards, with an impressive 20 touchdowns compared to 13 interceptions (rating: 80.4).
He's from near Houston, is 3-0 in Reliant Stadium college and high school games and knows Yates fairly well from pre-draft camps and combines. Dalton missed practice Wednesday because he was sick, but nobody in Cincinnati is too worried about him — not because of the illness, nor because of nerves.
"Pressure really isn't an issue for him," tackle Andrew Whitworth said. "The greatest competitors are the ones that want to win. They want the heat. Pressure is a good thing. It only drives them to be better. I think Andy is one of those guys."
Dalton was the player chosen to lead the Bengals, and he now is tasked with trying to give the Bengals a playoff win for the first time in 20 years. Yates got the job because of misfortune with others. But the way both teams approach this game shows the evolution of the rookie quarterback, especially in the age of the salary cap.
Rookies no longer wait; the money they are paid and the demands of draft position put them on the field sooner. Dalton and Yates will be the fifth and sixth rookies to start a playoff game since 2000, more than in the previous 20 years combined.
Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians summed the situation up a few years ago discussing the decision by an opponent to play a rookie in the regular season.
"Same old story," Arians said when asked what the opponent could do to help the rookie, "You have to run the ball and protect.
"If he can play, he can play."
