When the broadcasters need to use collegiate stats — from 1998, no less — to show that a quarterback legitimately deserves to be in a ball game, it's generally not a very good thing for the team in question.

That's what happened this week for the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football, when they handed the keys to Chris Redman.

The Falcons aren't alone in their quarterback quandary, however, which raises a very concerning question: Where have all the good quarterbacks gone?

After Hannah Montana and "High School Musical" infiltrating and brainwashing the minds of every American child under the age of 13, the lack of another crop of young quarterbacks is the second-most significant issue facing the country. We worry about Social Security running out in some 60 years, but we're only a few years away from NFL teams  that wind up turning to people collecting Social Security to play quarterback. What happens then?

Turning on the TV now, you almost half-expect to see Jeff Hostetler back under center for the Raiders matching wits with Jim McMahon and the Bears. Actually, the way things are going for Chicago, McMahon had better not stray too far away from his cell phone. If Kyle Orton lays an egg next week, only Cade McNown and Shane Matthews are ahead of McMahon on the Bears list of "Alumnus Quarterbacks to Give a Chance."

And how did this happen? Quarterback has always been the most glamorous position in all of sports. Nobody grows up as a 7-year-old playing football in the backyard wanting to play left guard.

But now, as football fans we are forced to watch the gloved and arm-braced statue that is Kurt Warner throw the ball all over the field. A guy named Matt Moore comes in to relieve Vinny Testaverde so Vinny could still make it to the theaters in time for the Senior Matinee. Don’t remember where Matt Moore played college ball? Don’t worry, ESPN.com doesn’t know either. 

This past weekend might have been the worst of the season. The following quarterbacks played significant time over the weekend: Todd Collins, Brian Griese, Rex Grossman, Cleo Lemon, John Beck, Trent Edwards, Josh and Luke McCown, Testaverde, Moore, Warner, Shaun Hill, Trent Dilfer, Sage Rosenfels and Chris Redman. If you had never heard of more than two of those guys before the weekend, you're a better football fan than I. 

Why is Testaverde dragging his career out into its 21st season? Quite simply, good, young quarterbacks are becoming harder and harder to find. Let me rephrase that — good, young professional quarterbacks are becoming harder and harder to find.

Part of the blame has to go to the general managers and coaches that rush young quarterbacks into action far too early. For a struggling franchise in need of some boost in the level of excitement around the team, management can feel pressured to show fans the future of the team and throw a top-line draft pick quarterback making millions of guaranteed dollars to the NFL wolves instead of letting him mature as a reserve.

In most cases, this turns out to be a complete disaster. If the quarterback isn't ready for the speed and complexity of NFL defenses, not only will he play miserably, there's a good chance his psyche could be irreparably damaged, too.

A bigger culprit, however, is college football. Sure, major NCAA D-I football might be the NFL's talent factory for the most part. When it comes to quarterbacks, however, there is a disconnect.

In recent years, what makes for a good or great quarterback at the college level has evolved to be drastically different than in the NFL.

In college now, there is a much bigger emphasis on quarterbacks being mobile. The added dimension of being able to escape pressure and run the ball or simply keep the ball on designed runs is what separates the good from the great college quarterbacks.

Look at the last three years. The best college quarterbacks in each of those years — Vince Young, Troy Smith and Tim Tebow — haven't been pocket passers, they've all been mobile.

With the increasing popularity of the spread option offense, more and more schools are putting in systems that value quarterbacks' legs just as much as their arms.

In the NFL, that doesn't fly. Not only is everyone on opposing defenses quicker than they were in college, teams won't take the chance of having their multi-million dollar, face of the franchise investment take hit after hit running options and keepers several times a drive. Players like West Virginia's Pat White, Oregon's Dennis Dixon and Illinois' Isaiah Williams may be having fantastic college careers, but you have to wonder what their NFL futures really look like.   

Michael Vick proved to be one of the most dangerous weapons, eh scratch that, most electric — shoot, scratch that too — best quarterbacks in the league.

Eventually, you have to think that the NFL will move in the direction of the more mobile quarterbacks.

 

Ben is a junior majoring in political science and journalism. Have a different theory on why good young quarterbacks are hard to come by? Want to talk Packers over a drink or two? E-mail him at [email protected] Thanks for reading over the past year. Stay classy