The only thing less impressive than Trent Dilfer‘s career stats is — according to Dilfer — today’s NFL.
“The modern game does not impress me,” Dilfer said in a clip from ESPN’s 30 For 30 documentary “Bullies of Baltimore” on the 2000 Ravens Super Bowl-winning team.
While taking a shot at the current state of the NFL, Dilfer pointed to Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers as QBs he “loves” but doesn’t find impressive.
“It’s super easy when you don’t get hit as a quarterback,” Dilfer said, stating the obvious. Of course, QBs have more success when they aren’t getting hit and there’s a rise in dubious roughing the passer penalties, but last we checked, sacks are still allowed and QBs still get hit without flags being thrown.
There’s no question rule changes have greatly benefited offenses, but it takes a talented QB to reap the benefits. If playing QB is so easy these days, how does Dilfer explain Zach Wilson?
It’s also laughable considering the year before Baltimore won the Super Bowl on the strength of an all-time great defense, the St. Louis Rams won Super Bowl XXXIV thanks to “The Greatest Show on Turf,” the league’s top offense that year and widely considered one of the best offenses in league history.
It wasn’t impossible for QBs to look good during previous eras. It may have been more difficult for Dilfer than others, but such a wild claim about how difficult passing was should be weighed as heavily as a grain of salt when other QBs at the time had no problem being effective.
As tough as it might be for him to believe, it’s possible to acknowledge the 2000 Ravens defense for their legendary status while not diminishing the current state of QB play in the NFL. He should keep that in mind only to avoid conversations that circle back to his own underwhelming career stats.
In 13 NFL seasons, Dilfer completed 55.5 percent of his passes and had 113 touchdowns and 129 interceptions.
Today’s QBs are more than impressive enough. It shouldn’t be a surprise Dilfer is critical. It’s not the first time he’s been behind the curve.
