Yesterday, Netflix introduced a model new docuseries, “Quarterback,” set to air later this yr surrounding the experiences of three NFL quarterbacks — Patrick Mahomes, Kirk Cousins, and Marcus Mariota — in the course of the 2022 NFL season. According to the announcement, these three males have been all mic’d up for each recreation of the season, that means Netflix knew precisely who the collection was going to deal with earlier than the season even began.
I’ve by no means been one to consider the favored “NFL is rigged” idea. I received’t deny that my religion within the NFL’s authenticity hasn’t wavered ever, however all in all, I’ve religion that the NFL would by no means deceive us. Despite what former gamers like Benny Cunningham and Arian Foster have stated, I’ve held agency, however for followers who’re uncertain whether or not or not the NFL is staged, this new docuseries actually put one other tally within the “rigged” column.
You’re telling me that previous to the season, Netflix simply by some means managed to safe the eventual Super Bowl champion, a strolling meme with quite a few viral moments all through the season together with main the biggest comeback in NFL historical past, and a veteran compelled to mentor a rookie who controversially stepped away from his workforce down the ultimate stretch of the season. That’s three quarterbacks with wildly totally different plot strains from 2022 all coming collectively to kind an all-encompassing narrative with a number of totally different factors of view. Call me loopy however that appears too fortunate to be a coincidence.
Mahomes, positive…however the different guys?
How do the Netflix executives even land on these three quarterbacks with out understanding what was coming for every of them in 2022? You couldn’t ask for 3 extra random quarterbacks. Sure, Mahomes is smart. He’s an apparent MVP candidate and the Chiefs have been all the time Super Bowl contenders. But Cousins and Mariota? What on the planet made the bigwigs at Netflix go “Yeah, these guys will bring in viewers?”
I can perhaps see an argument for Cousins due to his well-known catchphrases and the “Kirk Thuggins” persona he’d developed over time, however on digicam, Cousins has all the time been fairly uninteresting. During the season, Cousins was a visitor on the ManningCast throughout Monday Night Football Week 9, Cousins had simply earned mad credentials for his viral shirtless video on the Vikings’ workforce aircraft. His look on the ManningCast ruined any good rep he’d constructed up as he awkwardly smiled on the digicam all the workforce.
Just watch his moments on this compilation from that broadcast. See how he’s weirdly tilted away from the digicam. His smirk by no means leaves his face. It’s unsettling. It makes you wish to take a bathe after watching. This is the man that Netflix thought can be a very good focus for his or her docuseries? I don’t purchase it. Yet by some means, this man, whose solely declare to fame previous to 2022 was three phrases — You like that?! — manages to claw his approach by quite a few one-possession victories, the biggest comeback in NFL historical past, and their first NFC North title within the Cousins period, all coincidentally the yr that Cousins is mic’d up? No. That’s too huge a coincidence.
Then you could have Marcus Mariota. Why would anybody assume Mariota can be a terrific topic? Not solely was he on one of many worst rosters within the league heading into the season, however he’d by no means made a lot as a headline throughout his profession as much as that time. He’d been a backup within the NFL for 3 years at that time. Why would they select him?
But thank the fortunate stars, it simply so occurs that Mariota’s spouse has their first youngster across the identical time that Mariota will get benched for rookie Desmond Ridder. Hmmm, a probable story. Oh, then what’s this?! Mariota opted to bear knee surgical procedure despite the fact that he’d by no means appeared on a workforce harm report? This all morphed collectively to create attention-grabbing drama in the course of the remaining stretch of the season, you say? All whereas the Falcons have been nonetheless within the playoff hunt within the depressing NFC South? Wow! What a stable string of luck for Netflix. Their execs should have been by the roof that they landed such unbelievable storylines and caught all of it on tape.
A coincidence? Hmm…
As I stated, I don’t assume the NFL is rigged. Having spent numerous cash legally betting on NFL video games in my life, my unconscious isn’t capable of comprehend the concept of the NFL being rigged. That stated, my first thought after I learn that Netflix was popping out with this docuseries was “Why these three?” That was adopted with, “Well actually, each of them had pretty interesting seasons.” Then got here the belief, “There’s no way this was a coincidence.”
For anybody questioning whether or not or not the NFL does the truth is repair its video games, this could possibly be the tipping level. Even probably the most rational thoughts would have hassle decoding how Netflix made these selections. The most blatant reply, although, is that they and the NFL knew what every considered one of these males was going to do and so they knew it’d make for rattling good tv. That’s all I’ll say.