Is it a valid argument to say that Deshaun Watson needs time to adjust?
By Chad Porto
Who else came back from long hiatus to tear it up?
Let’s dive further though, as we’re not “officially” counting Warner’s time against Watson. We only found a few quarterbacks who missed significant time and came back to play in their first game back. So who is first?
Let’s go with Dan Marino, who after 315 days and major elbow surgery that could’ve ended his career, went 23-42, for 473 yards, with 5 Touchdowns and a rating of 124.3. Granted, that’s not even a full season, I agree.
How about this one?
Tom Brady missed 372 days due to a torn-up ACL. On his first game back after major surgery and missed time, Brady went 39-53, for 378 yards and two touchdowns, and finished with a 129.2 rating.
“But Chad,” you yelp, “that’s only 372 days! Clearly, there is a correlation between the time missed and the time needed to get back!”
Ok, let’s go with Peyton Manning. He missed 607 days, had major, near-career-ending surgery, and came back to go 19-26 for two touchdowns and a 129 rating. Now, I know, we’re still 93 days south of Watson’s absences, and if we want a more honest look at how full of nonsense it is to need “time” to get reacclimated, let’s talk about a dude who blows Watson’s absence out of the water.