The Quarterback Question: Moon Over Mitchell, or Visa Versa? : Rams: In the post-Everett era, team ponders whether veteran leadership or youthful potential is what’s needed now. NFL experts differ.
Make Pat Haden the Ram general manager and he would . . .
“Sign Scott Mitchell as quick as I could,” said the former Ram quarterback-turned-football analyst.
Put Matt Millen in charge of the Rams and he would . . .
“Take Mitchell over Warren Moon, no question,” said the former CBS commentator and Raider linebacker.
Make Dan Fouts the boss and he would . . .
“Take Moon because he’s the better quarterback,” said the former San Diego Charger quarterback.
It’s a question that faces every fantasy football league owner and armchair general manager who channel surfs through the NFL season: Who’s going to be my quarterback?
And the Rams are trying to find their answer by targeting Mitchell, an unrestricted free agent from Miami, and Houston’s Moon as top candidates to replace Jim Everett, who is on the trading block.
So should they trade for the veteran Moon, who’s also being pursued by Detroit? Or should they sign the youthful Mitchell, who is being wooed by several teams and is scheduled to visit Rams Park on Tuesday?
Weigh the pros. Weigh the cons.
Mitchell is 26. Moon is 37.
Moon has started 139 NFL games, Mitchell seven.
Moon has passed for 33,685 yards, Mitchell 1,805.
Mitchell is expected to earn between $3 million and $4 million a season. The Oilers want to deal Moon and his $3.25 million contract, but the Rams probably will have to give up at least a second- and a third-round draft pick to get him.
Haden wouldn’t make that trade, adding that Mitchell would be the Rams’ best long-term investment.
“In my mind, he can play in the NFL,” said Haden, who saw Mitchell’s first pro start this past season, in place of injured Dan Marino. “He can lead a team. He carries himself well, and his Miami teammates liked him.
“Think about it, if he was really interested in money, he could have stayed in Miami and made $2 million a year as a backup to Marino. But he wants to compete as a starter.”
Bringing in a young quarterback is a must for rebuilding teams such as the Rams, Millen said.
“Let’s face it, they’re not going to win the Super Bowl next year,” he said. “But in three years, they might be Super Bowl contenders, and Warren will probably be retiring in three years.
“With Mitchell, you don’t know how good he can be yet. With Moon, you know how good he was . There’s a big difference there.”
So which quarterback would a fan pay $30 to see play in Anaheim Stadium on Sundays? Moon would be the logical choice, but . . .
“I would give Mitchell a chance and build with him,” said Rob Burdick, a Ram and Raider fan and part-time bartender in Seal Beach.
“A lot of the fans would want to see Moon. But if the Rams are looking for fan support, maybe they should bring in Nancy Kerrigan.”
Allan Seymour of Capistrano Beach, a former Ram season-ticket holder, said the Rams shouldn’t take Moon or Mitchell.
“Moon should go to Detroit, where he can run and gun,” Seymour said. “He costs too much, and he’s not right for the Rams.
“He’s a mobile guy, and you don’t need him to hand off to Jerome Bettis. They need to start over, go with new blood and get one of the quarterbacks out of college.”
The Rams could trade for Moon, then use their fifth pick in the April draft--or trade up if need be--and take one of the two college stars--Tennessee’s Heath Shuler or Fresno State’s Trent Dilfer.
It’s an expensive gamble, as the Rams would have to invest at least $6 million in the two quarterbacks, which isn’t practical under the NFL’s new $33.8-million salary cap.
“You could do that,” Fouts said. “A young quarterback could learn a lot from Warren, then take over in a few years. But I think when you draft a Shuler or a Dilfer, you have pressure to play them right away, and you couldn’t do that with Moon there.”
Haden isn’t convinced Shuler or Dilfer will make as big an impact as Seattle rookie Rick Mirer or New England’s Drew Bledsoe did this past season.
“That’s a good strategy to take Moon and then draft a quarterback,” Haden said. “But the high draft picks aren’t a sure thing, and you would be paying them about the same as you would be (paying) Mitchell. And if the rookie doesn’t turn out, it’s going to take you three years to find that out.”
With Mitchell, the Rams would take a similar risk. He threw only eight passes in his first three seasons with the Dolphins. He was 3-4 as a starter last season but was slowed by a separated shoulder that forced him to miss a month.
“We got to see a little of Mitchell this past season, his ability and what he can do,” Millen said. “He’s a quarterback that you can take and develop him.”
With Moon, the Rams would be rebuilding with an aging superstar who threw as many interceptions (21) as touchdown passes last season. In a 28-13 loss to the Rams last season, he completed 19 of 42 passes for 310 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. And when was the last time he led his team to a victory in a big game?
Still, Fouts is convinced Moon would be perfect for the Rams’ short-term plans. With the Rams emphasizing Bettis’ running, it would take the heat off Moon and, perhaps, prolong his career.
“Warren is in terrific shape,” Fouts said, “and he could be a Vince Evans type and play even longer.”
Taking Mitchell, a left-hander, would mean the Rams would have to find a strong right tackle to prevent the quarterback from getting blindsided.
Right tackle Jackie Slater, an 18-year veteran, had a torn pectoral muscle last season and is an unrestricted free agent. His replacement, Darryl Ashmore, is still a little raw as a pass blocker.
Taking Moon would mean not only adding depth to the offensive line, but also giving up draft picks in a trade. The Rams have a lack of depth and can ill afford to give up a second- or third-round pick for an aging quarterback.
Burdick, a longtime Southern California sports fan, expects the Rams will follow that familiar path of pursuing a quarterback near the end of his career. Remember Bert Jones and Joe Namath?
“I think organizations go for the has-beens in situations like this,” Burdick said. “Moon is a great quarterback, but I hate to see the Rams grab him so late in his career. Why should they keep bringing in old players like they always have? They have been doing that for years.
“They’re in the same situation as the Lakers. Sure, I hate to see Byron Scott and the other players leave, but I don’t mind seeing George Lynch play, either.”
Lost in the quarterback shuffle has been Everett and his replacement last season, T.J. Rubley. Rubley, a ninth-round draft pick in 1992 from Tulsa, didn’t impress as the starter, and the Rams are hoping to trade Everett for a second-round draft pick.
“I would risk a second-rounder on a guy who has played as well as Jim has in the past,” Haden said. “I’m still surprised by what has happened to him in his career, but I think Jim’s the kind of guy who will prosper elsewhere.”
Said Fouts: “If I was negotiating, I would ask for a first-round pick. By asking for a second-rounder, the Rams are saying they would settle for a third-round pick.”
Haden and Millen compared Everett’s situation to that of Jim Plunkett’s 16 years ago. Plunkett was thought to be washed up when the Raiders signed him in 1978, but he led them to two Super Bowl victories in the next six seasons.
“Is Everett as mentally tough as Plunkett? No,” Millen said. “But can Everett get some things done as a backup somewhere else? Sure.
“I think a change of scenery would help him. He’s had some problems, but still, at times, nobody throws a better deep out pattern in this league than Jim Everett.”
Said Haden: “Maybe sitting on the bench for a year or two will resurrect Jim’s career the same way it did Plunkett’s.”
Quarterback Options
Will it be Houston’s Warren Moon over Miami’s Scott Mitchell? The Rams began pondering that question during the free-agency period, which started last week. How their NFL careers compare:
Player G S Comp. Att. Pct. Yards TDs Int. Sacks-Lost Moon 141 139 2632 4546 57.9 33685 196 166 315-2403 Mitchell 31 7 135 241 56.0 1805 12 9 7-49
Note: Mitchell’s 31 games are mostly as holder for kicks. His seven starts all came last season; he previously had completed only two of eight passes in three seasons.