It’s the top spot, the guy that runs the plays, the guy that takes the fall if the team loses and the guy that gets the credit if they win. The quarterback isn’t supposed to be the flash in the pan, he’s the guy with the plan. Yeah, it was corny, but so are most quarterback moments in films. We still love them because despite moving away from the reality of life on the field, they’re still extremely inspirational. The quarterback in the film is almost always the guy with the most charisma, and the guy that’s willing to take the fall for his team when it comes down to it.
Here are some truly inspiring quarterbacks from film lore.
5. Reno Hightower – The Best of Times
He’s not the main focus of the film, but he’s definitely the guy you want on your side when the chips are down. As Robin Williams would have said it takes Reno Hightower being a pr**k to get him really fired up. And obviously that’s the trick since he came out and started rallying his team in the second half. Taft finally won one after so long and restored the honor it had lost decades before.
4. Paul Blake – Necessary Roughness
Quarterbacks do have an age limit sorry to say. With the right coverage and all day and night to throw the ball even the oldest among them can do some damage. But given that the defense is coming after the quarterback like a pack of ravenous dogs after a steak it’s safe to assume that no offensive line is going to keep the qb safe for that long. Give props to Blake’s O-line though, they had his back when he needed them the most.
3. Willie Beaman – Any Given Sunday
Sometimes you’ve got to get knocked down a few times to realize who you really are and what you can do. Beamen had to get sidelined in favor of the older, more experienced qb to really understand what it takes to play the game and play it well. As I said before, the team looks to the quarterback to run the plays and to lead them forward. So long as there’s an understanding that everyone on the field needs each other in order for it to work, then the game becomes a simple thing.
2. Paul Crewe – The Longest Yard
It takes a lot to get a team together, especially when the team in question is a bunch of convicts that don’t have a lot in common save for their mutual hatred of the guards they’re playing against. Crewe has an uphill battle to face in trying to get a team that works as one and finding players that can and will join the team to make them that much stronger of a unit.
1. Shane Falco – The Replacements
One of the most important things about the quarterback is that he needs to gain the trust of his players. If they don’t trust him then they can’t work effectively as a team. Quarterbacks will stand up for their team when needed and be at their side whenever they can. Shane Falco is the kind of guy that will lead his guys on the field and have their back when they’re off it. That’s a leader that players can follow.
Until you’ve played the game or experienced similar leadership it’s really hard to describe just what it means to trust another person like you would trust a quarterback. It’s the kind of trust that you don’t just give to anyone.
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