Is it better to play a rookie QB or sit him on the bench?

Note: While this could be put in the Trey Lance thread, I really want this to be a separate philosophical discussion that isn't limited to just him.

Is it better to sit a rookie QB or play them? The case for playing a rookie QB is simple. A rookie QB will learn faster playing in games than just scout team practice. An additional benefit is the sooner they become "good" the longer that rookie salary cap benefits the team where they are underpaid, and that extra money can be spent on defense or other places. Once a good QB gets their second contract, the team around them atrophies as there is not enough money to go around to keep the rest of the team together.

If you listened to Grant Cohn, this is where the discussion ends. However, there are good reasons to sit a rookie QB. First, if the team has playoff chances, playing the best QB increases the chances to get into the playoffs. Even if the team is rebuilding, the team still needs some wins to keep fans in their seats. Playing a rookie QB that goes 0-17 is not good for the business of selling tickets and merchandise for football.

Beyond that, though, there are other considerations. A large number of rookie 1st round QB fail (not sure, but probably the majority?). That may be because the trend is to play rookie QB. How can playing a rookie QB hurt their development? The key here is if a QB is competent enough to protect themselves from getting hit (i.e. complete a pass before the rusher gets to you). A rookie QB that constantly gets hit gets gun shy and learns bad habits to try and avoid getting hit. They also are at higher risk of getting a career ending injury. If that same QB spent time on the bench learning, they can avoid both those scenarios. It is debatable if a QB that frequently scrambles when young is learning to play the position, or instead training themselves to think like a running back. It should also be noted that a confident young QB that consistently loses, can easily lose confidence in their abilities, and that lack of confidence can result in poorer play.

So how does philosophy judge Trey Lance? The 49ers are still hunting in a playoff spot, so playing the better QB makes sense. Is JG better than Trey? To be honest, it isn't clear. Can Trey protect himself? It doesn't appear that he is taking too many sacks, so yes (although a coach telling the QB to run repeatedly up the middle of the defense isn't doing him any favors). Is Trey scrambling too much and learning to think like a RB? Yes, although it is debatable if this is a bad thing. Is Trey losing confidence due to excessive losing? No, he rarely plays, so the jury is out on how successful he would be as the full time starter.

It's best to understand that every QB coming out needs to be evaluated individually as to whether it is better to sit them or to play them early. Every single prospect has a different level of readiness coming into the league.

Yes

I don't think there is a clear cut answer really.

The small sample size I've seen of Lance he looks like a running back hitting the hole. Should he play now? If Jimmy G is winning,,,,,,,No. If the team goes in a tailspin Yes. The consensus is that he is very raw.

It's best to sit him on the bench, this way he can learn to sit properly and in a best case scenario he may even learn how to build a bench which he can use to properly seat himself later in life.

CJ Beathard should have been playing from day one????? Cmon stop the silly takes. Just let the coaches who are close to the players deal with who plays and when rookies start.

It depends if the rookie is thrown into a bad situation or not. No use starting a player if the team isn't ready to protect him.

I think the 49ers are handling the QB situation just fine. Trey Lance had very little college experience, in Division II, and spent a year off during the COVID year. He's raw, he's young, and it really looked like they needed to simplify the offense for him. That's not a good situation to put Trey in. This year has been frustrating because injuries and because Jimmy isn't playing up to his usual level, but I don't think Trey is ready to be the #1. I like what Shanahan is doing by putting him into games for specific packages.

This team really misses Mostert and Varrett. And Robbie Gould.

If a player is good enough to play he will play.

Bill Walsh says sit.

who cares

Great question. Wonder why it hasn't been brought up yet…

Originally posted by evil:
It's best to understand that every QB coming out needs to be evaluated individually as to whether it is better to sit them or to play them early. Every single prospect has a different level of readiness coming into the league.

So much this. Every person is unique. There is no one-size-fits-all.

Originally posted by Polkadots:

Originally posted by evil:
It's best to understand that every QB coming out needs to be evaluated individually as to whether it is better to sit them or to play them early. Every single prospect has a different level of readiness coming into the league.

So much this. Every person is unique. There is no one-size-fits-all.