# Dallas asks retired quarterback to fill in Sunday. **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [December 26, 2013, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dallas-asks-retired-quarterback-to-fill-in-sunday/677232 "2013-12-26T21:25:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dallas-asks-retired-quarterback-to-fill-in-sunday/677232/21 "2013-12-27T23:04:47Z")
Kitna sucks. I was never happier than when Cincinnati was finally rid of him. ---
**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2013, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dallas-asks-retired-quarterback-to-fill-in-sunday/677232/22 "2013-12-28T00:01:37Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > Looks like. I haven’t followed too much NFC North this year. Actually it was a couple years back when he was a WR I think and all their QBs went down. He came in for like the last quarter or two and played pretty well if I recall. I only have vague memories of this. ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2013, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dallas-asks-retired-quarterback-to-fill-in-sunday/677232/23 "2013-12-28T00:03:40Z")
He was pretty much the same caliber as Carson Palmer minus Palmer’s 2005 season. Just wasn’t a high pick out of USC. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2013, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dallas-asks-retired-quarterback-to-fill-in-sunday/677232/24 "2013-12-28T00:16:46Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Kitna sucks. I was never happier than when Cincinnati was finally rid of him. When Kitna was Dallas’s official back-up QB, you could make the argument that he was the best backup in the NFL. I’m trying to think of who else’d be the candidate. Now, he’s probably lost several steps since then, and that can really kill a QB’s effectiveness (cue Texans fans nodding sadly), but he’s still better than anyone else they can sign at short notice. Plus, he’s a vet, and probably can pick up Dallas’s system faster than some other street FA QB. All moot, as I don’t see Dallas making it past this game. Sean Lee being out doesn’t help either. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2013, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dallas-asks-retired-quarterback-to-fill-in-sunday/677232/25 "2013-12-28T00:42:52Z")
The Redskins did a similar thing when Theismann went down in 1985. Their only backup on the roster was Jay Schroeder, who immediately became the #1. Babe Laufenberg, who had been a backup QB for the Redskins a year or two previously, was in Mexico, IIRC, watching the game on TV, and called the Redskins’ front office the next morning to make sure they had his number if they wanted him back. They did, and he was the #2 QB for the rest of the season. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2013, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dallas-asks-retired-quarterback-to-fill-in-sunday/677232/26 "2013-12-28T02:30:27Z")
And Tim Tebow was sitting right beside his phone all week, too. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2013, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dallas-asks-retired-quarterback-to-fill-in-sunday/677232/27 "2013-12-28T03:25:40Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > And Tim Tebow was sitting right beside his phone all week, too. Dallas also brought in David Carr, Tyler Thigpen, and Caleb Hanie for tryouts. Not Tebow. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2013, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dallas-asks-retired-quarterback-to-fill-in-sunday/677232/28 "2013-12-28T17:01:17Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > When Kitna was Dallas’s official back-up QB, you could make the argument that he was the best backup in the NFL. I’m trying to think of who else’d be the candidate. Now, he’s probably lost several steps since then, and that can really kill a QB’s effectiveness (cue Texans fans nodding sadly), but he’s still better than anyone else they can sign at short notice. Plus, he’s a vet, and probably can pick up Dallas’s system faster than some other street FA QB. > > All moot, as I don’t see Dallas making it past this game. Sean Lee being out doesn’t help either. I shouldn’t have been so harsh. I just recall several instances where he would do things like spontaneously fumble without contact or something similar. Had a propensity for throwing the really untimely INT, too. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2013, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dallas-asks-retired-quarterback-to-fill-in-sunday/677232/29 "2013-12-28T17:14:12Z")
Those were Harlem Globetrotter type gyroscope fake footballs. Only thing that makes any sense to me. ---
**Author:** ![President\_Johnny\_Gentle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@President\_Johnny\_Gentle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/President_Johnny_Gentle)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2013, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dallas-asks-retired-quarterback-to-fill-in-sunday/677232/30 "2013-12-29T04:32:55Z")
> [@Cubsfan](#): > > Actually it was a couple years back when he was a WR I think and all their QBs went down. He came in for like the last quarter or two and played pretty well if I recall. I only have vague memories of this. Webb was a college QB who was drafted to play WR, but the Vikings elected not to have him switch. He had a couple decent relief appearances, but then started the playoff game against the Packers last year. His performance in that game was bad enough that it made Vikings fans’ regret that Ponder couldn’t play. He made a belated switch to WR this season. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dallas-asks-retired-quarterback-to-fill-in-sunday/677232/31 "2013-12-30T07:39:59Z")
I wasn’t watching that closely. Jon Kitna didn’t get off the bench? He earned some easy money for his school the past few days. Plus imagine the essay he can write, “What I did over Christmas Vacation”. I guess he’ll be back teaching math in a couple days. Eagles won the NFC East Title. Is Dallas done for the season? Any wildcard chances for the playoffs? ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dallas-asks-retired-quarterback-to-fill-in-sunday/677232/32 "2013-12-30T10:07:39Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > If they would have signed another QB, who is looking for an NFL job next year, that other QB may have tried to be a hero and potentially tossed an interception or take a sack for a large loss of yardage. This is a great point. It sounds like Kitna is a just the right guy to give a couple hand-offs, maybe a quick screen pass, and other low-risk plays. Too many other guys are going to try to be Kurt Warner and see this as their big break. Kitna knows damn well he’s going back to Tacoma at the end of the week, and he’s a seasoned veteran, so hopefully he’ll be smart enough to make the simple, low-risk plays that the Cowboys will ask him to make. Beyond that, in response to the questions about just hiring another QB from another team-- it’s really tough to learn a whole new team’s offensive system. NFL offensive systems are really complex nowadays, and highly secret to confuse other teams, and grabbing Kitna to ride the pines for a single game is a ton less work than what it would take to get some new guy up to speed would be. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dallas-asks-retired-quarterback-to-fill-in-sunday/677232/33 "2013-12-30T13:10:47Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I wasn’t watching that closely. Jon Kitna didn’t get off the bench? He earned some easy money for his school the past few days. Plus imagine the essay he can write, “What I did over Christmas Vacation”. I guess he’ll be back teaching math in a couple days. > > Eagles won the NFC East Title. Is Dallas done for the season? Any wildcard chances for the playoffs? Dallas is done for the season. The regular season is over. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dallas-asks-retired-quarterback-to-fill-in-sunday/677232/34 "2013-12-30T13:48:32Z")
A strange game. The only winning move was not to play. (Kitna) The refs almost gave it away. I’m glad it didn’t come down to that stupid 25 sec 40 sec clock screw up. ---
**Author:** ![Sarabellum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarabellum/32/3492_2.png) [@Sarabellum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarabellum)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dallas-asks-retired-quarterback-to-fill-in-sunday/677232/35 "2013-12-30T14:45:29Z")
Ha. I _thought_ there was something odd about seeing Kitna on the sidelines last night. Familiar, but of course he’s retired. I remember that now. Wonder if they’re considering him for a minor coaching position? I thought they played reasonably well, considering. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dallas-asks-retired-quarterback-to-fill-in-sunday/677232/36 "2013-12-30T14:52:28Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > When Kitna was Dallas’s official back-up QB, you could make the argument that he was the best backup in the NFL. I’m trying to think of who else’d be the candidate. The Eagles were stacked - they had both Vick and Kolb in 2009. But your point is still solid - Kitna was a semi-dependable guy that learned a lot of different offenses over his years, and did passingly well in all his roles. I always liked grabbing Kitna late in fantasy drafts as a backup or desperate starter. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dallas-asks-retired-quarterback-to-fill-in-sunday/677232/37 "2014-01-06T19:46:11Z")
NFL films segment on Kitna. He’s really committed to helping the disadvantaged kids at his old high school. > **[NFL.com | Official Site of the National Football League](https://www.nfl.com/videos/)** > > The official source for NFL news, video highlights, fantasy football, game-day coverage, schedules, stats, scores and more. Kitna’s brief NFL return worked out really well. It’s inspiring to see how much difference one guy that cares can make. [http://www.king5.com/sports/high-school/QBs-NFL-earnings-to-benefit-struggling-students-238665111.html](http://www.king5.com/sports/high-school/QBs-NFL-earnings-to-benefit-struggling-students-238665111.html) > [@](#): > > Kitna’s earnings will impact more than 130 students, providing them with food, clothing and tutoring. > > “When we first got here, we had 100 kids and only 22 of them that were above a 2.0,” said Kitna, who teaches math, weightlifting and coaches the school’s football team. > > In Kitna’s two years at the school, student cumulative GPA has skyrocketed to 3.0. > > “Kids that had no shot of graduating are graduating and more importantly they’re having a good impact on their school and community around them. They live up to the expectations that you set out there,” he said. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dallas-asks-retired-quarterback-to-fill-in-sunday/677232.md?page=1)