05-15-2015, 12:27 PM
(05-15-2015, 07:33 AM)livebythe10 Wrote: Kitna was a more seasoned QB. Not really smarter or more talented. Nor did he have anywhere close to the success that Dalton has had.
Yet fans loved him in comparison to Dalton. I see them as being so similar its hard to understand the bipolar opposite effects they have had on fans.
Was it because kitna didn't get us to the big games so he didn't let us down so much?
Were expectations that much higher for a young guy we drafted and threw to the fire over a veteran that stepped in and became a starter?
Its just always puzzled me. Dalton is just an upgraded kitna. How could kitna be well liked but a better version of him be so hated?
Simple answer is that by the time Dalton came in, fans' patience was already worn thin. They'd tasted some regular season success and I think the fan base was ready for more. Whereas when Kitna came in, we were still entrenched in the 90's. People remember Kitna favorably because he helped lead the team to an 8-8 record in Marv's first season. Expectations were lower, so 8-8 was viewed as a big achievement. Same reason Jeff Blake is remembered fondly for going 7-9 and 8-8 back in the 90's.
The training, nutrition, medicine, fitness, playbooks and rules evolve. The athlete does not.
