Is there no more insecure job in America than "starting NFL quarterback"? Two weeks into the season, three coaches already have jerked the No 1 in favour of the former No 2. (That does not include the Philadelphia Eagles, where injury played a role in the switch from Kevin Kolb to Michael Vick.) Chan Gailey thumbed out Trent Edwards for the Buffalo Bills in favour of Ryan Fitzpatrick, who has more interceptions than touchdowns in his career.
Matt Moore, the Carolina Panthers' late-season sensation in 2009, was ousted by John Fox and replaced by Jimmy Clausen, fresh out of college. The Jason Campbell honeymoon in Oakland is already over, with Tom Cable - or, more likely, the Raiders' owner, Al Davis - downgrading him for Bruce Gradkowski.
One news outlet reported that the Atlanta Falcons brass were losing faith in Matt Ryan, 20 months removed from statistically the most productive rookie season ever - all because his team could not penetrate the goal line against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
That's life in the NFL, where "rebuilding year" is not part of the lexicon. For a quarterback, eight months of off-season preparation can be undone by two crummy afternoons. For some coaches, the eject button might have P-A-N-I-C written on it. These seem like snap judgments on the player who receives the centre snap. One coach is sticking with his man, despite a dreadful quarterback rating of 56.1, 29th in a 32-team league.
So it is that Brad Childress has decided to give this Brett Favre guy at least one more week.