Dilfer deserves a job. As a quarterback.

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By GARY SHELTON

© St. Petersburg Times, published March 13, 2001

You imagine him waiting, wanting, wondering. You imagine him pacing his home until his thighs cramp. You imagine him picking up the telephone a dozen times a day, just to check to see if there is a dial tone.

This is the life of a Super Bowl champion.

It's doubtful he ever imagined it would be like this.

You imagine Trent Dilfer contemplating, confused, cranky. You imagine him reading the transactions until steam comes from his neck. You imagine him calling his agent a dozen times a day to see if anyone new has any interest.

Most days, no one does.

Just win. Isn't that what the coaches tell you? From the day you find out which way the shoulder pads point, they tell you to not worry about your statistics. Don't worry about how it looks, or what it pays, or what the critics say. Just win. In the NFL, the bottom line is supposed to be all that counts. Win and everything else will take care of itself. Win and everything else is quibbling.

If that is so, however, why does it appear the league has thrown Dilfer away?

And why, even to a serial critic of Dilfer's such as this one, does it seem wrong?

He was yesterday's hero, the quarterback of a championship team. He grinned at midfield as the confetti flew, and he kissed a trophy. He went to Disney World to take a few Goofy photos.

These days, however, the last laugh has the duration of a knock-knock joke. It is March, and Dilfer awaits two rings, one from winning the Super Bowl, and one from the telephone. Time was, winning a Super Bowl looked pretty good on a quarterback's resume. No more, it appears.

You imagine him antsy, angry, anguished. You imagine him watching the game tapes of last season's playoffs and wondering if anyone else paid attention. You imagine him turning to his friends and saying aloud, "Didn't I do anything right?"

Okay, here comes the paragraph with full disclosure. As most of you know, I didn't think Dilfer was a particularly good quarterback when he was here, and even a winning Super Bowl didn't cure his shortcomings. The greatest test of the Ravens last season was that they were able to drag Dilfer all the way up the championship podium. It wasn't a shock Baltimore went after another quarterback; it would have been a shock if it hadn't.

That said, wouldn't you think someone would give the guy work?

Anyone?

Look, only an idiot would suggest that Dilfer deserves one of the huge contracts, like the ones Brett Favre and Drew Bledsoe just signed. Few would try to compare him with Brad Johnson or Elvis Grbac, the plums of this year's free agency class.

But look around. It isn't just the good quarterbacks who are getting jobs, and it isn't just starters that interest teams. The NFL is in a full-court press trying to unearth anyone who can find his way from the huddle to the backside of the center.

Oh, the Bengals were interested in Dilfer for a while. But they signed Jon Kitna. Jon Kitna?

Supposedly, the Cowboys also were looking. But they were more interested in Tony Banks, the guy who lost his job to Dilfer last year. Tony Banks?

Carolina reportedly is in the market for a new quarterback. The rumors say Gus Frerotte. Gus Frerotte?

And so it goes. Eric Zeier found work, and he can't throw from the top of this column to the bottom. Doug Pederson found a job, and Kelly Holcomb. Ray Lucas found a job, and Jim Harbaugh, and, for the moment, Ryan Leaf. The Seahawks jumped on Matt Hasselbeck like a gold nugget. The Broncos are interested in Bubby Brister. The Cowboys are interested in Steve Beuerlein. Shane Matthews is getting a lot of calls. Two quarterbacks from the CFL, Dave Dickenson and Henry Burris, have signed contracts. Even more amazing, Jeff George kept a job.

Oh, and remember that Jason Sehorn fellow, the Giants cornerback who Dilfer made spin like a top in the Super Bowl? He has a nice new contract, too. Doesn't everyone?

Meanwhile, Dilfer sits.

Sheesh. If he had lost the Super Bowl, would the Ravens have shot him?

It's the darndest thing. Time was, the Super Bowl used to be the ultimate validation. It pardoned all crimes, it forgave all appearances and it cleared up unsightly nose warts. Today? Dilfer appears about 10 minutes from calling Vince McMahon and telling him how good he looks in eye makeup.

Put it this way: You know all the people who thought Dilfer was just another guy, a pedestrian, middle-of-the-road guy who was taking up space? According to the NFL, those people had Dilfer vastly overrated.

This is wrong. If the league has loyalty to anything, it should be to winning. Otherwise, how is it ever going to ask a player to sacrifice for the good of the team?

Look, Dilfer seemed to come a long way last season. He still doesn't throw long very well, or short. But he seems more realistic about his limitations. He's a good guy, and his teammates seem to like him. Oh, yeah. And he has a Super Bowl ring on the way. It seems that somewhere, that should be enough to land him a job.

Not here, of course.

But somewhere.

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