2C z THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2019 z USA TODAY SPORTS
is a feature, not a bug, its terrible start
and its collection of game-weathered
veterans – viejos, the oldest team in the
NL likes to call its most senior members
- creating a collective feeling of improb-
able destiny.
Howie Kendrick? Your NL Champi-
onship Series MVP. He’s 36, with an iron
glove and no true position and has never
advanced past a league championship
series.
Yet he might have more to do with the
makeup of this club than anyone.
When Kendrick tore an Achilles ten-
don in May 2018, an injury-ravaged club
looked at its roster of available outfield-
ers and didn’t find an answer until its
Class A roster – and a 19-year-old slug-
ger named Juan Soto.
Soto became a good player in 2018
and a superstar in 2019, by which time
Kendrick had returned from his Achilles
tear and promptly tore the cover off the
baseball like never before, setting career
marks in slugging (572) and OPS (.966).
“Howie’s got a big strong back,” gen-
eral manager Mike Rizzo said moments
after stepping off the championship po-
dium, “because he carried us for three
months.”
His grand slam in Game 5 of the Divi-
sion Series is the biggest hit in franchise
history. His three doubles in Game 3 of
the NLCS put the Cardinals away.
“It just makes it sweet because, as
we’re getting older, the game keeps get-
ting younger,” Kendrick said. “But to see
a team like us continue to grind, and I
think the mixture of people that we do
have is what makes us so good. The
chemistry that we do have, we under-
stand each other.
“I feel like being around this long, I
wouldn’t change anything about the
past because this is just – I mean, it’s
unbelievable.”
Ryan Zimmerman can relate.
The Nationals’ original draft pick in
2005 weathered the 100-loss seasons
and the many demands that fall upon
the lone mainstay of a franchise through
years of rebuilding. Zimmerman en-
tered the month answering questions
about these possibly being his last days
with the club, his role marginalized by
his age (35) and a battle with plantar
fasciitis.
Now, he’ll enter this World Series yet
another glorious reclamation project,
batting .333 with a .913 OPS, a huge Divi-
sion Series home run and an iconic de-
fensive play to momentarily preserve a
no-hit bid.
As he cradled a light beer in the
booze-fueled clubhouse celebration,
someone brings up the year 1933, and
without missing a beat, Zimmerman
quips: “You mean the year Howie and I
were born?”
The Senators were long before his
time, but save for the first five months ofthe inaugural 2005 season – while he
was still at the University of Virginia –
Zimmerman has seen it all.
“This organization is fairly young still- 14, 15 years old – but it’s a great city, a
great sports town. They showed up.
They showed up at these games.
“I feel lucky. A lot of guys play for a
long time and don’t get a chance to do it.
This is why you play the game, why you
work so hard and why your family sacri-
fices as much for you as well.”
Their manager can relate, too.
Martinez was a rookie manager in
2018, trying to replace beloved Dusty
Baker and guide a playoff-ready team to
the next level. Instead, his inexperience
was exposed.
A year later, “Nationals manager” had
replaced “Redskins quarterback” as the
most reviled man in town, with Marti-
nez presumed to take the fall for the 19-
31 start.
Instead, he coined a phrase now em-
blazoned on towels, shirts and dugout –
Stay In the Fight – and made do with a
terrible bullpen until reinforcements ar-
rived.
“I’ll be the first to say, I never doubted
these guys. I really didn’t,” says Marti-
nez. “All I kept telling myself, hey, stay
with them. Stick to the process. Stay
positive. Teach. And as soon as every-
body gets healthy, we’ll make a run.
We’ll get back in this thing.”
Says Zimmerman: “He’s been around
baseball his whole life, so he gets it.
That’s why you play 162 games. You stay
positive, you stay with the approach
and you grind it out. His positivity and
not wavering from who he was really al-
lowed us to do that.”
He missed a week in September to
have a heart procedure, a sobering re-
minder of how consuming his job is. Yet
all around him were reminders of the
game’s joys.
The Nationals dance after home
runs. They group-hug the reticent ace,
Stephen Strasburg, after he finishes off
yet another dominant outing. And they
provide a reminder that in this town
where matters so heavy are decided ev-
ery day, a little levity is OK.
Come Sunday, the Nationals will be
boarding a plane for Houston or a train
to New York, prohibitive underdogs who
have seen worse than Gerrit Cole or
Aroldis Chapman glowering atop a
mound.
On Oct. 25, the District will host its
first World Series game in 86 years. It
was a long wait for a team to come back,
and a seemingly more torturous wait for
one good enough to get back in the Fall
Classic.
Finally, D.C. has just that. And there
couldn’t be a heartier group to deliver
that dose of joy only a World Series run
can provide.
“We want to keep winning with these
guys,” says outfielder Adam Eaton. “We
love every one of them here – on the
road, at home, out to dinner.
“We want to keep this going as long
as we can.”Lacques
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the rest of the NFL? The kid is still learn-
ing the position.
Ravens’ Lamar Jackson:
Michael Vick
This comparison makes sense just
because of how dangerous Jackson can
be as a dual threat when a play breaks
down or on designed rushes. Jackson
tied his teammate, Robert Griffin III, as
the quickest quarterback in NFL history
to rush for 1,000 yards, reaching the
mark Sunday in 21 games. But while
Jackson resembles Vick in that capac-
ity, he’s already a much more polished
and accurate passer. Jackson is con-
necting on 65.1% of his passes this sea-
son, while Vick’s career rate is56.2%.
After a hot start this season, Jackson’s
production has cooled over the past four
games, showing he needs to work more
on protecting the football and his deep-
ball accuracy. But Jackson is the fourth-
youngest starting quarterback in the
NFL, and he has started only 13 regular
season games.
Browns’ Baker Mayfield:
Brett Favre
Mayfield’s ability to improvise and
make a play when things break down
are invaluable skills that have helped
him shine early in his professional ca-
reer. The flip side, however, is that this
often leads to turnovers. Since Mayfield
took over as Cleveland’s starter in Week
4 in 2018, no other quarterback has
thrown more interceptions than his 25
in that span. That’s why it’s easy to see
some of Favre in Mayfield’s gun-sling-
ing style. Favre, who played 20 seasons,
has more interceptions (336) than any
other player in NFL history. So far this
season, poor offensive line play has hurt
Mayfield and pressed him into forced
throws, which is certainly a reason for
his touchdown-to-interception ratio of
5-to-11.
Texans’ Deshaun Watson:
Andrew Luck
Watson is a delight to watch and
might be one of the smartest quarter-
backs in the game (just listen to him dis-
sect coverages in postgame news con-
ferences). That’s why it’s not surprising
that Watson’s game draws comparisons
to Luck’s, one of the smarter players
during his tenure in the league. Though
Luck was taller and stronger and more
physical when he ran the ball, Watson is
slightly more elusive in the open field.
When it comes to passing, Luck might
have had a more powerful arm, but both
players are instinctive, can anticipate
throws and are accurate. But where
Luck tops Watson in arm strength, Wat-
son gets the better of Luck in efficiency
and protection of the football.
Dolphins’ Josh Rosen:
Eli Manning
Rosen’s career stats should be con-
sidered with caution. He has been the
victim of instability and is playing for
his third offensive coordinator in fewer
than two seasons. But this comparison
makes sense because both are pure
pocket passers whose strengths include
sound footwork and mechanics. Man-
ning is a polarizing player. But with his
height, he effectively spread the ball
around and stepped up in big moments.
Manning’s abilities have declined with
age, but his effortless throwing motion
and football awareness are traits seen in
Rosen’s repertoire.Cardinals’ Kyler Murray:
Russell WilsonTheir respective heights are the easi-
est link to draw, but there’s a lot more to
it. Both have a baseball background, ex-
cellent speed and mobility, excel out-
side the pocket, and when they extend
plays, their eyes stay downfield, looking
for receivers breaking off of routes.Granted, the sample size at this point for
Murray is minuscule (six games) and it
will be a long time before we know
whether he can be a consistent play-
maker. But his above-average accuracy
and aggressive mentality put his ceiling
at Wilson’s level. While Murray is likely
a step or two quicker than Wilson, it’s
the efficiency of Wilson’s passing that
Murray should aspire to.Jets’ Sam Darnold:
Tony RomoMono knocked Darnold out of Weeks
2-5 this year, so he has played in only 15
games so far in his career. Initial impres-
sions can be drawn to the former Cow-
boys QB who retired after the 2016 sea-
son. Romo was quite effective in his
early years at using his athleticism to
extend plays and scramble when need-
ed. Darnold has showcased above-aver-
age mobility and has used his footwork
to keep plays alive. Both are incredibly
cerebral, calm and can make all throws.
Darnold’s wind-up is elongated, so he
could streamline his motion with some
work. Also like Romo, he can be prone to
stretches of carelessness with the ball.Bills’ Josh Allen:
Steve McNairAllenisn’t close to the level of passer
that McNair was and needs to refine his
footwork so he’s not relying purely on
his arm strength. He can also work on
his efficiency with short to intermediate
throws and needs to prioritize ball pro-
tection. But Allen’s combination of size,
speed, athleticism and arm strength
could help him ascend to the type of
game changer McNair once was.Giants’ Daniel Jones:
Andy DaltonJones is the hardest to compare be-
cause he has started just four games.
And while there has been plenty to like –
anticipation, accuracy, above-average
mobility – it’s still far too early to project
his ceiling. Jones’ footwork and throw-
ing mechanics more closely mirror the
prototypical standard, but Dalton’s arm
is likely a tick stronger. That’s not a sur-
prise, considering Jones was coached at
Duke by David Cutcliffe, who has closely
tutored the Mannings.Jaguars’ Gardner Minshew:
Philip RiversThe sample size is extraordinarily
small, and there’s still so much Min-
shew needs to hone before he can be
considered a reliable quarterback, but
in his five starts, he has shown flashes.
Minshew has completed 63.9% of his
passes while often cycling through his
reads. That goes for both short and deep
passes. He has been careful with the
ball, with only two interceptions
(against nine touchdowns) through his
194 attempts. Perhaps above all else,
Minshew has showcased surprisingly
good pocket presence. He has shown a
decent grasp of the internal clock need-
ed to know when to get rid of the ball. He
has often extended plays by bouncing
around just long enough to let them de-
velop, and he has navigated tight spaces
and managed opposing pass rushes
well. It’s hard not to watch Minshew and
think instantly of Rivers.QBs
Continued from Page 1C
The Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes, last year’s NFL MVP, is dangerous once he leaves
the pocket and throws with creative arm angles.RAJ MEHTA/USA TODAY SPORTSPackers quarterback Aaron Rodgers won the first of his two NFL MVP Awards in
his sixth season. JEFF HANISCH/USA TODAY SPORTS