| |  Gannon's persistence pays off
By Mark Malone
ESPN.com
Rich Gannon has had a tremendous career. Considering the Delaware Blue Hen entered the league with teams asking him to play positions other than quarterback, and that he spent the better part of a decade on the fringe of NFL anonymity, it's also a very interesting story.
|  | | Gannon had a record-setting 418 completions this season. |
During his 15-year career, Gannon mostly bounced around as a backup for Minnesota, Washington and Kansas City. But four years ago, when he signed with the Oakland Raiders, everything started to come together. His accomplishments just go to show the importance of timing in this league.
At that particular time in his career, in a Jon Gruden system that allowed Gannon to do the things he did best -- play smart and accurate football and get rid of the ball quickly -- in tandem with quality players around him, all of the elements to succeed were in place. The Raiders didn't ask him to throw downfield for 50 yards, they stuck to what he did best.
Gannon matured both as an individual and a quarterback. He learned how to better utilize his athleticism and not run all over the place. He became a true student of the game, with a greater understanding of the nuances of both how to play and how to be successful.
And low-and-behold, Gannon went from being an obscure, fringe quarterback to the league's MVP.
Certainly there are many quarterbacks who are as physically talented as Gannon, but there are other factors to consider. Not to take away anything from Gannon, it's not just destiny or happenstance, he's worked extremely hard to become the player he is today, but there are certain components that all have to come together at the same time to reach the top of your game. For a lot of players, only two or three components work out.
Gannon is, in fact, the coach on the field. He is driven by perfection and expects the same from his teammates -- which attributes to his achievements as well. It's certainly a great story, and Gannon is very deserving of MVP.
Mark Malone is the host of NFL 2Night
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