(Photo: Jonathan Bachman, Getty Images)
Atlanta — The standard procedure — back when Bobby Layne played and when Roger Staubach played and when Bret Favre played — dictated that hot-shot quarterbacks endure a waiting period before they were ready to compete in the NFL.
The apprenticeships lasted four or five seasons.
There were rare exceptions who jumped the gap from college to the pros as rookies.
Terry Bradshaw comes to mind. So do Joe Montana and John Elway and Joe Namath, Peyton Manning, Troy Aikman, Eli Manning and Jim Plunkett. They started fresh from their colleges.