The NFL offseason is often a monument to unbridled optimism: every new coach the perfect fit, each free-agent signing a masterstroke, all draft picks gems. But it is also a time of coast-to-coast hand-wringing, with the lack of games giving even the most hopeful fans too much time to ruminate on everything that has gone (or could still go) wrong. The negative narrative feeds sports media and summertime nightmares, and it also sets up very useful talking points for coaches looking to use disrespect as a cudgel to propel their teams forward.

When the father of the former first overall pick is quoted saying the franchise that eventually drafted his son is a veritable quarterback graveyard, well, that is a Class A negative narrative. But it's far from the only one circulating. And with near

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