I liken the treatment of Volek to the treatment Rich Gannon recieved from Dennis Green, who was in a desperate search fo the great black hope QB. After years of being on the bench, in 1992 Gannon (who ran a 4.5 40 at the time), got his chance to be the starter for the Vikings. Gannon won games and looked spectacular. He was being compared by many to Fran Tarkenton. But, towards the end of the season as Minnesota was ready to make the playoffs, Gannon had a couple of bad games in a row. On the final regular season game Gannon was benched in favor of obvious career back-up Sean Salibury. Salibury won the meaningless game, started in the playoffs and lost miserably.
For the next several years Denny Green and Vikings tried desperately to find that great black hope QB. They went through Warren Moon, Randall Cunningham, and finally crowned Duante Culpepper as the world's greatest new breed quarterback. Despite talents like Randy Moss, Cris Carter, and Robert Smith, they never won a playoff game.
Gannon spent the next six years languishing on the bench for the Washington Redskins and KC Chiefs. After more than a decade of languishing, Gannon finally got his chance to be the starting QB for the Oakland Raiders. In the few playing years he had left, he won NFL mvp twice and is still the all-time single season yardage leader. After a neck injury, the Raiders decided they didn't want him anymore and he retired. In the last full season he played, he lead his team to the superbowl and set the NFL single season record.
Volek deserves to start, but this is the NFL of Denny Green and great thinkers of his likeness. They'll look desparately for that "new breed" QB and beg great white QBs like Brett Farve to retire all the while praising any team that recycles used black goods like Steve McNair, Duante Culpepper, and Arron Brooks. I guess in the NFL winning really isn't everything.