(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
There are many talented quarterbacks in the NFL, but in order to rank each team's strength at the position, it's important to focus only on those that are likely to take the field this season.
If a team has a clear-cut starter then they are ranked according to him alone, but if a team is mired in a quarterback controversy, both quarterbacks are taken into account when ranking their team.
Please read and react with what you think I got right and wrong.
Without further ado, here are the rankings!
32. Oakland Raiders—JaMarcus Russell
I’m not sure if this is commentary on the Oakland Raiders organization, JaMarcus Russell’s development as an NFL quarterback, or a depressing combination of both.
Russell has been a disappointment so far in the NFL, mostly because the Raiders' coaching staff has yet to let him open up the playbook (partially because, in all honesty, he isn’t quite capable of opening up the playbook).
No worries though, because Al Davis drafted another 4.30 speed receiver for Russell to throw to.
Yeah, that will help.
Russell finished in the lower tier in nearly every passing statistic in 2008, and a repeat performance isn’t too far out of the question.
31. Detroit Lions—Daunte Culpepper and Matthew Stafford
Daunte Culpepper is currently listed as the starter for the Detroit Lions. He has had some great seasons in the NFL and is capable of winning, but his most important role now is teaching Matthew Stafford, or as the Lions’ front office calls Culpepper’s job, “making sure we don’t have another Joey Harrington fiasco.”
Like they say, when you have two quarterbacks, you have no quarterback, and this will be the case in a number of cities in 2009, including Detroit.
30. New York Jets— Kellen Clemens and Mark Sanchez
Mark Sanchez is listed as the team’s starter on the Yahoo! Sports depth chart. However, the most recent reports out of Jets minicamp have suggested that Clemens is outperforming Sanchez. The Jets know that Sanchez is the quarterback of the future, so it will be interesting to see how they handle his playing time in 2009.
The reason that New York gets the nod over Detroit here is because while both teams have a quarterback of the future, New York's young quarterback will see the field a lot sooner than Detroit's.
29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers—Byron Leftwich and Josh Freeman
This offseason, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers seemingly purged themselves of any semblance of 2008's late season collapse. Jeff Garcia was cut loose in the fray, leaving the Bucs with no clear option at quarterback for 2009.
Veteran Byron Leftwich is listed as the team’s starter, but it’s possible that his main role will be mentoring quarterback-of-the-future Josh Freeman.
Keep in mind that while Leftwich has been a journeyman, he is only 28 years old. It will be interesting to see how the Buccaneers handle their quarterback situation this season. Regardless of who starts, it’s unlikely the Bucs will bank on their quarterback for victory any time soon.
28. Minnesota Vikings—Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels
They say that competition breeds success. This is only possible, however, when there is at least one ideal choice to settle on. In Minnesota, the coaching staff will have to choose between a mediocre Tarvaris Jackson and an unproven Sage Rosenfels to lead the team in 2009.
Jackson is known as a rusher with limited passing skills, but threw the ball well toward the end of 2008. Rosenfels, on the other hand, looked strong in the pocket while starting in Matt Schaub’s place in 2008. No matter which way the coaches go with this decision, don’t look for the Vikings to get much production from under center.
They should be fine, however, as long as whoever they choose can hand the ball off to Adrian Peterson.
27. San Francisco—Shaun Hill and Alex Smith
Note to whoever is taking snaps in San Francisco: Look for Michael Crabtree, he’ll be open. Shaun Hill played well in 2008, throwing for 2,000 yards, 13 touchdowns, and an 87.5 quarterback rating in a little more than half a season.
The question in San Francisco is, do you let the less-sexy choice in Shaun Hill keep the job or allow former No. 1 overall pick Alex Smith to challenge him for it?
Most likely, Hill will be under center for the Niners this year. However, the 49ers organization has made it clear that they have not ruled Alex Smith out of their future quite yet. Hill has the talent to be an NFL quarterback (think Jon Kitna), and he might get the chance to prove it for an entire season.
26. Baltimore Ravens— Joe Flacco
Joe Flacco is a guy who got a lot of credit in 2008 for a lot of things he didn’t do. Flacco is a prototypical game manager quarterback, which fits perfectly on a team like Baltimore or Pittsburgh, but doesn’t say much about his individual skill set.
Flacco completed 60 percent of his passes in 2008, but threw for only 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, while failing to top 3,000 passing yards.
His 80.3 quarterback rating more accurately gauges his 2008 accomplishments, placing him 22nd in the NFL in that statistic. While he will not wow people in 2009, Flacco could grow as a quarterback and become a potential threat by the end of the year.
25. Buffalo Bills—Trent Edwards
The good news is that the Bills got a talented receiver in Terrell Owens. The bad news is that the Bills also got a complete basketcase and quarterback destroyer in Terrell Owens. Prior to the T.O. signing, Edwards would have held this same position in the ranks. He is a game manager who is most comfortable throwing the ball around 25 times a game.
If he throws it more than that, he will most likely start throwing it to the other team. Edwards now has limitless talent to throw to with wide receiver Lee Evans and the previously mentioned Owens, but don’t expect the world from him. He will produce good stats, but not great ones.
24. Denver Broncos—Kyle Orton
The good news is that Kyle Orton isn’t terrible. The bad news is that Kyle Orton isn’t good. Orton is a serviceable quarterback who can perform a Kerry Collins-esque game manager role in Denver, but the Broncos will soon learn that he is no Jay Cutler.
Fortunately for Denver, Brandon Marshall makes playing quarterback easy, and if rookie runningback Knowshon Moreno can get his feet under him quickly, Orton won’t have to worry about passing much at all.
Chris Simms sits behind Orton on the depth chart. Don’t be too surprised if Simms ends up taking snaps by mid-2009.
23. Tennessee Titans—Kerry Collins and Vince Young
I know, listing Vince Young here might be folly. Most likely, Collins will start nearly every game of the 2009 season and Young will continue going on midnight strolls to alarm family and friends. I listed him here, however, because it’s not often that a team spends a top five pick on a quarterback and abandons him this quickly.
If Young does not get at least one start this year, I will be genuinely surprised. Collins is a reliable starter with excellent fundamentals and has an outstanding game manager mentality.
Unfortunately, his game does not expand much beyond this due to Tennessee’s talented defense and running game. He remains, however, a better option at quarterback than a number of other starters, and definitely a safer choice than Vince Young.
22. Cleveland Browns—Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson
Brady Quinn is currently listed as the Cleveland Browns' starting quarterback. It doesn’t help that new head coach Eric Mangini has publicly expressed his dislike for Quinn, or that Quinn fell face first when given the reins in 2008.
Current backup Derek Anderson also struggled in 2008, but he remains the only quarterback on the roster who has a productive season under his belt, throwing for over 3,700 yards and 29 touchdowns in 2007.
Quinn will most likely start and endure the growing pains of being an NFL quarterback, but as a tandem, the Cleveland Browns have an awful lot of talent and potential on the roster at quarterback.
21. St. Louis Rams—Marc Bulger
Yeah, this guy has made the Pro Bowl before. Twice. Bulger was stellar from 2004-06, but his last two seasons have taken a turn for the worse. In 2007 and 2008, Bulger combined for 22 touchdowns and an astonishing 28 interceptions. Hard to swallow from a quarterback coming off of three straight seasons with a 90-plus quarterback rating.
In 2009, Marc Bulger’s success will hinge on the success of first round draft pick offensive tackle Jason Smith and the health of marquee runningback Steven Jackson.
If Smith produces, Jackson can run. If Jackson can run, defenses will be forced to respect the run and open up some passing lanes for Bulger.
Will this happen? Probably not, but God, Bulger hopes so.
We're going to send you the most entertaining NFL articles, videos, and podcasts from around the web.
28 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete