An Army Needs a General: A Closer Look at the NFL's Quarterback Battles

(Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

Of all the positional battles that take place in the offseason, none captivate us more than that of the quarterback battle.

The quarterback may be the most overrated position in all of sports. They get far too much of the blame, and far too much of the credit. Their careers are looked at in terms of Super Bowl victories rather than any other accomplishment, while no other position is looked at in that same light.

How often do you hear, "Yes, he was a great safety. But how many Super Bowls did he win?"

Not often. But, that's a different discussion for a different day.

Having multiple quarterbacks competing for the position usually means bad things for that franchise. As the old saying goes, "If you have two quarterbacks, you have no quarterback."

This can also be said for women, but again, a different discussion for a different day.

The battle is on to see who will lead their respective team, and it's taking place in quite a few teams this offseason. There are more battles now than I can remember taking place before, which shows the shallow talent pool for quarterbacks these days.

Team-by-team, player-by-player, who turns overnight celebrity, and who holds the clipboard?

San Francisco: Alex Smith vs. Shaun Hill

Everyone knows Alex Smith as the bust of the 2005 draft, and arguably the biggest bust of this decade.

Even though he's already been labeled, it looks as though Smith will get the chance to show that the 49ers were right to pass on players like DeMarcus Ware, Shawn Merriman, and Aaron Rodgers to choose him.

It's no secret that the only reason Smith is even getting this shot is because of all the money invested in him. It will create a bit of a stir for a franchise that has had a hard fall from the mountain peak all the way back to sea level.

Shaun Hill was very productive last year for then-interim head coach Mike Singletary. In only eight starts, Hill completed nearly 63 percent of his passes and threw for more than 2,000 yards with 13 touchdowns, He only threw eight interceptions while posting a 5-3 record.

Smith, on the other hand, hasn't been half as productive in his 30 career starts.

While Hill is the obvious choice in this battle, Smith may become the starter come Week One simply because of his prior draft status, and because for better or for worse, he has a recognizable name. Most people outside of the San Francisco Bay have never even heard of Hill (an undrafted guy in the same year Smith was taken No. 1 overall).

Smith, however, could see himself get yanked if Week 1 is a disaster. In other words he may get "Charlie-Fryed."

Tampa Bay: Byron Leftwich vs. Josh Freeman vs. Luke McCown

Leftwich was brought in as a free agent, McCown was retained before hitting free agency, and Josh Freeman was the 17th overall pick in the 2009 draft.

I thought Jon Gruden was in the booth now for Monday Night Football?

The McCown signing doesn't make much sense to me, as he's really been nothing more than a backup for his career, and the Bucs have plenty of those.

They need a starter, and the only guy ready to step in right now and do that is Leftwich.

I've been incredibly shocked at how little attention was paid to Leftwich since the Steelers allowed him to hit the free agent market. Leftwich is a proven guy who has won games in this league, and at the same time is still a young veteran.

For my money, he has the talent to become a franchise quarterback. Whether he will or not is another story.

The plan in Tampa should be to play Leftwich for as long as possible, and allow Freeman to take the reigns in two years. The plan could change if Leftwich plays the way that I believe he can, but the Bucs will have a very hard time not playing their first round draft choice as soon as possible.

I say Leftwich wins this battle easily and holds it down for at least the next year and a half to two years.

Minnesota: Sage Rosenfels vs. Tarvaris Jackson

Notice there is not a third name. I do not believe there will be a third quarterback competing for this spot. If I'm wrong, that third quarterback steps in and there is no competition. Make a mental note of that fact.

Rosenfels and Jackson have both had their moments where they looked like they could become decent starters. However, they have also had moments where they looked like they didn't even belong in the league.

Rosenfels playing helicopter with the Colts defense doesn't help his cause, and Jackson's decision-making ability has been nothing but the ability to make bad decisions.

This may be the most confusing quarterback battle in the league, considering how widely inconsistent both quarterbacks are.

If one of these guys can finally play with some consistency, they will pull out the win. However, the odds of that happening aren't great.

Rosenfels is probably the more polished quarterback, and Vikings fans would rather see a guy who hasn't already messed up their team, so I'm going out on a limb and saying Rosenfels will be the Week One starter.

That, of course, does not mean he'll be the starter in Week Two.

Detroit: Matthew Stafford vs. Daunte Culpepper

Matthew Stafford is the future of the Lions' franchise. Really, it's not a question of if, but when, he will be taking the reins.

Whether he plays or not, the guy has a guaranteed $42 million coming his way, so I'm assuming he'll be playing as quickly as possible.

That being said, it would be a huge mistake for the Lions to start Stafford right away. That's not to say that quarterbacks who start their rookie season can't be successful in that season, or even later in their career (Troy Aikman, Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Vince Young, etc.).

However, the difference is the time those quarterbacks came out of college. They all came out after their senior year, whereas Stafford opted out of his senior year to come to the NFL.

Junior quarterbacks have had very little success in the NFL, with the most successful of them being Drew Bledsoe. Bledsoe may have appeared in a Super Bowl, but he never won one, and really never lived up to the hype or the potential.

If Stafford starts Week One, not only will the Lions be throwing him into an awful situation, but they'll be ensuring that his success in the NFL is limited.

Not only that, but why start a rookie when they have a proven vet ready to step in and play now? Culpepper may not be the same since his knee injury, but he's a more-than-capable quarterback, especially for a Lions team just looking to make it through a rebuilding year.

If the Lions are smart, and if Shwartz wants to keep his job longer than Cam Cameron, Culpepper will be under center Week One, and hopefully the entire year. Give Stafford a year to sit and learn before you give him the keys.

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