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

(Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

Denver: Kyle Orton vs. Chris Simms

This time last year, no one would have guessed that Denver would have been on the list of teams with a quarterback competition, but here they are.

Josh McDaniels has come in and gotten rid of the first franchise quarterback that the city had seen since John Elway. He has opened up a competition between two quarterbacks in their first season with this team.

The silver lining is that both of these quarterbacks have been starters on other teams, and have won some games.

Simms looked like he was making strides in Tampa until that horrific hit which caused his spleen to rupture and later be removed. If Jon Gruden ever committed to a quarterback, it was Simms. Unfortunately, it didn't work out, and he found himself as a backup in Tennessee before signing on this offseason with Denver.

Orton was a starter for the Bears last season before coming to Denver in the trade involving former Broncos' starter Jay Cutler.

Orton has been involved in quarterback competitions before, namely with former first-round pick Rex Grossman. Orton beat out Grossman last season and played admirably with the Bears. Unfortunately, he's not a franchise quarterback, so he was deemed expendable in the trade for Cutler.

Orton is certainly the more polished quarterback between the two, but is having a difficult time holding off the son of Phil Simms. Simms will definitely give Orton a run for his money, but in the end, I believe the winner will be Orton because he's got a much better pocket presence than Simms.

Simms could make a late push to overtake Orton as the starter, but he would have to be phenomenal in the preseason in order for that to occur at this point.

Both quarterbacks must go into this knowing that they're on a very short leash, and should the team start to lose, their job is anything but secure.

Oakland: JaMarcus Russell vs. Jeff Garcia

The Raiders have stockpiled quarterbacks this offseason, but the likes of Andrew Walters, Charlie Frye, and Bruce Gradkowski are not enough to compete with a proven winner in Jeff Garcia, and a former No. 1 pick ready to explode with potential in JaMarcus Russell.

Garcia is in the same unenviable position as Shaun Hill in San Francisco. While Garcia is obviously the better quarterback of the two, he will have to really outshine Russell in order to get the nod.

The Raiders understand that benching Russell at this point would probably ruin him mentally and therefore as a quarterback entirely. However, they also understand that this fanbase wants to win now.

Russell certainly has a higher ceiling than Garcia, but also could fall right through the basement floor at any given moment.

With Garcia under center and having that fantastic running game behind him, the Raiders are guaranteed, in my mind, at least five or six wins, if not more. With Russell under center, no one has any idea what could happen. They could see another 2-14 season, or make the playoffs in a weak division.

No one knows.

I think Russell has to win this, because if he doesn't, it means that the Raiders no longer see him as the future of the franchise. The Raiders are not ready to give up on him just yet, and it will be his job to lose.

Of course with Russell, he may do just that.

Kansas City: Matt Cassel vs. Tyler Thigpen vs. Brodie Croyle

This is a battle that no one outside of Kansas City is talking about, but one that should be mentioned.

Anyone who believes that Todd Haley is simply going to insert Matt Cassel into the starting role just because of what was given up to attain him his dead wrong.

Haley is looking for the best guy to run his offense and if that turns out to be Thigpen or Croyle, then so be it.

Thigpen stepped in and played well for the Chiefs last year. He gave that offense a certain unexpected explosiveness that Brodie Croyle could not.

In 11 starts last season, Thigpen was able to throw for more than 2,500 yards along with 18 touchdowns to 13 interceptions. While those numbers aren't stellar, they're certainly better than what most would have expected from a former-seventh round pick on a poor team such as the Chiefs.

With a great team around him, Cassel was able to throw for more than 3,500 yards with 21 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. So in five more games played, Cassel was able to throw for only 1,000 yards more, three more touchdowns, and only two fewer interceptions.

Cassel threw to Wes Welker and Randy Moss. Thigpen threw to Dwayne Bowe and Tony Gonzalez, a tight end.

I'd say the only thing that Cassel has over Thigpen is the hype.

Notice Brodie Croyle hasn't gotten much of a mention. While he'll be given a shot, he's never been able to stay healthy, and this year will probably be no exception.

Don't expect much from Croyle in the way of giving either of these guys any real competition.

Cleveland: Derek Anderson vs. Brady Quinn

To me, this is a pretty obvious choice. Anderson has shown that he can throw for nearly 30 touchdowns and lead this team to the brink of a playoff berth. A berth they may have earned had Charlie Frye not been there to tank Week One.

Quinn, on the other hand, was nothing special during the time he saw last season. He did not show the poise, the leadership, or the decision-making skills that a quarterback must have in order to be successful.

To be fair, Quinn has seen limited time and should not be judged just yet. Anderson has shown what he can do, and he's shown that he can be quite good.

Anderson was the victim of Braylon Edwards last season. There were several times where had Edwards just caught a perfectly thrown ball, the team may have won, and Anderson may have been able to keep his job. Couple that with an aging Jamal Lewis, and you have a guy in Anderson who took far too much of the blame.

Perhaps with a rejuvenated Edwards, Anderson can regain his Pro-Bowl form and show the team why they paid him the big bucks.

The team is in quite a bind with these two. On one hand, they did give Anderson a lucrative contract after his '07 season. On the other, they did move up to draft Quinn in the first round.

This could wind up being the closest of the battles, with the decision probably not coming until the fourth week of the preseason.

Mangini should choose wisely. There's a good chance his job will depend on the selection.

If he's smart, he'll choose Anderson. Quinn's just not ready yet.

New York (Jets): Mark Sanchez vs. Kellen Clemens

Rex Ryan certainly will have his hands full with this one.

Unlike in Detroit, the Jets do not have a proven veteran to play while Sanchez holds the clipboard and learns the ropes. They have Kellen Clemens, a guy who has seen limited time and barely qualifies as a veteran.

Sanchez has a lot of potential, but has very limited playing time as well. This was also the situation while he was in college at USC. His 16 college starts amount to one full NFL season, and if that's all the games the Jets are playing, Sanchez will see a fanbase turning on him very quickly.

While I'm a firm believer in sitting a rookie quarterback, especially a guy who came out as a junior, the Jets may not have a choice with Sanchez. Their best bet may be to throw him in now and see what he can do.

The situations with Stafford and Sanchez are not quite the same, as Sanchez has a much better team around him. The Jets are a .500 team even without a quarterback, so Sanchez should be able to thrive with some talented guys around him.

Thomas Jones, Leon Washington, Jerricho Cotchery, and Dustin Keller to name a few, are guys who can help support Sanchez in his transition to the NFL.

The Jets should hope that Clemens steps up and takes command, because if he doesn't, the Jets will have a very hit-or-miss type of season while having to deal with a rookie quarterback and their usual roller-coaster progression through the season.

Also, don't get spoiled by Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco. As far as rookie quarterbacks go, their seasons were an aberration in a league that does not treat rookies, especially rookie quarterbacks, kindly.

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