Five Quarterbacks Who Will Surprise in the 2010 NFL Season

Every football fan already know about the skill of Brady, Manning and Brees. Them, plus Matt Schaub, Aaron Rodgers and Phillip Rivers will all have excellent seasons once again.

It's easy to predict success for those guys.

However, who are going to be the quarterbacks who succeed far beyond their expectations.

Think Rodgers before the 2008 season when he was filling in for the departed Brett Favre. Or perhaps Schaub when he was traded from Atlanta to Houston and given the reins to the offense.

Here are five quarterbacks who will surprise us this season

1) Kevin Kolb, Philadelphia Eagles

Kevin Kolb, already getting a crazy amount of attention, is poised to have a breakout season similar to Aaron Rodgers in 2008. Both players are following embattled quarterbacks that their team's had grown tired with.

 

Kolb has great talent around him with DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and LeSean McCoy. I don't have great confidence in McCoy, but we'll see how he does in his first full season as a starter.

 

Kolb's interception rates will be a little high in his first season. He's still learning the position. But I have a feeling he'll have the best statistical season out of everybody in the NFC East (yes, better then Tony Romo and Eli Manning).

 

It won't be enough to get Philly to the playoffs though. 

 

2) Charlie Whitehurst, Seattle Seahawks

Raise your hand if anybody thinks Matt Hasselbeck will survive this season. 

 

Nobody's hand should be raised.

 

Charlie Whitehurst...nobody knew too much about the guy when he was traded from San Diego in the off-season to Seattle. Whitehurst will prove to be a sneaky good guy.

 

Whitehurst will fit in nicely in the Seattle offense: Mike Williams (USC) begins his comeback to the NFL this season, Golden Tate will be a terrific athlete, John Carlson is a reliable TE and Justin Forsett is an underrated RB.

 

3) Josh Freeman, Tampa Bay Bucs

At first, I thought it to be a mistake that Tampa Bay was rebuilding around Josh Freeman. After all, when watching Freeman play at Kansas State, he looked like one of the weaker QB's in that conferenc—especially compared to Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy and even Zach Robinson . 

 

But Freeman surprised me a great deal last season. "Sports Illustrated" wrote a good article about him which detailed his brightness and his eagerness to learn the game.

 

Freeman didn't have any skill around him last year.

 

But now he gets to rebuild with the double wide receiver potential of Mike Williams (rookie, Syracuse) and Arrelious Benn (rookie, Illinois). Williams and Benn are going to be standouts for years to come, and Freeman will be the one to take them there.

 

4) Chad Henne, Miami Dolphins

Although one might think that I am only putting Chad Henne on this list because of Brandon Marshall, that isn't the reason. Henne would be on here whether or not Marshall was on the team.

 

Henne is a strong armed and smart quarterback,  he will lead Miami to first place in the AFC East. Of course, Marshall helps out a lot—but it's going to be all up to the quarterback on this one.

 

After struggling a bit at the beginning of last season (in his defense, he was thrown in a year too early when Chad Pennington went down), Henne finished the year very well...that momentum will continue.

 

5) Matt Leinart, Arizona Cardinals

Matt Leinart will have a good season.

 

There, I said it.

 

I am putting myself on the record.

 

But in all seriousness, there is no reason for Leinart not to perform very well this year, and lead Arizona back to the playoffs. He has the best wide receiver in the game in Larry Fitzgerald, and a terrific two-headed running game with Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower.

 

Leinart was shoved into the NFL right after college, and he was given an unfair disadvantage at a chance as the starter. Now he has two years of watching and learning from Kurt Warner. 

 

He has the tools and the skill and the play makers around him to have a great year. The choice is up to him whether or not to succeed or not. But I have a feeling he figures it out.

 

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