2012 NFL Offseason: 5 Quarterbacks Under the Most Pressure in 2012

2012 will be a pivotal season for many teams and many players. And when we talk about players under pressure? There is, quite literally, none other than the quarterback. 

They say there is no other player in team sports that affects the outcome of his team more than the quarterback. They are often the leader, the heart, and the soul of the team.

And when they do not perform and they are replaced, there is great upheaval all around the franchise. Coaches are fired, offensive coordinators flipped, and skill-position guys and lineman are shuffled to usher in a new era on offense.

Some teams have new signal-callers. Others have tenured quarterbacks who are facing questions.

Either way, the expectations dictate that some of those guys will lose their jobs in 2012. 

Let's take a look at the five quarterbacks under the most pressure this coming season.

Robert Griffin III

I think RG3 will be special. I really do believe he has a good chance at significantly outperforming Andrew Luck. Someday, we may even feel stupid for putting those two in the same sentence. 

But Washington and Mike Shanahan gave up the house to get him. The 'Skins gave up the 2012 sixth and 39th pick, plus two more first-rounders. Yikes.

I believe there is more pressure on RG3 than Luck because of what we saw last season. Cam Newton has a similar skill set to RG3, in that they both have running ability and huge arms. Of course, Newton is about 40 pounds heavier so he held up very well to the heavy hits.

But fans saw what a rushing QB can do. They will, fair or not, expect some of the same from the Baylor product.

Now, the playoffs are probably not in the cards for RG3 in 2012. They are playing in a horrendously competitive division, with the defending champion Giants. While the Eagles and Cowboys both struggled in 2011, they both really took an initiative to fix their biggest holes in the offseason and it will be foolish to assume that they will be easy to beat.

It's also worth talking about how many incredible pass-rushers RG3 will have to face in his divisional contests.

Dallas has maybe the best edge rusher in the league in DeMarcus Ware, with his assistant Anthony Spencer. 

Philly has a pair of monsters running the speed-rush wide nine, Trent Cole and Jason Babin, a tandem that produced 29.5 sacks last season.

And the Giants have the deepest defensive line in the league with Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora, and Mathias Kiwanuka. Ask Tom Brady how scary those guys are.

Good thing RG3 runs fast because he will need to run for his life next season. 

Michael Vick

Speaking of NFC signal-callers with incredible running ability, let's talk about the man RG3 has often been compared to. What about the guy who lit the league on fire in 2010 and signed a $100 million deal the summer after?

2011 marked a horrible season for the Eagles. No one is foolish enough to blame it all on Vick. 

But Vick still had a huge turnover problem. Much of this can be attributed to the poor play of the offensive line, which seemed to not mind Vick getting hit all the time. 

I still think Vick could have made some better choices last year. I still think he made more accurate throws than his sub 60 percent would indicate; his receivers dropped a ton of passes. 

No matter what though, the bottom line is drawn after a horrible season like that. If the Eagles do not make noise in the playoffs, and Vick does not cut down the turnovers, he will be under very heavy scrutiny. It's that simple. 

It's a devastating blow that All-Pro tackle Jason Peters got hurt. But that will not be an excuse.

The Eagles got significantly better in the draft, selecting guys like Fletcher Cox to deepen the already awesome defensive line. They also solved their cornerback mess by getting rid of Asante Samuel.

And they finally took the linebacker position seriously. The picked up DeMeco Ryans, who will be huge for them. He's an awesome tackler and can fill multiple holes and gaps in the run game. They also drafted Mychal Kendricks 46th overall, who can also play the run and make some monstrous hits as well.

Moreover, there is just a mess of skill-position guys on offense like DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Brent Celek, and one of the best all-purpose backs in the league, LeSean McCoy.

It's up to Vick to make it all work.  

Tony Romo

Another NFC East quarterback! Why not? 

This seems like the same story every single season. Romo lights it up during Weeks 1 to 10. Then, December hits, and Romo suddenly falls in love with interceptions. And the Cowboys then blow very important games, in hilariously unimaginable fashion. The Cowboys retool after a offseason of questions, and they become a trendy Super Bowl pick the following season.

So why is Romo under more pressure than ever before? Lets start with Jerry Jones comments that they Cowboy's window with this core group is "closing." 

If I were a Cowboy, I would feel ashamed because we have a passionate owner in Jerry Jones who will open the wallet and do everything it takes to make this team competitive. From pursuing high-priced free agents to building the most amazing sports stadium in sports, the Cowboys have all the resources they need to be good. Yet they've only had one playoff win in the Romo era.

They've never geared up like this before. Like the Eagles, the Cowboys are apoplectic that their NFC East rivals, the Giants won the Super Bowl. They've loaded up like crazy on their weak spots. The signed Brandon Carr to deepen the corner spot. 

They spent their first four picks on defensive guys, including another corner and perhaps the best defensive guy in the draft in Morris Claiborne from LSU. 

If Rob Ryan can take advantage of DeMarcus Ware on the pass-rush with this super-charged secondary, the 'Boys D will be competitive next year. 

So that leaves the offense to determine the success of "America's Team." These guys are loaded on offense, too. With one of the best tight ends in the league, Jason Witten, an explosive receiving corps in Miles Austin and Dez Bryant, and a running back that performed like one of the best in the league when he got time, DeMarco Murray, Tony Romo should have ample opportunity to put up some big numbers on offense.

Are there questions on the offensive line? Yes. Should that matter given that the Cowboys are loaded everywhere else? Probably not. Will Romo be given a pass this time if he can't turn one of the most talented rosters in the NFL into a winner? 

I say no.  

Peyton Manning

Maybe the most sought-after free agent in sports since LeBron James, I believe Peyton is in a situation where he will have the most to prove since his rookie season.

Detractors will question his health and how well that neck will hold up if he is hit. They question if he can be as good in an unfamiliar offense, which seems absurd but we remember that Peyton's literally run the same offense for 14 years. They question whether he can develop good rapport with his new receivers. 

I think Peyton would read that paragraph above and throw a football at the computer screen in disgust. A guy of his caliber should be appalled that people would doubt him like that.

That said, the Broncos did invest a lot in him. The pressure will stem from the doubter I mentioned above.

However, the pressure will also stem from the fact that he is replacing the immortal Tim Tebow, who took the Broncos past the Steelers in the first round of last year's playoffs. 

Now, Peyton opens Week 1 against Pittsburgh in a rematch. He will have every chance to make Denver forget about Tebow.

But is it all that crazy to envision a scenario in which Peyton suffers a bad hit and his neck's health is in question? Maybe not to the point where he's disastrous or has to retire, but it psychologically messes with his Hall of Fame pedigree?

What if Tebow takes over in Gotham and starts leading the Jets to more improbable, come from behind wins? And suddenly by midseason, the Broncos playoff spot is in question for the first time and the Jets are surging past the Patriots for the division lead?

Hey, while we're talking about good old Tim...

Mark Sanchez

Here's the dude Tebow could replace. In my earlier article chronicling why I think Tebow will start, I outline the threats to Sanchez, whether football related or not.

The most important thing to see here is that New York is a big market, and is completely and utterly fickle. Sanchez could lead them to a 4-2 record through six games, then once he throws three interceptions in a game, whispers will beg for Tebow Time.

Another bad performance, and the criticisms start raining down. And the next week when he doesn't do something spectacular to right the ship? Fans will practically riot in protest for Tim to get on the field.

Here's the issue: Sanchez is such a sensitive dude that it actually rattled him to see the senior citizen, Mark Brunnell take some snaps in practice on the first team. 

Did Rex Ryan label it as "competitive"? Sure. That's probably true. But I don't think Tom Brady would flip out if Belichick told him to rest up and let Brian Hoyer have a couple of snaps. Or Drew Brees with Chase Daniel. Or even Tony Romo with Jon Kitna last season.

I don't think Mark Sanchez felt he had the full backing of the coaching staff at times in his first three season. I definitely think he's on notice now. He's been badgered about Tebow every day in the media since the trade. 

Some people have compared Sanchez's production to fellow New York QB, Eli Manning, through three seasons. We all know that Eli is enjoying a successful career, having won two Super Bowl rings. And he has definitely endured his share of criticisms and calls for his job. 

But Eli's job was never truly in jeopardy. The Giants never really brought in a guy to "compete" with Kid Peyton or try to take his job.

And no matter how Rex spins it, Tebow is more than just a gadget guy. He will be given every opportunity to take the job. How will Sanchez respond?