Examining Why Rookie Quarterbacks Can't Afford to Struggle in NFL

Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III and Brandon Weeden are this year's crop of rookie quarterbacks expected to start right away for their new franchises.

But in the NFL, where impatience reigns supreme, they better be ready to produce right away.

In an era in which players start getting called "busts" before they reach the second half of their rookie seasons, no position is more difficult than quarterback. Luck, Griffin and Weeden will find that out sooner rather than later.

The transition from college to the NFL is incredibly difficult, but the three young signal-callers above will be expected to make it look seamless. If they don't, it won't take long before fanbases start getting frustrated and the media start questioning decisions.

It's another example of the constantly connected world we are living in.

If Luck missed a couple training-camp throws in a row, there will be a text message about it. If Griffin looks bad in the hurry-up offense, it will get noted on Twitter.

The 24-hour coverage of the NFL from every angle leaves virtually no room for error for rookie quarterbacks. They are playing the most important position on the field, and every error or success will be over-analyzed.

Instead of getting chances to settle in as the new faces of their franchises, they are watched closely from their first passes of OTAs, and at the first sign of trouble, the world will know about it.

It's easy to forget that some of the league's best quarterbacks didn't exactly tear it up during their rookie seasons, an example of how challenging it is to make plays against defenses that are exponentially quicker than the ones the field generals seen in college.

Tom Brady threw three passes in his rookie season and had a mundane 86.5 QB rating in his first year as a starter. Drew Brees took to the air just 27 times as a first-year player and was even less impressive than Brady after becoming a starter, with a 76.9 QB rating.

The best example would be new Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning. Just like Griffin, Weeden and Luck, his heir apparent with the Indianapolis Colts, he was asked to take the reigns right away and struggled mightily at times.

Manning finished the season with more interceptions (28) than touchdowns (26). His completion percentage was a subpar 57, and he got sacked 22 times.

Despite those struggles, he turned into one of the best quarterbacks ever.

Yet, a similar performance from any of this season's immediate starters would lead to a barrage of questions about their abilities to survive in the NFL. The days of waiting for results are firmly in the past and won't be coming back.

It simply adds another layer of pressure on the shoulders of players who are already under more heat than they probably ever expected. Learn the playbook; develop chemistry with teammates; adjust to the speed of the game; and, don't forget, your job is never completely safe.

Cam Newton showed it's possible to deliver strong performances right away. But Blaine Gabbert and Christian Ponder proved it's not nearly as easy as Newton made it look. The stories of failure have outweighed those of rookie quarterback success over the years.

Luck, Griffin and Weeden may eventually be joined by Ryan Tannehill, Russell Wilson and others as quarterbacks who see playing time as rookies. And they all face the same battle of proving their values before people make up their minds.

Given the major investment, they will each be given a season to show off their abilities. If it's a bad one, however, they will already be on shaky ground heading in to their second years.

That's something none of them want to deal with.

After all, there's always another prospect coming through the college ranks who's looking to get his chance in the NFL. If a quarterback doesn't have quick success, it won't take long for the scouting process to begin on his potential replacement.

Thus continuing the constant carousel of starting quarterbacks in the NFL.