NFL Preseason Week 2: What to Watch for in Each QB Competition

You know what the best thing about the preseason is? No it isn't the lowered gambling lines, the cheap tickets, the extended time for fourth-stringers or Hard Knocks (well, it might be Hard Knocks if we could get Rex Ryan back on).

It's the quarterback competitions. 

Every year approximately half a dozen teams have multiple quarterbacks fighting for the starting spot, which makes their preseason games so much more exciting.

This year, we're seeing those competitions in Cleveland, Seattle, Arizona, Tennessee and Miami. Week 1 has come and gone and now we have a better idea of what's going on in each situation. 

So what will happen in Week 2? Here's what you should be looking for from each team. 

Cleveland Browns

This one is a competition in name only, but until Cleveland officially hands the reigns to Brandon Weeden it's still technically a competition.

You don't draft a 28-year-old quarterback at No. 22 and expect him to sit for a few years. He has to start from day one. 

Things didn't exactly get off to a great start for Weeden though. He completed only three-of-nine passes and threw an interception. Things only figure to get harder in Week 2 when the Browns travel to Green Bay to take on the Super Bowl favorite Packers.

While Colt McCoy was better in the opening game (6-of-8 for 88 yards), he didn't exactly set the world on fire. This game has a different meaning for him.

While he'd like to be the starter in Cleveland, Green Bay has expressed interest in him as a backup. If McCoy can't wrestle the starting job away from Weeden, he might at least be able to win himself a job holding Aaron Rodgers' clipboard.

Unless Weeden continues to stink in the preseason like he did against Detroit, this is his job. If he does, it'll make things very interesting. 

Miami Dolphins

With David Garrard injured, the obvious answer in Miami is no longer an option.

That means this quarterback competition is going to come down to rookie Ryan Tannehill and veteran Matt Moore.

On paper, Moore should be the clear choice. He led the team on a late charge last year and Tannehill missed a decent chunk of camp.

Coach Joe Philbin hasn't decided who will start on Friday's game against Carolina, but expect both quarterbacks to see extended time.

Moore will be at a decided advantage against the Panthers. While he didn't play for Ron Rivera, he did play with most of the players on that team and does know a lot about them. Given the closeness of this competition, that edge could mean a lot. 

Arizona Cardinals

Arizona's quarterback battle between John Skelton and Kevin Kolb has been fairly underwhelming. Both struggled in the Hall of Fame game against New Orleans and neither did much to help his case against Kansas City Either.

For now the job appears to be Kolb's to lose, but that has more to do with money than skill. If you have two bad quarterbacks why sit the one making eight figures?

This week's game against Oakland will give both guys another shot to prove themselves, but the make or break game isn't until next week against Tennessee.

The third game of the preseason is usually where we find out who the real players are on every team, so whoever doesn't start is likely doomed to be a backup. 

Tennessee Titans

It's rare to see a quarterback battle with one good quarterback, much less two. Yet what we're seeing in Tennessee is a duel between two guys who clearly deserve to be NFL starters somewhere, but only one can get the job for the Titans. 

Hasselbeck was solid last year, but Locker seems to have been leading the charge during training camp. He has gotten rave reviews from coaches and will start Tennessee's next preseason game against Tampa Bay.

However, a bad performance against the Bucs could swing the job right back to Hasselbeck. This is Locker's chance to claim it for good. If he starts their third preseason game he'll have it locked up. If not things are going to get very interesting.

By the way, if Locker does win the job, Hasselbeck should immediately be traded to Arizona. More job security for Locker, a real quarterback for the Cardinals, a starting job for Hasselbeck and, most importantly, a real quarterback for Larry Fitzgerald. Who loses in that scenario?

Seattle Seahawks

Every quarterback in this competition has something major in the favor.

Tarvaris Jackson has already played a year in this system. Matt Flynn got a big contract in free agency and has been the No. 1 quarterback throughout camp. Russell Wilson has simply been amazing in camp and was just as good in their first preseason game.

Pete Carroll says that Tarvaris Jackson didn't play in Week 1 because he already knew what he could do, but to me that says he's out of the competition. Why not at least send him out for a series with the first unit as a sign that he was your starter last year?

That means it's between Flynn and Wilson. As much as I love Russell Wilson, this is Flynn's job to lose. There is too much money at play here, and Wilson is only a rookie. If Flynn fails they can always bring Wilson in.

Wilson will have a real shot at the starting job next year, but this year it belongs to Matt Flynn.