2009 NFL Position Battles to Watch: Quarterbacks

Every fantasy owner knows the difficulty that can come with trying to decide between one player or another. Luckily, the decisions we make are simply critiqued by our friends and not the whole nation.

Unfortunately, for NFL head coaches, their decisions become the lead story on SportsCenter. With that in mind, Bruno Boys Whooley takes a look at some of the position battles that NFL coaches will be monitoring this preseason, starting with the quarterbacks. For fantasy purposes, these are battles you should be keeping an eye on, also.

 

CLEVELAND BROWNS - Brady Quinn vs. Derek Anderson

It's a new year, but it's the same story where the Cleveland Browns are heading into the preseason not knowing who will be running their offense, Derek Anderson or Brady Quinn. However, while the participants may be the same, the circumstances surrounding this year's battle are quite different than those that surrounded it just last year.

Heading into 2008, the Browns seemed to have a problem every NFL franchise would love to have. Their roster housed what many thought to be two Pro Bowl-caliber quarterbacks in Anderson, who had just come off a season in which he threw for 3,787 yards, 29 TDs, and 19 INTs, and Quinn, the team's apparent QB of the future.

Now, though, the team is just hoping one of them can step it up enough to simply be a capable starter as neither impressed with their play during the 2008 season. In fact, both finished the year with QB ratings under 70, with Quinn coming in at 66.6 and Anderson right on his tail with a 66.5 rating.

With new head coach, Eric Mangini, expected to employ a safer, less risk-orientated offense, Quinn seems to be favored to win the job, as Anderson's biggest strength is his strong arm and ability to throw the deep ball.

Still, this competition is just as close as the two's QB ratings were last season, so be sure to stay tuned to see who comes out on top. In the end though, neither will be anything more than a QB2 for fantasy purposes.

 

DETROIT LIONS - Daunte Culpepper vs. Matthew Stafford

For the good of the Lions and Matthew Stafford, it would behoove the team to start the season with Culpepper under center. Don't get me wrong, Stafford, who outperformed Culpepper this spring, might be the more talented of the two at this stage of their careers, but going with Culpepper would allow Stafford to learn the intricacies of the NFL game from the sidelines and not from on his back.

The NFL, though, is a business, and with the Lions going 0-16 last year, Detroit needs to do anything it can to generate excitement among its fans for the upcoming year. Handing the starting job to Culpepper, who completed just 52.2% of his passes for 786 yards, four TDs, and six INTs in his five games played for the Lions last season, isn't exactly going to do the trick.

That fact, coupled with the $41.7 million the rookie is guaranteed, makes it very likely that it will be Stafford starting for the Lions in week one. If that's the case, don't expect Stafford to mimic the success that both Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco had in their first years as the Lions' supporting cast isn't up to par with that of last year's Falcons or Ravens.

 

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS - Matt Cassel vs. Tyler Thigpen

While the Chiefs are trying to paint this as an "open competition," many around the league, and even Thigpen, himself, believe otherwise, and for good reason.

In trading a second round pick for Cassel, the Chiefs will be willing to give him every chance they can to ensure he lands the starting gig. Case and point, it was Cassel, not Thigpen, who was put with the team's starting offense during the Chiefs' minicamps. Thus, it seems safe to pencil in Cassel as the Chiefs' 2009 starter.

However, fantasy owners need to beware. Just because it appears Cassel will, once again, be a starting quarterback in the NFL, doesn't mean he's guaranteed to have the same success he had last season.

By no means are the Chiefs anywhere close to being the New England Patriots, especially when comparing the two teams' wide receiver corps. In fact, Dwayne Bowe, who will now be Cassel's main weapon, would more than likely find himself third on the Patriots' depth chart behind both Randy Moss and Wes Welker.

Look for 2009 to illuminate whether Cassel is the real deal or simply thrived because of a well-run system.

 

MIAMI DOLPHINS - Chad Pennington vs. Chad Henne

It appears the Miami Dolphins do not adhere to the "What have you done for me lately?" philosophy that dominates the NFL. Rather, the club seems to be abiding by the "What will you do for me in the future?" ideology.

Despite finishing as a runner-up for the league's MVP award last season, and playing a crucial role in the Dolphins' turnaround from a one-win team to AFC East division champions, Miami has been unwilling to hand Chad Pennington a contract extension. Worse yet, there is talk that the team would like to get Chad Henne, who they've already named their 2010 starter, some gametime action this season, meaning Pennington is a QB with an expiration date.

Pennington, who had a career year in 2008 with 3,653 yards passing, 20 total TDs, and just seven INTs, is currently set to start the season as the man under center for the Dolphins, but job security is lacking.

The Dolphins are dead set on Henne being their quarterback of the future, and if that means moving away from Pennington sooner than later, then so be it.

Normally, a QB, who finished ninth among all quarterbacks in fantasy points the previous season, would be someone to target in your fantasy drafts, but due to the situation in Miami, that's not the case with Pennington as we head into 2009.

 

MINNESOTA VIKINGS - Sage Rosenfels vs. Tarvaris Jackson

Stellar running game? Check! Spectacular defense? Check! Quarterback capabale of managing a game? Umm, has Brett Favre returned our call yet?

There's a reason the Minnesota Vikings are pursuing Favre so heavily. The pieces are there for the team to make a championship run, except at the quarterback position.

Despite a cannon for an arm, Tarvaris Jackson has yet to develop into the quarterback the Vikings have hoped he could become. In fact, things got so bad last season, that Jackson was benched in favor of journeyman Gus Frerotte.

While some would like to point to Jackson's final four games of the regular season last year, in which he went for 740 passing yards, eight TDs, and just one INT after working his way back onto the field, it is worth remembering that those games weren't against the toughest of pass defenses.

During that span, Jackson faced the Lions (27th against the pass), Cardinals (22nd), and Falcons (21st). The one team with a solid pass defense he went up against, the New York Giants, held Jackson in check to the tune of just 239 yards, one TD, and one INT.

So, don't be fooled—because the Vikings themselves aren't fooled. Hence, the trade for Sage Rosenfels, who played decently during his opportunities with the Houston Texans while backing up Matt Schaub these past two years, was probably a smart move.

Right now, thanks to better accuracy (Rosenfels has completed 62.5% of his passes over his career to Jackson's 58.4%), it seems Rosenfels will be the man in Minny this season. However, that point becomes moot if one Mr. Favre decides to return to the gridiron. 

 

NEW YORK JETS - Mark Sanchez vs. Kellen Clemens

You have to feel just slightly for Jet's quarterback Kellen Clemens. Last season, Clemens was primed to secure the team's starting gig, outshining Chad Pennington in training camp, only to end up holding a clipboard once the smoke from the Brett Favre saga cleared.

This season, Clemens, once again, seemed a shoe-in to take over the Jets' quarterback position, with Favre retiring, only to see the team trade up in this year's draft and choose Mark Sanchez with the fifth overall selection. 

It's been a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time for Clemens, but he still has a shot to line up under center come week one as new head coach Rex Ryan will give both Clemens and Sanchez a shot to prove who can give Ryan and the team the best shot at winning.

This is one battle that appears set to go deep into the preseason. Ryan, himself, was even quoted as saying, "We probably won't know [the starter] until ...who knows? Whenever it becomes obvious to us, we'll make the decision. Obviously, you'd prefer it sooner than later, but I don't think that's going to happen."

But, don't worry Bruno Boys Nation, because once things become finalized, the Bruno Boys will let you know.

 

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS - Shaun Hill vs. Alex Smith vs. Damon Huard

While Damon Huard has by far the most experience of these three, the battle for San Francisco's starting spot is really a two-man competition between Shaun Hill and Alex Smith.

Seeing as a position battle is meant to determine what player will give the team the best shot at winning, it would make sense that Hill, who has gone 7-3 in his 10 starts for San Francisco, would have an inside edge on Smith, who has compiled a miserable 11-21 record as San Francisco's starter. And that was the case prior to the team's minicamps and OTAs.

However, Smith, once a huge underdog in this competition, has narrowed the gap significantly, partly due to his own body of work this offseason and partly due to Hill's tendency to struggle in practices. If Smith keeps outshining Hill, the QB could very well get a chance at resurrecting his career and prove that he's not the bust everyone has made him out to be. 

 

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS - Byron Leftwich vs. Luke McCown vs. Josh Freeman

The winner of the Buccaneers' job isn't going to become a must-start in the world of fantasy football, but they will still have an impact in fantasy leagues as their play will determine the value of wide receiver Antonio Bryant and tight end Kellen Winslow. And, if things keep progressing as they are in Florida, it may be wise to move Bryant and Winslow down your cheat sheets.

Once thoroughly opposed to throwing rookie Josh Freeman into the fire this season, the team is changing its tune as both Luke McCown and Byron Leftwich are struggling. Unless something changes drastically before the season starts, the Bucs are looking at either starting one of two veteran quarterbacks that have been underwhelming at best this offseason or a rookie that will suffer through plenty of growing pains throughout the year. Having your receiver or tight end receiving throws from any of the above is not exactly encouraging.

---------------------

Bruno Boys Fantasy Football