NFL Predictions: 32 Starters Facing a Demotion in 2011
Kevin Kolb was the Philadelphia Eagles' starting quarterback when the 2010 NFL season began.
That didn't last long.
The NFL, as we all know, stands for Not For Long when it comes to players who don't perform up to expectations.
With the 2010 season now in its back half and charging down the stretch toward the playoffs, it's a good time to take a peek at 2011 and make some predictions about which starters may be finding themselves on the bench next to Kolb.
Some of these players will come as no surprise, especially to fans of the teams, but there are a few surprises here.
Derek Anderson, Arizona Cardinals
1 of 32
The only reason Derek Anderson is the starter in Arizona is because Ken Whisenhunt feels he has no other choice.
Matt Leinart played himself off the team, the Max Hall experiment failed and John Skelton apparently hasn't done enough in practice for Whisenhunt to feel confident enough to turn the offense over to him.
If there's one thing you can bet on in Arizona, it's that there will be a complete overhaul at quarterback next year.
Corey Peters, Atlanta Falcons
2 of 32
Corey Peters may be a rookie, but his impact on the Falcons' defensive line hasn't been spectacular. He has yet to record a sack, and he may need to develop more before he's ready to be a starter in the NFL.
Matt Birk, Baltimore Ravens
3 of 32
Matt Birk has been a very good center for the Baltimore Ravens, but he's 34 years old now, and that's ancient for the position.
Don't be surprised at all to see the Ravens draft a center and for Birk to start his long walk to retirement by this time next year.
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Steve Johnson, Buffalo Bills
4 of 32
Yes, the drop is still fresh, but it's how a receiver responds to it that matters. Johnson had five drops in last Sunday's game versus the Steelers, the last one being a career-defining drop.
Johnson said after the game he'll "never" get over it, and that's bad. You have to have selective amnesia to be a professional athlete, and if Johnson has that drop in his brain every time he takes the field, his career is over.
The Bills will ride the rest of the season out and hope to start fresh next year, but Johnson wouldn't be the first pro athlete who had a day so bad it ruined his career.
Jimmy Clausen, Carolina Panthers
5 of 32
After watching Matthew Stafford, Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy, it's obvious Jimmy Clausen was drafted too high.
Whatever the problems in Carolina, John Fox and his coaching staff didn't all of a sudden get dumb. Clausen is not ready to be a pro quarterback, and there will be somebody else starting under center for the Panthers next year.
By the way, it won't be Matt Moore.
Frank Omiyale, Chicago Bears
6 of 32
When you look at how many sacks the Bears' offensive line has given up, you have to realize someone will have to pay a price in the offseason for that.
Left tackle Frank Omiyale is the main man responsible for the left side of the line, and that means he'll end up seeing the bench a lot more next year.
Carson Palmer, Cincinnati Bengals
7 of 32
The Bengals are going to ride out Carson Palmer the rest of this year, and owner Mike Brown is cheap enough to give Palmer one more try next year because he's not going to want to pay first-round quarterback money.
With that same thought, Brown won't want to pay Kevin Kolb's salary either, so he'll start Palmer, who just isn't the same quarterback due to knee and elbow injuries. He's trying to compensate by forcing the ball and just making bad decisions. That's just not going to change at this point.
Don't be surprised to see Dan LeFevour behind center by Week 6 next year.
Eric Wright, Cleveland Browns
8 of 32
Eric Wright picked the wrong time to have the worst year of his career and then get injured.
Wright is in a free agent year, but his MO this season is getting on ESPN because he's the guy getting torched by every wide receiver in the league.
Because the Browns are so depleted in their secondary, and because Wright has had such a bad year, the Browns can sign him at a fairly decent price. They will immediately regret it, because like Steve Johnson, once you've been burned that badly, it gets in your head, and that shred of doubt slows you down.
Mike Jenkins, Dallas Cowboys
9 of 32
Whether Mike Jenkins is bad, lazy or just quit on the team, his play this year has caused more than one Cowboy fan to scream at the TV in frustration.
The fact that Jenkins' play was so bad for much of the year says there is something wrong with the guy, and he'll lose his starter's job come 2011 because of it.
Knowshon Moreno, Denver Broncos
10 of 32
The Broncos' running game hasn't exactly lit the place up this year, and Josh McDaniels traded their best running back to the Browns for Brady Quinn and then drafted Tim Tebow.
To quote one of my favorite movies, "Nice thinkin' Ray."
Knowshon Moreno will find himself backing up another running back next year.
Corey Williams, Detroit Lions
11 of 32
Take a look at rookie Ndamukong Suh's numbers for a moment. Suh has 32 tackles, eight sacks, one interception, one fumble recovery and one touchdown off those turnovers.
Corey Williams, 30, has 20 tackles, no sacks and probably won't be with the Lions much longer if this kind of play keeps up.
Brandon Jackson, Green Bay Packers
12 of 32
Brandon Jackson became the starter by default after Ryan Grant was lost for the year, but Jackson hasn't done enough to keep the job.
When Grant comes back next year, there won't be a competition for the starter's job in training camp. Jackson will be the backup.
Shaun Cody, Houston Texans
13 of 32
When it comes to the Houston Texans defense this year, who do you choose to take the fall for this year's abysmal performance?
The choices are plenty, but Shaun Cody has had no sacks and only 20 tackles, meaning he's not putting pressure on the quarterback and isn't doing a very good job of stopping the run.
That kind of play will find him backing up someone else next year.
Jeff Saturday, Indianapolis Colts
14 of 32
What!?!?!?!? Jeff Saturday!?!?!
Yes. Check his birth certificate. He's 35 years old right now, and the rest of the Colts' line hasn't been that great this year.
The Colts have to bring in someone younger at this point; it's just something a responsible general manager will do. Saturday may not be the main reason Peyton Manning is under more pressure this year, but I guarantee you he isn't as quick as he used to be.
Don Carey, Jacksonville Jaguars
15 of 32
Don Carey is in his second year in the NFL, but he's only recorded 25 tackles, zero interceptions, zero sacks and no fumble recoveries.
All that tells me is that Carey isn't very good at knowing where the ball is, reading the quarterback and getting the ball when it comes his way.
The Jaguars can do better than this.
Thomas Jones, Kansas City Chiefs
16 of 32
Once again, age is the main factor in what will be a big change.
While Thomas Jones is having a great year, he's 32 years old, and for a running back, that's living on borrowed time.
Jamaal Charles, 23, already has more than 1,000 yards on the ground this year, and he'll probably take over the starting duties next year, easing the burden on the aging Jones.
Ronnie Brown, Miami Dolphins
17 of 32
At 28, Ronnie Brown should still have a few years left, but he only has 539 yards and three touchdowns through 11 games this year. Assuming the Dolphins re-sign him, it'll be in a backup or mentor role for a younger back with fresher legs.
Of course, this slot easily could've gone to Chad Henne, but the jury still is out on what the Dolphins will do there.
Kevin Williams, Minnesota Vikings
18 of 32
The change at quarterback for the Vikings is a given, so we'll focus on another position.
Kevin Williams is 30, and his production has dropped. His tackles are down, he's not getting to the quarterback like he should and he's not as effective of a run stopper as he used to be.
Williams may be good enough to win the job in training camp next year, but he may not have it for long.
BenJarvus Green-Ellis, New England Patriots
19 of 32
BenJarvus Green-Ellis has had a couple of good games, but it doesn't take a football genius to realize Green-Ellis is a backup in a starting position because Bill Belichick didn't give himself a lot of other options.
Expect the Patriots to draft Green-Ellis' replacement and for Green-Ellis to become what he really is—a backup.
Remi Ayodele, New Orleans Saints
20 of 32
Remi Ayodele also is falling prey to the dreaded "drop in production."
So far this season, Ayodele doesn't have a lot of tackles, only one sack and only one forced fumble.
By comparison, Sedrick Ellis has more tackles than Ayodele and four sacks, plus one forced fumble.
The Saints have to keep reloading after winning the Super Bowl last year, and Ayodele could be one of those left behind.
Brandon Jacobs, New York Giants
21 of 32
Brandon Jacobs lost and regained his starter's role this year, but that's just because Ahmad Bradshaw has a little fumbling problem.
Don't expect Jacobs to keep the job as he approaches age 30 and Tom Coughlin continues to make sure the Giants don't fall behind in the NFC East.
Brodney Pool, New York Jets
22 of 32
Brodney Pool hasn't been seen much on the Jets' highlight reel because he hasn't really done much.
Granted, Darrelle Revis takes most of the attention, but Pool hasn't done much, and Rex Ryan most likely will address that if it doesn't change next year.
Jason Campbell, Oakland Raiders
23 of 32
Since Jason Campbell now is the starter for the rest of the year, let's look at next year.
It's obvious neither Campbell nor Bruce Gradkowski is the quarterback of the future for the Raiders. The question is whether or not the Raiders draft a quarterback or go after someone like Kevin Kolb.
Either way, Campbell will resume his role as a backup.
Moise Fokou, Philadelphia Eagles
24 of 32
When you look around the defensive line for Philadelphia, you see a lot of tackles, sacks and forced fumbles.
Not so much with Moise Fokou.
Fokou will have to step it up next year, or he'll be the backup OLB for the Eagles.
James Harrison, Pittsburgh Steelers
25 of 32
James Harrison is playing like a guy who doesn't get it. Whether you agree with the helmet-to-helmet policy or not, the league has made its decision, and Harrison keeps flaunting the rule and then daring the league to fine him after the game.
So they have. Once again, whether you agree with it or not, this is the way it is.
Now with $125,000 in fines, Harrison just might start pulling back on hits, which will lead to a decline in production since he seems incapable of playing any other way than leading with his helmet, and someone else will be the starter next year.
This is a correctable situation, but Harrison seems more interested in being a martyr than just playing by the league's rules and going about his business.
Don't feel sorry for Harrison, Steelers fans; get mad that he continues to call out Commissioner Roger Goodell. No matter what, Harrison is going to lose that battle.
Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers
26 of 32
Antonio Gates, while having one heck of a year, is 30 and fighting injuries.
The phrase "30 and fighting injuries" is not a good one for an NFL player, and while he'll still have a role on the Chargers next year, it probably will end being a backup role.
Frank Gore, San Francisco 49ers
27 of 32
Frank Gore's season ended with a cracked hip, but he's expected to return for 2011.
Since Gore will be turning 28 in the offseason, the question is how he responds after the injury heals and if he can be as good as he was before.
Gore still will be productive, but he may no longer be productive enough to be the starter.
Brandon Stokley, Seattle Seahawks
28 of 32
Brandon Stokley is another starter who may fall victim to Father Time. His production is way down this year, although that partly is due to offensive problems in general, but Stokley hasn't put up numbers like he used to, and that could result in a demotion in 2011.
Ronald Bartell, St. Louis Rams
29 of 32
Ronald Bartell has yet to record an interception this year. The Rams are a team that could make the playoffs this year and definitely want to be in the playoff mix next year, and they need more production out of the cornerback position than Bartell is giving them.
Ronde Barber, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
30 of 32
Ronde Barber is a venerable cornerback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The key word there is "venerable."
At 35, Barber may be just about out of gas, but he's having a good enough year that he'll want to come back next year. Then he just may realize he hung around one year too long.
Vince Young, Tennessee Titans
31 of 32
Right now, Titans owner Bud Adams looks dumb enough to make Jeff Fisher keep Vince Young on the roster, but that doesn't mean Fisher has to play him.
He won't.
Welcome back to the bench, Vince!
Donovan McNabb, Washington Redskins
32 of 32
Donovan McNabb always has been inconsistent in big games, especially playoff games, but now he's just inconsistent all the time.
Mike Shanahan may try to make this work one more time next season, but it won't last.
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