Which QBs Will Start in the 2011 NFL Season? (Part 1)

There is not an exact science to predict exactly what moves a team will make in the upcoming season, especially since there have been a few controversial moves made in the offseason.

Never could anyone have speculated that both Chad Ochocinco and Albert Haynesworth would be sporting New England Patriots’ jerseys alongside Tom Brady and Wes Welker. However, we all should have realized by now that the only thing that is predictable about the New England Patriots is the hoodie that Bill Belichick refuses to toss to the wolves or auction for charity.

A big subject that still must be conquered is which NFL rookie quarterbacks will actually taste the field in Week 1. There are a few that have the majority vote, but coaches sometimes look to seniority to decide which QB actually gets the first go at their opponents’ defense. So here is my piece of folded paper in the hat prediction at which quarterbacks will start in the 2011 NFL season.

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New England Patriots Starting QB: Tom Brady

Until some devastating, life-threatening injury rocks his world and he no longer has the use of his limbs, Brady will be Belichick’s go to guy. After battling a shaky draft position and eventual placement on the Patriots’ squad, Tom Brady has been the most polarizing quarterback in the game.

You may want to disagree because you generally vote for the underdog or just because you hate his new Gisele-inspired haircut. In any event, the numbers refuse to lie. Nowhere on his stat sheet can you see a man not worthy of stability in his starting position. 

Chicago Bears Starting QB: Jay Cutler

Jay Cutler may have been trashed for his exit from a very important game for the Bears, but as long as his coach and his players have the confidence in him to follow him through the trenches, fans should as well. There would be an apparent shift in the eyes and bodies of the team if they believed that he did not do everything in his power to return to the game.

After coming out to say that he took a shot to reduce the amount of pain he had been feeling, there were very few people who took his side, citing the fact that if this was true, he should have come out and said it in the first place.

Still, Cutler will be looked to as the primary leader for the franchise until his actions prove that he should not be. Coaches and front offices do not view perception as the sole means of determining a man’s role in their organization.

Carolina Panthers Starting QB: Cam Newton

The Panthers have a touchy situation on their hands. They could be loyal to the man who ran their season directly into the ground, Jimmy Clausen, or they could try their hand at the charismatic overall No. 1 pick who is constantly questioned about his abilities in the professional system. With a lack of playcalling at Auburn, a lot of people use that reason to belittle Newton’s accomplishments and potential in the NFL.

 Unbeknownst to any who deny his raw talent, Newton will attack every aspect of his task of learning with the exact same ferocity it took to pull his team out of a big deficit against Alabama in the Iron Bowl.

The sounds of encouragement from Carolina veterans and the addition of his former Auburn deep threat, Darvin Adams, will equal substantial victories and the Panthers will make further strides than anyone expects them to. Cam Newton was not drafted with the overall top pick or signed to a four-year $22 million deal to ride the bench. Sorry, Clausen. 

New York Jets Starting QB: Mark Sanchez

He lacks the seasoning to have reached the height of his potential, but Mark Sanchez has no worries about possibly not starting in 2011. Who would start in his place? There is no experienced veteran behind him because Mark Brunell was recently released.

Who is left?

The Jets definitely will be looking towards neither Greg McElroy nor Drew Willy to make any differences. Neither one of these young men has the ability to make broader strokes than Mark Sanchez so Rex Ryan will not hesitate to put Sanchez in the Jets’ starting offense.

Minnesota Vikings Starting QB: Donovan McNabb

His performance in Washington left much to be desired but Donovan McNabb does not have to worry about competing too heavily with Christian Ponder for a starting spot with the Vikings. The Vikings went after McNabb for a reason.

Although he looked rusty around the edges during his D.C. tenure, there are things that the franchise lacked in other areas that contributed to their downfall. The sole responsibility of winning a game never rests with the quarterback, although they are the ones who receive the lion’s share of blame.

Christian Ponder was a solid quarterback but it is going to take more than some unofficial workouts and a short stint in training camp for him to be prepared for the NFL. Minnesota brought McNabb in to not only serve as the starting quarterback for at least the first half of the season, but to instill some core values and training secrets to Ponder as he develops into a starting quarterback of the future.

There is no doubt the Vikings plan on using him, because they brought in someone with no more than two more seasons left in his blood.

Dallas Cowboys Starting QB: Tony Romo

Tony Romo is in for a season of redemption. It is not as if the Dallas Cowboys were the worst team in the league last season. The Carolina Panthers unhappily took that title. But how many people actually paid attention to what was going on with them on the field?

Sure, Dez Bryant could be a breath of fresh air on the receiving end, but so many people are labeling him the black sheep of the franchise, I am not sure how long he will survive before cracking under the pressure.

The Cowboys are a pretty decent squad if you look at each part separately. Yet, that ceases to matter in a sport where it matters more how each piece performs collectively. Healthy and eager to return from his injury, Romo will have a target on his back. 

Detroit Lions Starting QB, Matthew Stafford

Matthew Stafford has found it  difficult to keep two firmly planted feet on the ground for the entirety of a season. Shaun Hill has been filling his spot for some time now and even though he excelled slightly in 2010, he will be put on the back burner so Stafford can take another shot at it.

Stafford, due to recent history, has yet to receive my blessing as my home team’s main option on the field. Yet he maintains the faith of his organization because of his continuous leadership. In his case, the standards of a leader include major time on the side of the field in warmups with a clipboard in his hand. The coaches do it all the time, so I guess he should have a chance at it as well. 

Baltimore Ravens Starting QB: Joe Flacco

The new front office hirings will have nothing to do with this aspect of the field. With Hunter Cantwell's limited experience and former V-Tech QB Tyrod Taylor’s fresh arrival to the franchise, Joe Flacco has massive job security.

Baltimore bringing in Taylor in this year’s draft did not place an ounce of fear in Flacco because he understands what most people do not. Taylor’s interpretation of a football game may have allowed spurts of greatness during his time at the collegiate level, but it is going to take a lot more than great body movement and elusiveness to make it in the big league.

He may be a great quarterback in the future, but not in the near future. Flacco will be the starting quarterback for the Ravens.

Green Bay Packers Starting QB: Aaron Rodgers

This question should not even be asked. Aaron Rodgers has been climbing his way to the top of the league for some time now and has finally received his official championship belt.

His team is stacked beyond comparison and he should be granted his personal amount of responsibility for the Packers’ ability to stay above water all the way up until the end at the Super Bowl, where they ultimately defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Rodgers may not be the most notable quarterback in the league, thanks to Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, but he has reached an elite level that no one thought the memory of Brett Favre would allow him to. It is just a bit ironic that the same year the Green Bay Packers won a Super Bowl, Brett Favre calls it quits.

Not saying that the two events are in anyway linked, just pointing out the timeline.

Pittsburgh Steelers Starting QB: Ben Roethlisberger

Ben Roethlisberger will be the starting quarterback no matter how many NFL player polls NFL Network takes. After falling farther down on the list than those less valuable and less accomplished, Big Ben still sits at the top in the Steelers’ pecking order. Hines Ward, James Harrison and Troy Polamalu sit close behind him, but no one should be able to say that his value to Pittsburgh has diminished in any way.

Big Ben’s game play may not be the prettiest, but it gets the job done. After plenty of broken bones, including a broken nose and a broken foot that he continued to play on, Ben took his team farther than some of the most vibrant QBs in the league and yet fell behind Phil Rivers and Michael Vick.

It just goes to show that a high level of production does not always translate into social likeability.