Joe Flacco and 9 Young QBs Who Can't Possibly Get Any Worse

The Baltimore Ravens looked poised two weeks ago to make a run at the Super Bowl.

They still had  the dominating defense led by Ray Lewis, Haloti Ngata, Ed Reed and Terrell Suggs.

They had a great running game with Ray Rice as the centerpiece.

The receivers were fast, led by Anquan Bolden and rookie Torrey Smith.

The only thing missing was a stout quarterback to lead them to the promised land. They thought they found one in Joe Flacco from Delaware in the 2008 NFL draft.

But the Ravens have not been to the Super Bowl with their young passer under center and have found that the fourth-year veteran is still playing Jekyll and Hyde football, never knowing which Flacco will show up and will he be able to get his team the elusive ring.

Flacco isn't alone. There are several starting quarterbacks in the NFL who are young, capable and still in need of proof they belong on the field in the NFL.

For these quarterbacks, it can't get worse—they hope.

Charlie Whitehurst, Seattle

Seattle is one of those teams that has two quarterbacks that fit into this category.

Whitehurst and Tarvaris Jackson really do not offer the Seahawks much in the way of leadership toward a winning season.

This week they faced the top-rated defense and much-improved Cincinnati Bengals.

The defense scored a touchdown and wreaked all kinds of havoc on Whitehurst and the rest of the team.

Matt Moore, Miami

I was pulling for him this week. I really was.

Just when it looked like Moore and the Dolphins would win their first game against the Giants, the football gods realized who New York was playing.

The Dolphins have looked better the past two weeks, but still not good enough to gain a win in this NFL season.

And you know the Dolphins fans are praying to still be in the Andrew Luck sweepstakes.

John Beck, Washington

When Beck lost the starting quarterback job to Rex Grossman at the beginning of the season, Beck was quoted as being "pissed" he lost the job in the first place.

After losing the last two games as starter, how do you think Beck feels now?

There is still a long season ahead in the nation's capital.

Tim Tebow, Denver

He is as calm as the sea at dusk.

But for some reason, the NFL has become this turbulent scene for him.

Detroit's defense proved too much for the man that still wears Orange and Blue.

College was never like this.

And if he cannot get his mechanics under control, it will get worse.

Blaine Gabbert, Jacksonville

No, it cannot get any worse for Mr. Gabbert.

He is the lowest-rated quarterback of any of the rookies starting now.

And he seems to regress more and more.

When he took a shot in the ribs this week against Houston, it looked like he would be out for a few series. But Gabbert hung tough.

He needs more patience and time to throw, and he needs to learn more about the game.

It will take some time before he is really good.

Joe Flacco, Baltimore

There are times when he is brilliant and there are times when a high school quarterback looks better.

Flacco is not Trent Dilfer and he is not Brad Johnson. But they have Super Bowl rings, and the Delaware kid does not.

The Ravens can only go as far as he takes them.

It used to be the team asked him to manage a game, not win it for them.

Pretty soon, he is going to have to win some games for them.

Philip Rivers, San Diego

If the Chargers do not make a run in the playoffs soon, Rivers may go down as the best quarterback to never—well, you know.

Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger have rings.

Rivers, the man that forced Drew Brees to be released, does not.

The talent is there. Can Rivers get them there?

Colt McCoy, Cleveland

You just want him to succeed.

McCoy may not be the long-term answer in Cleveland.

The Browns win against Seattle last week in a 6-3 snoozer, and then they lose huge to San Francisco.

This team really needs a makeover—and fast.

Curtis Painter, Indianapolis

I'll bet when Curtis Painter became a member of the Colts, he thought being backup to Peyton Manning was one of the all-time best jobs to have in the NFL.

And then Peyton gets hurt, and Painter gets to see what the real NFL is all about.

Things are not all his fault, and he has shown times of good play, but the Colts have hit rock-bottom, and Painter is on the bottom of a very steep incline in the professional ranks.