Quarterbacks! You can really get a good feel for what teams are going to be successful in the NFL by how good their Quarterback is. As my beloved Dolphins are now mired in yet another Quarterback controversy (please see the entry below this one), it got me thinking about how it's been so hard for Miami to find a franchise QB since Dan Marino retired in 1999. No team has gone through more starting QBs than the Miami Dolphins between then and now.
That said, what teams are all set at QB? What teams are close? What teams are fuuuuuucked?
Here's a little bit of research I've done on the subject:
Teams who have the QB position set for at least the next 5 years:
New York Jets – Mark Sanchez (he's not putting up Peyton Manning numbers or anything, but he's clearly their QB of the future. He lead the team to the AFC Championship game in his rookie season last year, and they are poised to make another run this year)
New England Patriots – Tom Brady (this one is pretty self explanatory...he's probably lost count of how many Super Bowls he's won by now)
Pittsburgh Steelers – Ben Roethlisberger (won 2 Super Bowls in his first 4 seasons)
Baltimore Ravens – Joe Flacco (led the Ravens to the AFC title game in '08 as a rookie, and is leading them towards the playoffs this year)
Indianapolis Colts – Peyton Manning (goes without saying. he'll own every passing record before he retires)
San Diego Chargers – Philip Rivers (as far as I'm concerned, he's the best QB in the NFL right now.)
New York Giants – Eli Manning (Payton's little brother...not the dominant force that Peyton is, but he's won a Super Bowl and has the Giants in the playoffs every year)
Green Bay Packers – Aaron Rodgers (playing like a true super star QB this season. The Packers will be a force to reckon with in the playoffs)
Detroit Lions – Matthew Stafford (2009's #1 overall draft pick is no bust. He is the real deal, and while the Lions are still a couple of seasons away from Super Bowl contention, he's got them headed in the right direction after years of comedy in Detroit)
Atlanta Falcons – Matt Ryan (led the Falcons to the NFC title game in his rookie season of 2008, and they look like the best team in the NFC so far this year)
New Orleans Saints – Drew Brees (led the Saints to their first ever Super Bowl victory last year, and plays at an MVP level every season)
Tampa Bay Bucs – Josh Freeman (the Bucs really hit a home run when they drafted Freeman in the 1st round of the 2009 draft. he's got them playing competitive football for the first time since 2002 when they won the Super Bowl.)
St. Louis Rams – Sam Bradford (this year's #1 overall draft pick has the Rams playing great, and in position to win the NFC West)
Teams with "some questions" at the QB position (but may be set, depending on how things go):
Cincinnati Bengals – Carson Palmer (how much longer will they stick with him?)
Tennessee Titans - Vince Young (he shows flashes of greatness, can he be that guy consistently? injuries have been an issue)
Cleveland Browns - Colt McCoy (he's 2-1 as a starter this season, with HUGE wins over defending champion Saints and all-world New England Patriots in back-to-back weeks. if he continues on this path, he's your franchise)
Jacksonville Jaguars – David Garrard (he's anywhere from great to awful on any given sunday…)
Houston Texans – Matt Schaub (i've never been sold on him and i get the feeling that if the right thing came along they'd upgrade. injuries are always a concern with him.)
Kansas City Chiefs – Matt Cassell (has all the tools but not sure anyone is REALLY sold on him being the franchise)
Oakland Raiders - Jason Campbell (again, has all the tools, but they're playing musical QBs and obviously aren't sold yet)
Denver Broncos – Kyle Orton (putting up GREAT numbers this year, but is he just filling time until they can get Tebow on the field? i've always felt that he is a better QB than he gets credit for)
Philadelphia Eagles – Michael Vick/Kevin Kolb (what a terrible problem to have – two QBs playing grea - sometime soon, probably before next year, they'll have to pick one)
Dallas Cowboys – Tony Romo (solid QB, but never has been able to get them over the hump, and with a new regime coming in, how safe is his job?)
Chicago Bears – Jay Cutler (continues to make stupid mistakes, but also gets no help from his O-Line…not sure how happy they are with him in chicago, tends to vary from week to week.)
Teams with "major questions" at the QB positon:
Miami Dolphins – Chad Henne/Tyler Thigpen/Chad Pennington (can Henne be the guy? will he get another chance? will Thigpen play this year? how long will Chad "his noodly appendage" Pennington last before getting hurt? will the phins target a QB in the 2011 draft?)
Buffalo Bills – Ryan Fitzpatrick (has shown flashes but is obviously a stopgap. look for the bills to go QB with the top pick in the 2011 draft)
Washington Redskins – Donovan McNabb (it's obvious that McNabb won't be in washington next season)
Minnesota Vikings – Brett Favre/Tarvaris Jackson (Favre won't be back in 2011. what direction will they go? can Tarvaris Jackson lead this team?)
Carolina Panthers – Jimmy Clausen/Matt Moore (neither have looked great, but clausen still needs time to develop, will they stick with this group?)
Seattle Seahawks – Matt Hasselback (looks like Hasselbeck's time is up in Seattle...he can't stay healthy and his play has gotten way too inconsistent)
Arizona Cardinals – WHO KNOWS WHAT THEY ARE GONNA DO??
San Francisco 49ers – Alex Smith (former #1 overall pick, but it doesn't take a genious to figure out that the 9ers would love to upgrade here)
INTERESTING FACTS!
Of the 15 Quarterbacks drafted in the 1st Round since 2005.......
7 are legitimate "franchise" QBs who will be leading their teams for years to come (Aaron Rodgers, Joe Flacco, Matt Ryan, Matthew Stafford, Mark Sanchez, Josh Freeman, Sam Bradford)
4 are starting in the league, but have some pretty large questions marks still (Jay Cutler, Vince Young, Jason Campbell, Alex Smith)
3 have either been benched after their chance to start, or are no longer in the NFL (JaMarcus Russell [LOL], Brady Quinn, Matt Leinart)
1 hasn't played yet (Tim Tebow)
MOST INTERESTING FACT (to me, at least):
Since 2005, no QB drafted outside of the FIRST ROUND is currently a legitimate franchize QB.
The lesson? If you're going to draft a QB, better bite the bullet and take one of the top rated guys in the 1st round. The gamble pays off more often than not.
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