1st and Ten: NFL QB Thoughts
By Michael Schneid
The Bills easily have the worst QB depth chart in the NFL. EJ Manuel is the starter, entering his second year. The Bills released Dennis Dixon and Thaddeus Lewis this week, to make room to sign Jordan Palmer. Palmer will compete with Jeff Tuel in the final preseason game to determine who will back up Manuel. Manuel only started
Ryan Fitzpatrick is also among the worst starters in the league. Blake Bortles has been lighting it up throughout the pre-season and in practices. The Texans better hope Jadaveon Clowney is healthy and everything he has been advertised to be.
Brian Hoyer is being set up to fail. And it makes sense. Browns open at Pittsburgh, than face the Saints and Ravens at home before a week 4 bye. Cleveland will likely be 0-3 at this point, with the slight possibility of starting 1-2. Unless Hoyer's numbers are Pro Bowl-esque, Johnny Manziel will likely start vs the Titans in Week 5. The Browns are simply giving him an extra month to learn plays and learn the speed of the NFL game by watching on the sidelines.
The Redskins should trade Kirk Cousins after the 2014 season. People are going to continue to compare him to RG3 and some will continue to call for him to start. The only way to avoid the QB controversy is to move on of the two QBs. Of course, it may be easier if Robert Griffin plays to his potential as well.
The Rams aren't in serious trouble. Shaun Hill is not a bad QB. Sam Bradford wasn't exactly a great QB. The Rams defense is still scary and has a ton of potential and they were going to rely heavily on Zac Stacy and the run game anyways. If Hill can avoid turnovers and simply manage the game, the Rams can sneak into the playoffs.
Matt Schaub is done. He has looked awful this preseason and Derek Carr should be starting sooner than later for the Raiders this season. This would be the second straight year the Raiders brought in a veteran, who had nothing left in the tank and were forced to start a young QB.
2014 is a make-or-break season for Jake Locker. The Titans QB has weapons and has a new, offensive-minded head coach. If Locker cannot succeed under Ken Whisenhunt, who helped Philip Rivers have a resurgent year in 2013, Locker is unlikely to succeed under any head coach.
The Vikings are making the right move starting Matt Cassel over Teddy Bridgewater. Bridgewater is the future, but Cassel can help the Vikings, who have a lot of talent on offense along with Norv Turner coaching the offense.
Josh McCown is unlikely to replicate his success from last year. Mike Glennon is clearly not the future in Tampa Bay and after this season, the Bucs will likely be in the market for a QB in the draft.
Another team who may be in the market for a QB in 2015 is Kansas City. The Chiefs were a big surprise last year and were the league's last unbeaten team. Alex Smith has one-year remaining on his contract. If he doesn't play at a high enough level, the Chiefs may decide to move on and go with more of a playmaking QB, over a game-managing QB like Smith.
The Bills easily have the worst QB depth chart in the NFL. EJ Manuel is the starter, entering his second year. The Bills released Dennis Dixon and Thaddeus Lewis this week, to make room to sign Jordan Palmer. Palmer will compete with Jeff Tuel in the final preseason game to determine who will back up Manuel. Manuel only started
Ryan Fitzpatrick is also among the worst starters in the league. Blake Bortles has been lighting it up throughout the pre-season and in practices. The Texans better hope Jadaveon Clowney is healthy and everything he has been advertised to be.
Brian Hoyer is being set up to fail. And it makes sense. Browns open at Pittsburgh, than face the Saints and Ravens at home before a week 4 bye. Cleveland will likely be 0-3 at this point, with the slight possibility of starting 1-2. Unless Hoyer's numbers are Pro Bowl-esque, Johnny Manziel will likely start vs the Titans in Week 5. The Browns are simply giving him an extra month to learn plays and learn the speed of the NFL game by watching on the sidelines.
The Redskins should trade Kirk Cousins after the 2014 season. People are going to continue to compare him to RG3 and some will continue to call for him to start. The only way to avoid the QB controversy is to move on of the two QBs. Of course, it may be easier if Robert Griffin plays to his potential as well.
The Rams aren't in serious trouble. Shaun Hill is not a bad QB. Sam Bradford wasn't exactly a great QB. The Rams defense is still scary and has a ton of potential and they were going to rely heavily on Zac Stacy and the run game anyways. If Hill can avoid turnovers and simply manage the game, the Rams can sneak into the playoffs.
Matt Schaub is done. He has looked awful this preseason and Derek Carr should be starting sooner than later for the Raiders this season. This would be the second straight year the Raiders brought in a veteran, who had nothing left in the tank and were forced to start a young QB.
2014 is a make-or-break season for Jake Locker. The Titans QB has weapons and has a new, offensive-minded head coach. If Locker cannot succeed under Ken Whisenhunt, who helped Philip Rivers have a resurgent year in 2013, Locker is unlikely to succeed under any head coach.
The Vikings are making the right move starting Matt Cassel over Teddy Bridgewater. Bridgewater is the future, but Cassel can help the Vikings, who have a lot of talent on offense along with Norv Turner coaching the offense.
Josh McCown is unlikely to replicate his success from last year. Mike Glennon is clearly not the future in Tampa Bay and after this season, the Bucs will likely be in the market for a QB in the draft.
Another team who may be in the market for a QB in 2015 is Kansas City. The Chiefs were a big surprise last year and were the league's last unbeaten team. Alex Smith has one-year remaining on his contract. If he doesn't play at a high enough level, the Chiefs may decide to move on and go with more of a playmaking QB, over a game-managing QB like Smith.
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