Not The Year To Find A QB

If your team is in desperate need of a quarterback, it could be a long wait for the 2009 season. I’m trying to figure out the best options in free agency and the draft, and I still can’t find anything to write home about.

Last week, the National Football Post’s Michael Lombardi detailed the top free-agent quarterbacks in the NFL. As I sit here scouring the list, I’m pretty worried that Chiefs fans who have a Tyler Thigpen jersey hanging in the closet might want to get it dry-cleaned and ready to go next season — because the options available with NFL experience are pretty slim.

Who’s in dire need of a QB?

1. Chiefs: Thigpen was a nice story, but that doesn’t equal wins. They need to bring in someone to at least force Thigpen to a back-up role.

2. Niners: Shaun Hill took over for Mike Martz’s guy, J.T. O’Sullivan, but Martz isn’t in the building anymore. Hill did OK, but he’s not the long-term answer.

3. Vikings: We all saw what Tarvaris Jackson can do in a big game in January. Too much talent around him to waste another season playing quarterback games.

4. Lions: Daunte Culpepper showed last season that he isn’t the answer. They have the first pick. Free agency will tell us their plan.

5. Jets: Brett Favre is done, and Kellen Clemens is average. Brett Ratliff? The guy has never stepped on the field when it counted.  Add them to the list.

Who thinks they need a QB?

1. Bears: This debate will go on another 20 years (just like it has since Jim McMahon wore sunglasses in ’85). Is Kyle Orton the long-range answer? Probably not, but with the options out there, they’re lucky to have him.

2. Panthers: Jake Delhomme probably brought this discussion on himself after he had six turnovers — all by himself — in a playoff letdown against Arizona. However, he still might be the best option for the Panthers.

Who needs a back-up option (just in case)?

1. Bucs: They just re-signed Luke McCown, but is he the answer with a new coach in Tampa? Looks like he has to be because the Brian Griese show is old — very old.

2. Jags: Might be a stretch, but the play of David Garrard is going to determine this coaching staff’s livelihood. He struggled last year, and their depth chart has Cleo Lemmon as the back-up. Brutal.

Who’s not available?

These guys are already locked up or probably will be in the near future.

Matt Cassel: Cassel has accepted the franchise tag from the Patriots, meaning it will cost an arm and a leg to acquire him from New England. Sorry, that’s too high a price to pay for a team that has lots of holes to fill. Yes, I’m talking about Kansas City.

Kurt Warner: Will most likely re-sign with Arizona or retire. No chance there.

Kerry Collins: Looks like he’ll eventually end up under center in Tennessee next season.

Luke McCown: Just re-signed with Tampa.

Who’s worth picking up?

If you absolutely need a quarterback, call one of these guys.

Byron Leftwich: A safe choice, although he has a slower release than a 16-inch softball pitcher in a beer league. There was a reason Jacksonville cut him in the first place.

Chris Simms: Was once a hot name, but he had surgery to remove a spleen. Hasn’t played meaningful minutes since.

Patrick Ramsey: Has a cannon for an arm, but he hasn’t been the same since the Steve Spurrier days in Washington. That was a while ago.

Jeff Garcia: The guy can play and he can win. But he’s 38 and can’t thrown the ball downfield. Would be a good pick up if a starter went down with a big-time injury.

Who can play now as a rookie?

No one really can. Remember, Peyton Manning threw 28 picks in his rookie season, and Joe Flacco played with the league’s No. 2 defense this past year.

Matthew Stafford: If Detroit or K.C. drafts him and he starts, it will be a long year. The SEC is a good conference, but 90 percent of the guys Stafford played against aren’t talented enough to make it to the NFL.

Mark Sanchez: Sounds cool because he played at USC, but questions about his arm strength already have him dropping down draft boards.

Josh Freeman: Any time you start to hear the words “project” or “raw talent” applied to a rookie, don’t expect much. Might work as a defensive end for a handful of plays on Sundays, but at QB? No chance.

Fans whose teams have Manning, Brady (and Cassel), Rivers, McNabb and so on, now might be the time to be thankful — because there are some teams out there without a “guy” at quarterback, and they don’t have much to choose from. Not the year to have questions at the quarterback position because there are really no answers in sight.

Comments

Add a Comment